London and Oxford

On Friday, July 6, we arrived in London and made our way through heavy traffic on part of the Northern Circular, finally getting to the home of Wendy Sykes and Don Fisher and their children around 7:00.  Wendy had prepared a delicious dinner of gnocchi, salad and sausage, and we enjoyed this feast along with lively conversation.  Katya was happy to watch the telly in the sitting room with Don while Matthew bonded immediately with their youngest son Wil over gaming.

On Saturday morning, under dreary skies, we set out for downtown London, having decided that museums would probably be the best choice because of the forecast for even more rain.  We took the underground to King's Cross Station and decided to surface instead of changing to the line for South Kensington to see if there were any signs of the sun.  While the sun was not visible in the gray sky, at least it was not raining, so we decided to walk around for a while.

Across from King's Cross Station is the triangular-shaped building which used to house the Bravington jewelry store through the first part of the 20th century.  Peter told us some of his maternal ancestors' history in this area of London.  Unfortunately, the building is presently being renovated and is covered in scaffolding.

Peter, Matthew, Katya and Sherri in Russell Square with some sunshine!

We were walking toward Covent Gardens and the market there.  Near Russell Square, we passed a man distributing flyers for a bus tour.  Peter pointed this out and I took a brochure, not because we wanted to ride the bus but because Peter had noticed that it had a large map of the major tourist destinations in London.  I was delighted with this as I was getting frustrated with flipping pages in the London A to Z guide, a very detailed book of all the small lanes and streets which seem to change name at every intersection, essential for finding particular addresses in obscure places but not the most useful manual for an overview of the city.  At about the same time, sunshine started peeking through the dark ceiling of clouds, so I was more cheerful.

Street with shops and restaurants approaching Carnaby Street

After getting properly oriented, we decided to walk to the Holborn Underground station and ride to Oxford Circus to have lunch and do a bit of shopping along Regent, Oxford and Carnaby Streets.  Emerging at the corner of Regent and Oxford Streets, we were greeted by drums and cheering and a mass of people.  We soon found out that the Gay Pride Parade was passing by on its way to Piccadelly Circus.  Taking a side street off Regent to escape the crowds, we were window shopping and people watching when the skies suddenly darkened and umbrellas popped up as the rain began (again!!!).  We had just stopped to look at the menu of a restaurant on the corner of Carnaby, so we made a quick decision to eat there.  It was crowded but the food was good and the rain had ceased by the time we finished.  We walked to Piccadilly Circus and went in Waterstone's, a large bookstore nearby, because Katya wanted to purchase a diary.

Interior courtyard at the Victoria and Albert Museum

With this mission accomplished and the weather uncertain, we opted for museums for the rest of the afternoon.  We took the Underground to South Kensington Station and then split up.  Katya went in the Natural History Museum; Peter and Matthew chose Science, and I entered the Victoria and Albert Museum. Our plan was to get together again at the Underground Station entrance next to the Science Museum.

I hadn't spent an appreciable time at the Victoria and Albert for a few decades, so most of it seemed brand new to me.  The collection of gold and silver service is amazing in terms of the number of pieces on display as well as the size and ornamentation and history of many of the items.  The darkness of the tapestry room did not obscure the rich tones and fine detail of the huge wall hangings from the 15th and 16th centuries.  The rooms with cases of jewelry from as far back as the Etruscan period through the most recent designs in gemstones and precious metals are truly dazzling.  Old manuscripts in another section include a first folio of Shakespeare's work.  The temporary exhibits I viewed were also exciting, particularly one entitled "Britain Creates 2012: Fashion + Art Collusion," with large works, each created by two artists, with themes related to the London Olympics.  Some were multimedia pieces while others incorporated unusual materials.

Britain Creates 2012: Fashion + Art Collusion:  "Arch"

I left the Victoria and Albert, of course, when it was announced that the museum was closing.  I thought it was 5:00 so I decided to cross Exhibition Lane to enter the Natural Science Museum, which was scheduled to close at 5:50.  However, I was stopped at the entrance and told the admission was closed for the day.  Slightly confused, since I thought that the last entry was at 5:30, I headed next door for the Science Museum, where I enjoyed the temporary exhibit on Alan Turing and some of the other exhibits, including one on alchemy and another on materials and their characteristics and uses.  I stopped briefly at the Listening Post installation, which incorporates online communication, displaying uncensored fragments of text, sampled in real-time, from public internet chatrooms and bulletin boards.  It is a visual and audio sensory overload experience!

When the announcement for the closing of the Science Museum was made, I left to meet the rest of the family outside at 6:00.  I found Katya, who said that Peter and Matthew had gone to look for me.  I couldn't understand why, since I was on time--or so I thought.  However, my watch had stopped, the Science Museum had closed a half-hour later than I thought it would, and it was actually 6:30.  Actually, the lifespan of my watch battery was phenomenal, since it had been put in the casing in early June.  Something about my body usually kills batteries off in a couple days at most, so I have come to rely on my cell phone for the time, but I haven't had service since I left the States on June 8!

