A Date With Dinosaurs, Getting Lost in a Maze and Viewing London from the Sky Garden on a Soggy Day
London
Sunday, May 15, 2022
I guess when you say you have a date with dinosaurs in London, everyone knows you mean to head to the Crystal Palace Park! And Indeed, that was on the cards for Llew and me today--in the company of our friends Michelle and Mark. They had informed me that there was a train leaving Victoria at 10.20 am for our destination--and so we had to hurry to get ourselves organized in the morning for our day out. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the soggiest day of my stay in London so far--little snatches of a light drizzle made us use of brollies all day long.
So we awoke at abut 6.30am and had breakfast of wonderfully warm and very crisp croissants which our friend Bande provided. These with decaff coffee made the perfect way to begin a day that would be spent largely on our feet. We left at 9.00 am from our flat in Paddington and took the Tube to Victoria Station where we purchased return tickets at the Ticket machine and awaited the announcement of our platform. When it was announced, we made our way to the gate, only to find that Michelle and Mark were actually just a few steps behind us. Of course, we had a lovely reunion right there on the platform that was practically empty as the rest of London had its Sunday morning lie-in.
All the way on the train, during the 40 minute ride into the southern suburbs of London, we chatted as we had so much catching up to do. We had last met in New York when they had visited, three years ago. I had given them a tour of the Met and we had then taken them for dinner to the Plaza del Sol Spanish Restaurant at Grand Central Station. So, it was great, this time round, to be on their home turf and to be in their hands as they expertly took us through a day they had planned.
About forty minutes later, we were in the vast grounds of Crystal Palace Park where there was a Junior Triathlon in progress. As I mentioned earlier, it was drizzling when we arrived and it stayed that way through most of the day. In the course of rambling around the park, we passed by the Petting Zoo first where we saw some beautiful tan-colored nanny goats munching off the trees! Then, on went, towards the Dinosaurs which are the major attraction in this park.
Viewing the Creatures of the Jurrasic Age:
So, here's what I know about the dinosaurs: Just as all the greatest sculptural works were brought to London in the form of plaster casts (now kept in the Cast Courts of the Victoria and Albert Museum), so too huge, almost life-size plaster casts were made of a variety of dinosaurs that were placed in this park. The idea was to leave nothing to the imagination. They were installed in 1854 and have delighted viewers and visitors to the park ever since. Children, as you can understand, are particularly fond of these dinosaurs that are beautifully life-like. Yes, they do wear their age quite openly on their sleeves, but gradual refurbishment is taking place and they are being stripped of more than a century of algae and moss accumulation. They are also wonderfully set by an artificial river that runs through the park and provides picturesque bridges on which people can pose for pictures--as did we! Michelle informed us that her grandfather had studied Engineering in the late-1800s in London at Crystal Palace College (now defunct) and had returned to India to become a civil engineer. She marveled at the fact that he had probably seen the same dinosaurs at which she was gazing. After taking many pictures, we left this very popular part of the Park and moved on.
The next item on our agenda was The Maze, another interesting spot that provides a fun activity in addition to the joy of actually seeing a real Victorian maze. For indeed, these parks were set up in the Age of Victoria as a way of providing people everywhere with 'lungs' that would enable them and the city to breathe freely. Right across London from Victoria Park in the East End to the Barnes Wetlands in the West and from north to south, these parklands nurture and preserve flora and fauna and make a day out a real joy.
As we made our way towards the Maze, we passed by a street market that lined both sides of a pathway. The stalls were fascinating as they offered a variety of foods from every corner of the world, eg. tacos from Mexico, Bhel puri from India, assorted pastries from France, bratwurst from Germany, etc. The aromas of smoking meat as it hit the hot grills in the park really whetted our appetite, but we knew we were going to have lunch later and we waited patiently.
Get Lost--In the Maze!
And finally, we reached the Maze which is, indeed, very well announced. By this time, we had been on our feet for at least two hours, so we were beginning to wilt. The light drizzle was still going strong and it kept us cool but a bit sprinkled. Of course, we had to try our luck in the maze and, of course, we got lost in it. But this was to be expected: that's why it is a Maze! Eventually, we had to cheat to get out by stepping over a low barrier! Not to leave without entering the center of the maze, we used the 'Escape Route' to get to the middle--there we saw a bunch of Spanish youth with loud. blaring personal music devices (much to Michelle's annoyance). We took a few pictures, studied the plan of the maze on the ground and realized there was no way we could have reached the center or figured the way out on our own.
