Tag Archive | Bloomsbury

Buzzing Around Bloomsbury and Soaking in Art at the National Gallery

Aug5

London

I had the nicest day! It was the sort of day on which the weather dictates what you will do. And although I had decided to spend the entire day in one of my favorite places in London–The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square–when I found the sun smiling down on me in all its glory, there was simply no way I could deny the urge to get out there and enjoy it.

At Work at Dawn:
But first things first. I actually awoke at 6.00 am today, but decided against going to church as I needed to do some urgent research for the trip that Chriselle and I intend to take soon in Eastern Europe. Having picked up books yesterday on Croatia and Slovenia, I got cracking on planning and plotting while most of London was still asleep. And before I knew it, it was 8. 30 and I had the basic outline of a trip that we can flesh out in due course. With flights identified on budget airlines, all I had to do was run them by her, get the green light and I could go ahead with bookings.
It was time to shower and eat breakfast (muesli with yoghurt and coffee). The sunshine beckoned and I carried my tray out to the garden and sat on a bench overlooked by a fat black bird with a vivid yellow beak (that I could not identify) and munched contentedly as I enjoyed the warmth of the sun’s rays on my shoulders. Then I made a sandwich for myself and raced out of the house. At that point I made my decision: I would spend the morning completing my walk in Bloomsbury (that I had started yesterday), get to NYU campus to pick up my water bottle that I had left behind yesterday and then get to the National Gallery where I would spend the afternoon. The National has late evening closing on Fridays–at 9.00 pm–so it makes sound sense to spend Friday afternoons and evenings in that hallowed space.

Buzzing Around Bloomsbury:
I took the Central Line train to Holborn and began my rambles there. At Sicilian Avenue, I turned to Southampton Place where I found the home of Cardinal Newman. Just across, past The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Art at Bloomsbury Square, was the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s father, Issac–and right opposite it was the home occupied by Gertrude Stein for a year before she moved to Paris and became a legend. Along Bedford Square I went toward Russel Square (which was the site yesterday of the deadly knifing of 7 people including an American female professor). There I spied the sculpture of Francis, Duke of Bedford, who was responsible for laying out the area in the Georgian Age in the way it currently stands. In fact, in this part of London, the Bedford family are still the largest property owners though much of their land is used today by hospitals and universities.
I paused by Senate House which was spared by Hitler during the blitz as he had intended to make the building his London HQ when he had conquered it–thankfully, that did not happen! Still, the building was also the model for Orwell’s Ministry of Truth in his novel 1984. It is a rather plain building, stretching one tier upon the other like a gigantic wedding cake (funnily enough, we have a very similar building near the NYU campus in New York–right opposite the Washington Arch at Washington Square!) Just a few feet away is the Faber Building (now used by SOAS–The School of Oriental and African Studies–of the University of London, where I will be giving a lecture later in the semester). It once housed the offices of the famous publishing firm of Faber and Faber where the poet T.S.Eliot (who used to live nearby) once used to work. My guide book says that in addition to being a fine poet, he was also an astute businessman and a great part of his early working life was spent working in banks and in publishing.
I crossed the square then towards the Russel Hotel (one of my favorite buildings in London) only to discover that it was completely shrouded in scaffolding as it is undergoing a major refurbishment. More’s the pity as the building is truly a stunner with its brick red color and lavish carving. From that point, I was directed to Queen’s Square at the back–which was the first time I had been there and from there to Queen’s Tavern and then on to the Church of St. George the Martyr that is known as the Sweep’s Church as  Capt. James South established a charity here for the little boys who served in this capacity–often meeting a premature death. Right opposite the church is a Victorian water pump which cannot be used for drinking water any longer.

Lunch courtesy of the Hare Krishna Movement:
By the time I returned to Russel Square, I found a  queue of people had lined up for free lunch distributed by the devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement. It was a simple rice and chick pea curry and since I am always up for a new experience, I joined the line and partook of the lunch. Then it was time to get a latte from Waitrose before returning to NYU to pick up my bottle. There, I checked email on wifi, used facilities, had a long videochat with my brother and his kids and then made my way to the National Gallery on the 29 bus from outside our campus that took me straight to Trafalgar Square. It had been a fabulous jaunt on a day when the temperature was perfect and humidity non-existent. I was very glad indeed that I had enjoyed it while it lasted.

