A Super Sunday in London: Churches, Friends, Shopping, Pub Grub...

 A Super Sunday in London: Churches, Friends, Shopping, Pub Grub... 

London

Sunday, May 8, 2022

    Another fabulous day saw me packing it in furiously. But then that's the story of my life: not just when I am in London, but in general! So, I awoke at 5.00 am, did some blogging, showered, went down to breakfast (a tad later than usual--so saw more traffic at the buffet bars: feasted on a Full English Brekkie for I will never tire of English bacon and bangers) and went walkabout!

Visit to my Former Parish Church of St. Etheldreda's:

    I walked briskly to High Holborn and jumped into the 8 to ride it two stops to Holborn Circle. From there, I walked to Ely Place, having the area entirely to myself as the rest of London snored during a weekend lie-in. It was past 9 am, but I was only there at St. Etheldreda's Church for a visit (for old times' sake)--I had been in contact earlier in the morning with friends (early risers like myself) and had fixed to meet them for Mass at their church at Knightsbridge. I was happy to get the last bits of Mass and to see Fr. Tom Deidun at the altar--yes, still there after all these years. Priests are never transferred in the UK or the US (unlike in India). 

     Praying at St. Etheldreda's is always special for me. For one thing, it is eerily historic! Dating from 1250 when the Bishop of Ely (then the most powerful prelate in England) received permission to build a church at Hatton Gardens, it is considered the oldest Catholic Church in the UK as it was the first church to return to Roman Catholicism (in 1620) after the horrors of the Protestant Reformation had subsided. Shakespeare might have worshipped here but Queen Elizabeth I most certainly did, in her younger, pre-Queen days. Of course, the neighborhood has changed enormously since the 13th century (this is, of course, one of the oldest parts of London) but the church itself is exactly the same--the imposing stained glass windows, the statues of important lay people from the Renaissance high on the walls, the old Baptismal font, etc. St. Etheldreda's earthly remains are on the right hand side of the high altar. I am always thrilled when I realize that the oldest Catholic Church in England was once my parish!

A Nostalgic Walk Around Holborn and Farringdon:

    With my visit done, I decided to take a walk around my previous stomping ground (I would only be meeting my friends at 10.30 am and had about an hour to kill). So off I went, past Hatton Gardens, towards Charterhouse. Along the way, I passed by the Victorian Central Cold Storage building which is now defunct as the famous Victorian Smithfield Meat Market (which had been in business for at least 200 years) closed shop. I recall waking at dawn, when I lived in the building across the street, to be part of the bustle of butchers and restauranteurs selling and buying stock for the day--not a pretty sight, but one of those weird London experiences that only insiders can have! I took a lot of pictures of the beautiful building because I love its dimensions and ornate wrought-iron cladding and decorative details.

    Then, I walked further into Charterhouse Square to take pictures of the Carthusian monastery that dates back seven centuries. Jam packed with religious history that spans Tudor, Renaissance and Reformation times, it is still a working monastery and has about 10 monks still in residence. I once had the privilege of getting an insider's tour of the premises from one of the monks (please look at a past blog post here) and had loved every second of it. Queen Elizabeth I prepared for accession to the throne from this venue.

    The Charterhouse Monastery overlooks Charterhouse Square which is famous for one more thing--less historic, more cultural: On it stands the modern Art Deco building that is the facade for the apartment of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in the TV series starring David Suchet as Poirot! I took a few pictures on a glorious day when sunshine filled the square and then made my way on.

    Of course, I had to go along Cowcross Street where I had once lived in a converted warehouse, occupying the entire floor of what, in New York, we would have been called a 'loft'--all 6000 square feet of it! Sadly, the friends who had given me their London pied a terre to live in for 3 months, no longer own it. But nostalgia was rife as I walked alongside it and took pictures of The Castle pub at the corner which also functions as a pawn shop, has a license to do so and proudly sports the three hanging golden balls that proclaims this fact. The story goes that one of England's erstwhile kings (I forget which one), in disguise during his more profligate days, entered the pub and into a gambling match with a bystander. He lost everything and in desperation left his watch as collateral with the publican. The next day, he returned with the money to claim it and walked out with it. The next day, he sent the publican a license for pawn-broking (as indeed that was what he had done--he had pawned his watch on the gaming tables). This makes The Castle the only pub in England that also doubles as a pawn shop! And this was once my 'local'! How cool is that???

En route to Knightsbridge:

    Well, just as I was musing upon all these things, Farringdon Tube station, entirely spiffied up to function as one of the stops on the new Crossrail that will be christened the Elizabeth Line, loomed in front of me. I jumped into a Metropolitan line train to get to St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, for Mass at 10.30.  I was actually going to meet my friends at the entrance to their building in Chelsea and we were supposed to walk to church together. But I soon realized that I would never reach there on time. I phoned them and told them to carry on and that I would meet them directly in church. And that was what I did.

