London Trip May 2003Part III: Saturday - Sunday
    And in case there was any doubt that this was a high rent district, these are two of the "waterfront" properties that line the canal!  
The show that night was "Abigail's Party" at the Whitehall. It was a farce that was very well acted. The plot involved an adult "neighborhood" party going on while teenage Abigail had her own first party at home. The adult party deteriorated faster than the teen one did! It was very funny until the end when the host dies. Katie had to explain to me that was to be sure we understood it was the ultimate "very bad" party but I thought death was a bit extreme. As I said - British plays are "different!"
 
Below you see the "famous" 24-hour GMT clock; Fred, Carol and Barb at the prime meridian (it's marked on the ground); and the Cutty Sark.    We stopped briefly at the Greenwich Market, browsed a bit and had smoothies; we saw the Cutty Sark and then took the long trek back to Paddington. We picked up John and had dinner at Dickins Tavern. Katie and Gail wanted to do something "special" for the last night so they found an Italian place that was a bad experience. It seems the food was okay but the service was awful and they didn't get back til after 10, which wasn't good since they still had to pack!
Click here to return to the London index |
Saturday
morning Katie, Gail and I once again went off together. John, Fred and
Carol had "shopping" planned, starting at Portabello Road. We first
went to TKTS to get tickets for "Abigail's Party" that night. Then to
the Camden Town tube stop to meet Judith for the "walk." It was very
interesting - as we've found typical with the London Walks guides, she
knew tons of history and lots of little known things. We saw the house
where Dickens died and
a hawthorn tree still there that was planted by his wife. Apparently it
was simply lucky timing that he died at home and not across town with
his mistress. Aside from tidbits like that, Judith also (importantly)
knew her way through the "catacombs" of the market! It's at the site of
an old railroad warehouse - so there is a warren of tunnels, arches and
stables, now all turned into market stalls. Some are open all the time,
others are just set up for weekends.
To
the left are some interesting rooftops in Camden Town (each pot is from
a different fireplace - most of these homes predate central heating by
a long while); on the right, the locks by the market area. We had lunch
at the food court in the Camden Market (Moroccan kebabs); Gail stayed
to shop some more and Katie and I walked back (most of the way anyway -
to the Warwick Ave underground station) along the Regent's Canal.
Another very different view of London. We passed great big mansions,
old churches; the canal path goes through the London Zoo. We saw lots
of houseboats - again, some seemed to be rentals but many were clearly
"permanent" residents with elaborate landscaping. (See, for example,
the picture immediately below on the right, in the Little Venice area
of Paddington Basin.) Below are some excerpts from our walk back. 
Here
are a couple pictures Carol contributed from their day. These are two
of the many street buskers you encounter all over London. One of the
things that has changed since Katie and I were there 4 years ago is the
regulation of busking. You used to see signs posted in all the tube
stations and in the Underground saying "No Busking,"
although they were there - they just didn't stay in one place very
long! Now the signs proclaim something like "Support Your Licensed
Buskers!" Brilliant solution. Make it legal and tax it.
Sunday
morning Katie went off on her own with a list of small museums she
wanted to see. I think the Geffrye sounded like one I would have liked
and probably would have enjoyed more than some of what we did. But
that's hindsight. Next time. The rest of us started at Hampstead for
the Old Hampstead walk with Charles. See John and Carol at the tube
station on the left and the Chalybeate Well (healthy waters) that
turned Hampstead into a medical center, attracting many physicians as
well as patients seeking
"the cure." Charles was a good guide and there were interesting things
to see, but it was a HUGE crowd - like 4 times more people than I've
ever had on a walk before! With such a large group, it was slow and
hard to hear him at times. He focussed on history and a variety of
famous folk - Constable, J.M. Barrie, Romney, duMauriers, various
mistresses and family of the above - right on up to Dame Judi Dench (we
walked by her house) and the Spice Girls who own two penthouses in the
converted old hospital! (Below left. No, I don't know which ones.) On
the right is the Admiral's House that was made famous in "Mary
Poppins." Apparently his regular canon firing was a real thing!
From
there we went to Greenwich because I wanted to go back and see the
Chapel and Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College again. Long tube
ride with two transfers. Most of us had lunch at a noodles place; John
found an eel special elsewhere but couldn't interest anybody else in
joining him. I loved the art at the Naval College again. Christopher
Wren was the architect, James Thornhill the artist for the Painted Hall
(picture on left - not one I took since wisely they don't permit
photography); said to be the largest painted ceiling after the Sistine
Chapel. It took him 19 years to complete beginning in roughly 1705.
Across the quad is the Chapel that includes the marvelous painting by
Benjamin West behind the altar (on the right - why photos are
permitted here is a mystery).
The Chapel was the site of one of the weddings in "Four Weddings and a
Funeral." If you ever see the movie again, watch for the painting -
it's unmistakable! 
John separated here and headed for the markets.
Gail, Fred, Carol and I hiked up to the Observatory (left) because the
last time I was there it had been closed. Unfortunately, I didn't miss
much! There is a museum of astronomical - oriented stuff but not much
of interest to me. Apparently Gail found more to see, though, because
we "lost" her here. Fred, Carol and I walked around the
grounds and enjoyed the gardens. On the right is the view
looking back at the Queen's House; the Chapel and Painted Hall behind
that; then the river (hard to see) and the Crossharbor area of London
on the other side.
And here we all are Monday morning on the Gatwick
Express train heading for the airport and home. Ignore our cheerful
smiles - we are just posing for the cameras and using up our film. We
were actually
quite sad to have to be leaving!