Exploring the National Gallery–All Over Again!
I can never tire of the National Gallery–it is quite simply a place in which I feel transformed in the presence of some of the greatest paintings produced by the Western world. I arrived at exactly 4.00 pm, got myself a map,a stool and an audio guide and began my study of the highlights that are beautifully spelled out in the black and white leaflet that goes with the guide. In the process, I took pictures of most of the masterpieces on display plus my own favorite ones. In particular, I was drawn to the paintings that were featured in the film, Framed, that I recently watched with my niece and nephew. They were the usual highlights that we see whenever one names the National Gallery–and then some.
I had the most wonderful time for four whole hours during which time I took in about 60 masterpieces. Occasionally I diverted from the museum’s suggestions to see those canvasses that I especially adore–as in the case of the work of Carlo Crivelli that I have only seen in this collection. He is an awesome artist with the most awesome attention to detail and I can stare at his paintings forever and still find something new in each one to mesmerize me. I stopped for a sandwich halfway through and then I was at it again–I simply could not get enough of the brilliant paintings surrounding me. And, of course, the audio guide meant that although I have seen these works so many times before, I still learned something new at each stop. It was just sheer undiluted bliss!

Return Home for Dinner:
At exactly 8.00 pm, I left the Gallery having left just one section–the 19th century–uncovered. Hopefully, I shall get there tomorrow and be able to complete my mission! I took the Tube back from Charing Cross to my place and got home in 20 minutes. A quick stop at the Co-op supermarket to pick up some groceries for dinner tomorrow and I was all set.
Back home, I noticed that the weekly cleaner had been for the place was sparkling and well tidied. I got dinner organized (sausages with cauliflower mash and a mango for dessert) before I went online to make the Easyjet bookings as I did get the green light from Chriselle during the day. That done, I spent a while chatting on Facetime with Llew before I began to blog even as I watched the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics which are at 12 midnight, my time.
It was just one more wonderful day in this wonderful city. Having spent one week here already, I have to ask myself where the time has gone. But then I think of all the things I have done in just one week and I realize that I have utilized every second creatively and could not possibly have asked for a more brilliant week. Last week at this time I was flying across the Atlantic to get here–and already I feel as if I have been here forever.
Until tomorrow, cheerio…

Gray’s Inn, The Wellcome Collection, Research at the British Library, A Walk in Bloomsbury

Aug4

London

Today was a mixed bag with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I did not rise early enough to get to St. Paul’s Cathedral for Mass. Instead I was able to IMO (videochat) with Chriselle–which was very productive indeed.

Coffee Morning with a Pair of Solicitors at Gray’s Inn:
Brekkie done (muesli and yogurt with coffee), I showered and dressed and took the bus and the Tube (Central Line) to Chancery Lane–my former stomping ground. Since I was passing right by my old building, it would seem horribly unfriendly not to stop and say Hello to my former concierge, Arben, who, as always, gave me the warmest welcome. We exchanged pleasantries for a while and then I slipped into one of London’s Inns of Court–Gray’s Inn–which used to be in my own backyard when I lived on High Holborn. Although I have been to Gray’s Inn before, it was especially significant this time round as I have read The Children Act by Ian McEwan which is set in this neighborhood–his female protagonist actually shares a flat with her husband in one of Gray’s Inn’s courtyards. For that reason, it was thrilling to walk those paths.
My objective was to get to one of the lawyer’s offices (called ‘Chambers’ in the UK) to meet my friend Jane who lives in Yorkshire but comes down to London occasionally for a ballet performance. This time round, she was in London to see the Bolshoi Ballet do The Taming of the Shrew. Before she departed for Yorkshire, she was able to fit in a coffee with me. And since we have a mutual friend in my former neighbor Barbara, she was there too–so it was a thoroughly wonderful morning over coffee with two brilliant patent attorneys whose company was wonderfully enjoyable as we touched on a lot of interesting topics from Indian cuisine up north to Jane’s South Asian connections. All too soon, it was time to say goodbye, but I know I will cherish very happy memories of our get-together.
Just before we went our separate ways, Barbara gave me a little tour of Gray’s Inn. I absolutely adore the architecture of these Inns of Court and the old-fashioned world they conjure in my mind.
Then I hurried off to the British Library…but from there things went really wrong.