    I had forgotten how disrupted the public transport is in London on a Sunday, but, nevertheless, I soldiered on. At Great Portland Street, I got off and jumped into the Circle Line train. I then got off at Edgeware Road to connect to the Piccadilly Line to get off at Knightsbridge. This I did, with a whole lot of annoying delays.  At South Kensington Station, I realized I could take a bus to Wilton Place where St. Paul's Church is located. And that was exactly what I did. A bus heading towards Hyde Park Corner came along and I got off just steps from the church. As my friends Michael and Cynthia were entering the church, so was I! They were flabbergasted...but you can only do this kind of transportation juggling if you know London as well as I do! We had a fond reunion (and, thankfully, we can now hug with impunity!) before we entered the church. There, I promptly met my friend Sarah who came across to hug me and say Hiya and Welcome to London.

A Mass to Remember:

    It is only when I am back in an Anglican Church for a sung service that I realize why I love Church of England worship so much and why I have such a hard time with church services in India. Everything about these churches--from their interior grandeur (this one is also neo-Gothic) to the splendour of the choir (music is an essential part of Anglican worship), the dramatic homilies from brilliant speakers that craft them with wit and humor and thoughtful quotations, the amazing sense of spirituality that engulfs me when I am in the company of worshippers who participate loudly and sing lustily and have no qualms about being a very vocal part of the service, are all the aspects of worship I miss in India. 

    There was a Baptism scheduled and I was surprized to find that the baby was almost two years old! I don't know if this is customary in the Church of England or whether the parents simply waited Covid out! Anyway, we all renewed our Baptismal vows with the baby's parents and then the service proceeded. New musical compositions were being tried out this morning with the composer, Kerensa Briggs, actually sitting in the congregation with us and listening to the power of her own stupendous work! 

    Mass done, there were drinks served to encourage socializing, but since I knew no one except  my friends, we decided to move on. Michael and Cynthia had invited me to their place for lunch and I thoroughly enjoyed the 15 minutes' slow stroll to Cadogan Square in Chelsea for we passed by the tony shops and restaurants of Belgravia and the home of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, last Viceroy of India, and his wife Edwina. I was most excited and took a picture in front of it. One of my favorite students (who now lives here in London) had once asked me for a recommendation so that she could apply for the Lord Mountbatten Prize. I had given her a glowing reference as she is one of the finest students I have ever taught, she got it, came to London, met her husband, had two children and remains a close friend! Llew and I will be having dinner with her family later in our stay. She always tell me that but for my course, she would never even have heard of Lord Mountbatten!   

    We arrived at Gloucester Court soon enough where my friends put a G & T in my hand and bustled around to put a simple soup and cheese meal on the table--sweet corn soup with buttered toast and cheddar cheese, lots of nibbles (peanuts, crisps, mango chutney, etc.--a real ploughman's lunch), a Quiche Lorraine and dessert of delicious fresh fruit salad. We had the best time as we caught up on so many things in our lives. What a great time I have every time I am with them! They are my closest friends in London and Cynthia and I consider ourselves to be sisters!  Eventually, however, I had to leave as I wanted to make the most of a gorgeous day and shopping on the King's Road at Sloane Square beckoned. I decided to be a cool Sloane Ranger for just a little while!

Becoming a Sloane Ranger:

    And so I walked down the King's Road on a day when a lot of other people had the same idea--everyone was enjoying the warm sunshine (I actually had to peel off my jacket). Chelsea has special significance for Llew and me as his brother had lived on Redesdale Street in a gorgeous house when he had been posted to work in London, many moons ago. For three years in a row, Llew and I had spent part of our summers in Chelsea and became well acquainted with its retail offerings. I bought a pair of ear-rings in one shop and moved on towards World's End to buy a bone china mug in another. Cynthia had directed me to a hair dresser she uses called Mahi in a salon called Greema's Hair Salon, but when I reached there, I discovered that Mahi would next be there only on Tuesday and that I would need to make an appointment to see her. I badly needed a haircut and I thought that London would be a great place to get one!

 Bits and Bobs on a Sunshiny Day:

    I them hopped into a bus getting back to Central London and thrilled, once again, to the joys of being on the King's Road. Just before leaving Sloane Square, I entered Peter Jones (Department store) as I needed a glass and chrome pump dispenser for liquid hand soap in my bathroom in India. However, the ones I saw were too plain and I will keep looking.

