LP IV--Royal Navy

On this rainy morning in London, I am enjoying a delicious bowl of porridge with fruit topping and a wonderful cup of coffee. Nobody talks to me but all are pleasant in their individuality so I sit here in the coffee shop strangely comfortable in this marvelous city. A Haydn minuet is playing in the background and earlier we heard a movement of a Beethoven piano sonata, giving me the aesthetics I seek this morning. Classical tonality certainly has its moments and those sounds reside in our hearts hopefully demonstrating the consonance that awaits this day. We pick up 19 students from the airport this morning and bring them into the city to begin the London semester. Exciting times for them and for us.

Yesterday was again a long and glorious day as three of us headed to Greenwich to explore the new and the old, the present and the past. We entered the O2 and I was again in awe at the modern structure that has an architectural beauty all its own with massive spikes extending at an angle suspending a dome ceiling over a colossal arena and shopping mall. Quite a facility, we enjoyed a few minutes of coffee, of the Nissan electric car display, of the many shops of clothes and nice items. Studying the rock and roll timeline on the walls of the walkway, we proceed back to the tube to head to the National Maritime Museum and Royal Navy College.

Before heading into the Museum we went to the side and up a long footpath toward the observatory. Suddenly, almost without warning, the path ascended quickly and we found ourselves in a steep incline upward. Arriving several minutes later and quite breathless we looked back and saw London in all its glory. A sight to behold with the financial district rising up from the ground and gently touching the clouds as though trying to own the heavens but failing in spite of the effort. A magnificent view that left us awestruck for several minutes. A quick run through of the observatory included some information on brilliant scientist John Harrison who invented the chronometer. The observatory is supported by the Peter Harrison Foundation.

Returning to the museum, we did a quick run through seeing boats, paintings, machines, statues, and anything related to the Royal Navy. Completing that precursory walk, we headed across the busy street to the Royal Navy College where we were treated to a beautiful performance of a song by Gounod. Walking into the Painted Hall, we were stunned by the artwork on the ceiling and in the transept. Further exploration around the area where we heard a trumpet player, a clarinet player, and a string quartet practicing eventually took us to another small museum of art work and uniforms from many years past in the Royal Navy.

Exhausted from walking but hungry, we stopped at delicious hamburger place and then headed back to Pickwick Hall by way of the tube. The masses of people on the tube once again made me uncomfortable particularly if I thought about my Texas home on 13 acres, but I dealt with it and got back efficiently and safely. All in all a grand day of exploring and learning.

I love the politeness of the people but am disturbed by the excessive smoking. There might be smaller people here due to all the walking, but there certainly are many more smokers. Consequently, we often hear coughing and hacking around us. It is unfortunate that the education needed to encourage non-smoking is lacking in this country. Perhaps time will dictate the benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle.