The greatest city in the world

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  London, United Kingdom
Wednesday, July 18, 2007

(Jim)  We've been in London now for three days.  Samuel Johnson was right:  "If a man is tired of London, he is tired of life."  We are staying in the Marriott Marble Arch, about four blocks north and east of Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park.

We've spent our time walking around the city, visiting shops (Harrod's, Hamley's and Fortnum & Mason), museums (British Museum) and seeing the sights (Buckingham Palace, the London Eye).  Jack, who traveled to London with Amy two years ago, is proud to be able to show his younger sister and brother "his" London. 

They say that London is the second-most-expensive city in the world, after Moscow.  We anticipated the expense, and brought luggage full of instant oatmeal and protein bars.  In between, we've mostly eaten at Pret a Manger, a local sandwich chain

Behold the Haggis!

.  Our two restaurant meals were at a spaghetti house and a Lebanese restaurant near our hotel.

Speaking of "near our hotel" and "Middle Eastern"...we are staying in the Arab quarter of London.  It has been a bit of a culture shock.  Every third woman is wearing the hajib (head scarf), and about one in thirty is actually clad in the full burka -- head-to-toe black covering with a one-inch slit for the eyes.  Actually, we've observed that there are two versions of the burka.  The burka lite has the eye slit.  Seeing only someone's eyes is certainly different.  It makes them appear mysterious, but fully human.  The second version of the burka has a black veil covering even the eye slit.  No single part of the human form is visible.  We've taken to calling this the "Cousin It" burka.  Women clad in this version have a truly alien quality that is quite disturbing.

The weather has been good, mid-70s and sunny every day.  In the evenings, the local cafes have outdoor seating, and groups of men sit outside around tables, either on chairs or (in a few cases) a sort of round leather drum, smoking water pipes.  The sweet smell of the tobacco is exotic and pleasant.  Our kids, products of a Quaker education, take the burkas easily in stride, but are truly shocked by the public use of tobacco. 

London goes about its business without constraint.  There are signs in the Tube asking all to be on the lookout for suspicious activity, but little visible security in most places.  A notable exception is the American embassy.  We walked past yesterday on the way to Fortnum & Mason.  Outside was a long queue waiting to apply for visas to the U

Great name for a place to eat

. S.  It was a visibly multi-ethnic group, and I thought it would make an interesting picture.  I turned and snapped two pictures of the line.

Within seconds I was surrounded by three machine-gun-toting British constables.  Why had I taken the pictures?  Where was I from?  The head constable gave me an extended explanation of the various British laws that gave them the right to question me, and informing me of my right to receive a copy of their report.  (Sort of a Miranda warning on steroids.)  They examined my photos and passport, took our local address, and ultimately seemed satisfied that we were not taking pictures for any terrorist-related purpose.  The officers were totally polite and professional, bearing out the old saying that in heaven the policemen are all English.

More Pictures

Katharine approaching Tower Bridge

The food halls at Harrod's

The policeman is your friend

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