 By the time it arrived at Piccadilly, I had decided to hop off to see the special exhibition of English bone china manufacturers at Fortnum and Mason which is also one of my favorite shops in London. And that was what I did. I got off at Green Park, walked past the Ritz and arrived at my destination only to find a fabulous exhibition to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in the shop windows. They were simply splendid. I surveyed the offerings on the ground floor, of course, but I was mainly interested in the exhibition on the first floor--an absolute treat for any lover of painted porcelain and fine bone china. There were a couple of antique tea sets on display and for sale and I was sorely tempted to buy a Tea for Two set! But then I thought about what my current collection of porcelain teacups has meant--they will only be given away some day! So, I decided to restrain my impulse and move on. 

    I had the best time as I moved through the luxury items on this floor, curbing my enthusiasm at every turn. Eventually, I left the store and hopped into another bus to get back to my hotel as I thought it would be good to get a bit of a rest. I had chatted on the phone with my friend Rosemary whom I be meeting for dinner and we decided it would be at Bill's on Kingsway in Holborn. So back on the bus I hopped, got off at my hotel and had a very brief lie-down, but sadly no nap.

Dinner with Rosemary:

    I was at Bill's on schedule (only to find it temporarily closed--Covid has a lot to answer for!). After a fab reunion (she is one of my closest friends in London), we decided to try The Shakespeare's Head pub next door where they had a good deal: an alcoholic drink and a burger for under 10 pounds! It was indeed a steal and we had the same except that Roz had a glass of red wine while I had a pint of Guinness as I love it as a draft stout. Over our meal, needless to say, we gabbed nineteen to the dozen. Roz caught me up on all the doings in her life and we resolved to meet again (we will probably stay with her for one night just before our departure) once Llew gets here.

    We parted company at 9.00 am as Roz had a whiles to go to Battersea where she lives. And with that, as twilight fell most charmingly over the rooftops of the curving buildings on High Holborn, I made my way back to my hotel at Red Lion Street. 

    It was not long before I readied myself for bed and went straight to sleep. It will be my last night alone in the hotel as my friend Amy arrives from New York tomorrow to spend the next few days with me. I cannot wait to see her again!

    Until tomorrow, cheerio...      

  

Lecture at Barbican Center, Walk Around Smithfield, Orientation Lecture at NYU

Monday, September 5, 2016
London

I am having the most jam-packed days! When I set out in the morning, I have some idea where I am headed...but then it is almost as if the day takes over with a mind of its own and dictates where I ought to go.

    This morning, I awoke at 6.00 am, drafted and posted a blog, booked coach tickets online for my trips to Oxford and back--I would have liked to spend two unbroken weeks there but now that I have an important meeting at NYU, I will need to get back once in-between. Still, I scored great prices: it is true what they say on the sides of those Mega Buses! You really can get one pound fares!!! I did! I also worked out my schedule for the next few days as I leave on Wednesday and need to accomplish a lot before I go. I have begun packing my things away for my imminent move mid-month and put aside material I need to take to my new office at NYU.

Yes, today was a red-letter day because I got possession of my new office and would be settling in later in the day--there was much to be accomplished. I had breakfast--the last of my honey yogurt with muesli and decaff coffee (as I am finishing up all my food supplies and buying nothing more), showered and left my house at 10.00 am for the Library.

At Queen Mary College Library:

    I jumped into a bus going to Queen Mary College, two stops away, and spent most of the morning with my books at the Library, taking notes and creating a Bibliography for material for which I will call while I am researching at the Bodleian Library at Oxford. I love the fact that there are still only a few folks on the college campus and I still have the library almost entirely to myself. It truly has been a pleasure working here--and the fact that it is just down the road and can be reached in under 10 minutes, is a real blessing. The only library I have ever been able to reach faster has been the Fairfield University Library from my home in Southport--but I drive there and the drive takes me four minutes!

When my work quota for the day was done, I left as I did not want to be late for the next item on my agent. I was headed to the Barbican.

Lecture at the Barbican Center:
     The Barbican Center is a place worth exploring even if one is not really headed there for any particular reason. I love its maze of residential apartment  buildings, library, restaurants, theater, music concert halls, cafes, art galleries, etc. Over the years, I have seen some fine art exhibitions here. This area, as I understand it, was disused and lying wasted for years until someone came up with a plan to redeem it by using architectural vision that has transformed the entire area. It sits in a very historic part of The City with iconic buildings surrounding it--such as the Victorian Smithfield Meat Market and the medieval Church of Saint Sepulchre--right in its vicinity.

