Thursday, June 29, 207:
London—Doing This and That and Meeting Old Friends at
Every Turn.
Another dawn saw us rise to greet another dry day. A
quick call during breakfast with my old friend from Bombay, Firdaus, who also
happens to be visiting London at this time, meant that our morning plans were
sorted. But first things first. We had
shopping to do and Harrods was the
pace to go! Yes, Harrods! Not that we
can afford their astronomical prices in normal times. But during their sales, I
have managed to pick up really great bargains and I wished to try my luck. My
usual buys from Harrods in the past
have been candles, soaps and body lotions—and this time too, I hoped to get a
few lucky goodies.
Sale Shopping at Harrods:
We took a bus to Knightsbridge from right outside our
digs and sailed away into the store almost as soon as it opened. A few
inquiries led us to the departments where I had hoped to find the items I had
in mind. But I drew a blank. There was
nothing I could find this time. However, I was delighted to show Shahnaz the
tourist attractions that the store affords: the memorial to Dodi Al-Fayed and
Diana in the basement which comprise life-sized sculptures of the two of them,
portrait pictures and a diamond ring that some believe was an engagement ring
(although most people doubt the veracity of this claim). I also marched Shahnaz
through the appetizing Food Halls where I go, not so much to buy, as to ogle at
the displays and to marvel at the ceramic vignettes and Victorian tiles on the
wall. The 19th century décor in these rooms never fails to thrill me
and Shahnaz was equally enthralled.
Of course, you cannot get to Harrods Food Halls and not buy something to eat. I chose the most
scrumptious-looking almond croissant that was gigantic in size and thickly
sprinkled with flaked toasted almonds and icing sugar. Shahnaz got a more
Oriental meal consisting of spring rolls. I had my treat wrapped carefully and
hoped to find a nice place where I could sit down and really enjoy it as almond
croissants are one of my very favorite things in the world to eat.
Tube to South Bank to meet Firdaus:
With little time to spare, we hurried off to meet our
friend Firdaus at Vinopolis on the
South Bank of the Thames as that was where he intended to be this morning. We
got off far too early and ended up taking a bus to get to the Thames bank from
where we walked briskly past the National Theater, the Tate Gallery, the Globe
Theater, etc.
Borough Market, George Inn and Lunching on Roast Hog
Sandwiches:
Eventually, we met up with Firdaus at the ruins of
Winchester Cathedral which was once occupied by the horribly corrupt bishops of
Winchester. Firdaus and I had a fond reunion—we go back more than thirty years
to our first stint in Oxford. He happened to be with a friend named Kamal, a
lovely Parsi lady also visiting from Bombay. It was not long before we wound
our way to Borough Market which none of them had seen and, before you know it,
we were scouring the stalls and being tempted by the many tasters laid out for
our sampling pleasure. From sweet nectarines and white peaches to jams and
preserves, from cheese to olive oil, from smoked mackerel pate to olives, from sourdough
bread to brownies--we were simply plied with every treat and goodie you could
imagine. As we were both carrying lunch, I did not intend to buy any at the
market. But Shahnaz was as tempted by the offerings as were Firdaus and Kamal
who decided to buy the roast hog sandwiches that were served in ciabatta bread
with rocket and apple sauce. Before that, we had taken a slight detour to the
George Inn so that I could show Shahnaz the last of the old galleried coaching
inns in London (now managed by the National Trust)—which is still a fine
hostelry. But they chose to eat at Borough Market—so we turned back.
It turns out that Kamal is a very small eater. She merely
took two bites of her sandwich and passed the whole thing to me. And thus it
turned out that I left my almond croissant untouched and feasted on her lunch
instead! And quite good it was too! The market was buzzing. The recent London
Bridge shooting which had led to the closure of the market seems to have
happened far in the past—so quickly has the area bounced back. Shahnaz was
simply delighted that I brought her to this place and simply could not get over
the variety of eats and the generosity of the vendors. Overall, we had a lovely
reunion. It was such a pleasure to see Firdaus again and to meet Kamal. I suggested that they should not miss a visit
to adjoining Southwark Cathedral, the oldest church in the city. And I was glad
to see them take my advice as we parted company.
Tube to Aldgate East to Whitechapel Gallery for East
End Street Art Tour:
Shahnaz and I then hurried off to the Borough Tube
station to catch a train that would take us to Aldgate East in the East End of
London for the next item on our agenda: another Free guided tour of the Street
Art and Graffiti of the East End. Our meeting point was outside Whitechapel
Gallery on Whitechapel Road and we were astonished to find a huge crowd of
young people surrounding our guide who happened to be from Vancouver, Canada,
and had a distinct Canadian accent.
The tour wound its way through the East End taking in all
the street art that has flourished in this area ever since the king pin of
street artists Banksy made the area his base. On this tour too, I learned a lot
about the artists and their intentions. This tour was more up my alley than the
alternative music tour we had taken yesterday. We learned about paste-ups and
other forms of protest for basically that is what street art is all about. By
the end of it, I have to admit that I found I could not relate to any of it and
did not find it appealing at all. In fact, I cannot tell the difference between
street art and graffiti and for the most part, I think of these efforts as
defacement of public property and a very ugly, unaesthetic use of space! The
most striking items I found were those of the black women done by an artist
called Drelph. And that was it.
By the time the tour which lasted almost two hours had
wound its way into Brick Lane and the mosque there, Shahnaz and I were drooping
with fatigue. It was time for us to pull out of it, for sure.
Dark Sugars on Brick
Lane for hot chocolate and truffles:
It took no arm-twisting at all to get us into a coffee
shop we passed called Dark Sugars
where the aroma of chocolate wafting out of the place was much too enticing. And
so it as that we armed ourselves with Hazelnut Praline Hot Chocolate and free
sample orange caramel truffles that were being distributed at the cashier and
sank down to enjoy our treat. Finally I had the chance to sink my teeth into my
almond croissant—I had waited ages to enjoy it and I have to say that it tasted
like manna from heaven. Fortified well with our sustenance, we found our way
back to the Tube station.
Short Detours in the East End—Spitalfields Market and
Christ Church, Spitalfields:
Attempting to make our way back to the Tube station, we
made a few detours as I wanted to introduce Shahnaz to Spitalfields Market, one
of the most colorful in the city. She loved its antiquity as well as its
interesting wares—vintage jewelry, vintage silverware. But there was no time to
waste as we had to return home quickly to change and get ready for our dinner
appointment. En route, we also
stopped to admire the handiwork of architect Nicholas Hawksmoor at Christ
Church, Spitalfields. As the best-known pupil of Sir Christopher Wren,
Hawksmoor has built some fine London churches but this one with its towering
Doric pillars that support an arched portico is a particular favorite of mine.
Needless to say, Shahnaz loved it too.
Dinner with Cynthia and Aidan
Our day ended in Chelsea with my friend Cynthia who
had invited the two of us over to her place for dinner. Sadly, her husband
Bishop Michael had another engagement, but we were very pleased to find their
son, Aidan, at home. He joined us for dinner and conversation before nipping
off for a walk with a friend.
It is always a great joy to see Cynthia whom I refer to
as my ‘sister’ in London. She had cooked
us a lovely meal: rice with chicken curry, steamed broccoli and carrots and
garlic naan For desert, we had fresh strawberries with vanilla ice-cream. Such
a tasty meal—made more special by the affection with which Cynthia cooked our
meal and the warmth of her hospitality.
We did not stay long at Cynthia’s as we’d had a very long
day. We found a bus really quickly that took us directly back to our lodgings
from Chelsea and it was there that we bedded down very quickly for the
night.
Until tomorrow, cheerio.
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