One of my favorite Churchill quotes: "If you're going through hell, keep going."
Last May, we sure weren't in hell. Right across the way was Westminster Abbey. Its stonework was astounding and I wondered whether it was carved so by human hands or by machine... we wanted to enter and pray, it looked so gorgeous and peaceful and it would have been so fantastic to hear the choir. But there was an entrance fee, a really big one, and we decided to marvel at its exterior instead.
"And to us sinners... ETERNAL LIFE." Is that meant... as a punishment? We would all like to be granted permission into the Kingdom of Heaven... hm.
(If I could double my lifetime, some of it would be placed aside for reading about the Christian and Catholic saints.)
Hardly anyone was around that day. It might have been Sunday, because all the shops and businesses were empty and closed. We walked along the deserted cobblestone sidewalks looking at all the buildings. I thought of Dickensian scenes and secret meetings in tiny corridors. I thought of nighttime and how lovely everything would've looked in the lamplight.
After some time we found a park holding one of twelve castings (around the world) of August Rodin's Burghers of Calais.
The story behind it (from Wiki): "In 1346, England's Edward III, after a victory in the Battle of Crécy, laid siege to Calais, while Philip VI of France ordered the city to hold out at all costs. Philip failed to lift the siege, and starvation eventually forced the city to parley for surrender. The contemporary chronicler Jean Froissart (c. 1337 – c. 1405) tells a story of what happened next: Edward offered to spare the people of the city if six of its leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. Edward demanded that they walk out wearing nooses around their necks, and carrying the keys to the city and castle. One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first, and five other burghers joined with him. Saint Pierre led this envoy of volunteers to the city gates. It was this moment, and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice, and willingness to face imminent death that Rodin captured in his sculpture, scaled somewhat larger than life."
Then I found this cute, cute bird who looked like s/he was holding guard over the River Thames and all the boats.
And do you want to see my dream house? I only know what it looks like from the outside.
After doing nothing for a while, just milling around with everyone else, saying hello to the friendly birds, and eavesdropping on quiet British-accented conversations, Dan wanted to... ride the the London Eye. I bet you can guess what I thought about that idea... but it ended up being really helpful to see London from above. Dan likes maps, so I think this helped give him a better idea of how London was laid out. For a second I was reminded of Peter Pan, flying out of the window with Wendy and Tink.
Then! We rode a boat across the Thames to Greenwich (any correlation to Greenwich Village in NY? Will have to look that up). Since it was drizzling, we stayed below deck. The guide was fabulous, and we learned a bunch about the history of trade in England... about wharfs and beer and the smell of fish... also about how upset the guide was about everything along the riverside turning into fancy hotels for celebrities. I don't remember much... I do remember a humongous battleship that looked fucking cool. I know, it's a war machine. But it was sweet to see.
Once we got to Greenwich, it felt like we were in a completely different century. Music was played by live musicians, it sounded like gypsy jazz... cheese was being sold, all different kinds, ice cream, cigars... and we saw this huge sailboat... the Cutty Sark. I don't have any of those pictures anymore (that story later) but I remember it pretty well in my mind. I thought of pirates. We only stayed for a little while, ate at a small restaurant and took another boat back to London. The setting sun was glorious during the ride back... the clouds opened up after the grey, rainy day... and the river sparkled... the sun just lightly touched our faces as we sat on the top deck.
Oh! And I do have a photo of the battleship. Not the best one. But still -
After we departed the boat, we got a glimpse of Big Ben. He was (and maybe still is) under construction. They were updating his facade to something different. I think some people were upset about this because he wouldn't look the same as before. Adding gold or something? I don't remember. All I can say now is, I hope I get to visit Big Ben in person once again, with his new look. We'll see.
- F
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