London swings like a pendulum do (updated)

Sunday, 13 May. I've added some links and made a couple of corrections.
Monday, 15 May. Toned down the "updated" reference in the title because it appeared to be screaming.

Hey, I'm here! I'm more or less de-jetlagged and have been fairly busy, as you will learn. Here is the bare bones outline and a photo to hold you. I'll post more as time allows. I'm posting this bit this morning because I'm trying to pace myself today, for a change.

So -- I got here on Tuesday the 8th, via British Airways. That later flight from Seattle was a good idea. Gets in at 2:30 pm, so you don't have to wait to check in to a hotel. I'm staying at the Mayflower Hotel in Earl's Court, which is a straight shot in from Heathrow on the Picadilly Line. London hotel rooms are notoriously small, so I was expecting a cute shoebox and that's pretty much what I got. My first room was noisy, but I'm now settled in a much quieter and slightly cuter one. The marble bathroom and the generous continental breakfast are really nice and the coffee is excellent. This is a great location, too, right around the corner from the Underground, with everything you could want (small groceries, restaurants, news agents, pharmacies, dry cleaners, pubs) just steps away in Earl's Court Road or in Brompton Road.

Certain people would be GREEN to know how close the nearest Wagamama is. I ate there the night I arrived. Starbuck's is next door to that, but since I can go there at home and the hotel has such good coffee, I probably won't visit.

I've been walking, walking, walking. My first jaunt was local, through Brompton Cemetery. It's overgrown and peaceful, full of birds and little animals (see left). A photographer's dream, especially if you have a bit of a morbid bent as I sometimes do.

Then I headed off to the first of what I think will be turn out to be several guided walking tours offered by Original London Walks. That one was through the Old Jewish Quarter, including Bevis Marks Synagogue which was established in 1701. After that, I headed to Fleet Street and Dr. Johnson's House where I also found a temporary exhibit called Behind the Scenes: The Hidden Life of Georgian Theatre 1737-1784. Right up my alley, really.

Since this is my umpteenth visit to London, I'm trying to see things that are a bit off the beaten track, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. I tried to visit Prince Henry's Room, farther along Fleet Street, but it's closed, apparently for some indeterminate amount of time and unexplained reasons. Maybe it's just as well, since it gave me time to put my feet up before heading out to see the political comedy Whipping It Up! at the New Ambassadors in the West End. It was faced paced and funny -- and I "got" most of it -- but I confess to being a bit sleepy nevertheless. Wonder why....

OK, here's the outline of the next bit. More to come, so check back. I did two walks on Thursday, Historic Greenwich (including a Thames boat trip) and the Undiscovered London Pub Walk. Also spent the entire afternoon in Greenwich, taking in another out of the way museum, the Fan Museum -- lovely. My knees were ready to buckle by the time I got back "home" and it's been rainy, but I loved every minute of it.

Today, I'm off to Borough Market, the Tate Modern and then seeing the revival of John Osborne's The Entertainer with Robert Lindsay at the Old Vic, all of which are in fairly close proximity on the South Bank. Saturday? No idea yet. I'll let you know!