Some of us awoke and were able to function fairly well in spite of a lack of sleep due to late night and early morning conversations. Our first stop of the day was Columbia Road Flower Market.
The Market is only open on Sundays, and it's hard to explain how loaded the street is with flowers and people carrying bouquets around.
The other side of the street is full of cute little shops selling books, pottery, candles, flowerpots, and antiques. I loved wandering around. There was also a guy playing music and singing down at the far end of the market.
We all met up for lunch at the Royal Oak to experience a proper Sunday Roast. There were several options, including pork belly, roast, and lamb. I ended up with the roast chicken.
Afterwards, some people ordered coffee drinks and we all shared some desserts. I can say the Sticky Toffee Pudding (which is supposedly Princess Kate's favorite) was very nice.
Next we headed off to the Churchill War Rooms. Unfortunately, the tube was experiencing shut-downs, so we ended up taking the bus. I was fine with that, as it meant another experience.
We had 21 stops before we got off the bus. We were taking note that the bus didn't stop for long, and as we were on the upper level, you pretty much had to start down the stairs before the bus came to a stop.
If you are unfamiliar with the Churchill bunker, it's basically a basement that was used as a command center, a place to have important meetings, compile information, follow the war in real-time, and communicate fluidly about the problems that arose. There were many people who worked there that had bedrooms there as well. They often worked 18 hour days. Churchill himself often worked from 6 in the morning to 3:00 the following morning. He did take time for naps, though.
One thing they impressed upon the visitors was that the basement was not bomb-proof, although many people who worked there believed it was. Although bombs fell all around the building, it was never hit. They credit this to amazing good luck, but I think we could safely assume God's protection.
The map rooms were probably my favorite. It was really neat, because when the building fell out of use, everyone essentially got up and left, so everything is exactly like it was. You can see pin holes all over the maps, where troop movements had been marked. There was even a ration of sugar that had been left behind.
I could have spent much longer there, of course. The tour was sprinkled liberally with Churchill quotes, such as the following:
- "Trying to maintain good relations with a communist is like wooing a crocodile. You do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it over the head."
- "It will be found much better by all parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that history myself."
- "If you cannot read all your books at any rate... fondle them, peer into them, let them fall open where they will, set them back on the shelf with your own hands."
- "We are all worms, but I do believe that I am a glow worm."
Other random things I learned included the fact that Churchill hated any type of extra or distracting noise. Because of this, there were signs posted that proclaimed there was to be no whistling. Typists were also issued special typewriters outfitted with silencers.
Some of the female staff plotted how to procure American stockings and chocolate, nicknaming their scheme "Operation Desperate."
Churchill often wore one-piece zip-up suits, which his family called rompers. Britons soon began to copy his fashion.
I was also unaware that Churchill had been issued an honorary American citizenship and that he learned to fly only ten years after the Wright brothers' historic flight.
After the War Rooms we walked through St. James's park. Admittedly, those who didn't spend as much time with Churchill enjoyed the park more than those of us who just walked through. However, I still did appreciate the ducks and swans that were all over and didn't seem to be wary of people much at all.
We then strolled in front of Buckingham Palace and hung out there on the marble monument to Queen Victoria, which I was informed is one of the largest marble monuments to a political figure in the world.
We left through the Canada gate and walked down to Pret for our evening sustenance. Pret is basically just a sandwich and wrap shop, but very nice.
Then it was time to catch the tube again and head back to the flat. The tube was a noisy place. Apparently the football team, Arsenal, had won the championship game, a feat they have not accomplished in twenty-two years. Although that game was a week ago, they had held a parade in honor of the occasion, and there was all sorts of chanting and other noise-making echoing off the chilly tube walls.
Somewhere in our trip back to the flat we switched from the Underground to the Aboveground line. I rather liked getting out of the deep dank tunnels.
To the guy whose friend spent the entire ride trying to help you compose a text in order to "shoot your shot" with a girl you wanted to ask out: Good luck! The conversation made me smile.
We made it back to the flat at a decent time. Everyone seems exhausted this evening, and some have already headed off to bed.
Today's step count is a little over 15,500 again, so not terrible.
There is a washer in our flat, but no dryer. We smell fish every evening when we come home, we suppose from a nearby restaurant. Our windows are left open all the time in order to keep the temperature somewhat reasonable inside. This place has no bugs. Well, at least very few. Few enough that they don't have screens in the windows. I realized walking home tonight that Londoners never get to see a sunset and I was sad for them.
So long!
I'd choose the lamb! 😃
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