London: The Art of Getting Lost

So, London is an easy place to get lost in. Really easy. You see, the city was never really planed- not since the Roman times anyway. So, there are no square blocks. It could be a hundred feet to the next street or one hundred yards. Also, the streets have this funny habit of changing names as they go- for NO REASON. Case in point-
Kensington gardens would be much easier to get to if Kensington Road (its street placement) was not also Kensington High Street or Kensington Gore.
Needless to say, I've spent a good deal of my time getting lost in London this past week or so. I've also done my best to LOSE London as it is a city and I am not a city girl. Nature is far more appealing and restorative to me than th hustle and bustle of the tube at peak times or city skylines.
I ended up making it to Oxford the Saturday before last. It is a lovely place but a city nonetheless. My uncle told me I could not call the first five minutes of town we saw "Oxford" as it really was not that pleasant. But, once we got closer to Christ Church College it became much clearer why he loves the area. Oxford University is broken up into many colleges, spaced around the city. Some, maybe even most are in really old buildings. The area we toured had a good deal of gothic architecture which was brilliant. I love the carved detail and the ornate spiers.
We tried to have lunch at the famous "Eagle and Child" but, unfortunately it was a Saturday and everyone in London seemed to have the same idea. So, no pint next to Tolkien's favorite spot. But, we did get sandwiches and ate them in the park where a group of guys were playing rugby. It was kind of chilly, but quiet which I appreciated. Pubs are great but they're crowded and noisy in general and I'm a person who revels in open, solitary spaces. We also got banana-nutella crepes in the park which were probably one of the most fabulous things I've ever tasted. In. My. Life.
After Oxford came Sunday- church. Needless to say I was a bit anxious about this church of my uncles.
"It and evangelical-charismatic-anglican sort," he told me.
Well, for someone trained to know what all this means there might not have been a n issue. But I have no idea what "charismatic" means. Evangelical is a term that can be applied to a whole lot of different denominations and anglican, to me, just means Catholic without a pope. Of course I had no need to be worried. In actuality, the church was very similar to where I when in Spokane. It's a bit different from my dad's style but not in huge ways. I mean, the guy who sat in front of me was wearing pink corderoy trousers and his wife did have on a rather shaggy fur coat but, they're British! They also had bacon sandwiches and biscuits which was great too. All-in -all, I found it really encouraging to see that Jesus doesn't have cultural boundaries, biscuits or not.
Monday I had the day to myself. I went to the British museum. Well, I should say I got lost twice on my way to the British museum and then I went. As I said earlier, London is tricky. And I have no sense of direction. None. Whatsoever. But I loved the museum. I saw the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin marbles, great Greek statues and some other wonderful things. I aslo went to the National Portrait Gallery. That was my haven. It was awesome! Instead of pieces of abstract or landscape art, it's just portraits of kings, queens, writers, and famous people. It was my element. I got to stand next to a life sized portrait of Henry VIII. He's taller than me, FYI.
The next day Uncle Tom and I went to Kew Gardens. It was wet and rainy but there wee no crowds which was exactly what I needed. Although it has some lovely green houses, Kew Gardens also has a bit of untended park which means I can get my tree fix quite easily. I spent a good 70 minutes by myself which was essential to my sanity.
Wednesday I went to the British Library to write a few postcards and see the magna Carta. Which I did. Its huge and old and terrific. I love old things. I also saw the Gutenberg Bible, Jane Austen's Manuscript of Persuasion, Charlotte Bronte's manuscript of Jane Eyre, a very old copy of Beowulf, and some older copies of Shakespeare's plays. Pretty terrific stuff for a public library.
Thursday I took the day off to play Mario Cart with my cousin Janae. I literally did nothing but that all day. It was great.
Friday I went to Portobello Market. That place is the best. No joke. You can literally by anything there. Cleaning products, army surplus, records, jewelry, antiques, vintage clothing, books, hair dryers, food, bags, rugs... even police call boxes if you have the quid :D I bought a sweater (jumper), a green scarf and a bague rain coat. I could've spent all of my money there. Silver tea pots! Fist press copies of bleak house! GAGH! But I resisted temptation. I also tried to walk to Kensington Park. I say tried because I got lost again and ended up somewhere near SOHO. I got back to Kensington by tube and did a walk before going home.
Saturday I attempted the Natural History Museum. That was a mistake. Apparently, on cloudy, likely to rain Saturdays all London Mums and Dads decide to go to the Museum too. So, there were lines everywhere. It was packed. I got a pretty good look at the mechanical t-rex (he didn't eat me, in case you were worried) but I got fed up with the crowds and rboke fro Kensington park. This time I found it quickly, ate my lunch on a bench (I had packed one) and decided to spend the 10 quid for axes to Kensington Palace. This turned out to be a smart move as no one was there so I spent the rest of my day relatively crowd free. Kensington Palace in itself is alright. It's the sort of place my Granny might enjoy as they have a lot of exhibits on Princess Dianan's fashions and mid-century debutantes. There was a bit of history and a few reenacters- Sir James Holbrook and Mrs. Garrison. It was really cool to be in the older, late-seventeenth century bits because they were no most ornate. As there were very few people there besides myself I got to explore in piece. I have to say, my overactive imagination was crafting up all sorts of stories to go along with my setting and I had more than one Beauty and the Beast flashback. I discovered that, if there aren't tourists around, even the most touristy palaces and castles can be pretty cool.
Sunday I came to the Butlers home. Dave, Mary and their four kids plus Granny for a bit. They are a lovely family. The kids are all polite and active, if a bit boisterous at times and Granny is probably the easiest person to talk to on earth. She's Irish too which makes it extra fun. I love how Dave and Mary are so attentive to their kids. They don't spoil them, but they keep track of what their kids eat, their time on tv and help them with their homework. They even read a story to their youngest, Asiling (Ash-leeng) before bed.
I've had my first day of Orientation and have one more tomorrow. wednesday I start classes. I'm tired. I'm going to bed.