Travels in the UK
June 26, 2022
Our bags are packed. We're ready to go . . . . and we're not leaving for another 10 hours. Better to be prepared. We are traveling first to London for a little less than a week, then to the Isle of Mull, via Scotland. Mull is close to the Isle of Iona, where St. Columba brought Christianity to Scotland. We'll travel from there to the Highlands region, staying in two different locations, communing with ancient stones as well as visiting the Findhorn Foundation, a center for "transformative learning." After bopping around that region for about a week, we'll head to Ullapool, where we will take the ferry to the Isle of Lewis, home of the Calanais Standing Stones. We've got a week there in a "pod," a very basic lodging basically in the middle of nowhere. When we leave that quiet spot, we'll have a challenging day, attempting to travel down to Edinburgh in one day. Can't miss the ferry! We'll have two nights in the capital before taking the train down to London. A couple of nights there - and then home. Unless, we end up in the 17th century or so!
June 27
Arrival in London & eventual arrival in Brixton, where Robert has established himself in our Airbnb apartment. He left the USA on Thursday - so he's had time to explore the neighborhood - a bit. When we arrived, we went out nearly immediately to head to the Brixton Market, a bustling and noisy place, a crazy mix. Ethnicities: African, Indian, West Indian, English. Smells: Burning cannabis, fish mongers, incense, roasted meat. Sounds: Pounding beats, clank of vendors packing up their stalls, the chatter in dozens of languages.
June 28
Headed into The City, strolling around the Tate Modern first for a few hours, then heading over the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral to explore that area. Unfortunately, the admission price for the cathedral was a bit more than we wanted to pay, so we visited the gardens, and meandered around the neighborhood a bit before heading back over the river.
June 29
8:15 p.m. GMT
I write GMT, but I'm still feeling EST. Margaret is napping at the moment, after a poor night of sleep - and much more exploring today. Today we met Albert, a second cousin of Robert, who was assisting in Robert's quest to find the best Fish & Chips shop. Of course, this is a subjective decision, but Albert assured us that we have now eaten in the best fish & chips shop in England.
And it was very good.
Albert calls the chef of the shop "Chef," appropriately. Chef told us his actual name is Turkish - and it means persistent. And Chef said the name suits him. He sticks with his tasks, trying to do the best he can. And what he really likes to do is cook. And he does cook well!
The shop offers large choice of fish - cod, haddock, lemon sole or salmon. Our selections - sole, cod and haddock were very large pieces with light batter and perfectly done chips. On the table were two types of vinegar - the normal strong stuff & a lighter variety with a slight onion flavor. Of course, there was also freshly made tartar sauce - and lemon served with the fish.
Late lunch essentially served to feed us for the entire day!
Comments
Post a Comment