Making Bad Transport Decisions:
Despite the fact that London has such a fabulous public transport system that I credit myself with knowing really well, sometimes I make bad decisions. Like I decided to take a bus to King’s Cross from Theobald’s Road, but then I remembered that I hadn’t called my Dad. So I sat at a bus stop and spent about 15 minutes chatting to him. When I did get to the bus-stop, I saw that it was 12. 15 pm. I decided, on impulse, to get to Trafalgar Square to the Church of St. Martin-in-The-Fields to listen to their free lunch time concert. I know, I know…it was foolish to get north to go south! But that’s what I meant by not thinking right.  Anyway, I got to King’s Cross and decided to take the Northern Line southwards–but the Northern Line is one of the most complicated of lines and after a series of errors, I found that it was much too late to make the 1.00 pm concert–so I scrapped it (also on impulse) and decided to go to a concert at the church on another day. Like tomorrow…

Exploring the Wellcome Collection:
Instead, finding myself at Euston Station by this point, I hopped into an M&S Simply Food to buy myself a sandwich (as I had left my ham and cheese sandwich on my kitchen counter at home in my hurry to leave!) and sat at a bench in a square munching it with a large bunch of office-goers who were enjoying the lovely mild afternoon. When I was done with lunch, I found that I was right opposite the Museum that is known as the Wellcome Collection and since I had never been in there, well…inside I went.
Named after Henry Wellcome (he of Burroughs-Wellcome fame), a 19th century intellectual who wore many hats in his lifetime, the museum features rather eclectic items from his personal collection all of which have to do with the human body and its various functions. I was surprised at how lovely the interior is and how crowded it was. Considering that it is one of London’s lesser-known museums, it is very well used indeed. The Cafe on the ground floor was buzzing, but upstairs is a quieter and much more posh space where I found that you can get the best bargain in Afternoon Teas–three courses with scones, sandwiches and cakes costs a lean 9 pounds per person or 16 pounds for two. That is truly a steal in this pricey city. Perhaps Chriselle and I can do it together when she gets here…
Inside, there are temporary exhibitions and bits that comprise a permanent collection. I stuck to the permanent portion entitled Medicine Man–which was a section devoted exclusively to Wellcome’s personal collection. It had some really quirky and really cool items and among its highlights (although they do not have a leaflet that names these), I would pick the following:
1. A lock of hair of King George III.
2. Napolean’s toothbrush
3. Charles Darwin’s ivory walking sticks (there are two of them)
4. Florence Nightingale’s moccasins
5. Lord Nelson’s razor
6. A shrunken head  of the Shuar people (I had seen some of these at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford)
7. A pair of shoes for bound Chinese feet (I was horrified at how tiny they were!)
8. A snuff box attached to a real stuffed ram’s head complete with magnificent horns
9. A French guillotine
10.A mummified male body of a Peruvian Chimu person
11. The wax death mask of Benjamin Disraeli.

So there you have it. There is a grand collection of paintings all of which depict medicine and surgery through the ages, there is a replica of Freud’s couch, there is an X-ray machine from the 1920s, all sorts of items associated with mankind’s sexual life and behavior including chastity belts, there is a whole exhibition on forceps and surgical saws that made me weak-kneed…you name it, this museum has it. There is also a section called Medicine Now which I found far less interesting as it dealt with things like gastric bypass operations etc.
About an hour and a half later, I was out and about again, having covered one more item on my To-Do List (yes, as usual, I do have one or else I will get nothing done!).

By Bus to the British Library:
It was then time to get back to my original plan–which had been to get to the British Library. Jumping into a bus at Euston Terminus, I rode it for one stop to the Library and in ten minutes, I was in the South Asian Section looking for assistance as I tried to call for the items I needed. I had about 10 items on my list–journals, books and public office records of the former India Office in London. A very nice man assisted me and showed me the ropes and before I knew it, I had requested about 8 items from the list. Some of them would be with me in 70 minutes, others would take 2 days as they would be arriving from their stacks at Boston Spa which is in Yorkshire.
Having spent more than an hour searching through the online catalogue and making my requests, I decided it would be best to come back on Monday and spend the entire day in the library as most of the material I have requested should be in by then. So on that satisfied note, I left the library and went on to the next item on my agenda–a visit to my NYU-London campus.

