The month of May started with a visit from our friends Tom and Liz Comstock. Through the magic of Facebook, especially given our almost total lack of accessing it, we were able to connect with Tom and Liz who were on their way from Los Angeles to a Croatian cruise. And, while it had been about 11 years since we had last seen them, we were able to pick right back up where we left off.
The following week we were able to spend some time with Eric Engel. Eric is Andy’s brother’s wife’s brother – Andy has known him for a very long time. Another resident of Los Angeles, Eric included a few days in London tagged onto his larger trip to Ireland. Because Andy was at work, and because he did not care; Eric and I spent a great afternoon at the Churchill War Rooms. https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms If you like history, this is a can’t miss location. In addition to seeing the actual rooms used during the war, a complete museum of Churchill is located tangentially to the actual bunkers. It should be noted that folks who go through museums at different speeds may want to identify meeting points or times; Eric and I did not do this – and completely lost track of each other. There is no cell service once you are underground.
Jointly, we made a Saturday day of visiting Greenwich. To start, we met at Westminster Pier and took the Clipper to Greenwich, https://www.thamesclippers.com/route-time-table/find-your-pier Clippers are faster than ferries but do not include lectures or sight information like the sightseeing boats do. They do have restrooms, and, of course, a bar on board. You get a great view of the city from the river and get to your destination too. We began our tour of Greenwich at the Cutty Sark. https://www.rmg.co.uk/cutty-sark Our timing was perfect as we were able to join the 12 o’clock ship captain’s tour. The Cutty Sark was the fastest tea cargo ship of its time. It is beautifully maintained and hovers over the café and event space below. Later we joined in a tour of the Old Royal Naval College, https://www.ornc.org/#YIqOoprrWq4Q21RQ.97 and in particular a tour of the newly refurbished “Painted Hall”. https://www.ornc.org/history-of-the-painted-hall#JqIcMYW1Rf70SPww.97 Pretty soon we were running out of time and had to literally run up the hill to the Royal Observatory, https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory home to the Prime Meridian. I’ll admit, this was a lot of science and math for me; but so interesting to learn how commerce demanded continually improved navigation systems which could only be created by the study of time, time keeping devices, and distance. I have learned this is a core difference with the Vikings; they couldn’t do the math. They did go to North America, but most likely they couldn’t find it again.
Sunday, we went to the British Library. This is the UK’s public library which houses a “collection of over 170 million items [which] includes artefacts from every age of written civilization.” We were especially interested in the “Making our Mark” exhibit on the evolution of writing. https://www.bl.uk/events/writing-making-your-mark It was interesting, but not quite as much as we had all hoped. The ongoing exhibit of rare books is worth a look as it includes original works such as the Magna Carta, Shakespeare, the Beatles, etc. https://www.bl.uk/events/treasures-of-the-british-library For Sunday afternoon, we used TKTS to see The Play That Goes Wrong. It’s true, Andy and I have both seen it before; but it is so funny and so well done and well, Eric hadn’t seen it before. It was still good and a great way to spend the afternoon. Then it was time to say goodbye to Eric. Wishing him what we now know was a safe trip home and on to his next adventure with his son Alex.
We had planned adventures coming up with our son too.
To be continued in Friends and Family month, Part 2