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[fabrisse]

I miss London.

Two years ago an acquaintance of mine (now a friend) asked me to accompany her on a trip to England. She was nervous about travel and knew that I was familiar with Britain. It was a lovely trip.

But it brought a couple of things home to me. One was that I carry a pretty accurate set of London maps in my head, but occasionally can't find the linking street or theme from one map to another. The other was that, even in a city like Bristol where I'd never been before, I can find my way and find my repose.

It was an odd trip in some ways. Bristol was our main goal, but we spent significant time in London. I stayed an extra few days on my own, too.

The best part was the side trip we took from Bristol. We'd discussed going to Salisbury and from there heading to Stonehenge and maybe Avebury. Instead, we decided on Wells. I still can't remember why; it may have been frequency of buses.

For those who've never been, let me recommend Wells wholeheartedly. The market's been there since 1180-ish making it the oldest continuous market in the country.

The cathedral is like no other. Apparently, Glastonbury Cathedral used many of the same elements as Wells, including the inverted interior arches as support, and on a much larger scale. But Glastonbury Cathedral is now only a few walls and grass. Which reminds me, after climbing Glastonbury Tor (on my birthday, no less) taking off our shoes in the cool thick grass of the cathedral park was an overwhelmingly sensual experience.

Wells Cathedral is still linked to the Bishops palace. There's water everywhere from the wells for which the town is named. There are gardens and ruins, too. The Cathedral itself is covered in statues made of warm local stone. There's a hominess to the feel of the Cathedral close.

We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast that was housed in the former "poor house." The house was from around 1250, and was literally a few yards away from the back entrance to the Cathedral close. It was our base of operations and we went to Bath and Glastonbury by local bus from it.

Comments

[tpau]

so, i will be in london in january. where do you think i shoudl go?

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

The British Library is now housed in a separate building near King's Cross/St. Pancras. It has original copies of Magna Carta with the seals attached. When I was there, the Lindisfarne Gospels were also on display there, but they were part of an exhibit and might be back at the British Museum. Speaking of which that museum is a must and so is the Victoria and Albert. The V&A has furniture and costuming dating back to Henry VIII.

Depending on how long you're staying and what you're specifically interested in, I have lots of other suggestions. I'm pretty sure that The Globe Theater is closed in January, but you should be able to catch somebody doing Shakespeare.

My biggest recommendation is, if you have the time, take one of the boats near Westminster dock to Hampton Court. It's different arriving by river. If that's either too far out of your way or too much time to take, go to the Tower of London by river. It's cheaper and takes less time. The Tower has an armory that goes well back, too. Remember the White Tower was built by William the Conqueror; the whole tower complex gives you a view of British History.

If you need hotel suggestions, let me know.

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

It's nice to share some of your memories. :-) I've never been to London. It sounds lovely.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I lived there for four years and visited often when I lived elsewhere in Europe. I miss it.

If you ever decide to go, let me know. I can plan walking tours, bus tours, water routes. I love it.

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

That's not likely any time soon, but you never know. :-)