With the Maze done and dusted, it was time to figure out how to get out of the park. En route to the exit, we passed by the 'terraces' as they are known--platforms upon which the original Crystal Palace had been built and stood. It had been destroyed completely in a massive fire that engulfed the entire palace and led to the destruction of the bits of it that remained. Today, there was some Egyptian sphinxes that grace the park and gaze out over the terraces--all that remains of the original palace.
Lunch at Cafe Mozart:
We soon found the exit and using her phone, Michelle as able to figure out where we would be having lunch. We found a place called Cafe Mozart. I loved the sound of it but when we entered, it turned out to be what the owner called 'A Snack Bar'. Anyway, we managed to get hot drinks (I had a hot chocolate) which were very welcome aw the cold wetness of the day persisted. While we sipped our drinks, he took our order--Llew had a Sweet Potato and Beans Burrito, Mark had a Sausage Roll, Michelle had a Spinach and Ricotta slice and I had a Chicken and Leek Slice. Thankfully, everything was hot and tasty and we received a little treatise on the art of using air-fryers from our host, Ken.
Just a little later, with lunch done, we made our way back to the train station, a short walk away, and took the train back to Victoria. We bid Michelle and Mark goodbye, thanked them for lunch (their treat) and then off we went. Llew and I had two full hours to kill before it was time for us to get to the Sky Garden at 21 Fenchurch Street. So, on impulse, as Llew had not seen Sir John Soane's House and Museum, I suggested we get off at Holborn and cover it too.
Visiting Sir John Soane's House and Museum with Llew:
We got off at Holborn and walked just a few minutes to Lincoln's Inn Field to find the entrance to Sir John Soane's Museum. I, of course, had visited the place only a few days ago as it is simply one of my favorite museums in London. We checked in our bag and began our tour of this incredible space that is filled with thousands of architectural fragments from around the world. Llew did not know what to expect and was indeed struck by everything he saw--from the countless objects that decorated Soane's living quarters in a home he shared with his wife (living Room, library, dining room, kitchen) to the collection areas that were chockful of pedestals, statues, mantles, columns, etc. We skirted all these areas before moving to the upper floor where we took in the current exhibition of Soane's own architectural drawings and paintings as well as the models he collected for several well-known London landmarks. Overall, as always, it was a fascinating experience and Llew enjoyed it enormously.
Tubing it to the Sky Garden:
With an hour to spare and with the rain quickening, we disappeared down the Tube at Holborn to get off at Bank where we found ourselves in the heart of London's old financial hub, know as the City. I pointed out to Llew one of Soane's architectural Masterpieces, the Bank of England. We walked quickly towards the building that is known as the Walkie-Talkie. Right at the top is the Sky Garden, a viewing platform that is fairly new (it was not in existence when I had lived in London). Tickets are available online and they are free--this makes it an exceedingly popular spot, especially for young folks, who think of it as very romantic to click pictures of themselves as they gaze, eye to eye, at the Gherkin or The Shard.
Of course, we took a bunch of pictures too and then sat down for ages on one of the full-length chaise longes that allowed us to stretch our aching leg muscles as we had been walking for what seemed like forever. Because the rain refused to stop, we did not get very good pictures...but we did see the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc. not to mention the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, the press district that moved from Fleet Street to this spot when journalism was taken over by technology.
Eventually, with nearly a whole two hours spent gazing at London from a height, we made our way back down to the Tube and arrived back at Paddington.
Looking for Dinner on Edgeware Road:
Our host Bande had told us that Edgeware Road had a whole bunch of ethnic restaurants that we would like and so we walked to Edgeware Road after alighting from the Tube. However, as Llew has gone largely vegetarian now, we could not really find anything appealing in the Lebanese and Iranian restaurants that we passed. Instead, after a bit of debate, we actually decided to go to McDonald's so that Llew could get a veg burger. I chose a fillet o fish burgers and with a side salad, we were happy to have a balanced meal.
Dead tired by this point, all that was left was to walk back to our friend's apartment, the Devonport, and get to bed. He, however, had a friend visiting and asked us to join in the socializing, When my eyes were just closing, he got up to leave and we got ourselves organized for bed and the heavy day ahead on the morrow.
Until tomorrow, cheerio...
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