I was laughing to myself when I started to write this post: walking days, i.e. days when we’re not cycling from A to B, are dense with images and memories. Cycling days are sometimes – not always – a blur of pedalling for hours, water breaks and Green Doors*.
So … back to London. Sunday. A priority, obvi., was to book a proper Sunday Roast somewhere. We booked a 6:00 dinner at The George, on our pal Jackie Knapp’s recommendation. The thought of that big dinner was great incentive to bank some negative calories on the streets of the city, and we had another brilliant day of sunshine ahead of us. Our morning destination was a tour at Royal Albert Hall, the site of the popular London Proms. (Neither of us have ever been.)
We walked from our hotel, passed the regal Claridges Hotel, and marvelled at the Brits’ adherence to preservation of old buildings. Check out the 2nd and 3rd photos below. The entire facade is still in its original location – sitting atop brand new steel foundations. Think of the expense …
All of London seems to be budding or in bloom. Pity those with allergies.
There are, of course, war memorials everywhere, and we found the memorial to the animals that have lost their lives in various wars quite moving. (See photos.)
In Hyde Park we visited a huge David Hockney mural in a park building – Serpentine North – designed by Zaha Hadid. (David Hockney:English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, photographer, and stage designer, widely regarded as one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.)
From Hyde Park we crossed into Kensington Gardens, and on into what is affectionately known as “Albertopolis“. I have great admiration for what Prince Albert did in his 42 short years. (He died unexpectedly of typhus leaving his widow, Queen Victoria, and children, to mourn his loss.)
We joined our noon-hour tour of Albert Hall, sat in the stalls next to the royals’ box, visited their waiting room, heard a little of the famous, massive organ in a soundtest (but, sadly, not the current organ superstar, Anna Lapwood), watched various permutations and combinations of lighting options (when our tour was over there was going to be a concert at 2:00). The hall is still very much for the people and there are various options for affordable tickets throughout the year.
From the hall we took the Underground to the Temple station because we had plans to see early Evensong at St. Mary le Strand. We walked out of the station straight into throngs of Londoners madly cheering on the runners of the London Marathon. We saw the pace rabbit for the 4:00 finish target go sifting by, followed by racers who were giving it their all. It was incredibly moving and energizing to witness that, and also, to see runners who had already finished, walked back along the Strand and hearing people on the sidewalk shouting “Congratulations!!!!”. In fact, for the next two days, we could see finishers still wearing their huge race medals, eating in restaurants, shopping, and people were still shouting their congratulations. It was … just so nice. I loved it.
Evensong at St. Mary le Strand was by choral music expert David Guest, and ten university aged students, the Christopher Wood Choral Foundation, all selected by audition for a special year of tuition in British church music. Perfection. We left the sublime and merged into Covent Garden where a different type of music was happening: an informal “dance-off” between highly stylized gangs of dancers, dancing to, I guess???, K-Pop? They were really entertaining.
Next up, the Sunday Roast meatfest I had been looking forward to, featuring lashings of gravy with Yorkshire Puddings too large to finish.
Observation: we’ve observed anti-American sentiment before on our trips, but it has seriously escalated, not into hostility but into new levels of extreme disapproval, disappointment and disgust. Weighing heavily on many British minds is the impending visit of King Charles and Camilla, to Washington, April 27-30.
Travellers’ tip: Stop. Watch. Take the photo, so you can remember and savour that moment, and you can share it.
*Green Doors are stops in the woods where one can have a wee. There are no public restrooms in the middle of nowhere. You go where you can. (But do not attempt this in London. LOL.)
And what wonderful weather.
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