Saturday
Last Saturday, went into London. (Yes, I know….gasp…went to London…bit shock there.) Even though it was mid-afternoon, I headed to Portobello Road. Ever since I got here, a line from a song in a movie I once saw has been running through my head: ‘Portobello Road, where the riches and treasure of ages are sold.’ I’m not sure which movie it was…Mary Poppins? Bedknobs and Broomsticks? The Simpsons Go to London? I dunno…one of those.
Anyway…if you like street markets, you must go to Portobello Road. It’s huge. It goes on forever. Well, maybe not forever, but for a long, LONG way. And there’s just about anything and everything you could want: antiques of every variety, clothes, food, books, furniture, Virginia State Trooper badges, you name it. (That’s right…I saw not one, but two Virginia State Trooper badges.) I settled for getting a jacket that I needed (one that better fits the spring-like weather).
But, if you go, go early on a Saturday. Even though people are still packing the place at 4:00, the vendors are starting to pack up.
That evening, I met some people in London. They wanted to walk around and show me some places. It was nice to have some people from here who knew what these places are. The evening’s highlight was when we stopped in briefly at Westminster Cathedral. Unlike Westminster Abbey, which is an Anglican church (yeah, I know, church probably isn’t the proper term…I think it’s officially a Royal Remit or something like that…the point is, it’s not Catholic and it’s not a cathedral), Westminster Cathedral is London’s Catholic Cathedral.
It’s also unlike other cathedrals I’ve seen. First of all, it’s not stone or marble or anything like that…it’s brick. (It’s also more Byzantine than Gothic…I think.) And, upon entering inside, you can’t see the ceiling. Really. The entire interior ceiling is made of black brick. So, you can see the lower walls and the windows, but then, the building just seems to disappear. I didn’t get to look around too much since there was a Mass going on, but it’s definitely a place I need to visit again. Plus, they have a tower I can climb!
Anyway…if you like street markets, you must go to Portobello Road. It’s huge. It goes on forever. Well, maybe not forever, but for a long, LONG way. And there’s just about anything and everything you could want: antiques of every variety, clothes, food, books, furniture, Virginia State Trooper badges, you name it. (That’s right…I saw not one, but two Virginia State Trooper badges.) I settled for getting a jacket that I needed (one that better fits the spring-like weather).
But, if you go, go early on a Saturday. Even though people are still packing the place at 4:00, the vendors are starting to pack up.
That evening, I met some people in London. They wanted to walk around and show me some places. It was nice to have some people from here who knew what these places are. The evening’s highlight was when we stopped in briefly at Westminster Cathedral. Unlike Westminster Abbey, which is an Anglican church (yeah, I know, church probably isn’t the proper term…I think it’s officially a Royal Remit or something like that…the point is, it’s not Catholic and it’s not a cathedral), Westminster Cathedral is London’s Catholic Cathedral.
It’s also unlike other cathedrals I’ve seen. First of all, it’s not stone or marble or anything like that…it’s brick. (It’s also more Byzantine than Gothic…I think.) And, upon entering inside, you can’t see the ceiling. Really. The entire interior ceiling is made of black brick. So, you can see the lower walls and the windows, but then, the building just seems to disappear. I didn’t get to look around too much since there was a Mass going on, but it’s definitely a place I need to visit again. Plus, they have a tower I can climb!
posted by Matthew Reames at 4/20/2005 07:37:00 AM
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