A Visit to NYU-London:
It was high time I went to the NYU-London campus to meet my former colleagues among the staff. Since it is summer and classes are not yet in session, it is rather quiet–which makes it possible to really get work done. At the front door, I met the porters, Mohammed and Mark, who are buddies of mine as I have met them off and on over the years. I also met those folks who are still friends of mine after all these years–Ruth and Nigel–and new ones who will now work closely with me–Phillipa and Harvey. After a nice chat with Ruth who then introduced me to a few other new staff members, I left my things with the porters and set out for a walk in Bloomsbury as I thought it would be good to trek through another one of my former stomping grounds.
Using Frommer’s book, Memorable Walks in London (of which there are 11 that I intend to finish before I depart from London), I began at Bedford Square which is the only true Georgian square left in London.  I saw the blue plaques marking the homes of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Anthony Hope Hawkins who wrote The Prisoner of Zenda and then I entered Gower Street to see plaques to Ottoline Morel, patroness of W.B. Yeats, a suffragette Millicent Gareth Fawcett, the place the first general anaesthesia was administered, etc. The walk carried on to Waterstone’s, the bookstore, and on to Torrington Street, home of the poet Christina Rosetti, sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. It then took us to the best mid-Victorian church in London at Gordon Square. The square attained fame, thanks to the members of the Bloomsbury Group who granted it notoriety. Here, from 1904-7, the sisters Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell–held ‘at homes’ every Thursday to which their brothers Thoby and Adrian’s friends were invited. These included the biographer-novelist Lytton Strachey (who lived two doors down), the economist John Maynard Keynes whose work helped found the International Monetary Fund (who also lived two doors down on the other side), playwright George Bernard Shaw, philisopher Bertrand Russel, novelist E.M. Forster, artists Clive Bell and Duncan Grant, publisher Leonard Woolf, etc. etc. I have been fascinated by the members of the Bloomsbury Group since my undergrad days and had visited this square before; but after reading Priya Parmar’s book Life in Squares (which was the best book I read in 2014), I was absolutely thrilled to be in this revered venue and to visit each of the homes–now all turned into offices. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in the tangled relationships–straight, biseuxal and homosexual–of these individuals whose activities provoked  a sneering comment from Gertrude Stein who was holding her own literary and artistic soirees in Paris at the same time:” It is a Young Man’s Christian Association with the only thing missing being the Christian part!”
Just next door was supposedly the Percival David Collection of Chinese Ceramics, but these have moved to the British Museum and it is there that I intend to puruse them another time (in Gallery 94).
It was 6. 15 pm by then and so I returned to pick up my bag from NYU from where I took the No. 8 bus just outside campus to my home at Bethnal Green.

An Unexpected Brush with Art:
Except that when I got off at Bethnal Green Tube station, I noticed that the door to the Church of St. John was open and since it is a church designed by Sir John Soane and was on my To-Do List, I headed inside for a visit. At the door of the church, I noticed a bunch of young folks with wine and beer in hand. When I entered the church, I found the pastor, Rev. Allan Green at a bar selling the drinks! Well, it turned out that there was an art opening on the top floor–an installation by Miriam Sedacca–and in the crypt was another exhibition of astronomy as art. I bought a beer, chatted with two lovely artists for about twenty minutes, paid a visit to the altar to admire the work of Soane who only designed three churches in London, and then hopped into a bus and, two stops later, I was home.

Dinner and Travel Research:
Over dinner (toasted ham and cheese sandwich with salad and chicken cup of soup), I caught up with my email and my blog and began the travel research for my proposed trip to Eastern Europe in September with Chriselle.
Like I said, it was a mixed bag…the kind of day that offered so much of interest: reunions with fond friends and former colleagues, museum finds, social chatter over contemporary art, solid library work related to my research and a quiet dinner at home. I could not wish to have had a less eventful day.
Until tomorrow, cheerio…

