In which we find that A. Rocks

Jane's Journal Page Notes:
A True Story...

As I stand upon this untouched paradise and see,
The deer and the dolphin living their prayer of supreme serenity
I think, who would upon this place dare bring, a wretched bloated
industrial thing. And may I add once you have been in nature’s
total purity, then you have stood and seen all that is true in sanity.

Journal entry:
Today we actually set an alarm so we could all have a shower before breakfast. Somehow, that meant we got down to breakfast earlier than usual. We were done eating by 9:00 and out of the hotel soon after, on our way back to the British Museum via Russell Square station where we bought today’s tube passes. While we were there, we also asked about the price of getting to Heathrow and were told another day pass would do it. So we have tentatively decided not to call the nice taxi man, and are focusing on braving the subway instead.

At the museum, we let Sparky talk us into seeing the 3D mummy film. I really was afraid it would be lame, but it was actually really good. The staff has been able to use an MRI on one of the hundreds of unwrapped mummies in their collection. This movie has several views of those MRI findings, and pretty good 3D FX. The movie is probably about forty minutes long, after which we shopped in the little attached souvenir place. I bought a set of canopic jar-style salt and pepper shakers to add to my collection, earning an eye-roll from Beast.

Then we had to head to to Tottenham Court tube station--just to vary things a bit--and went to Temple to meet A., weblog friend. A side benefit of this is that I now know how to use the phones, which are much more sensible that U.S. pay phones in that they show you how much you’ve put in and show you how much more you’ll need to connect. Duh! It’s actually a little weird that there are so many phone booths around, since EVERYONE has a cell phone (apparently) in Europe! Me on land-line, calling A. on cell to tell her we're here. Thank God we didn't have to go find her; we'd've been totally lost for sure!

This meeting someone you "know" but haven’t met is very surreal . When I called A., she said to just stay put and she’d walk over and meet us. Every woman who passed us in the next five minutes got the curious eyeball from us. Not that there were a lot of women. Which was another interesting side-note. A. came down from Middle Temple and then walked us back through the Inns and kind of the area around which she works. We tried peeking into Middle Temple, but the security guy would only let us peek into the Hall very quickly because "people are eating." As A. told me outside, because that particular guard didn’t get the promotion he’d expected last month he's quite cranky and unwilling to bend ANY rules. Gossip--so good for the soul!

We ate at a lovely restaurant (underdressed again....sigh)--Cafe Gerard I think--where we had French-ish food. Honestly, I enjoyed my conversation with A. so much that I can’t even remember what I ate! (shocking) Unfortunately, Sparky and Beast got into a massive tussle while A. and I chatted. It was awfully distracting, and probably should have mortified me, but I was too interested in what we were talking about. She’s quite impressive and sensible and rather intimidating. Not exactly what I was expecting, but at the same time exactly what I expected. Odd.

After our long lunch, we took our leave so she could get back to work. She directed us to the Chancery Lane tube stop before heading back. We went to Hyde Park. I wanted to show Sparky (and Beast) Speaker’s Corner, but there was no one haranguing. As Beast said,, mid-afternoon on a Tuesday is probably not a good day to drum up much of an audience.

The good news is that it was a perfect day to stroll thru the park, and there were just enough people to make it look used but not crowded. Frisbies, deck chairs, ice cream...perfect, and huge. We spent about an hour wandering before getting to the other side of the park and tubing back to Russell Square. We couldn’t remember if there were lots of stairs. That’s where we’d depart to Heathrow--a short four-block walk from the hotel--but thought of carrying our bags up or down three or more flights wasn’t too appealing. Turns out there’s only a flight of about six stairs and an elevator, so we bought our passes for tomorrow. We are committed now: no taxi.

Came "home," had a long set-to over Sparky’s lunchtime behavior and attitudinal issues in general, got some--actually, most -- of our packing sorted out, including souvenirs, and then it was dinnertime.

