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| Fog Woman at YVR |
There’s something about a journey beginning at YVR that puts me in a place to open up to what’s around me. Inevitably, there are the no-fun areas – TSA always has too many people standing around in lines. I got put in a line for a new piece of technology that allowed them to scan the bags without our having to extract all the electronics first – and then of course it quit, about four people before me, and we all had to go join another regular line. But once through the gate we back to the lovely light spaces, and the indigenous art like the Raven and FogWoman, the glass waterfall and the Atrium.
I had a very nice conversation with an elderly lady from Maple Ridge, off to visit her family – my mom would have been proud of me: she always had the ability to get the entire life story of her travelling companion on a long journey. I also bumped into one-time RAPS volunteer Rese Tee (she now has cat allergies and is dog-focused instead), heading for a wedding. The journey itself was OK – a few bumps – but the food was not wonderful and melatonin didn’t work for me at all. Oh, for the joys of stretching out as I did on KLM two years ago.... But I just couldn’t justify the expense!
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| Raven |
I flew into Gatwick – not my favourite airport, but it had the double advantage of being a cheaper fare, and I found a Thameslink train that took me directly to St Pancras, not far from my hotel. And though I was way before check-in time, they let me in early, so I could put my feet up for a bit. I was SO stiff and uncomfortable, and even the walk over to Russell Square made me question how much I wanted to do for the rest of the day. My mood got a real boost when I popped into a Pret for a sandwich and a coffee, and the barista said “It’s on the house!”.
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| The BM - there were SO many kids! |
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| Lion-headed Sekhmet |
On round Russell Square to the British Museum. This was a BAD idea! - not the museum itself; there’s lots of interesting things to see, but it was absolutely swarming with kids, and between the humidity and the noise level, I decided not to stay long. I enjoyed the Egyptian statues, especially lion-headed Sekhmet, and a very interesting combination display of her, Vishnu and Dionysus that was suppposed to provoke discussion.
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| Tomb entrance |
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| Detail of above |
I knew I would leave something at home – I decided that since much of the French walking will be on cobble stones, I should take a stick – and then I forgot it! So I spent the next hour walking from one Boots-the-chemists to another -finally finding one of those folding ones that can live in my bag after walking all the way from the BM to New Bond Street. I took the Tube along to St Paul’s Cathedral, and found a nice place to treat myself to a good British cuppa before heading indoors for Evensong.
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| Front of St Paul's |
The Cathedral, of course, was also full of tourists, and it takes the vergers a little while to get them to sort themselves out – they’d much rather wander round and talk than sit and listen to music. Luckily, the staff decided to open the chancel, and most of us that went up there beyond the choir were there for musical/spiritual reasons. Gorgeous music – though their introit was sung from under the dome, and there was so much reverb it was hard to make it out (Wood “Oculi omnium” – Watson in E – Finzi “Welcome sweet and sacred”, and a really over-the-top Bairstow postlude). Wonderful as it was, I have to confess I nearly fell asleep a couple of times!
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| Evensong is over! |
Service over, and I headed back to my micro-room – early bed, sleep mask and more melatonin. Let’s see what time I wake....
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