 I, however, took a bus from the Library for two stops till Stepney Green Tube station, then hopped into a Hammersmith and City line train going to the Barbican stop where I hopped off and walked the five minutes to the Library. I was headed to listen to a lecture on The Great Fire of London by Jill Finch who is a Blue Badge guide--she gives coach tours of the city of London and leads walking tours too  through specific neighborhoods. On Wednesday, she had a walking tour that accompanies this lecture and but for the fact that I am trying to prevent PF, I would have been there in a flash.

     Her lecture began at exactly 12. 30. A small portion of the library was dedicated to it and it was packed. Using Powerpoint, she screened images that took us back to the past--The City of London as it existed in 1666, the cause of the origin of the Fire and its exact position on medieval maps, the reasons for its rapid spread (proximity of the structures made exclusively of timber and thatch, a cruel wind that encouraged it), the destruction it wrought, the accounts of it (Pepys and Evelyn), etc. In-between, she interspersed the talk with anecdotes, bits of humor and the like. I learned that although they could have built a firewall much earlier to curtail it, initially no one thought it would spread as quickly as it did. They only built the firewall after it had raged four days and was likely to reach the Tower of London in the East and Whitehall in the West. Even the King, Charles II, became involved in rescue efforts personally assisting in bringing help to those who needed it. After September 5, when it stopped blazing, the City was no more.

 Out of the ashes, it was necessary to recreate the city and that's when rebuilding plans began. Jill took us through the paces explaining that there were several plans submitted for reconstruction but the assignment fell to Wren who first focused on the churches and the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral as Fire Wardens, retired judges who came out of retirement to address the claims of those who had lost everything in the fire and needed compensation, began their work. Within ten years, The City was resuscitated with new rules in place. All buildings from then on are to be made of brick or stone--the only exception was the Shakespeare Globe Theater for which Sam Wannamaker received special permission when he wished to recreate it exactly as it had stood in Elizabethan times--with a thatched roof. Insurance companies were formed and they have flourished since then. Plans for grid construction were roundly rejected--they would work superbly in America, but Londoners preferred a more haphazard look to their city. After that dreadful time, the city would face destruction on the same scale again in the 20th century, during the Blitz; but it would arise, yet again, Phoenix-like, to become the dazzling metropolis it is today.  I really did enjoy the lecture although I have to say, somewhat ashamedly, that although it was very interesting and she was a very engaging speaker, I actually nodded off to sleep a couple of times despite my strong determination to behave!

Completing my Walk Through The City:

     Since I was in the environs of the Barbican, I decided to finish off the Walking Tour of The City that Murali and I had begun a few weeks ago. Although I have stopped walking for pleasure for fear of reigniting PF, I really do love this area so much that I simply could not resist it. So, off I went with my book in hand--Frommer's Memorable Walks in London.

     From the Barbican, I could see the jade-green domes of Smithfield Meat Market, so I headed in that direction. I skirted around its periphery and was stunned at what they have made of the area--the Crossrail (to be called the Elizabeth Line) is to pass through this area (Farringdon-Barbican) and, as is to be expected, they are digging up a vast part of it. There are also dozens of large corporate complexes going up in the area--my friend Alisha told me yesterday that Deloitte is creating five new buildings in the area--the meat market is going to close down soon and will be replaced by a market like Spitalfields. This will be a pity, methinks, as I love the uniqueness of a huge meat market in the middle of the city. Having lived in this part for a prolonged period in a massive loft belonging to friends of mine in Farringdon, in the years gone by, I know this area really well and love it.

     So, for old times sake, I walked past Florin Court,  the Art Deco Building that is used as the exterior of the building in which Hercule Poirrot lives in the TV series and to Charterhouse. I had once taken a tour of its interior--given a few times a week, check the website--and would highly recommend it. Monks still live inside--monks that descend from the same order that put up the first monastery in medieval times. As the place was added to over the centuries, it reflected the architectural tastes of the periods through which it has survived--Tudor, Elizabethan, Baroque, etc. Needless to say, it is a popular venue for film shooting and I have often recognized parts of it in the period films and TV series I watch.

For old times' sake, I then walked to Cowcross Lane to the building I had once occupied (how I had loved my flat there!) and then through the vast arched portal of Smithfield Market and arrived on the other side to enter the old Church of St. Bartholomew The Great. The entire area had been shrouded by scaffolding when I had lived there--that is all gone now and the circular park has now been turned into a underground parking lot with the sculpture of the lady in the center glowing anew. The Church itself is the oldest parish church in the city dating from the 1100s. It is much used in film shootings (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love) as it is of Norman origin. I have attended Mass in this church several times, so I was not about to pay 5 pounds to tour it. Perhaps I shall attend Evensong tomorrow at 6. 30 pm. Erected by the monk Rahere who is interred in the church, the old small cloister still remains.

