Today- I have been out twice, the first time we walked and bought some more water then wandered around a few pubs checking prices. We found that the Imperial College Union had the cheapest drinks and we’ll have to see what the food prices are like as well. We then came back and crashed for a wee bit. Nothing quite satisfies like a siesta. After we woke up we headed out again just to wander. After about an hour we came back to nap and having just woken up are preparing again to head out for a night of fun and debauchery.
Today, or wait, I suppose last night. Well, last night after my last entry we went pub hopping but were out too late (pubs close at eleven) and instead wandered Kensington and south Kensington looking for a bar, after a few hours of wandering and no luck we retired for the night and came home. Dropped into bed to try and get some sleep before today hit.
Sunday- Wow. Today was unbelievable. I started out by waking up at seven and getting ready. I have yet to get used to how saturated things get by the dew created by a hot shower in this climate… everything wet and sticky for like 4-5 hours till it all dries out. NUTS. After the shower I got dressed quietly (roomie was still sleeping) and headed off to explore and meet with an absolutely wonderful woman named Susan (Su) Baker-bates.
After sending her an Email and having a wonderful introduction, Thanks Carla! She invited me to a symposium with dance instructor Robert Tully about dance, the arts and core values. I made my way to Gloucester station and hopped on the circle line, because of construction delays on Sundays I rode it to Notting Hill and caught the central line over to bond station. On the way to Notting Hill I was teased when the tube peaked above ground for a few moments, it was gorgeous green, and I was on a train in London, such a rush! I got off at bond and made my way up to the surface. I found my way to the symposium and was told that poor Su had made a slight mistake and that the meeting wasn’t until 10:30. I was there by 9 (I came an hour early so I could explore) It turned out that she was already there and waiting for me. I introduced myself and we set of for a nice walk around the west end. We went through two parks, a wonderful and diverse farmers market which was just setting up and then wandered through the house of a baron, the house was unbelievably stunning and beautiful. Full of art, enameled Italian plates ranging from 1300’s to the late 1800’s, there were sculptures, inlaid desks and benches… simply awe inspiring. The amount of wealth and composition of one mans collection shocked me.
We then returned to the symposium and had a lecture by Robert Tully. In the audience was a young woman who is the five time British champion of Latin. Her name was Sipra. You tube her and watch their cha cha cha – Very skilled. Mr. Tully gave a wonderful lecture; he was a sweet older gentleman probably in his later eighties or nineties. The lecture consisted of discussions on philosophy, inter-relations, and three core spirits which must work in unison in order for the body to feel fulfilled. The Intellectual, physical and emotional centers. Emotional drives physical which follows patters and instruction which aid in its display, a vocabulary, if you will, offered by the intellectual centre. T
he entire lecture was wonderful, with questions raised by me and happily answered. The two of them will be at Blackpool which I dearly hope to make.
After the symposium we left and went for another walk, then came back to the building (formerly an Art school with intricate French style architecture) and ate a nice lunch, full of lettuce, rice, strawberries, brie cheese, blue cheeses, Greek and green olives, avocado and olive oil. After lunch we left and Su drove me for a personalized tour of London, we stopped in New street and looked at a clock a friend of hers was building, then proceeded around St. Peters and down across the bridge into waterloo. We wandered the waterfront between Westminster bridge and Blackfriars bridge checking out all the shops and stopping just before the globe (smaller than I imagined) I can’t wait to see a play in it. We talked and walked enjoying the riverside and the fresh air for two or three hours, by this time it was around 4ish in the afternoon. Su who is an absolutely wonderful host drove me around and guided me from nine until five thirty, and to top it off she treated me, it was an amazing experience. After another hour or so walking the waterfront we returned and she dropped me off back at my flat.
Back at the flat we decided to read for a bit, then went down to the student union (cheapest drinks in the area) and I tried a Strongbow Cider…. Might bit stronger than I thought it would be. We talked to the bartender and a few British students in the union then headed back to the flat to cook a nice meal. For under £2 we had full bowls of pasta, a lamb meat sauce with garlic and Italian herbs. I cooked the pasta and my roomie cooked the meat sauce, we served six in total and had a nice conversation with three others who joined for their dinner as well. The food was great and the company was lively.
After dinner we retired to our rooms, read the last bit of our work, I decided to write my journal entry for the night. An now I’m off upstairs to write a quick response to our readings for class, then a nice early bedtime and some sleep before today’s fun.
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