London Revisited

When Kevin and I finally made the decision to head South, we decided to get in a visit to Kevin’s friends Pete and Mel. Since they live in Surrey, located just outside London, we decided to head into the city for the day. We decided to start the morning with a traditional English Breakfast at the Tate Modern, followed by a quick jaunt through the museum. However, once breakfast had been consumed, we all realized that none of us actually like modern art, and therefore decided to skip the art and head across the Millennium Bridge to St. James Cathedral.

Kevin was very glad to see that the Millennium Bridge had been rebuilt after the death eaters destroyed it.

Once we arrived at St. James Cathedral, it was time to change the plan once again as the entry fee to the cathedral was exorbitant (even for London). This time, we decided to visit a favorite of Mel’s – The Household Cavalry Museum. Formed in 1661 by King Charles II, the Household Cavalry now consists of two troops of the British Army – the Queen’s Lifeguards and the Royals and Blues. What sets them apart from the rest of the Army is the fact that they are the blokes riding on horses with silly hats. The museum itself was fairly interesting, even for a non-horse lover like myself. Its entrance is denoted by the two mounted guards standing outside. According to the Cavalry member we talked to inside the museum, the soldiers with the cleanest kit each day were assigned the mounted duties as a reward. However, after watching all the obnoxious tourists harassing the guards and horses, I would think it a better idea to award the dirtiest soldiers the outside guard duties.

The cleaning of a Household Cavalry members kit is the stuff of an OCD sufferers dreams. Dress uniforms need to be spotless with gleaming buttons. The shoes need to be polished so that they resemble a mirror. Every metal piece on the horses reins, saddle, etc. need to be spotless. It takes the soldier hours just to get ready for duty the following day.

While the horses and the gear excited Mel, what excited Kevin was the different uniforms that you could try on, to get a sense of what it would be like to be a member of the Household Cavalry.

After Kevin got his fill of dress-up, we decided to head to Camden in search of one of the things I love – vinyl Records. Camden is an interesting section in north London dominated by tattoo shops, punk clothing stores and the coolest, hugest street market I have ever been to – Camden Lock and Camden Stables Comprised of stalls containing everything from vintage clothing (even a stall that only sells 90s concert tees), second hand music, purses, new clothing, art, accessories and every type of food under the sun, I could easily spend a week without emerging. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time or any cash so I didn’t buy anything, but my vintage /ridiculous sunglass loving heart broke at all the glorious items I came across. If and when I am in London again, I am devoting an entire day and a weeks pay to Camden Lock and Camden Stables. Pete took me to a second hand music store he knew of that luckily took Plastic money and I managed to score a nearly mint copy of David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane” and The Sex Pistols “Never Mind the Bollocks” on vinyl. These things were so mint you could see your face in the record and the cardboard sleeves looked almost brand new.

In all, a great relaxing day in London. I’m sure Kevin thinks so as well, as I was unable to spend all his money in Camden. If we ever make it back, it will be another story…