London (continued), UK 2019

London

It drizzled in the morning. London was exactly the way I imagined it – wet pavement and grey skies (that’s the appropriate spelling when in Britain). The plan for the day was to explore the city on foot. So I headed straight for Hyde Park.

It was Saturday and London was having a 2-day marathon. Hyde Park was closed for this occasion. The famous Speakers’ Corner was empty. That was a blow to me. From my English school lessons, I remembered that anyone could talk on any subject there except for offending the Queen. Alas, there were no speakers in the Corner.

The drizzle turned into a rain when I got to the Buckingham palace. The square in front of the palace was crowded. The best I could do was to take a photo of the beautifully decorated gates. I walked away from the palace through St. James’s Park and unexpectedly came to an enclosure with pelicans.

The first pelicans were a gift from the Russian Ambassador in 1664. Since then, the birds stay in the park. Although they are free, the pelicans prefer to fish in the lake or just get their royal daily food allowance.

It was Trafalgar Square and not the Speakers’ Corner where all action was. Nelson’s Column was surrounded by people who yelled incessantly through loudspeakers. The square was dotted with tents. Apparently, the protesters occupied the area for a number of days. London police kept nearby, watched them closely but did not interfere.

I assumed that the protests were related to Brexit that was about to happen. However, I was wrong. In fact, Brexit was barely mentioned anywhere in London and on TV as if it was not an issue. The demonstrators demanded justice for a 19-year old British killed in a car crash. The wife of a US diplomat drove on the wrong side of the road which caused the accident. Knowing that she was responsible for the teenager’s death, she fled the UK claiming diplomatic immunity.

Since the British drive on the left side of the road and this can be confusing for visitors, London streets in the city center have reminders which way to look at the crossings. This does not always help. I witnessed firsthand an accident when a woman, obviously a tourist, stepped on the road looking left instead of right and collided with a bicyclist because she did not see him. Both fell on the ground and got minor injuries.

Trying to escape from the weather, I ducked into National Portrait Gallery and enjoyed browsing its exhibits until I got tired of portraits.

For a lunch place, I chose Pret-a-Manger, a chain fast food that serves freshly prepared, inexpensive meals. The name means “ready to eat” in French. Pret-a-Mangers are all over London, the service was quick and their food was good.

After lunch, I continued roaming the streets of London. Here and there, I came across famous names like Piccadilly or The Mall. These names were familiar to me since my early years from books by Dickens, Shaw, Oscar Wilde and many other British writers. Now suddenly, they materialized and became very real.

A lot of construction works were going on everywhere. The Parliament and Big Ben were wrapped in scaffolding.

In some case, the old buildings get completely demolished with the exception of the facade. Then, a brand new building is constructed behind the historic facade, so it looks old from the street and it is totally modern inside.

In the afternoon, I finally made it to Westminster Abbey. The church was closed to visitors because a mass was about to begin. Only worshipers were allowed to enter.

‘Would you like to attend the mass?’ a staff member asked me at the gate. ‘Sure’, said I.

I am not religious but how could I pass up an opportunity to listen to a mass at Westminster Abbey for free?

The mass lasted almost 2 hours. I sat in the royal church admiring the interior and organ music. I did my best singing psalms together with others. Some of the prayers were for the royal family which was totally fine with me. I wish the best to all of them.

When I got to my room at Shakespeare & Dolphin in the evening, I was well pleased with how the day went and how much of London I was able to see.

Sherlock Holmes museum