For the first time during the entire trip, we broke our unspoken rule and repeated ourselves at a restaurant. We ate at Mable’s again. It was MUCH more crowded, and the TV wasn‘t showing The Magnificent Seven. We were in a back corner, near several after-work drinks groups. Still good food and respectable atmosphere.

Back to the Harlingford, where our room has become impossibly stuffy, and the neighborhood annoyingly noisy. It’s Tuesday: why all the partying?? There are a lot of college-age people outside tonight talking and laughing, along with the occasional inebriate trying to cuss others out. Maybe all their rooms are stuffy too. So we have spent a lot of time hanging out the window watching "our" pay phone: on the corner. There has been one girl on it for over an hour. It’s rarely NOT in use.

In the process of trying for some cooler air, we discovered we can see in a flat on the corner across Mabledon from us: it's a soap opera, and these people need curtains. I’m not sure if they don't know we can see in from the hotel window, or don't care, but about the only thing we haven't watched them doing is going to the bathroom.

Anyway. It's dark entirely now, so perhaps things will settle. I don't care much--I have earplugs. ha ha I’ll sleep regardless!

While we continue to try to cool off and get some air moving in here (there is a small fan, without which I’m sure we'd all be dead by now!), I wanted to mention several Tube Experiences over the past few days, and this seems a good place and time to do it:

• Sunday is shopping day for residents of London. The trains were VERY crowded around tea-time as we headed back to our hotel. We were jammed in with lots of people with shopping bags, one of whom is a (temporary, I think) expat American from Columbus, Ohio. I chatted with her briefly; she loves living in London, doesn’t want to move back home, and seems quite cosmopolitan and fun.
• On one of our many trips through King's Cross, we stumbled, literally, on a girl with a suitcase at least as big as she was, and probably weighing more than she does. She was trying to get it down the stairs with it. Beast took pity on her and carried it down all the stairs. She turned out to be catching the same train as we were, so he helped her get everything loaded when the we boarded. Turns out she's Polish. She was on her way back home after some time spent here visiting friends. [Friends who couldn't see her off??] Her travel plan was to get through the Chunnel and then take a bus home. To Poland. My very cynical side says: "Cripes, it’s a good thing you're sweet and pretty; lots of men will help you with this bag. Next time, pack lighter!!" But she was quite nice and friendly and trusting. Beast ended up carrying her bag up all the stairs at the other end of the train ride, as well.
• Rowdy teenage boys are the same in every country. On one train we were on, one in which there were just enough seats for Sparky and me to sit, but not Beast, about six 15-year-olds boarded the train the stop after us. They were obnoxiously loud and slightly terrifying in the way that boys can be without really meaning to be. You could see all the women in the car shift slightly. I watched them, thinking idly that Sparky will be that age soon and what a shame it will be when women are afraid of him because of his size and gender. Glanced at Beast and almost burst into laughter: he had put on his Terminator sunglasses and folded his arms at our end of the train car. One of the puppi...er, boys flopped down the aisle toward him--without really seeing him--and started motioning his pals to come by him where there was a lot more space. He couldn’t get them to move. I’m busting a gut trying not to laugh. Eventually he turned, took one look at Terminator Man, and skipped back to his friends, who exited at the next stop. Heh
• On Monday, we boarded a train that had just come from the Temple. I found a seat but there were no others empty. I ended up in a seat across from an attractive guy in his late twenties in a good quality suit, with the tie removed, his shirt cuffs loosened and the suit coat across his briefcase on his lap. Exhausted and dozing, damp with perspiration. It was a hot day and he was totally wiped out. Rough day in court, obviously. My primary reaction: cute guy, probably not so cute when he’s not asleep. But right then, very sweet.

I love public transportation, especially in England, where people are polite. I know there are probably drunk around, but we weren't on the tube after about six most nights, so we didn’t see any (ANY!) rude behavior. Amazing.