|
Thursday,
November 27
London
There
was a mostly empty center aisle so I moved there after eating
and pulled up the armrest between 2 seats so I could stretch
out a bit. I did manage to sleep some, too. But as dawn was
breaking, we were stacked above London, eventually getting
our chance to land at Heathrow. It was Thanksgiving Day in
the US of A. Once I had cleared immigration and we had our
bags, we took the express train into the city, and a taxi
from the station to Rob's and Kay's. We were all pretty well
fried from 30 hours of travel, but London was a welcome sight.
Andy had intended to go to breakfast with us, but decided
to head home immediately. So Rob, Kay and I set out to fulfill
a fantasy that Rob and Andy had shared whilst we were on the
trip, eating strictly vegetarian: a "fry up," which
is a traditional English fried breakfast. So we got into Rob's
VW beetle and drove to a restaurant that he had frequented
in his firefighter days, decades before. It looked like it
had been there for most of the 20th century, all tiled and
still frequented by working men. You ordered and picked up
at a counter, and there was a young woman very assertively
calling the shots at the counter, passing orders to the kitchen,
notifying customers when their orders were up.
Kay was selective,
having just fried eggs and chips (French fries) but I followed
Rob's lead. And soon we were sitting at one of the formica-topped
tables , eating. On my plate were 2 fried eggs on a piece
of deep fried bread (called a fried slice), pork & beans,
canned tomatoes, ham, and sausage, with more toast on the
side. Plus tea to drink. I knew this was stomach suicide after
eating vegetarian for 3 weeks, but what the hell? It was a
taste of England. Rob and I both ate it all.
Back at their place,
Rob unpacked the things he had bought on the trip. I gave
them the thangka. I think they liked it.
I was totally floored
by Kay, by the fact that she had cheerfully agreed to Rob's
journey, which started a few days after their wedding. And
by the fact that she had handled so much and with so much
grace while we were gone. We arrived back in London on a Thursday,
and the following Monday they were moving to Scotland! There
were countless details to be handled, arranged, etc., prior
to the move, and Kay had accomplished them all. Rob spent
some time on the phone to take care of a couple of things
that he had to do, like renting a truck to move the stuff
and having calls to his old telephone number forwarded to
the new number in Scotland. But otherwise, there wasn't much
for him to do except team up with Andy to load the truck on
Monday and head for Scotland. Kay is one amazing woman.
Rob and I took the
bus to Victoria Station and he got me oriented for my departure
on the Gatwick Express the following day. Then we walked to
a very old book binder shop and picked up a batik that they
had framed for Rob and Kay. It was the size of a door, and
exquisitely beautiful. They had bought it in Indonesia, and
would find a way to mount it with a light behind it in their
new house. Rob and I carried it back to the house on foot,
drawing a lot of strange looks on the way. But walking it
through the streets and across the river, watching the people
we passed, I was reminded what a multicultural society they
have in UK. Not without some friction, not without some regrettable
history, but remarkable now. When we got to the house, their
new bed frame for the new house had been delivered and was
partly blocking the hall. There was a lot going on in their
household. Yet they were unceasingly gracious to me.
It was a battle to
stay awake and get my body clock readjusted. Rob had wanted
to go out to a pub for a pint so I could have that experience,
but he was down with a cold and a bit of stomach distress
(wonder why). Still, he managed a walk to the local convenience
store (Kay called it Pursebusters) to make sure that I would
have oatmeal for tomorrow's breakfast. I had some quiet hours
reading, finally finishing Cold Mountain. Later Kay and I
walked to a real supermarket in the damp, bracing cold of
the night, for some salad, cheese, and biscuits (crackers)
for a light dinner. My stomach was pretty well clogged by
breakfast, I must admit. And afterward, I asked them to turn
on the telly, which they usually don't except for news. I
wanted to see Eastenders. And once it was over, I headed for
bed.
The
next day
this
travelogue is part of the subside travelzine
about bookshelf
links contact
submit
|
|