Rahere is also responsible for founding the adjoining St. Bart's Hospital. Permission to build and expand was handed over to the monks, who converted to Protestantism, by Henry VIII later in the 1500s. To celebrate that, a Henry VIII Gateway to the Hospital was built. You can visit the Hospital Chapel--known as the Church of St. Bartholomew the Less as well as the excellent St. Bart's Hospital Museum which I have seen in the past--its stairwell carries two magnificent paintings by Hogarth which are memorable.

I then walked around the black and white checkered church to Cloth Fair to see the home of one of my favorite poets, the late Sir John Betjeman, and the site of the medieval fair that was held here each year till the mid 1800s and which gave Ben Jonson's play its name--Bartholomew Fair.  From there, I walked down Giltspur Lane to see the golden sculpture of the Fat Boy--reportedly a symbol of the gluttony that they believe brought on the curse of the Great Fire upon London--and then walked to the Viaduct Tavern, dating from the 1700s on the corner at the Holborn Viaduct. Inside there are lovely mirrored paintings and a red tin ceiling which make it highly atmospheric.

Across the street is Old Bailey, the Court House where trials are open to the public (I have attended one in the past) , topped by the gilded sculpture of the Goddess of Justice with the scales of mercy in her hands. When I used to live in London with my friends in Amen Court, I would part the curtains of my room each morning to see this magnificent dome right in front of me! It never ceased to charm me. Next stop: the Church of Saint Sepulchre which simply came to be known as Sepulchre Church--this was the church from which the Knights set out on their Crusades across Europe! Can you imagine??? I have never been inside this church and would very much like to. It also features in the Oranges and Lemons poem: "When will you pay me, say the Bells of Old Bailey". So much history, so much brilliant architecture, crammed in this small square mile of space--no wonder I adore this area so much!

At NYU Campus: 

 I hopped into a 46 bus going to Holborn Circus (as a number of buses were on a diverted route) and from there into a 25 to get to Bloomsbury and to my NYU campus. In half an hour, the porter Mark gave me the keys to my office on the third floor. I loved it. Its windows look out on to the dome of the British Museum and the tops of Centerpoint--the skyscraper at Tottenham Court Road. How lucky am I to have this venue to work in??? The last time I worked in London, my colleague Karen and I had shared a basement office. This time, I have my own individual office on the third floor with a view! I am certainly movin' on up (as George Jefferson from the American TV series The Jeffersons would have said!)! Yes, I am thrilled by little pleasures of this kind. 

     Losing no time, I walked around the third floor meeting my new British colleagues and introducing myself. I met another GRI Fellow, a grad student (I am the only faculty member) and my colleague Emily Bauman who is not a Fellow but also has a semester off teaching. It was lovely to see a familiar face again. I also met Eric, one of the senior administrators at NYU-London, and received a very warm welcome from him. I then sat down on my brand-new Mac desktop computer that had been set up with a shell for me and began to check my email. I also needed to print something out (printer is in the adjoining room) but there was some glitch with the set up and I will have to wait until tomorrow to do that. Instead, I went down to the faculty lounge where I printed my Conference Program for Scotland and photocopied some material. I do not believe I will have a lot of time for sightseeing but I am looking forward to meeting a new Twitter friend for dinner in Edinburgh. As I have already starting packing my backpack for that trip (I will also be going to Glasgow), I am looking forward to it now.

Off to Foyle's:    
When I finished off at NYU, I had about an hour to spare. So I jumped into a bus going to Cambridge Circus, jumped off at McDonald's for a KitKat McFlurry sundae, then walked into Foyle's, the bookshop, for a short browse of new titles and then jumped back into a bus again to return to Bloomsbury.

Lecture on British Orientation at the Congress Center:
     Yes, I was attending my second lecture of the day at 6.20 pm at the Congress Center--part of our Orientation events for new students on campus. It was an Introduction to British Music and Comedy and consisted of two short lectures: the one on music was given by David Sinclair who has written extensively on the subject and one a stand-up comedy routine by Mark Dolan who is one of Britain's best-known stand-up comics and has just returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Sinclair used the screen to project videos--one of James Corden's Carpool Karaoke with Adele, another of The Kinks and a third of Punk Rockers--as Punk is celebrating an important anniversary this year (there is a special exhibition on Punk at the British Library right now). Dolan was full of humor (it is impossible to resist making fun of the Brexit Vote and of Donald Trump, I suppose) and there were many laughs. I think NYU found a great way to appeal to the students' interests (Music, stand up comedy routines) to introduce the country in which they have chosen to study. I enjoyed it but was ready to call it a day at 8.15 pm when it ended. However, it was nice to resume contact with some of my new British colleagues at NYU and to get to know a few more of them.

