A second quick peek at this City of Cities.
There is no other, really.
I’ve talked about the food at the Borough Market before. Have you ever seen pakoras the size of these?
The smells of this place are AMAZING!
Another day, after exploring the Nightingale Museum, I think, I took a stroll through the Leake Street tunnel, which is also known as the ‘Banksy Tunnel’ after an event he sponsored there in 2008. I couldn’t pick out any of his work [which I have found in random places around the world before], but it was truly a thing of graffiti beauty.
In my day at the British Museum, I found this remarkable creation in the Clocks and Clockwork room:
It is a mechanical galleon, an automaton from the 16thC. It was built to announce the beginning of a banquet, and once set in motion would trundle down the length of the table. Reaching the end, it would stop and the main gun would fire, igniting the fuses for the guns along the sides, which would then fire in turn.
Who wouldn’t want their meal announced by an exploding robot sailing ship?
Speaking of Excess, one hot afternoon, I took a trip to Hampton Court. I’ve never been, and considering Henry VIII featured as a character in SHADES OF RED, I thought it high time. The palace was breathtaking, and filled with details like this dragon guarding the palace:
It also had the most amazing truffula tree protecting the front gate:
I feel the need for thneed…
Another night, after working at Southbank, I noticed that LIMBO was playing, so on a whim, I bought a ticket. How to describe the show…
Well, imagine a circus that takes place pretty much in your lap, with fire eaters, comedy, contortionists, aerial mayhem, dance and magic, all set to the inimitable beautiful musical catastrophe that comes from the genius who is Sxip Shirey. 
[This is a shot of Sxip, brandishing his trademark megaphone, taken in the seconds before the show began JUST as they announced a ban on picture-taking].
It was a Most Excellent evening, SO not to be missed if you are in London.
My final night in the City was a special one. My daughter, her boyfriend and I made the trip to Canary Wharf [via Docklands Rail, which I’d never travelled on before] and had a lovely dinner under the Reuters tickertape.
And then we went to watch the Pythons.
Yeah, you heard me. Monty Python — or at least the remaining members, in their penultimate performance ever. There was even a bonus bit of Eddie Izzard, which was wonderful.
A little piece of history come to life. Unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime — all cliches apply. I watched from my seat and was 11 years old again. It was brilliant. And of course, after all the applause was done, it was clear how much the Pythons appreciated the adulation…
A perfect ending.
Other adventures remain in the offing, however, so there will be
More soon…!
~kc
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