Royal Excitement, Bloomsbury and a Barbecue

Jul24


                               
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
London
            I have finally been awaking at a decent hour—that is to say, about 7.45 am (as I did this morning). The upside is that I feel well rested; the down side is that I am not really getting much work done. Today, certainly, with the royal excitement over the birth of an heir, I did none. But even I can be permitted to take a day off to participate in the general international jubilation, right?
Participating in a Historic Happening at Bucks House:
            So when I switched on the telly and discovered that people had already begun congregating outside Bucks House, aka Buckingham Palace, to catch a personal glimpse of the official announcement of the birth of the Prince of Cambridge on the easel set in the front yard, I decided that, being in London at such a time, I needed to mark the event in some way myself. Juvenile? Of course. But, like I said, this is one of those times when you throw all sorts of post-colonial reservations about decorous behavior to the wind and adopt the mob mentality. I am an unashamed Anglophile and I am a tourist in London—I combined the worst of what those labels imply and set out, after brekkie (Walnut Bread with Peanut Butter and Wensleydale Cheese with Ginger with Tea) and off I went on the Tube to St. James’ Park to join the dizzy throngs.
            There was a very orderly queue when I got there—but within three minutes, something crazy happened. The police removed the barriers that were keeping the frenzied crowds at bay behind the Palace gates where a golden easel had been sent up with the birth announcement. And because I happened to be right at the barrier actually questioning a bobby to find out how long the wait in the line would be (to take a close-up picture of the easel), I was right in the front—standing right at the gates, really really close to the easel. It enabled me to take clear pictures of it both with my camera and my Iphone and to compose my shots so well that I was able to get the front façade of the Palace as well as the guards wearing their traditional bearskin hats and a bobby walking officiously up and down past the gates. It was a right royal crush trying to get out of there once I had finished taking my pictures, but it was so worthwhile. The crowds at the gate were at least eight deep by the time I managed to worm (literally) my way out.
            Not content with my pictures and wondering if there were people congregated around the statue of Queen Victoria for a reason, I asked a bobby for more information. He replied, “Sorry Madam, but your guess is as good as mine. We are never given any information”. I took a few more fun pictures at the statue of the crowds at the gates as well as of The Mall sporting colorful Union Jacks from every flagpole and I soon realized that they had massed there for the Ceremony of the Changing of the Guard. I had had my share of royal excitement for the day as well as personal participation in a historic moment. I had something worthwhile to tell my grand kids someday—so off I went.
A Walking Tour of Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia:
            I walked about 6 minutes to Green Park, took the Tube from there to Russel Square and began my walking tour of Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia (from DK Eyewitness Guides). These tours are simply amazing. Although I am pretty much stomping familiar ground, they are introducing me to elements of the city that I had not previously known and forcing me to take note of the littlest details that tickle the history and literary buff in me. For example, I soon realized that Russel Square is probably named after Bertrand Russel who lived in Bloomsbury and whose residence is marked with a blue plaque. Well, I could be mistaken, but I think not.
            Anyway…I arrived at Russel Square which is one of the largest London squares and is dominated by the red terracotta façade of the Russel Hotel which was designed and built by Charles Doll. It is a stunning confection of pillars, wrought-iron and collonaded balconies and friezes that represent cherubs prancing around. Inside, I was assured the magnificence continued—so, of course, in I went to the lobby with its lavish marble décor and trim, its chandeliered staircase—so wide it could easily accommodate a grand piano—and its lovely wall sconces. Needless to say, I used the loo there and continued on my exploration.
            Across the gardens of Russel Square I went, past the statue of Francis, Duke of Bedford, to whom this vast acreage once belonged (and after whom neighboring Bedford Square is named). He is depicted with a plow and sheep at his feet as he was a country fellow who reveled in such pursuits. I walked down Bedford Street and arrived at Bloomsbury Square that gave its name to the literary club of sorts that was formed in the early 20th century known as the Bloomsbury Group and numbering among its members such luminaries as Virginia Woolf and her sundry relatives—(siblings and in-laws) and philosophers such as Russel, biographers such as Lytton Strachey and artists such as Dora Carrington—although none of them lived around this square (most lived around neighboring Gordon Square). .     
            I sat on a garden bench for a while, then spied the flag and the sign of Le Cordon Bleu along one of the streets—in I went as I have been familiar with this name for decades (as a child I used to read my Mum’s issues of Woman and Home magazine that often mentioned the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery). I went inside and found it to be a cooking school indeed. Unfortunately, I will not be long enough in London to take one of their courses which go on for a few weeks (although I would dearly love to do so). Instead I contented myself buying some of the very reasonably priced goodies in their show cases and then walking out.
            The rain had begun—never thought I would be grateful for rain, but it immediately brought down the temperature in sizzling, humid London and made it much more bearable. I took shelter in a newsagents shop and ended up buying a copy of The Times in order to preserve its front page with the historic royal news. A few minutes later, I was at the entrance of the Church of St. George, Bloomsbury, which is one of the masterpieces of Nicholas Hawksmore who was a pupil of Christopher Wren. The church, alas, was closed, so I could not explore the inside—but I paused long enough to note the mausoleum-like tower and the gigantic sculpture of the lion and the unicorn at the very top. Visiting this church was on the top of my list and I was sorry I was unable to get inside.