On the Bus Home:
              I had walked a bit too much and could not face the thought of making a Tube change from the Northern to the Central Line and then taking a  bus home from Bethnal Green--so I simply took a 25 bus going home and although it took me about 35 minutes on the bus (as opposed to 20 minutes on the Tube), it was a lovely way to relax and see the city by night. I am getting more used to coming home after night has fallen, but I am still uncomfortable about the neighborhood and the folks who people it.
     I had a long chat with Llew, had my dinner (the last of my chicken piri-piri and my broccoli with soup)  and I fell asleep watching a bit more of the Beck episode on my laptop--but I haven't finished it yet.
     So there was my day---busy, busy, busy. But so enlightening and so much fun.
     Until tomorrow, cheerio...

Scaling Oxford's Dreaming Spires and Dinner at Smithfield

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Oxford

Today was all about spending an indulgent day in one of my most beloved places in the world with some of my favorite people in London.  I had arranged a tour of what Matthew Arnold had called "the dreaming spires of Oxford" for friends who had never been there. It had been all arranged--for weeks. Raquel and I were going to take the Oxford Tube (read coach) to the university city. Then, I invited my friend Bash and his girl friend Kim to join us. He volunteered to drive us there. My friend Susan who lives in Oxford was going to join us there and together, we intended to have a lovely day.

Only all sorts of things went wrong as Murphy's Law decrees: Although Raquel and I were ready to roll by 8.00 am after Jonas was dropped off to school, we realized we still had 45 minutes to play with as it takes only about 40 minutes on the Tube to get to Northholt where Bash was  awaiting us with his car. When we got there, we found a terribly repentant Bash (no Kim) informing us that there were major alterations in our plans. Kim had sciatica and was home bound. He had domestic commitments that had cropped up overnight that made it impossible to spend the day with us. However, and get this, he had decided that, in true British tradition, he "wasn't going to let us down"--and so the trooper was driving us to Oxford as planned, would have a quick coffee with us and would turn right back to return to London. Although we protested, he was having none of it--and off we went, with Bash behind the wheel on to the M40 for the 90 minute ride into the city.

Arrival at Oxford:

The journey was truly pleasant as we caught up on so much. Raquel and Bash--both being outgoing types--hit it off well and before I knew it, were discussed the job market, tried and tested job-hunting techniques on Linked-In, etc. and then we were pulling into Grandpont where my friend Susan lives. We parked Bash's car in one of the side streets adjoining Marlborough Road to make our way into a very quiet, isolated Delicatessen Cafe on Whitehorse Road where we settled down with hot drinks--coffees, lattes, hot chocolates--and eats--quiches, rocky road, coffee cake--and chatted some more as we awaited Susan's arrival. She turned up really soon and after one more raucous reunion and some more introductions and much chatting later, Bash bid us goodbye, returned to London and left us to our own devices.

A Walking Tour of Oxford:

It was time to begin our exploration of Oxford for it was already noon and light fades by 4. 30 pm. Being that we were just a few minutes from Foley Bridge, we started our tour at Christ Church College after taking in the lovely vista of the college across the Meadows and spying the balcony from the famous scene in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited in which a drunken friend of Charles and Sebastian threatens to throw himself off to the ground!

Our tour cost 5. 50 pounds (normally 7) because the famous Dining Hall which had provided the model for the Dining Hall in Harry Potter's Hogwart's School was closed for renovation. Part of the ceiling had caved in, a few months ago, and the place was under refurbishment. Still, we could see the grand staircase which actually features in the film and where the students are introduced to Prof. Mcgonnagal for the very first time as she stands at the top of the staircase with its lovely fan vaulted ceiling and invites the students inside in the first Harry Potter movie.

We could also visit the Cathedral (the only place in the world where a cathedral sits in the midst of a college) and the vast quadrangles. And we had the added benefit of getting a short tour from one of the bowlder-hatted porters named Mark Hathaway (how many comments does he get about his association with the TV detective James Hathaway--now an Inspector himself--in the Inspector Lewis series set in Oxford, I wonder?). Through the brief walking tour, we discovered the basics: Christ Church College was originally meant to be named Cardinal College after the wealthy and corrupt prelate Cardinal Wolsey who founded it--hence, the symbols of the college are the Cardinal's Hat with their streaming tassels. When Wolsey fell out of favor with King Henry VIII for not being able to procure his divorce from Katherine of Aragon, the ownership and running of the college fell into the hands of the King who renamed it and actually created a set of rooms for himself to live in it.

