"You've got a wonderful library."
TOM BRANSON
TOM BRANSON
It’s Friday, and I’m sad that our week in London will soon end. It goes by so fast! Once more on the Tube, we made the long transfer between St. Pancras and King’s Cross stations (you can get lost if you aren’t paying attention) and headed to the British Library. [Before I mention the library, though, I want to point out something. Step back and look up and around you at the incredible train station and train shed architecture in London. Paddington is magnificently solid. St. Pancras? Another Victorian masterpiece. They don’t build ‘em like that anymore!]
We spent about an hour at the British Library viewing ancient and first edition manuscripts. Magna Carta meets Beatles’ lyrics. After taking a look at exhibits under glass I viewed a temporary exhibit on the writing of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and strolled through the Library’s bookstore.
We posed for a group photo on the steps of the British Library, then took a double-decker bus to the British Museum. Tom led us on a brief tour of the Egyptian room where we learned about Ramses II and from there we visited the Elgin Marbles from the pediment of the Parthenon. If I never make it to Athens, I can still say I’ve seen a true piece of the Parthenon. For our free afternoon, I traveled to Kensington Palace gardens for afternoon tea at the Orangery. The Queensway Tube station by the gardens was fascinating in its own right—one exits via a freight-sized elevator. No escalators that I could see. I’ve never seen people so politely crammed into one space.
The Orangery is lovely. Simply lovely. I enjoyed the view of turning colors outside, and pored over my guidebook to find my next destination. Refreshed after tea and running to outpace the storm clouds rolling in, I walked through Kensington to the Victoria & Albert Museum to tour the costume/history of fashion exhibit.
Our final group dinner was at Hardy’s on Dorset Street. I can’t even remember what I had for dinner,
but I remember laughing and smiling, reflecting back on a fun week. Tom had small souvenirs for us—chocolate lollipops wrapped in Union Jack foil and Olympic pins. It’s always hard to say goodbye. We all traded email addresses and shared well-wishes with those we wouldn’t see at morning breakfast.
We spent about an hour at the British Library viewing ancient and first edition manuscripts. Magna Carta meets Beatles’ lyrics. After taking a look at exhibits under glass I viewed a temporary exhibit on the writing of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and strolled through the Library’s bookstore.
We posed for a group photo on the steps of the British Library, then took a double-decker bus to the British Museum. Tom led us on a brief tour of the Egyptian room where we learned about Ramses II and from there we visited the Elgin Marbles from the pediment of the Parthenon. If I never make it to Athens, I can still say I’ve seen a true piece of the Parthenon. For our free afternoon, I traveled to Kensington Palace gardens for afternoon tea at the Orangery. The Queensway Tube station by the gardens was fascinating in its own right—one exits via a freight-sized elevator. No escalators that I could see. I’ve never seen people so politely crammed into one space.
The Orangery is lovely. Simply lovely. I enjoyed the view of turning colors outside, and pored over my guidebook to find my next destination. Refreshed after tea and running to outpace the storm clouds rolling in, I walked through Kensington to the Victoria & Albert Museum to tour the costume/history of fashion exhibit.
Our final group dinner was at Hardy’s on Dorset Street. I can’t even remember what I had for dinner,
but I remember laughing and smiling, reflecting back on a fun week. Tom had small souvenirs for us—chocolate lollipops wrapped in Union Jack foil and Olympic pins. It’s always hard to say goodbye. We all traded email addresses and shared well-wishes with those we wouldn’t see at morning breakfast.