What followed was a totally incredible day in London. We rose and made ourselves some breakfast and, still bleary-eyed, launched out the door and into the cold clear streets of London. We sped by bus and train to the vast and incomparable British Museum, which we explored for hours the apparently endless catacombs of history. The wonders were endless, with incredible Egyptian Halls and some of the most ancient artifact of art and culture ever collected. THe collection is in a league of its own, and is vast and beautifully presented. I had just read a book by the curator of the museum that delved into the history of various objects, and I was particularly drawn to these, including a 2 million year old carving tool, the first known piece of human art (a carving from mammoth tusk), the Sutton Hoo Helmet (a sort of beowulf style relic that altered the perception of dark age history), the first chronometer, an aboriginal sheild with a bullet hole in it from the pistol of Captain Cook, and well, I could go on infinitely but I think at this point it can be understood thjat we both found the British Museum to be one of the most impressive, and overawing, huge exhibitions in the world. We left, stunned, heads spinning, after hours of exploration.
Lunch was a bizarre experience whcih I want to mention. We were drawn in by an enticing "vegan buffet" but when we arrived we found vast heaps of chicken, beef, duck, and various other decidedly non-vegan dishes mixed with a beautiful array of vegetabls and noodles. BUt after loading up our plates and digging in, we discovered that in fact it was all tofu, delicious but incredibly formed into the exact texture of each meat. It was uncanny. But the meal was delicious, and we were back on the road.
After a quick pitstop for a mouthwatering example of perfection in cookie-creation from Ben´s Cookies (a Covent Gardens institution), we arrived at the Wallace Collection, a tiny but brilliant museum housing an unbelievably beautiful and impressive collection of medieval armor and weaponry in an old London Mansion of red velvet and glimmering gilt framing. The armour was fantastic, including examples of total artistry and total brutality. Obviously a wonderland for Percy and Casey.
From there we sped north, to Camden Town, a part of London that was, to both of us, completely unknown. The neighborhood was lively and buzzing, with gritty but glittering tattoo parlors and piercing studios and bright lights and young people. There was also an incredible market at the heart, a wild labrynth of narrow alleys packed with clothes, music, records (I have to drag Casey away), and various treasures. We explored the market endlessly and finally settled in utter exhaustion on a terrace overlooking the hustle and bustle, enjoying a drink as evening closed in and darkness settled with finality over London. Then it was back to Hammersmith, and the Hollingtons. Another wonderful meal in good company, and we found ourselves on the brink of utter exhaustion, crushed by the excitment of the city.
As we sunk again into sweet sleep we knew that the day had been one of the best so far, the wonder of reunion combined with the brilliant excitments and unexpected twists of such a city.