Oh me, Oh My, Omar

Bill’s walk


Bill took us on our first walk around London. We started at Westminster and ended up crossing the Tower Bridge…it’s nearly 3 miles and I’m sure we did much more because we went a very roundabout way. To give you a little background, Bill is a history buff and used to teach at the London Centre until he was made director. He’s originally from Canada but knows pretty much everything there is to know about London.

I can’t even begin to recall all the history Bill imparted on us but it was just incredible to see London. The rich history of this city is mind-boggling. Bill’s first question was “When was London first founded?” The answer: Sometime in the 40’s AD by the Romans. Of course the Island was occupied before the Romans arrived. Bill showed us historic landmarks including castles and an original Roman wall, which marks the fortifications they made centuries ago. All of it was fascinating and I can’t wait for more.

Other places of note were the Globe Theater (the original was destroyed and is now actually a parking lot), the Tower Bride and Tower of London. We walked along the southern bank of the Thames where the more artsy and progressive areas of London thrived. There were tons of artisans, musicians, painters, sand-sculptors, etc. along the way.

The highlight of my day was of course giant market in the middle of town. It was enormous! I know some who would be quite jealous of all the free samples I had. There were all types of food there. My first treat was a white chocolate and raspberry muffin. My next purchase was a lamb samosa with a spicy red curry dressing. I’m salivating just thinking about it now. Another great surprise was this cheese (which I can’t remember the name of), which pretty much just melted in my mouth instantly. It was like milk. So rich and flavorful. The pastries, cheeses, mushroom pate, breads, Indian, chipotle, salsa, apple cider ice pops, oh my! I could go on for much longer but I’ll spare you. Next post is on the Notting Hill Carnival I went to today.

I’m off because classes start tomorrow…for pretty much everyone but me. So much time and so little to do.

Tomorrow’s Plans:
Wake up without an alarm
Grocery shopping
Practice
See the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play Prokofiev- Romeo and Juliet; and Tchaikovsky 5 for 5 pounds.

Til next time.

O