After the Reformation, Christ Church became significant once again during the Civil War when King Charles I moved his court from London to Royalist Oxford and occupied rooms designed originally for Henry. Needless to say, this did not eventually prevent him from being beheaded. We strolled through the lovely grounds of the college on another especially cold day cursing the weather and commenting on our poor frozen toes.

Once at the Main Quad (short for Quadrangle), the largest of any Oxford College and known as Tom Quad because it is dominated by Tom Tower that is named for the bell, Old Tom, that religiously tolls each hour, and after admiring the lovely Fountain of Mercury in the center and commenting on the unfinished cloisters --evident in the fact that the plinths still surround the quad--we made our way into the adjoining Cathedral. A Cathedral gets its 'status' from the Cathedra (Latin for Chair) that is meant for the use of a cardinal who is usually resident there. In this case, Cardinal Wolsey's original association with Christ Church gave its chapel the distinction of becoming a Cathedral--and you can still see the Cathedra on the altar.

Although on several past occasions, I have visited the Cathedral (once to listen to candlelit Evensong), it made sense to visit it again with my friends and to use the handy pamphlet to discover its treasures, among which are: the gigantic keyhole in one of the wooden doors that inspired Lewis Carol (aka Charles Dodgson who was a professor of Mathematics at Christ Church) to include it in his story of Alice in Wonderland (narrated spontaneously to his little friend Alice Liddel, daughter of the Master of Christ Church whom he knew well and with whom he would sail in summer on the adjoining Cherwell). It was through this key hold that Alice fell in the story! Other aspects worth noticing were the stained glass window featuring Jonah and Nineveh, the windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones (one of the Pre-Raphaelites who studied at neighboring Exeter College), the St. Friteswide widow that features her entire story and includes, of all things, the first ever flushing loo invented by one Thomas Crapper in Oxford--now you know where all words associated with 'crap' come from!) Indeed, there is a loo by her death bed in the stained glass window and it makes for a real curiosity in one's study of it (the window, I mean, not the loo).

We also saw the original 12th century carved stone altar of St. Friteswide who is the patron saint of Oxford and the new very solid altar carved in black balsa wood. At the main altar, we exclaimed at its beauty  before we exited the cathedral to browse in the gift store and pick up souvenirs of our visit. Raquel picked out a Diamond Jubilee porcelain plate with the year 2012 featured on it--she had moved to the UK in 2012. It was a very good buy that I converted into a gift for her. 

Continuing our Walking Tour:

Exiting Christ Church College from the back, we arrived at Oriel Square (an opportunity to see the rather unusual facade of Oriel College) before making our way to The High (as High Street is known in Oxford) to cross into Radcliff Square to arrive at the Radcliff Camera--a rotunda topped by a dome designed by James Gibb (and not Wren as I had mistakenly assumed) and named for John Radcliff whose estate had endowed the creation of a library inside. The University prides itself on the fact that once you request a book, they can haul it up from the bowels of the earth, if need be, in under an hour. Mind you, the University receives, by royal decree, a copy of every book every published in the UK--that means literally millions of books. That they still find the room to accommodate them all simply boggles my mind. And, get this, today, a valiant attempt is being made to scan every single book in the collection and make it digitally available to the public! Soon, you will not need to be a registered student at Oxford to access its printed collection.

The Camera makes a real architectural statement in the Square which also features the Church of St. Mary The Virgin (you can climb to its spire for a fee for extraordinary views of the city) and All Souls College whose twin spires are unmistakeable. We skirted these magnificent buildings, took in the sights of railings lined with bicycles, saw students mill in and out of classes and residential rooms in colleges, all bundled against the freeze, and arrived at Catte Street to show Raquel the famous Bridge of Sighs that joins Hertford and New Colleges in imitation of the one across the canals of Venice. At this point, it was only right to make a detour and walk along the narrowed alley in the city to arrive at the home once occupied by Jane Morris who became the wife of artist William Morris (also one of the Pre-Raphaelites, also at Exeter) who was a humble embroiderer until these artists discovered her and used her as the model for their work). This led us to the well-known Turf Tavern that has been associated with many Oxford luminaries including, and significant for us Americans, Bill Clinton! Inspector Morse was also known to have downed many a pint in these lovely premises with their beer gardens and cozy interiors.