            By this point, I was close to the British Museum—so I walked one road down and reached its impressive gates and railing. There were huge crowds in its forecourt but I could not linger as I had a meeting at New York University just next door with the Director there.
A Meeting at NYU:
            Since the leadership at NYU has changed since I taught there and since I am doing so much of my research and editing work on our campus where I am being ably assisted by the staff (especially Ruth), I thought it would be a good idea to meet the current Director Gary and thank him in person for enabling me to use the campus facilities. My meeting was at 12. 30 pm and on the dot, he came downstairs to the lobby to meet me and to graciously escort me into his office where he offered me a glass of sparkling cold water. I was very touched by his chivalry and his thoughtfulness.
            I had expected our meeting to me short—just a courtesy visit, really—so I was surprised and thrilled that it went on for over an hour because Gary was so interested in my research project about Britain’s Anglo-Indians and wanted to discuss it at length with me. I discovered that his background in British Law (he is a lawyer) made him familiar with the British Nationality Act of 1948 around which a great deal of my work in the UK is based. Our discussion was wonderfully productive—Gary is well-versed in Linguistics as well as we spent a great deal of time talking about the recent evolution of the English language through the influx of immigrants in the UK. We also talked about Global Migration (I teach a course on the subject at NYU) and the changing face of the UK since it joined the EU. Overall, I was simply delighted to have met a man who seemed genuinely interested in my areas of field research and contributed richly with his views and ideas.
Off to the British Museum:
     Of course, once our meeting was over, I simply had to spend a while at the British Museum re-visiting some of my favorite objects there. I headed straight to the Rosetta Stone, then to the Bust of Rameses II and on to the Lely Aphrodite which has only recently been loaned to the Museum’s collection through the Queen to whom it belongs.
       A few steps ahead, I entered the vast custom-built hall that was constructed to accommodate the Elgin Marbles—so-called because they came into the possession of Great Britain through Lord Elgin. They had once decorated the top of the Acropolis on the Parthenon mountain in Greece but after being struck down by an earthquake, they were found strewn around the base by Elgin. He arranged for their sale through the Turks who had then temporarily held Greece. There has been a long raging controversy between Greece and the UK—Greece wants the Marbles back, the UK has refused to part with them on grounds that the country does not possess the right space in which to keep them protected. Greece has responded by building the new Acropolis Museum in Athens especially designed to house the carvings. The UK continues to turn a blind eye and deaf eye to their pleas and has ignored Greece’s good faith attempts to preserve the Marbles for posterity. And so it goes on: the international impasse. 
          My own particular favorites are those of the pediment of which only a few fragments remain—but what amazing fragments they are! I swear that horse breathes out of those flared nostrils! Having actually been to Greece and stood on the Acropolis, I love imagining what these works might have looked like in situ.
          Downstairs, I visited the giant carving from Easter Island and then I made my way outside to the café of the Senate House Libraryof the University of London which was just across the road. I settled down with a mocha latte and a scone with butter (alas, they had no jam—and a scone without jam is like a day without sunshine, as far as I am concerned—in other words, pretty dull). Still, it filled me up and got me fuelled for the next lap of my rambles—a visit to two museums.
The Petrie Museum of Egyptology:
         I have heard a great deal about this museum for years—it is a part of the University of London (known as UCL), but somehow although I taught classes for a year in a building pretty close to it, I had never entered it. I spent more than an hour there focusing only on the Top Ten items that were pointed out to me by the friendly assistant. The museum is free and attempts are being made to give it more exposure and publicity and some guides asked me to participate in a survey after my visit—which I gladly did.
            The items that caught my eye were: The world’s oldest garment (a child’s blouse, made of linen, about 5,000 years old). Needless to say, it very fragile. I also saw two full-length tunics, also made of linen, not as old as the child’s blouse, but about 3,000 years old, all the same); a Nubian ebony wood carving (that happened to be the favorite item in the entire collection of Petrie who was an archeologist and Egyptologist and who brought back all the items in this collection from his various ‘digs’); a bead dress, designed for a pre-pubescent child that has acquired erotic innunendos; beads from a necklace made of semi-precious stones that might once have been worn by a pharaoh; a large bowl with an intact human skeleton in it (used for a ‘bowl burial’) and a few painted funerary masks. The great novelty aspect of these objects lies in their age and their manner of near-perfect preservation. To see all the thousands of items on display would take weeks—to see only the highlights is really the best way to make use of short stretches of time.
The Grant Museum of Zoology:
            I left the Petrie and looked for the Grant Museum of Zoology which is in the same general area and also belongs to UCL. Here too, in this wonderful place filled with natural history specimens most of which are preserved in formaldehyde in glass jars, I asked for a brochure giving Highlights. I was given a useful leaflet containing the Top Ten items and here is some of what I saw: a collection of preserved brains of a number of animals; a jar full of preserved moles (I had no idea moles were so small); glass creatures created in Czechoslovakia since real ones could not be preserved—they are truly exquisite and real works of art and craftsmanship; giant deer antlers, the entire skeleton of a real anaconda—the world’s largest snake that kills its victims by choking them to death. I found this place fascinating although science and zoology are not really my particular areas of interest. There were skeletons of every conceivable creature—the whole skeleton of a hippopotamus, for instance.
           
