Our assignment, should we choose to accept it: Walk across the bridge with the commuters, observe their behavior, go to several specific places mentioned in the poem (two churches and a pub), and write up a report.
Done.
Walking across London Bridge was fun for two reasons. First, I've played "London Bridge" ever since I can remember, so walking across it was really neat. Second, I got to look at all the nice business suits that everyone was wearing. Very nice. Yes, I know, I'm weird.
We got a little turned around once we'd crossed London Bridge, but quickly found our way. Between the churches, we went on a detour to find where Eliot had once worked, Miriam made an important discovery.
Macarons.
Macarons are these little glorified Oreo cookie type things. Actually, they're nothing like Oreos, except that they're also a sandwich cookie, and they're about the same size. The sandwich parts are soft with a crackly outside, and the filling in between is sweet and creamy.
I bought two: rose petal and lily of the valley.
They tasted like perfume smells. It was very interesting. They were very good.
After that, we tried to find our way to the next place on our list. There was some construction, so we got turned around and sent down a strange little waterfront stairway and ended up beneath London Bridge! That was fun.
You can see "London Bridge" inscribed on the bridge support if you look carefully.
The second church we went by was St. Magnus the Martyr. Interestingly enough, he was a viking who joined the Catholic church and was killed by his cousin in ensuing political feuds. The large wooden statue of him had horns on the hat. It was a very interesting old church.
One thing I particularly liked. On the outside of the building, next to the front doors was a piece of wood from a Roman wharf circa 75 BC. 75 BC! Just sitting there! Incredible. It's incredible.
A few feet away, they had stones from the medieval London Bridge. Just sitting there in a pile. This place is so strange.
After the church, we walked on a little further and ended up at the Tower of London again. We browsed the gift shop and then went to touch the Roman wall.
It's so odd to me how they have pieces of history just laying around in the open like this! Then we hopped on the train and took it to our next destination - a pub Eliot liked, and is thought to have been referred to in his poem. We got off a stop early so we could stop by 221B Baker Street, which is where Sherlock Holmes was supposed to have lived.
221 Baker Street actually appeared to be an empty set of rooms, but down the street somewhere in the 230's was a Sherlock Holmes museum and gift shop, claiming they were actually 221B, despite the fact that they were clearly too far down the street. You had to pay to go in the museum, and I'm not actually enough of a fan to want to do that, but the gift shop was kind of fun to browse.
After Baker Street, we went pub hunting. I had picked up a local map at the station, so we carefully figured out where we were going and set out.
And radically overshot.
So we figured out our route again, and set out again. And then we overshot again.
We actually ended up on a street that was some kind of little middle east. All the signs were in Arabic and English, and everyone who passed me was speaking a language I didn't understand. Almost all the women were wearing headscarves or long robes, and some of the men had turbans. I would have loved to stay and explore a little - maybe find out where they were from, but we were still lost - and then we looked at my map and realized we'd overshot yet again.
At long last, we got on the right cross street. Lo and behold, a handful of yards in, and the Arabic signs were gone. It was as if they were settled just down one street, and hadn't spread yet.
You can see the black leather back of my chair in the foreground.
The soup was really good - a light orange color, so it probably had carrots in it. I know there was onion but other than that I couldn't tell.
The cheese platter came with an array of crackers (called biscuits on the menu), chutney, and two kinds of cheese: brie and cheddar.
The cheddar cheese was actually white, not yellow at all. Which begs the question: just how yellow is cheddar cheese? Is it dyed? I don't know, but it was good. The brie came in a triangle with a wax skin around it, as if it had been cut as a wedge out of a wheel. It probably was.
Everything was excellent. I've never had chutney before. This one smelled like a mix between sweet pickles and sloppy joe mix, but it was more sweet than savory to the taste. It was really good with cheese and a cracker, and we carefully cleaned our plates, eating everything but the wax.
Actually, I imagine we both probably ate our share of wax by accident.
After our meal, we asked the waiter for directions to the train station. We were so turned around, but he knew where we needed to go, and gave very clear instructions. Relieved at the instructions, which would cut nearly an hour off of our transportation time, we set off.
This is the point where the day got off.
Miriam tripped over a rounded curb, caught herself, and was halfway through warning me when my ankle rolled on the same curb.
I heard a pop.
That's when I realized I had just joined the ranks of the silly people who get hurt on vacations.
Miriam helped me the rest of the way to the train station, though I was limping pretty badly long before we got there. I think I went into a little bit of shock, but both of us knew we didn't have time for that. I was very relieved to finally get to the station. Miriam wanted to call a taxi, but I refused - if I'm going to spend that much money, I want to spend it on something fun. Fortunately, we had plenty of time, and were able to go as slow as necessary.
Getting on the train, we looked at my foot. Already the swelling was visible through my sock. It's not my ankle that's hurt - it's between the little toe and heel on the outside of my left foot.
Miriam was stellar through all of this, letting me lean on her and taking it slow for me. It had to be annoying for her, but I appreciate her patience and support. She's the best sister ever!
Well, we finally made it back, and talked to the professors, and they looked at my foot and told me who to call. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. I don't think it's broken. I thought it was at first, but it feels better with ice and elevation. Still aches bone-deep though, every time I try to move it.
So pray for me, folks! We're hiking in Cornwall next week along the coast, and I'd really hate to have to crawl the distance.
Sorry so few pictures at the end there. I wasn't exactly thinking about snapping good shots - I was trying to stay upright and pick each foot off the ground and pick it up again.
Until tomorrow!
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