Saturday, January 24, 2009
London
I love Saturdays–the very word conjures up for me the promise of long and lovely lazy hours of leisure. And Holborn takes its Saturdays seriously–in that it remains in a state of slumber until almost mid-day. The quietness of these weekend mornings gives me the chance to catch up on all sorts of pending chores and today I cleaned my bathroom and transcribed the interview I did with Frank Bradbury before I breakfasted, took a shower and left the house.
I had made noon plans with Matt and Rosa Fradley whom, if you can believe it, I had met in New York when they took my Highlights Tour at the Met. Because they liked my morning tour so much, they took my afternoon tour as well…and before we knew it, we were exchanging email information. Over the past year, we have been in touch in cyberspace and since my arrival in London, they have been very helpful indeed.
When Rosa informed me that they would be in London to see a show and wondered if I was free to join them for lunch,I jumped at the opportunity to see them again. We decided to meet at a pub called Ye Grapes in Shepherd’s Market, which is a tiny hidden square at Green Park. I bussed it there, arriving at my destination ten minutes later than I expected. Over sweet Strongbow cider, we hugged and kissed and exchanged news–not the least of which is their move to Singapore in August where Rosa has been posted for work (she is involved with a Japanese firm of pharmaceutical researchers in Cambridge) and Matt has actually found a job as a Physics High School teacher in the British school there. They are just delighted at the prospect of moving to Singapore which they both love and are eager to explore. I enjoyed their company very much and time flew as we chatted nineteen to the dozen,.
An hour later, we adjourned to a small sandwich bar nearby to have lunch-their treat–which was very kind and thoughtful of them indeed. Rosa and I chose the House Salad which was a very hearty platter combining roasted vegetables, roasted chicken, bacon, lettuce and a spicy dressing served with ciabata bread. Matt went for a chicken breast sandwich that also looked substantial. Because I am a slow eater, they said their goodbyes to me an hour later to make it in time for their 3 pm show of Cirque de Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall.
I lingered a little while longer at the eatery, then because it was such a gorgeous day, I decided to take the bus to go and see the Camden Lock Market. I figured that when you get a great day in London, you’ve got to grab it with both hands–and who knows when I will be in London again at the weekend, considering all the European travel I am doing.
The No. 24 bus took me straight there from Trafalgar Square but by the time I got to Camden Town, about 20 minutes later, I actually regretted the impulse that drove me there. The place was just teeming with visitors. From the upper deck of the bus, they looked like giant black ants all swarming together towards the same coveted prize. I had half a mind not to alight at all at the Market, but then I thought better of it. Having come that far, I decided to stay the course, take a look around the stalls and beat a hasty retreat. This place would then figure on my “Been There Done That” List!
The Camden Lock Market used to actually be located along the Camden Lock as the name implies. However, a few months ago, a devastating fire destroyed the area and the stall owners moved their kiosks to the current premises. I found all of the merchandise terribly unappealing–there was bohemian clothing and jewelry and tons of food stalls with Chinese, Mexican, Thai and Indian food…but after the delightful lunch I had just eaten, nothing took my fancy. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get out of there and as soon as I spied a Number 24 bus heading in the direction of home, I ran to the bus stop and jumped into it, so glad to put as much distance as I could between this market and myself.
When I was on the bus heading home, I got the sudden news from Llew of the death of my godfather in Bombay, my Uncle Alex, who had been ailing for a very long time and was in very poor shape when I last saw him two weeks ago. In fact, I had been praying hard that God would grant him a merciful release from his suffering and when I received the news, it was not without a substantial measure of relief. I called my parents in Bombay immediately and received more details about his passing. As the bus wound its way home, I recalled many incidents of our lives together from my childhood to the very last meeting I had with him.
I called my cousin Cheryl Crane in Kent as soon as I reached home and gave her the sad news and then made my way by bus to St. Anselm’s and St. Cecelia’s Church at Holborn for the 6 pm mass as I have made plans to visit Rochester tomorrow with my friend Stephanie and I know that I will, therefore, miss Sunday mass. The mass was short and quick–the shortest I can recall in this country–just 40 minutes long, and then I was out buying myself some cold medication from Boots across the road and some mint and lemon so I could fix myself some herb tea and comfort my hoarse throat and runny nose.
Back home, I curled up on the couch, after a long conversation with Llew, to watch The Break-Up with Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn as Love Film.com has resumed the delivery of my films again. It was a rather cute date-night chick flick and was good for a lark! I ate up the leftovers sitting in my refrigerator as I need to clear it all off before I leave for Berlin on Tuesday. I sipped my lemon medication slowly, then took all my other pills and went straight to bed.
Tomorrow I have a day trip to Rochester to anticipate and I need to awake early so that I can get to Wimbledon in time to meet Stephanie who will drive us there in her brand new Lexus. I just can’t wait…