LONDON
Trivia note--we learned from Bill Bryson’s biography of Shakespeare that “piccadilly” is actually a kind of high stiff collar worn by men of the 17th century. . .
Lily and I were riding the Tube (the London Underground) around midnight last night on our way to our rented house in Wood Green, desperate to arrive before our landlord’s former student Mansour gave up on us. We were supposed to arrive at about noon, but our flight in Montreal was suddenly and inexplicably cancelled leading to all sorts of transport adventures: staying overnight at a hotel along with several other stranded passengers, having to re-check our luggage the next morning for our re-scheduled flight only to be charged for an extra bag (at SFO the agent let us get away with a pound or two—or three or four--over the limit), and waiting in an interminable line to have our passports checked on our arrival at Heathrow (luckily, we stood in line with some of the same friendly Canadian passengers who swapped travel stories and jokes with us).
It was actually a relief to drag our heavy, bulging bags into the underground car and sit down to swipe our sweaty brows. Lily began careful observation of all the passengers while I counted the number of stops to our destination—thirty! It took about an hour and 15 minutes—what a deal for a 5 pound fee!
The main challenge of the night was dragging our suitcases up the staircase at the Turnpike Lane Underground stop then walking along Westbury Avenue for a long half mile to our house on Boundary Road. Kind Mansour was awake and waiting for us and not only welcomed us and gave us a tour of the house but took me out to buy chocolate
croissants the next morning—and treated us. Lily and I love the house—it’s indeed tiny compared to American suburban homes, but along with high ceilings the white walls and Persian carpets make the ground floor feel spacious. It looks out on a lovely little garden that I guess we don’t even need to water.
Today we’ve accomplished several errands including visiting AIFS’s Dilke House where I’ll be working/teaching; buying groceries, exploring the Russell Square/Tottenham Road neighborhood, “topping up” our pay-as-you-go cellphones, and unpacking of course. Somehow the day disappears and we haven’t had a chance to go near a museum or touch our email. Just getting to and fro places in a big city takes time (about 40 minutes door to door to AIFS). Tomorrow we’re going back to Russell Square for an orientation and hopefully we’ll have a chance to pop into the British Museum while we’re in the vicinity.
Beth
Trivia note--we learned from Bill Bryson’s biography of Shakespeare that “piccadilly” is actually a kind of high stiff collar worn by men of the 17th century. . .
Lily and I were riding the Tube (the London Underground) around midnight last night on our way to our rented house in Wood Green, desperate to arrive before our landlord’s former student Mansour gave up on us. We were supposed to arrive at about noon, but our flight in Montreal was suddenly and inexplicably cancelled leading to all sorts of transport adventures: staying overnight at a hotel along with several other stranded passengers, having to re-check our luggage the next morning for our re-scheduled flight only to be charged for an extra bag (at SFO the agent let us get away with a pound or two—or three or four--over the limit), and waiting in an interminable line to have our passports checked on our arrival at Heathrow (luckily, we stood in line with some of the same friendly Canadian passengers who swapped travel stories and jokes with us).
It was actually a relief to drag our heavy, bulging bags into the underground car and sit down to swipe our sweaty brows. Lily began careful observation of all the passengers while I counted the number of stops to our destination—thirty! It took about an hour and 15 minutes—what a deal for a 5 pound fee!
The main challenge of the night was dragging our suitcases up the staircase at the Turnpike Lane Underground stop then walking along Westbury Avenue for a long half mile to our house on Boundary Road. Kind Mansour was awake and waiting for us and not only welcomed us and gave us a tour of the house but took me out to buy chocolate
Today we’ve accomplished several errands including visiting AIFS’s Dilke House where I’ll be working/teaching; buying groceries, exploring the Russell Square/Tottenham Road neighborhood, “topping up” our pay-as-you-go cellphones, and unpacking of course. Somehow the day disappears and we haven’t had a chance to go near a museum or touch our email. Just getting to and fro places in a big city takes time (about 40 minutes door to door to AIFS). Tomorrow we’re going back to Russell Square for an orientation and hopefully we’ll have a chance to pop into the British Museum while we’re in the vicinity.
Beth
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