a very British Xmas

I’ve only spent two days in London and I already feel like I’m about to OD on all things British! I did come here to immerse myself in British culture but last night I turned on CNN for a break. I think this is my sixth or seventh time coming to London and that means I’ve seen all the main tourist attractions. What’s nice about this trip is that I don’t really *have* to do anything. I wanted to write but forgot to bring along an adapter and so for the past two days I haven’t had access to my laptop. On Saturday I got in around 10:30am, bought an Oyster card, hopped on the Tube and had no trouble finding my way to this lovely little flat in Islington. This isn’t a tourist area from what I can tell—no hotels, just lots of trendy restaurants and boutiques. It’s been raining a lot and I’m sorry to see so many parts of the country experiencing the same flooding that affected so many New Yorkers after Sandy. Folks still seem festive, however, and even those in the affected areas are following the British mantra of “Keep calm and carry on.” I got some groceries (shepherd’s pie, a ploughman’s sandwich, and Hobnobs) and then spent the rest of Saturday sleeping off jet lag and watching TV—did you know Guinevere on the show Merlin is a woman of color? All the shows I normally watch on PBS are on regular rotation here—and Xmas day promises new episodes of Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey. And I suppose I’ll watch the Queen’s Xmas message since I’m here. On Sunday I took a Dickens & Shakespeare walking tour and met a nice couple from Florida; even though I’m here to get away from all the drama in the US, it felt good to talk about the gun control debate with them. After the tour ended I stopped by the Tate Modern and toured The Tanks—amazing industrial art spaces that utilize the building’s former oil tanks. South African William Kentridge was one of the featured artists and I love his collage/stop-animation. Afterward I walked back to London Bridge and shopped at the Borough Xmas Market where I bought two meat pies and jars of Jumbleberry Jam and High Dumpsie Dearie Jam. “That’s very British,” said the vendor, which is why I bought it, of course. Now I’m ready to make a shift. Today’s plan is to visit the Dickens museum, though I’m off to a slow start. I found a Caribbean eatery last night while scouring Upper Street for an adapter so that may be my meal of the day. There’s an exhibit on London, Sugar & Slavery at the Docklands but they’re closed until Thursday—the day I leave. Will try to squeeze it in before heading to the airport…

Yesterday when I came up from the subway I saw these two brothers playing “All I Want for Xmas” on steel drums! I filmed a bit but haven’t had luck posting it online. Will keep trying. In the meantime, why not pop over to The Book Smugglers and check out my guest post for Smugglivus? Time to venture out into the rain…