The National Gallery, Covent Garden, and all around Town...

I realized that I haven't been keeping up my adventurer log...so my last few days...

Friday - 1/8/10
Today was still an icy mess in London, but the sun was shining. I spent my afternoon walking as usual - this time to meet an agent to look at a flat. Took only a few seconds to realize that it wasn't for me...there was something toxic in the air, something about the shredded carpet on the stairs, something disturbing about the cobwebs everywhere. So the search continues.

The rest of the afternoon lent itself to something extraordinary - uninterrupted hours walking through the National Gallery. One of my favorite museums in London. I spent my time mingling with the artists of the 18th-20th century. My favorites - Pisarro, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Goya, Seurat, Monet, and Degas. I absolutely loved Monet's "Bathers at La Grenouillere" - I'd never seen it before. To be standing in front of these pieces was unbelievable - Van Gogh's framed and famed 'Sunflowers' was surreal...seeing it in books, seeing it on someone's wall as a print - well it's not the same as seeing it in person. Seeing the brush strokes, the actual paint, the canvas, and the presence of his spirit. It's like you can picture them in front of the canvas, so it's definitely more than walking by a painting on the wall...so much more than that.

It was my lucky day - there was a free concert that evening at the National Gallery. The Pentagon Brass, musicians from the Royal College of Music. There were two trumpets, a trombone, tuba, and a horn. They played Mouret, Ewald, Bach, and Previn to name a few composers. (J.A. - thought about you - you would have loved it) It was so beautiful and the perfect close to the day...the music swelled inside the arched and gothic space, the ancient paintings on the wall having been forgotten at least for a moment while people crowded around, eager to be a part of something so unexpected and so unexpectedly wonderful.

I ended my evening with a stop by the Hilton by Green Park, where I had been an unexpected guest the week before. I stopped to get a fill of human contact, as the bartender was friendly and the guests always chatty. Met a lovely British couple who actually live in Arizona, are on their way to Dublin, and will soon be moving to France - they were fun, the wine was good, and the walk back to my place was quick and full of gratitude.

Saturday - 1/9/10
Today was overcast with the unspoken threat of "weather" from the sky. My adventure for today brought me to Covent Garden. Another favorite place. The Apple and Jubilee Markets are well known and well attended - people selling their wares and others buying. Walking though the arched open-air space, I could imagine this place hundreds of years before - the same events, the same purpose - yet a different lifetime. Covent Garden holds all the magic of old-world London interspersed with modern shops and cafes. The cobblestone streets are uneven and perfectly worn, too-tiny streets curving haphazardly until they reach the open square. Old churches in ancient decompose continue to stand gracefully and defiant. People converge on the square and on the markets in an endless stream of enthusiasm. Street performers around every corner claim their spot and your attention - hoping to lure you from the market for a few moments, to entertain you, to encourage you - to part with a few quid. This place is perfectly London - small book stores squeezed in between alleyways, pubs with mahogany tables, and every kind of shop in between.

I walked through the markets, completely and exactly as I had remembered them - wonderful handmade crafts and jewelry, perfectly captured pictures of London - and then as the snow started to fall and the wind whipped around, I became mesmerized by one of the performers in the cobblestone square, flanked by white marble pillars. He was standing in the snow, his guitar hooked up to a professional looking gig, the electrical sound of it impressive - and he was good. So many people stopped. Street performers are not uncommon and neither are the crowds that gather - but it was dusk and cold and snowing - and yet the crowd stayed. His rendition of Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" was original and yet similar, and completely moving. Eventually people were forced to resume their paths, to keep moving - but it was like everyone left with the music still lingering.

Sunday - 1/10/10
Today was a day spent devoted to flat searches - with hopeful leads. It was also an afternoon of exploring the nearby neighborhood. I am uncannily close to where I lived on my last visit, and yet - the surrounding area is so unfamiliar. I imagine that I didn't have much patience for my 'hood last time, only intent on the sights. But today, I wound my way around the streets, new neighborhoods, new people. There are so many unobtrusive reminders of home and the familiar which fit right next to the new and unexpected. Like the Aveda Salon next to the fresh market fruit stand, the Victorian row house next to the pub - there are no empty spaces, there are simply no spaces at all. Found a really delicious Thai restaurant called Banana Tree Canteen and I fulfilled my craving for asian cuisine. After being absorbed by the people walking the streets outside the cafe, I turned to my Kindle. Probably one of my most favorite possessions - thank you. My unfailing companion when the people-watching becomes a blur or the waiter has had enough of my stories and pleasantries.

It was a peaceful end to the weekend. Confident that this new week will find a more permanent place to stay so suitcases may be unpacked and contented sighs breathed.