London to York

london 

4 days and nights in what must be one of the most liveable cities in the world. We turned up to 22 College Cross street in Islington in the late afternoon.  In the street there is a row of double storied homes and our destination was the only one in the street with a butter yellow door...This was the introduction to my cousin Leom and her husband Bill's quaint, lovely and thoroughly unique house . It was built in the 1860s. The tiny winding staircases the width of one person, the little back courtyard filled with fragrant herbs, creepers and small trees, and the small rooms created to make the maximum use of space make up this wonderful home.  Leom, Bill and My- Ell welcomed us in with wonderful gourmet meals - warm comfortable beds - endless cups of tea, stories, laughter and hospitality.  How can one not love a place where such love resides?

Leom has stamped the home with her own unique version of style, colour and individuality.  A retro gold centred black rimmed lampshade in the master bedroom jostles with an antique sofa and a quaint blue hen inhabits the tiny courtyard garden.  I so appreciated the splashes of exuberant colour through out the home - starting with  Leom's  own tresses of emerald green!

We boarded the sight-seeing bus and tramped the streets of London - seeing such wonders as Westminster Abbey, the Tower bridge, Buckingham palace  and Picadilly Circus.  We spent time in Trafalgar Square and a delightul time in St Martin  in the Field's church-  most particularly in the huge crypt where there is a lovely cafe....On Sunday we joined the faithful at evensong at St. Paul's cathedral....and I realised that while the form of the service, the surroundings and the sheer history may be magnificent, it can never replace the warmth, depth and sheer relevance  of a Canberra Baptist service!

Stratford  on Avon was a real delight - beautiful and so well preserved.  Ancient houses are incorporated into modern living spaces and everywhere there is the echo of the Bard's  words.  It was the place where Shakespeare was born and spent his formative years.  We watched "As you like it" Performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. All the seats are in a horseshoe fashion around the stage.  Ours were  slightly below the stage and about 4 rows deep.  The costumes were modern, the words 15th century, and our sense of being literally inside the story was amazing.  the acting (as you might imagine) was magnificent, and even where the words could have been lost in time, the modern, clever interpretation made it so easy to follow it all.  Rosalind and Orlando in particular were fantastically portrayed.  We met up with Joyce Wainwright - a jolly English teacher from our youth in school in Darjeeling and took her with us to the show.  Her sheer exuberance about everything added a real buzz to everything.  Although she lives a car's ride away, she had not seen a Shakespeare play in this setting or in modern costuming.

From there we moved on to York - another wonderful city steeped in history.  The peopleare very warm and welcoming - everyone we met and talked to (and there were many) seemed to have the same droll and warm sense of humour.  We visited a couple of very interesting museums on the early Viking settlement of York and stumbled upon a food festival in the city which was most enjoyable. Especially the local pork produce and of all things - pani puris (the tiny crisp puffed rotis of India)  stuffed with potato and mint  curry and washed down with pepper and tamarind water. ...On an aside - we have eaten some exceptional Indian meals here in Britain.   Our final dinner on York was in a Pakistani Restaurant called Saffron. Of greatest note were some of the best chapatis ( unleavened wholemeal indian bread) we've ever had. They were large, soft and delicious.  In fact it was the breads at this dining place that were so outstanding.  We watched other diners who had ordered nan roti ( soft white Indian bread). We watched some novices in the restaurant and it was very entertaining to watch their reactions when their food was served...The nan rotis came in suspended from large metal hooks on individual stands in huge fragrant and soft flattened dew drops.  Where there were multiple servings (for the aforementioned local football team), their nans had to be wheeled in on a food trolley!