March 1988

Spring in Europe & Autumn in Australia

Saturday 26th March
SYDNEY   Very hot and humid

Departed from Sydney at 3.15pm. The flight took approximately 23 hours (excluding two stops - Singapore & Bahrain). Very smooth except for the landing at Heathrow which knocked you back to your senses. Plenty of food and drink to be had on the flight, all exceptionally tasty and varied. Did have some difficulty sleeping and only managed to fit in 3-4 hours, mostly between Singapore and Bahrain.

ENGLAND

Sunday 27th March
LONDON - Day 1  Cloudy, sunny periods, windy & 8 degrees

Arrived at Heathrow at 7.55am. Heathrow is well sign-posted and we managed to get through customs fairly quickly. Eventually found our way to the underground which took us to Victoria Station. Train was very comfortable, lots of light and we noticed all the birds singing and chirping at most of the stations we stopped at.

We were a little disoriented once we disembarked from the train. Trying to decipher our map to find our hotel, we must have looked quite obvious as newcomers. A man stopped and very kindly offered us correct directions and we arrived at 'Lewis House' in no time. Feeling tired by now, all we wanted was to have a shower and freshen up.

Attempted to do some walking but didn't get further than St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. Very impressive with its large gates and decorative gold work. Daffodils were out in the park but the trees were only just beginning to green up. I was tired and began to hate the cold and all the tourists - it was absolutely packed being a Sunday and I did not like London at all.

By 2pm, we were back at our room watching 'Lost In Space' and fell asleep at 4.30pm. Woke up at 11.30pm with the orange glow of the outside light filtering into the room and went back to sleep.

Monday 28th March
LONDON - Day 2  Overcast, light drizzle & 10 degrees

Nice breakfast of bacon and eggs and as much toast as we could eat. Forgot all about Charlie last night, a cute little black and white cat named after Charlie Chaplin as a kitten and turned out to be a girl.

First stop was the National Gallery after a stroll down the Mall from Buckingham Palace and a brief look at Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square via Admiralty Arch at which point, traffic narrows down to two lanes and is therefore very polluted. At the Gallery we concentrated on Italian Renaissance and Dutch Baroque.

Down Whitehall we stopped at the 'Clarence' for lunch and we were not disappointed with the atmosphere or the food of English pubs. Had a medieval feel. People very friendly. Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Incredibly large with everyone buried here from Elizabeth I to D.H. Lawrence and Dylan Thomas.

Down Millbank to the Tate Gallery for a far too brief look at its modern collection. Moores 'Reclining Figure' much smaller than I imagined and Jasper Johns '0-9' very impressive. Quite exhausted after another brief stop, this time at Westminster Cathedral. Back in bed by 4.30pm.

Tuesday 29th March
LONDON - Day 3  Overcast, drizzly & 9 degrees

An extremely interesting tour of St. Paul's Cathedral with its magnificent 'Whispering Gallery' reached by a spiral wooden staircase. An awe-inspiring glimpse of a smaller and more ethereal dome above the large dome.

Another English lunch at 'St. James Tavern' this time - much smaller amd more like our Kings Cross in Sydney. To finish the afternoon we paid a visit to the Assyrian and Egyptian sections of the British Museum. Absolutely incredible!! It was like walking back in time standing amongst all the enormous statues. The gold jewellery, necklace and rings were so beautifully executed as were the tomb paintings and smaller statues. I could have spent a whole day there. Even the building itself was magnificent.

Stopped at 'Oodles' for a delicious afternoon tea with freshly brewed coffee. Rang E after 4pm and she railed to Victoria Station. Did intend to go back with her to the East End for dinner but felt very tired still. Had dinner instead at a very cheap place across from the station at 'Grandma's Kitchen'. Back to our room with E for a couple of hours before walking her back to the station.

Wednesday 30th March
LONDON - Day 4  Partly overcast with sunny breaks - very clear night

Tower Bridge was our first port of call this morning and living up to its reputation of being extremely damp and cold. Quite overwhelmed by the age and history of the building complex (the tower) close by. We were struck most deeply by the poetic inscriptions carved into the walls of the Beauchamp Tower by those awaiting execution. Disappointed with the Crown Jewels mainly due to a very lengthy and tiring wait in a line which felt kilometres long. Perked ourselves up with a hot lunch at the 'Clarence' again.

A well timed walk past the horse guards as they were changing on our way to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Viewed the most beautiful sculptures, especially the terracotta working models which included Michelangelo's for his 'Day & Night' mannerist sculpture. The ivory section was exceptionally delightful with its minutely detailed filigreed work.

For dinner we tried the local restaurant around the corner from our hotel called 'The Tent'. Lovely food but we felt it was too expensive for what it was. At least we had a couple of cheap meals last night ( £3 each)!!!

Thursday 31st March
London to CAMBRIDGE  Mainly fine and sunny

This morning was devoted to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with a brief look at Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial and a walk up to Marble Arch (a letdown after some of the other things we had seen). Met E for lunch at the 'Cherry Tree', a Buddhist Co-op where we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian lunch, finished off with a very brief tour of the Buddhist Centre.

Had to pay another visit to the British Museum to catch up with the Egyptian Mummy section missed the first time around. Brilliant display of coffins, mummies, deities, cloth, utensils and every conceivable object you could imagine associated with Egyptian life. There was so much it was mind boggling. Lindow man was also quite exciting, especially after seeing the program of his discovery.

A walk down Oxford St was tiring, overcrowded and very disappointing. C's feet are sore from tight boots. Walked into a shoe store to try on a pair of more casual lace up shoes only to bitterly offend the shop assistant for wasting his time and not purchasing the pair tried on. Flaked out at the hotel and enjoyed a simple picnic style dinner purchased from 'Cullens' corner delicatessen.

POSTCARD: LONDON – 'Big Ben’

[Written 31st March] We are now more or less acclimatised and have got over jet lag. When we got off the plane it was absolutely freezing - temperatures hover between 2 and 9 most days since. 1st day walked fr. our hotel to Buckingham Palace, up the Mews via Pall Mall & back to Trafalgar Sq. Morning:- National Gallery, then down Whitehall to ‘The Clarence’ for English beer (delicious! I tried Abbots Ale freshly brewed) and steak & kidney pie w. cauliflower cheese (surprisingly delicious). Big Ben magnificent especially fr. river. Westminster Abbey, then the Tate Gallery (excellent moderns). 2nd day: St. Pauls, Picadilly Circus & British Museum (Egyptian collection for B). 3rd day: Tower of London - moving, esp. poetry of the Beauchamp Tower walls written by those awaiting execution. Afternoon in the Victoria & Albert Museum, which was fantastic for sculptural exhibits, esp. Michelangelo & Rodin. Enjoying London very much, underground is excellent way to get around. Weather unspeakable - big black clouds and heavy drops of rain seem a permanent condition. PPS - we had dinner with E last night.

Next: April 1988