Katya and Wendy watching the movie

This all made us later than we had anticipated in getting back to East Finchley, but the folks there are pretty laid-back, so it wasn't a problem.   They ordered Thai food for delivery, and we enjoyed it while watching a very good Irish movie called The Guard.

Despite the likelihood of rain, the four adults set out at 11:30 on Sunday morning to take a walk in Hampstead Heath.  The drops began to fall just as the car was put into park.  We waited for the intensity to lessen and then set off up the path.  The part we explored is made of beautifully maintained gardens which are part of the former London estate of Lord Leverhulme (the millionaire William Lever of Lever Brothers cleaning products).  Many flowers were in bloom, and, of course, the greenery has not suffered from the wet weather.

We returned to a feast of roast lamb, roasted potatoes and vegetables before settling in to watch the gentlemen's final at Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon along with the rest of the country.  Of course, the Scottish Andy Murray was favored by everyone in the room except me.  It was an exciting match, however, particularly the first couple sets.

It wasn't until afterwards that Peter remembered that Stella and Peter Wood were expecting us for dinner at their home in Oxford!  Dashing out the door after quick farewells, we got to their home just before 8 p.m.  Luckily, Stella had prepared a cold meal, so we hadn't ruined everything!  We enjoyed the meal and the conversation.  They are doing well and were intimating that they might visit us in California sometime soon.  We've obviously been taking advantage of the hospitality of a lot of people this summer, so it would be great to reciprocate.

We drove to Peter's old college, St. John's, where we had rooms booked in the alumni housing.  They are quite nice and the bed is comfortable.  Watching all the strenuous athletic activity earlier in the day must have worn me out, because I was quickly asleep.

Peter, Matthew and Katya in the gardens of St. John's

We had breakfast in the dining room this morning (Monday, July 9) and then visited the alumni and the admissions offices.  An admissions officer spent quite a bit of time talking with us about the criteria and process.  Katya is not interested in Oxford, but it is one of Matthew's top choices.  After a wander around St. John's, including visits to the centuries old library and the lovely chapel, we had lunch at a place Peter used to frequent when he was working in the engineering department, before going to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museums a few blocks away.  As soon as I entered, I wondered why we had not visited before.  The Natural History, with its array of specimens and fossils and minerals and other items, gives a very good overview of biology, geology, paleontology and other subjects.  The exhibits are arranged in rows of cases interspersed with a few large dinosaur replicas.

The Pitt Rivers Museum is entered through the Natural History Museum of Oxford.  As soon as you walk in, you realize that you are in some place different and special.  The entire museum has dim lighting and is filled with old-fashioned glass display cases.  Suspending from the ceiling three stories above is an old sailing vessel.  A large totem pole looms in the back.  It's like stepping back in time to the late 19th century.  There is no path to follow to see the exhibits and they are not arranged in chronological or geographic order; rather, they are grouped by their use or how they were made.  Baskets, for example, comprise one exhibit and the examples come from all parts of the world and various periods in history and are made of a wide variety of materials.

The museum began with the donation of approximately 18,000 objects to the University of Oxford in 1884 by Lt. Gen. Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers.  He stipulated that a building be constructed to keep and display them by their function or "type."  The museum now has about 1/2 million objects, and they are displayed as he requested, even though this method is not preferred by curators of archeological or ethnological collections today.

The lowest level is an open court, and the next two levels are galleries which look out over it.  Matthew was particularly fascinated by the upper gallery, which displays shields, spears, swords, daggers, firearms, archery equipment, armor, axes, blowpipes, clubs, boomerangs, knives, harpoons, animal traps and other weapons.  I was surprised to learn that he had a great familiarity with many of the specialized forms of weapons, an expertise which he has gained through web searches spurred by his interest in Dungeons and Dragons and other games.  (Yikes!)

The lower gallery houses more benign and domestic displays of such things as containers, medicines, toys and games, jewellery and body art, feather-work, bead work, tools, and items made from recycled materials.  In the open court, there are baskets; items made from ivory, bone and horn; masks, ritualistic items and items used for magic; pottery, textiles and clothing; smoking paraphernalia; writing tools; and navigational instruments as well as other displays. 

Tim, Matthew, Peter, Sherri, Rosemary, Helen, Katya, Desmond and Mike

We have just returned to our rooms now after a wonderful dinner party at Brown's Pub across the street with Tim, Rosemary, Desmond and Helen Bravington as well as Mike McNulty, son of Ali Sykes McNulty, one of Wendy Sykes' sisters.  (Their mother, Barbi Sykes, is a first cousin of Anne--Peter's mother--and her brother Tim Bravington, for those of you not familiar with all the family connections.)  It was great to see everyone and have a chance to chat.