Back on 'The Broad' (Broad Street), we popped into the unusual Norrington Room attached to Blackwell's Bookstore (another Oxford institution) which lies underground in four tiers right below Broad Street--it is the only bookstore in the world that is sunken so deeply. It makes for a wonderful peek into another treasure house of books. This vantage point permitted us to pass through the Clarendon Building to view Christopher Wren's masterpiece, the rather-funnily shaped Sheldonian Theater where graduation ceremonies take place and where, throughout the year, there are musical concerts under its spectacular painted ceiling. We did not pay the entry fee to see it, but moved into the ornate quadrangle of the Bodleian Library with its lovely sculpture of Thomas Bodley who endowed the creation of this store house of knowledge. We stepped into the Divinity School but could not enter unless we paid--it would be interesting to calculate just how much a really thorough visit to Oxford would cost if one indulged in a close look at all its highlights.

It was time to return to The Broad to spy the sculpture by Anthony Gormley on the building at the corner of Turl Street and directly above the set of rooms I had once occupied in the Margary Quadrangle of Exeter College which we next entered. There I took my friends to the exceedingly beautiful chapel where the beautiful stained glass windows and the Byzantine mosaics combine to create a really lovely space filled with Pre-Raphaelite treasures--there is a majestic tapestry by Edward Burne-Jones featuring the Adoration of the Magi which I truly love.

Out in the Margary Quadrangle, I showed them my room which still brings back such lovely memories for me and then we were going past the Junior Common Room to get to Exeter Library and the Fellows Garden to climb upon the terrace that overlooks Radcliff Square and that provides some of the most beautiful views of the square. It was there that Raquel taught me how to use the Panoramic feature of my I-Phone to enable me to get these incredible 180 degree shots of the Gothic architecture that I so adore! She has changed my photographic life forever!

It was time to get some sustenance--and Susan led us to the Rooftop of the Covered Market--it is a place that has newly opened for drinks and snacks and offers views and heights similar to those of the spire of St. Mary's Church. It takes a 'local' to help one make such discoveries and we were glad to have Susan as our guide! We made a quick round of the actual Covered Market itself, then climbed several floors up, stopped midway to order our hot drinks (it was too cold a day to sip anything else) and up we went to kiss those dreaming spires that were all around us as we turned and made 360 degree pirouettes. How marvelous it all was! Back downstairs, we sat for a long time and nursed our drinks and caught up on all sorts of news--it was good to chat at length with Susan in whose home I had once spent a few days while staying in Oxford.

Then, it was time to move on. It was almost 4 pm by then and light would soon fade. Susan needed to get on home to do some work and I swung Raquel into St. Giles, first to see the very spot at which the Bishops Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake by Queen Mary Tudor and then to admire the medieval cross raised at The Martyrs Memorial. Across the street we went, to walk by the Randolf Hotel and the Ashmolean Museum, for which, alas, we had no time, and then we swung on to the Jericho area of city as I was keen to arrive at the Oxford Canal where I had never been before--but which is the site of so many murders in the Oxford mystery series that I watch. Off Combe Sttreet, we squeezed through the gates and arrived at the exact spot that I wanted to see. We took pictures of it and then retraced our steps to the Woodstock Road--but not before finding a framed needlepoint treasure in a thrift store! 

Walking south on Woodstock Road, we arrived at the Eagle and Child Pub, popularized by The Inklings, the Exeter College pals that had comprised JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and their friends. We entered the quaint pub, took in its unique ambiance with its little wooden cubby holes, black boards announcing food specials and then used the loo. There was time only to nip into Waterstones so that Raquel could buy some books and then off we went to the Gloucester Green bus stop to find the coach to take us back to London.And thus ended a most amazing day!

Back in London for Dinner at Snithfield Market:

The coach journey in the pitch darkness was not a lot of fun as there wasn't much we could see outside. But we did catch up, Raquel and I, as we chatted about this and that and accessed our email through the free wifi. Hoping off at Baker Street, we hurried into the Tube to take the Metropolitan Line to Farringdon as I was taking Raquel and her husband Chris out for dinner. She had made reservations at Smith's, a well-known steak house right opposite the grand Victorian lines of the famed Smithfield Meat Market--and it was there, on the third floor, overlooking the lovely new spires of The City , including the Shard, and Wren's magnificent dome of St. Paul's, that we ate a fabulous steak dinner with chips and a glass of Merlot. It was quite magnificently done--medium rare for all of us--and absolutely butter soft and succulent. For dessert, we picked at a Clementine Cheesecake--not the best of things in the world but different. How marvelous it was to have extended time with Chris who has been off to work each  morning leaving us little time for interaction and to find out about his work in finance and investments.

But by 10.00 pm, we made our way back to the Tube, past Denmark House in which I had once stayed on Cowcross Lane with its spacious, art-filled loft--a thought that seems like a dream to me today as I look back on my year in London.

We reached home just past 10. 30 pm and fell right into bed, really pleased at what had been a most satisfying day.

Until tomorrow, cheerio!