The Same but Different
So here I am in old London town. My third visit as an adult. And after many miles, I have discovered that there are some things that really only work here, you know. Like tea. I missed it so much, I even took a picture because it was the first decent cup of tea I've had in over two months! The Jammie Dodger helped, of course! ;-) You can see it in the Blog Gallery.
I have a little bedsit in the same building as my last visit, but two floors higher. There is a kitchenette, but I mostly use it for cups of tea, and some juice to drink in the morning, after all, I am on the border of Soho, Covent Garden, Oxford St shops, and Bloomsbury. I've included a picture of the view from my flat window - the trees in the distance are Soho Square (the construction behind the church is the new tube station at Tottenham Court Rd).
And two minutes walk in the other direction is the Seven Dials shopping/dining area around Covent Garden. But I really musn't "wander" around this area. I spent a fortune buying things (which I needed), like boots, toiletries, underwear... They make it far too easy to spend! It was amazing to watch an artist work on an ice sculpture outside the market - check out the Blog Gallery - you can't see it well from the angle, but it's a lobster!
Everything is very festive at the moment, and the Christmas decorations are great - and given it gets dark at 4pm, they need to be to make the place sparkle in the dark. I thought the addition to the Covent Gardens, as shown in this entry's photo, particularly sparkly!
Although I am at a loss as to why they put Eros in a snowglobe at Piccadilly Circus. Impossible to photograph (or even see with the naked eye) with all the reflections of the other Christmas lights - and maybe they blow snow around it at some point... he had a little on the back of his leg and wings, but this was one bit of street art I didn't particularly like (and it has electronic ads all the way around the base which really reflects the true purpose of Xmas these days!). See what you think when you see the photo in the Blog Gallery.
Last time I was here I tried to visit the Dickens House Museum in Bloomsbury (not far from the flat) but it was closed for renovations. This time I was more successful, and even the museum had a Christmas tree up in the parlour! This is more like it!
The house was great, as you could walk into the rooms, rather than stand behind a velvet rope and look into it. They presented a really great combination of historical pieces related to Charles Dickens, and literary ones too. I will of course also visit Baker Street as well while here (how could I not?). I finally made it to the British Library too, which was wonderful - all those historic manuscripts and books...
But I am probably spending most of my time here in the theatre. I have seen "Book of Mormon" (the US cast are here in the UK, which is why I didn't see it in New York) which was irreverently funny! And I managed to snooze for 5-10 minutes through "The Mouse Trap" - jetlag, you know! But I now know whodunnit (and am sworn to secrecy!). I will also see "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night" and "The Drowned Man". This will explain a little why I haven't been blogging much - I haven't been in most nights!
I do tend to visit the same haunts here - especially staying in the same building. But I will try and go further afield. There are some good pamphlets in the flat for things to do that I would not particularly think of. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, let me know in the comments!
Cheers for now, Aveline. xxx
