Our last day in London

[rowanf]

This morning we got up and ate and then walked out to the Elfin Oak. I always loved the Oak but they have put it in a cage and put a playground next to it. I find this very sad really. One used to come upon the oak, at a cross roads in Kensington Park as a lovely surprise. It was carved in 1911 by Ivor Innes when he got back from the War. I think it was his way to reconnecting with the magic of the world. When I lived here in 1972 I used to go by the oak and reconnect myself. Now it is a monument rather than a place of magic. [I found a news release says it was carved between 1928 and 1930 but that isn't how I remember it. It doesn't change that it is now caged.]

Then we took the bus downtown and went to Fortnum & Mason's food hall. We bought presents for people and Russell got some lunch but I wanted to eat at a sit-down restaurant. Then we separated and he went off to Camden Lock and I went to Charing Cross to look for books for my Father. I didn't have much luck (though I bought a couple to read on the plane home since I had run out) and I would up at Tottenham Court Road where I had seen a Cornish Bakery featuring "award winning pasties". I was disappointed to find it was take-away only as I *really* wanted to sit inside and eat. Luckily there was a Starbucks a block away so I got a steamed milk and sat and enjoyed a small traditional pastie and a steak & stilton. Oh my. I wish steak & stilton pasties were something I could find in the normal course of things. Just as well for my waistline they aren't, I suppose.

I tried to call Russell to see if he wanted to do something together but got his voice mail. I headed back to the flat to drop off my packages (books and F&M stuff). He called and we agreed to meet at the Albert Memorial. It was one of those days with a blue sky with occasional bursts of rain. It was too pretty to spend inside but there was a cold wind and you kept getting cloudbursts. Schizophrenic weather. We wandered around the memorial looking at the Goddesses of the continents (Europe, Asia, Africa & America) and of human industry (Agriculture, Manufacturing, Commerce & Engineering). And the great men of history. *sigh* And Albert, of course. It has been refurbished since last I visited it (Russell went on our last trip but I didn't). It looks very gaudy and fine. I really like the Continental Goddesses. I hope he got a good picture of the American ones.

I went back to the flat whilst Russell stopped in at the Goat for a pint. I washed my hair this morning so I didn't want to get it smoky again joining him for a diet coke. I ate more cheese and jubugo ham for dinner with a pot of tea and the last of the biscuits. Yum. We're packed and ready to get up and go in the morning. I'm looking forward to my own bed and reliable wifi.

Comments

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

I don't think I can wait another 2 years for my trip to England!

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

*laugh* Maybe by then the exchange rate will be better. This time everything was sooooo expensive! I hardly did any shopping at all.

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

I hope the exchange rate is better when I go. It's a monster right now.

[elimloth.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... I think it's time for a trip to England; this time to visit London and parts north.

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

When were you last there? It was really fun. I like renting a flat alot better than staying in hotels. Both places we have rented through Home From Home (http://www.homefromhome.co.uk/) have been really nice and I've chosen good locations. I recommend them.

[elimloth.livejournal.com]

Five years have passed since Selene and I visited England; it was the 1999 eclipse expedition. I noticed the prices on Home From Home are not significantly lower than booking hotels through Price Line. I suppose the value is in better accomodations in the rented flats?

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Yes, better accomodations and your own kitchen. You can cook, do take-away, entertain friends in a way you just can't in a hotel room. Also most of them have clothes washers and some even dryers (which are, in general, must less common over there having only gained wide adoption in the 1980s according to the York Museum). Our flat this time was three blocks from Kensington High St tube station (I actually wanted to be on a bus route that had direct service to most of the sights) and had a doorman, elevator, living room, bedroom, kitchen (with dining table), bathroom with washer, dishwasher, television, all that sort of thing. Both this flat and the one we rented from them in Seven Dials several years ago were very nicely furnished with art and just really comfortable accommodations. The bed in our flat was much more comfortable than any of the hotels we were in. It isn't about saving money so much as just having a nicer space. With more people it can save money (8 of us rented a flat in Barcelona last year and it was great) but I just like having something that feels like my own space in a way a hotel room can't.