3 days in London

3 days in London

Just home from London for 3 days in Easter week – made a rash decision. I recommend both – London & rash decisions. This last is not the same as throwing caution to the winds, but can be necessary to break a cramped sort of mentality that develops when there’s too much to do & a lot of it doesn’t really work to anybody’s satisfaction. When you feel Easter would be better spent under the duvet with the TV on, get thee to London. The temperatures were the same as here in Denmark but felt even colder - probably the dampness & the fact that in rentals the heat comes on from 7.00 - 9.30 morning & evening & THAT'S IT!

Another aspect of the rash decision is no time to make meticulous plans. Better & better. The lovely people we went to visit arranged a bit, but mostly it was up to us. Just now there's an exhibit of Ice Age art on at the National Gallery & we were all enthused, but so was half of London as it turned out, so we saw an exhibit of paintings & drawings by Barocci instead. I had not heard of Barocci because he's almost unknown outside Italy & was overshadowed by contemporaries who became internationally known. When your contemporaries are Leonardo & Michelangelo it's not so strange. No matter - his work is wonderful, especially the sublime preliminary sketches for large canvases. Complete serendipity followed by lunch at a restaurant on the 32nd floor with London all around. Went book & food shopping, trolled the British Library so now we've seen the Magna Carta & First Folio, among other treasures, plus a small exhibit in alphabetical order – Murder in the Library A-Z – all about classic crime fiction. I don’t even read crime fiction & still thought it was cool, so if you’re a mystery fan you’d better get over there. Next time plan to catch a musical but we were too last-minute & budget conscious this time.

If you’re going to get a true impression of a place you have to either stay 6 months or really observe what’s going on around you on the way in from the airport – or take a 3-day trip. I had expected London to be dirtier than Denmark & to feel rushed. Wrong on both counts. It was amazingly clean, noticeably free from cigarette butts all over the ground like here. (When I got here in the 70s, Denmark was pristine & my native USA & London grubby by comparison. Now it’s just the other way around.) Yes, London felt rushed because of all the people moving in droves, rather like wildebeests, & they work much longer hours than here, but they did NOT look pinched or pursued. I did expect them to be more polite than Danes – don’t get me started – & that they are. They are, they are. What a pleasure in a city where so many people move at close quarters. What a pleasure, full stop. It never goes out of style.

Home to 2 more days of Easter holiday then back on the job tomorrow. I came home snotty & sleepy but energized. Big busy cities will do that for me. I love London.

3 dage i London

Hjem fra 3 dage i London – tog en rask beslutning. Jeg anbefaler begge dele – London & raske beslutninger. Det sidste er ikke det samme som at give slip på al fornuft, men kan være nødvendig for at bryde en krampagtig mentalitet, der kommer snigende når der er for meget at lave og meget af det ikke vil lykkes til nogens tilfredshed. Når du føler påskeferien burde tilbringes under dynen med tossekassen tændt, tag et smut til London. Temperaturerne var de samme som her med føltes koldere, nok på grund af fugtigheden & det, at i legeboliger varmen kommer på fra 7.00 – 9.30 morgen & aften & DET ER DET!

(Jeg skipper beskrivelsen af de ting vi lavede. De er kun på engelsk.)

Hvis man skal danne et sandt indtryk af et sted skal man bo der i 6 måneder eller jagttage nøje på vej ind fra lufthavnen – eller besøge i 3 dage. Jeg forventede at London var mere snavset end DK samt mere forhutlede. Forkert. London var forbløffende ren, især fri for cigaretskodder over det hele som her. (Da jeg ankom i 70erne var DK pæn ren mens mit hjemland USA & London var betydelig smudsigere. Nu er det lige omvendt.) Jo, London kunne føle forhutlede fordi så mange mennesker bevæger sig i flokke, ganske som gnuer, & de arbejder flere timer end her, men de ser ikke sammenbidt eller jaget ud. Jeg regnede med, at de var mere høflige end danskere & dét er de, ja de er. Men det ville være mærkelig andet. Sikken dejlig oplevelse i så stor en by. Sikken dejlig oplevelse, punktum. Går aldrig af mode.

Hjem til 2 dages frihed før arbejde i morgen. Jeg kom hjem snottet og søvnig men med ny energi. Store travle byer har den virkning på mig. Jeg elsker London.