What a busy day!

My day started super early, and not because I fell asleep last night at 8pm. At 5:30 I heard what I thought was a drunk in the hall way outside my door. He was soon joined by two other voices who were asking what room number he was from. What decided me against thinking he was a drunk was the way he asked them repeatedly how he could get the ‘swine disease’ and if he ‘could kill them now’ without slurring, but while still being reasonably polite. Whatever his story was, he was swearing at the security/management by 6, in a shouting-like voice, before they finally led him away. Having slept almost 10 hours, I figured it was probably a good time to get up.

Last night when I went to blow-dry my hair, I found that my power converter, which was working earlier on in the day, was no longer functioning. So, I decided to ask at the desk where the nearest electronics shop around here was and incorporate that into my day. I was told that the Piccadilly/Marble Arch area was my best bet, so headed that way through Hyde Park. I might have some sort of allergy though since the second I got into the Park my eyes started watering and wouldn’t stop until I left it at the Marble Arch (and it was back, on and off for the rest of the morning, but not the afternoon). I walked a few blocks east of Hyde without seeing anything that might prove to be helpful by way of an electronics store, so cut south into the side streets with a mind of coming out at Hyde near Speaker’s Corner. On that walk, I saw one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, a building where the Bee Gees lived and composed, and stumbled upon Grosvenor Square; the Square has a monument to FDR and Dwight Eisenhower and is flanked by the Canadian embassy on the east end, and the American one on the west (and yes, the American embassy is as obnoxious here as it is at home).

From there, I walked over to Hyde and passed the Animals in War monument which, when you’re looking at front on, all you see is a horse and ass’s ass (which made me laugh) – the artist probably should have thought that one through a bit farther. Across from that monument was Speaker’s Corner; I got there around 10:30ish, so I might have missed the real fire-brand preachers. Of the three people collecting a crowd, all were talking about the economy rather than religion (I would have thought the guy dressed like a Quaker/Hasidic Jew would be preaching hell and fire, but when I got closer to him, I saw his placard said “Socialist Party” on it).

On my walk through Hyde Park to Apsley House, I saw a procession being led by a priest with a cross; I thought he had little kids with him, but when I got closer, I saw that they were all older women dressed in red robes with a mortar-style hat on. I figured it was probably a graduation ceremony of some sort – when I got to the far south-east corner of the Park there were a bunch of cops doing crowd control for some sort of event. I figured then that the procession and the large number of gentlemen I was seeing in suits with bowlers, cane umbrellas and military medals (of all ages, but mostly older) were related somehow, but I’m still not too sure.

When I got to Apsley House, I was a few minutes early before it would open, so I crossed the street and got pictures of the House from across the street as well as the monuments in the park (one to Wellington, and a few other – the details I’m a little sketchy on). Finally, I got into Apsley House where Wellington lived after the wars and while he was Prime Minister. It is beautifully maintained with loads of paintings (since the Duke was an avid art fan). Pictures weren’t allowed so I bought a guide book. Wellington’s nickname, the Iron Duke, has it’s roots here – while PM, he proposed electoral reform in the 1830s; during a protest of the Act, mobs attacked Apsley House prompting the Duke to install iron bars on the windows. It is only half-open to the public (the other half is still held as a residence for the current Duke and his family) so it didn’t take to long to get through it, even with the complimentary audio guide.

From Apsley, I decided that I would go south into the side streets to look for a pub for lunch (since I saw a bunch on my walk during the morning). But the neighborhood I was in was clearly ritzier that where I was that morning, since I passed lost of high-end fashion houses (like Armani and Prada). Just before I was ready to give up, I realized that I could see Harrod’s at the end of the block I was on. Remembering that the food halls are a big tourist deal, I headed in – but it wasn’t at all what I expected. The halls are treated like a grocery store that just happens to have a lot of prepared foods. I grabbed a sandwich, a bag of chips (or crisps, if I want to blend in) and a bottle of water and looked for a place to eat. When wandering the ground floor, all I saw was impossibly thin floor staff and loads of tourists, but no place to eat, so I decided to take my food back to Hyde Park. I found a bench that over-looked the Serpentine to eat while behind me a family played cricket.

After lunch, I decided to walk down to the Victoria and Albert museum. By this point, my feet were killing me and I was getting tired – I decided that I didn’t want to spend too much time there. I wandered around the sculpture rooms and picked up a guide book in the gift shop (admission was free, so I figured why not) then hunted for Tipoo’s Tiger. I wanted to have my picture taken with it, but no one was around to ask. Oh well, I got some close-ups, so it’s all good. At this point, I was really tired, but I still wanted to see Victoria’s monument to Albert, so I headed back to Hyde Park. That monument is huge! I know that Victoria really loved Albert, but that fact never quite registered until I saw the grandeur of her monument to him. I got a bunch of pictures of the base sculptures since they depict Britannia with the four continents they had colonies on.

From there, I cut back through Hyde to my apartment. My street is blocked off for the most part for construction, and as I was walking home I found out why – the signs on the site state that the city is replacing Victorian water pipes. The history is even under-ground here! When I got back, I figured I would ask someone at the desk for specific instructions to an electronics store, but when I explained what I needed, the girl at the desk lent me one of the hotel’s that I’ll have to return when I leave. So that’s awesome, because I’m really tired!

A few observations about the day:
-The way the old city stands out it amazing. The old buildings are everywhere and were simply re-purposed for whatever was needed, saving a lot of physical reminders of the people’s history. -Some of the common poster ads that I’m seeing around are all for books. Fiction books. It’s amazing to me that reading has such a prime place in this society.
-Hyde Park today was absolutely full of people. It’s a gorgeous 18 degrees here, with NO HUMIDITY to speak of, so the cool breeze off-sets the sun’s heat. There were lots of families, kids, and couples either playing ball, or walking, or just lying on the grass. I passed three school-aged boys climbing a tree and listened as I passed to one of the boys school his friends on British history – he was telling them that when Mary was executed, her wig fell off when the executioner picked up her head. I found it really adorable.
-You would think that with so many people living in such close proximity that the city would be messy. But, unlike New York, I don’t remember seeing litter anywhere, not even in the Park. Whether it’s because of an expensive on-going cleaning project, or just a more socially responsible society, I’m not sure.
-My lips are, for some un-known reason, painfully dry. It doesn’t seem to be overly-dry here, but maybe the constant level of humidity we get in Ottawa was just enough to protect me from chapped lips.

Well, that’s my tourist time for the weekend. I have to be at the National Archives tomorrow since I requested some materials. I might take Friday though and do the Westminster Abbey walk-around that I wanted to do yesterday – we’ll see how research goes and how much time I need to dedicate to it.

My hotel offers free wireless in their lobby – the problem is that the system is so freaking slow! I’ll have to wait to post photos when I get to either a faster network or home.