BT Tower Goes Festive:
        Outside, I got a great view of the British Telecom Tower. All day it has been beaming a message that went around the circumference of it saying “It’s a Boy”. There are also images of storms flying around it that bring a touch of whimsy to the royal birth. Because I was far from the Tower of London, I did not hear the Gun Salute but I have seen the fountains in front of the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square turn blue. It is a truly festive time to be in London and all the conversation on the Tube and in the buses has to do with this long-awaited baby. Long may he reign!
            I sat myself down then for half an hour in the front court of the main Neo-Classical Building of UCL with its imposing dome and its Greek columns and its vast plinth. I needed to rest my feet and while away some time before I moved on to my next appointment at St. Paul’s Cathedral.    
A Barbecue at St. Paul Cathedral:
            My friends Bishop Michael and his wife Cynthia had invited me to a barbecue for the staff of three major London churches: St. Paul’s, Westminster Abbey and Southwark Cathedral. I had attended this event about two years ago and had enjoyed it immensely. I arrived at their place at 6.00 pm and in a few minutes, we made our way to the grounds of the Cathedral. This time too I made some lovely friends and had some absorbing conversations. I met British lawyers, a Classics teacher, an HR specialist, the cross bearer at the services, a French chanteuse (singer) from Paris. The food was plentiful and delicious—the British have completely embraced the concept of the barbecue which, I know, about 30 years ago, was not on. Globalization and Global Warming have contributed to the popularity of the Cook-Out and now it is not unusual to be invited to such an event.
            I started off with a cold beer because the weather is still pretty muggy and then moved towards the lines snaking around the food tables: burgers, goat cheese and leek patties (delicious), Cumberland sausages served with brown sauce, remoulade, green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and grilled corn on the cob. Everything was made more tasty by the fact that we were eating it outdoors under the great dome of Christopher Wren. Dessert was ice-cream doled out in many flavors by ice-cream men who manned ice-cream carts. It was cute and very old-fashioned. Of course, everyone ate too much and as the evening wore on, it was time for me to say goodbye to my friends and take the Tube back home to St. John’s where I reached about 9. 30 pm.
            I spent the rest of the evening taking a shower, writing this blog and planning out my work and sightseeing program for the next few days. It was a lovely day and all the excitement of the birth of the heir kept me wide awake long into the night. It was about 3. 45 am when I finally was able to get to sleep.