Potpourri from London

Back in lovely La Rochelle after nearly three weeks. It really did feel like coming home and now we are looking forward to a bit of quiet life for a month. Yes, we only have a month left here and are beginning to turn our thoughts towards coming home to our real home. It is an interesting process--more about that in a later post.
What a great city London is! As we did when Paris caught our enthusiasm this winter, we began looking at estate agents' windows to see whether it might be possible to spend several months here and enjoy the delights at a slower pace. The answer: it's possible but only if we live in a shoebox or have some great, good luck. In spite of England's terrible financial state, London is still very expensive and we wonder as we have for years, how those who live here manage to still fill the pubs, cafes and stores. So, in terms of what next for us? London could be on the list!
It is not as heart-warming to be a Canadian in London as it is in La Rochelle. Here no one cares where we are from since almost everyone is from somewhere else. A couple of times someone has asked us, "Americans?" and when we reply that we are from Canada, there is no great smile or calling us "cousins"--just an "'oh". However, we found some connections with Canada which were fun and interesting. Sam Wanamaker, the builder of the Globe Theatre was married to a Canadian. Charlotte Holland was an actress and radio soap star, the mother of their three daughters. One of them, Zoe Wanamaker is an accomplished actress and is starring in thecurrent  hit of the serious plays in the West End, Arthur Miller's All My Sons.

We had a relaxing and fun trip on the Thames to Greenwich, once the home of General Wolfe of the Plains of Abraham. We caught the boat at Westminster. Sitting on top, we enjoyed the view of all the monuments.

After passing under Tower Bridge, we began to see more housing. There are new buildings interspersed with old warehouses converted into apartments. And of course, the river is full of ancient pubs from the days when the Thames was a major trading route. 

We spent an interesting day in Greenwich. The old palace on the water was the birthplace of Henry VIII and his children, the Queens Mary and Elizabeth. It was replaced in the 17th century by some wonderful classical buildings that now house the University of Greenwich,  Maritime Museum and high on the hill above the Thames, the Greenwich Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time. And a statue of General James Wolfe of the Plains of Abraham, another Canadian connection. He looks out over the town where he grew up, the river and in the distance, another Canadian site, Canary Wharf, built by the Bronfman brothers. 

Once back down the hill, we decided to search for his grave at the church of St. Alfege. The church itself was covered in scaffolding and we could hear people talking together from high up as we wandered around the churchyard looking for the grave. As they clambered down, one of them said: "We have just climbed up and down 19 ladders!" When I asked why he explained that he was from the British Historic Trust. "So,: I said, "you must know where Wolfe's grave is." Asking if we were Canadians, he called over the vicar and instructed him to take us into the church so we could see the 'Wolfe corner'. In addition to the plaque on the floor, there is The Death of Wolfe, a painting completed in 1762 by Edward Peary; a wall tablet and a stained glass window. As well, a local primary school is named after him. We remarked to the vicar, Chris Moody, how impressed we were by how well cared for English churches seem to be, compared to some we have seen in France. This, in spite of the curious fact that in France, so passionate about the separation of church and state, the majority of the churches are supported by money from the government. He agreed with us, sighed about the £400,000 the parish has to raise to repair the steeple but also remarked that perhaps because the English are more invested in their church building, they look after it.

Another water adventure took us to Little Venice for the beginning of a ride down the Regent's Canal. Opened in 1816, it was part of a development project for the area north of central London that included Regent's Park and many of the classic Georgian row houses that still exist today and house the rich and influential. The canal's usefulness, like many we have seen, declined with the advent of the railway and it is now used primarily as a pleasure boat route. Lots of boats are docked like these ones along the edge of the canal. Some are restaurants and bars, others appear to be lived in full-time by their owners.

The ride down the canal from Little Venice to the Camden Lock took about an hour. We  marvelled at the mansions along the edge of the canal, the apartments in old warehouses and the quiet green of the park in the middle of this bustling city.

We reached the Camden Market just in time for a late lunch. Food from all over the world was available.

We chose to have Arepas, street food from Colombia before wandering back by bus to our wonderful flat.

It was a great week together however we decided that being a tourist is hard work. When we return to London at the end of July, we will attempt a more relaxed pace!