Westminster Abbey and the Camden Town Markets

Saturday, June 15

 

I woke up with ambitious plans of jumping on a train today by 10:00 to either go to Windsor Castle or Hampton Court since much of London would be especially busy with the Trouping of the Colours, the official celebration of the Queen’s birthday.  But we lounged about so long on the patio enjoying the sunshine that we didn't get out the door until nearly 11:30.   So instead we decided to try Westminster Abbey and see just how bad the crowds might be given that it is only a quarter mile from that ceremony.

 

Traffic was in a complete logjam on the Embankment due to diversions but getting around on foot was still possible.  We got into Westminster Abbey after only a 20 minute wait in line and found that movement inside was not too bad.  The place of course is spectacular and I never tire of going there.  The audio guide narrated by Jeremy Irons was very well done and there was a special Diamond Jubilee exhibit in the Chapter House that covered the 1953 coronation of the Queen.  Lots of royalty are buried there in addition to other notables like Darwin, Dickens and Isaac Newton.  The Tudor Chapel built by Henry VII is magnificent and it's so ironic that the half sisters Mary I and Elizabeth I are both in the same tomb because they were such fierce rivals (Mary the Catholic was always on the verge of beheading Elizabeth the Protestant).

The forecasted rain arrived while we were inside so we lingered until it died down to a drizzle.  I had no particular plan on what we might do next, but we discovered that a nearby #88 bus could take us to the Camden Town markets and decided that would be fun.  There is also a Charles Dickens Museum and a canal boat tour that leaves from Camden Town, but we never did find those nor get around to having lunch.  Instead we really enjoyed exploring the markets which are at their peak on Saturday.

I had briefly been to one of the five Camden markets in '83 but I must have been in too much of a rush to discover the other four.  There are hundreds of vendors and all sorts of ethnic foods, vintage and antique items, and tons of clothes.  It all seemed to go on and on forever.  Marnie shopped for small gifts and also bought a Banksy sweatshirt because she was cold.  Banksy items were everywhere and the famous graffiti artist must now be a very rich man.  Aside from the brief return of heavy rain, the whole experience was unforgettable and we were glad we chose to go there.

 

We walked to the nearby Tube station on Camden High Street (a meld of working class and alternative) and took a train that 20 minutes later had us at Waterloo Station near our flat.  We stopped at a neighborhood market for some wine and Bailey's Irish Cream (to replace the landlord's bottle we polished-off the first night) and arrived back at our flat just as the highlights of the Trouping of the Colours began to be televised by the "beeb".  It was fascinating to watch although the queen no longer gets into uniform to review the troops on horseback.  I guess we can overlook that scandalous departure from tradition now that she is 87.  We enjoyed some more Bailey's while we watched and ate the sushi rolls that we had intended to have for lunch as an appetizer.  After watching the highlights of the ceremony we finally had our first meal since breakfast and shortly afterwards went to bed very tired.