23 March 1998           2:49pm

The Crypt Cafe is closed!  Due to a burst water pipe.  Rats!     

Okay, if you didn't know, the Crypt Cafe is a small cafe in the crypt (natch) of St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, across from Trafalgar Square.  The cafe is noted for its good, cheap food, in a neat location.  You can't get much cooler (both literally and figuratively) than the crypt of a church, for dining atmosphere.

Anyway, they're closed.  So I'm writing this across the street, while eating a minted lamb sandwich (£2.10, not bad) at the Breadline Sandwiches shop.  It's not quite a restaurant, but more than just a counter.  Basically, it's a few tables and a few sandwiches.  Dine and dash, as it were. 

I spent the morning (10am-on) walking through Hyde Park.  What a great place!  It was cold, of course, but at least it wasn't raining. 

There's a rather imperious statue of Queen Victoria over on the west side, near Kensington Palace (which borders on the Park).

I found Speke's monument; apparently he "discovered" Lake Victoria, the “source” of the Nile (I put “source” in quotes cuz today’s geographers link the river's true source to headstreams of the Kagera River in the highlands of Burundi).  Then he had some kind of falling out with Sir Richard Burton and ended up shooting himself accidentally.  Yeah, I'll just bet that's what really happened.

Here's a shot of what appears to be school children either on holiday or on some field trip to the Park.  Dig those suits!

Yes, that's Kensington Palace, former home of the late Princess Diana,  in the background.

The first place I was actually looking for was the Round Pond, where they have toy boat races in the spring (later on, when it's warmer, brrr), and lots of large geese with attitudes.

Mostly I just wandered.  I found Speke's Monument (as I already mentioned), plus this statue of a horse and rider, very "mod," titled "Physical Energy."  I like it.  This is one great park.

I found the Italian Fountains, which date from 1861, and got a little misted from the water while trying to get a decent shot.  Brrr.  The building on the left is a shelter/pump house (1862) by architects Banks and Barry, and it looks over four pools with fountains.

There are heads above each doorway all the way round - three to a side, with bearded Neptune-like males in the centres and ideal female heads on the sides. There are stone urns with dolphins and more ideal heads, this time with decoratively twisted hair, around the ponds, and on the south side towards the water a cascade with water nymphs by the sculptor John Thomas.  And of course you can see none of this in the picture, sorry -- it was quite cold out, I kept getting wet from the fountain mist, and it was basically a crappy day weatherwise so the lighting was bad and blah blah blah, this is my one decent photo. 

 While I tried to line up a good shot, various tourist groups came along to photograph Peter Pan (and to be photographed with Peter Pan).  First there were the Italians, then Scottish tour groups.  Or vice versa, I can't remember.  Lots of accents. 

There's a bench just across the path, sort of cater-corner from the statue, so I sat down for a while and wrote postcards to my Sis, and to my friends Linda and Bev. 

Here's a "self-portrait" of said park bench, so you can see my ever-present traveling bag and notebook, in all their glory.  That's the Serpentine in the background ... or the Long Water ... it's all the same body of water, anyway, so there. 

By then I was getting a bit cold, so I thought I'd better get walking again. 

I walked down to near the Albert Memorial, then along "Rotten Row" (from route du roi, or royal road) to the Edinburgh Gate.  But it wasn't the Edinburgh Gate, I'd gone too far ... anyway, I exited at whatever gate it was and, following my walking map of the streets of London, went down just a block to Knightsbridge, which is the street Harrods is on.  To Harrods, then! 

Harrods is that funky domed building in the background here, just to the left of the Underground sign (Knightsbridge Tube).

What a store!  One of the entrance guards very kindly asked me, in a very cool accent, if I wouldn't mind putting my camera away (I had it slung over my shoulder) because there was no photography allowed in the store.  Of course I complied.

I bought candy and tea for Sis and Fletch, and just walked around.  The food courts are amazing (man, did I get hungry!), and they have got everything.  And I mean everything!  Harrods claims they have everything "from the cradle to the grave," and being they sell both infant supplies and funeral stuff (I kid you not), I believe 'em.

After Harrods, I walked through the Knightsbridge Tube station (it's a pretty big station, has entrances on three or four corners), and found a kiosk that sold munchies; I got a bottle of water and a Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar (the Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars you get over there are subtly but noticeably better than what you find in the States) for 95p, I think. 

Then I walked to Hyde Park Corner, to catch a bus headed downtown.  A nice lady who had a little booth near the bus stop showed me a brochure for London Tours, which operates one of those open top double-decker buses that takes you all over the city, shows you the cool sights.  I'd done that the last time I was here, and would have liked to go again, but it was getting sort of late (3pm-ish, the last bus ran until 5pm), and the weather was iffy; it's worth the £12, but only if you make a day of it.  Maybe tomorrow.

I took the #9 to Piccadilly, and from there I walked, and walked and walked ...

You find the most interesting things when you go walking in London ...

There was a method to my madness, though, as I knew that I was headed towards ....

.... Trafalgar Square.  London's most famous square was laid out in 1829 to 1841 to commemorate Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Dominating the square, on a column that is 185 feet high, is the 17 foot high statue of Nelson himself.

By the way, Trafalgar Square is the centre of London, literally.  That is, if you're measuring the distance to or from London from anyplace else, the zero point is -- Trafalgar Square.

And, finally, I ended up at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the closed crypt cafe, which I mentioned earlier.  The gift shop was open, though, so I took a look around, bought Irish prayer linens (little table clothes with Irish prayers on them) for Melissa and Denice (Denice in Ohio).  I also went into Dick Shephard's chapel, just beside the entrance to the crypt, for a few minutes of solitude.  Very worthwhile.

Then I walked across the street for a sandwich.  The minted lamb.  Which I'm eating while writing all this down.

The church bell just rang for 3pm.  Time to go!