London Revisited.
London is alive but not so easy.
I was scheduled to meet up with a friend who is a drum and bass DJ for a night of music in London. I returned and pulled into the Continental Hotel at 40 Norfolk Square (tel: 020 7723-3926) where the price is cheaper than anything I’ve seen in London. I stayed for 7 days.
The first thing I did was find out where Hyde Park is in relation to Paddington. It’s not far, a short walk through some cool neighborhoods. On my wander I ran across the Hyde Park Stables (020-7723-2813). This is where you want to go if you want to ride Hyde Park on horseback. I spoke with the people there and they were all smiles and had a good day with the sun out and lots of riders.
I carried on into the park and just walked around the Serpentine pond. People were swimming in the designated area, the sun was out and it wasn’t dusk yet. I think Hyde Park is my favorite place in London just for the peace of mind. The rest of London offers everything else. It is second to New York in the fact that it has a sleeping problem. There are more shows, movies, plays, and entertainment in general and easily accessible. I’m always on the watch for live music. There are plenty of folk bands playing in small venues. Oh yeah and there is always something going on at The EGG, Kingscross, London.
I had a few days before the rave was to happen so I took a tour to Windsor Castle and check out west of London. Windsor is about 30 kilometers from London. The queen wasn’t in, I think she’s up in Scotland. My heart goes out to her because one of her best friends just past away. I believe it was Winston Churchill’s daughter, a Churchill none-the-less.
The castle grounds are well taken care of and unfortunately without the queen there and a bit of rain on the way the changing of the guard is not as dramatic. The dollhouse and some of the other exhibits are worth a look though. I saw the Samari sword that was handed over to the British at the end of WWII is on display and most people walk right passed it and head into the next room. It should have been given to the United States but it’s in good hands.
I carried on to the town of Bath and the Bath Abbey. Bath is a town of manors and literally no police officers to speak of. Bath is the town the Romans built a bathhouse in the year 0 with the hot spring that still boils today. The Romans eventually got sick of the English and moved out. The bathhouse has gone through years of successes and failures at one time being destroyed by the locals who didn’t care and filled it in with stones and debris. Eventually it was revisited and restructured and returned to use without a roof. The source is basically in a courtyard and out of sight from the roads surrounding it. There is a beautiful bridge crossing over the river. Spires and castle wall facades can be seen from downtown.
I had lunch in a small town called Lacock where camera crews have shot parts of the Harry Potter series. The town pub where we ate, The George Inn, boasts it was opened in 1361. The food was simple and that is what you should expect. I think this is his parents house in the movie.
With a quick wander around town and you can visit an old church where Henry VIII killed them all for their religious beliefs way back when the country was jumping back and forth between believing in the pope one day and not the next. They chose to believe in the pope and were killed for it.
We moved on to Stonehenge. What a wonder that was. Driving to it there are burial mounds with many bodies buried together. Over the millennium some have been disturbed or vandalized.
Stonehenge itself remains as it has for so long. A couple of the stones have fallen over but for the most part still in tact and will still deliver a sight on the longest and shortest days of the year, June 21 and December 21. The lighting was incredible, rays from the sun shot through clouds with a spot light effect like in the cover photo.
I went back to London for a few more days before my flight to Nepal and caught an afternoon rave at the EGG in Kings Cross with two dear friends.
The rest of my time was spent exploring the tube and different stations. It’s great to be able to just get off the tube and surface in a completely unknown area and just have a look around.
