London, Day 2
I went to Regency Cafe today. This was the one place that E had recommended I should stop at, and I'm pleased to report it lives up to expectations. The yellow faded wall tiles and plastic seats made it appear less inviting, to be sure, but you know what they say about a book's cover. I wanted something English-sounding, so I went for the Ham & Liver, Chips & Peas. The liver was among the best I've ever tasted. I wish I knew their recipe. Their serving sizes were massive, and though I really tried, I couldn't finish all my peas or chips (though they too were delicious).
This morning I got up much later than I had intended (8-something instead of 6:30), due to jet lag. I still had time for a leisurely breakfast before taking the Tube to Westminster, then changed to St James Park. My object was the Churchill Museum and underground War Rooms tour. They preserved the War Rooms just how they were in 1945 when the war finished. Seeing them inspired me with a new appreciation of Churchill, and now I want to read/listen to more by him (as well as rewatch Darkest Hour to catch glimpses of the War Rooms). I did get chided by a tour guide, though, for too obviously listening in to the premium paid tour he was giving (I was on the cheaper, self-guided tour). What can I say--he was telling interesting stories!
The Tube is a different beast today. Obviously, Mondays will be busier than Sundays. But I didn't anticipate it, so it came as a bit of a shock. I'm still learning the social conventions (eg where to stand, where to walk etc). It came as a surprise to me that, although everywhere else you walk on the left and pass on the right, on the Tube escalators you are supposed to do the opposite: stand on the right and pass on the left.
Walking/driving on the left is still very confusing to me. As a pedestrian, when you cross the road you're supposed to look "Right-Left-Right," which is so counter to my instincts that even when I'm actively thinking about it, I still do it wrong about half the time.
The street markings are all screwy here too: the double yellow lines are on the outsides of the road (though sometimes they're replaced by a single yellow line, which I'm pretty sure means something, but I don't know what), and there's a dotted white line down the center of two-way roads. Entirely backwards to my American sensibilities!
I'm sitting now on a ledge above the bank of the Thames just outside Shakespeare's Globe Theater. I just got out of their production of "Much Ado About Nothing." It may have been the best Shakespeare I've ever seen. I shouldn't have been surprised--this was where it all started. Of course the acting was stellar; of course their projection (no mics!) was superb; of course the setting of being in THE Globe is enough to give on chills. But the experience was not just the acting, nor the setting. Both of those I expected. The crowd made it unforgettable. I don't believe I've ever experienced such a responsive audience before. Lots of laughter (it is a comedy), but a few tears too. Even though I was standing the whole time on hard concrete (I was a Groundling, of course), I was swept up in the story, along with everyone else there. I got a taste of why this place, and the playwright, were so successful. This was the stage where this play was first performed, and now I got to see it again on it.
Before going to see Shakespeare, I went to Westminster Abbey's 5pm service. It was primarily choral singing, with some Bible passages. Of course the cathedral itself is beautiful--it's unbelievable--but it also makes the sounds in it beautiful too. It must be the love that went into the acoustics as they built it. I noticed the beauty of the sound throughout the service, but then on the last song, the guy behind me started singing along with the choir, and he was both out of tune and off time. But somehow, the acoustics melded his voice with the choir, and it was still beautiful.