London (July 2 - 6)

We had a mere four days to fit in as many of our London traditions as we could. My magnanimous, beautiful, thoughtful Cousin Angie once again welcomed us into her lovely Belsize Park flat. Not only did we have a comfortable bed, we also had a well stocked refrigerator and pantry with every food item we could possibly need. In addition to all this luxury, many of our favorite London places were an easy walk from Angie's flat.

A stroll into Camden Town (down Haverstock Hill Road past the Round House) for lunch engendered an immediate "wow, this is why I love London" feeling. All that international cuisine at Stables Market, the arty clothes and jewelry markets, and, of course, Regent's Canal create quite the atmosphere. This is where the first time visitor to London should start exploring the city.

In the evening we feasted on a superb Indian meal that Angie prepared. We had a good old chat, covering the usual assortment of topics.

The next morning I left an unwell Daryl in bed, and hopped onto Bus 24 to Trafalgar Square. London is blessed with one of the best art museums in the world and my plan was to wallow in its collection.

National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London

There was much to love at this museum (a whopping collection of the greatest European art over several centuries), but what I enjoyed most were the school groups. There was this group of befuddled, restless nine year olds seated cross legged on the floor facing Constable's Hay Wain. A teachers asked them questions about the era. Their predictable answers gave me quite a chuckle. This scenario was repeated throughout the museum. I thought, how lucky London kids are to live in a city so rich in culture and history.

St. Anne's Churchyard, Soho

Strolling through Soho's narrow lanes at lunch time is a great way to see suit clad Londoner's on their way to trendy restaurants. Browsing the menus here disabuses you of any dated stereotypic notions you might have of English food. Soho restaurants are clearly for the 21st century ethically responsible, adventurous, sophisticated diner. London's celebrity chef, Ottolinghi, has his restaurant here. With the art of the French Impressionists and Post Impressionists fresh in my mind I found the process of food selection too overwhelming. So I settled for Maoz Falafel and enjoyed it in the beautiful St. Anne's Churchyard around the corner. Londoners in office attire sat on nearby benches munching sandwiches, immersed in conversation. It felt great to find a spot away from tourists, but clearly a local favorite.

After lunch I joined the crowds and hunted for bargains on busy Oxford and Regent Streets. The July sales had begun. I found two light sweaters suitable for the opera in the evening.

Traipsing around the center of post Olympic London was so much fun. I remember how unpleasant it was two years ago with  all the road work and scaffolding and building cacophony. The warm temperature definitely helped.

Troy and Jon came over from Cambridge in the early evening. The four of us were going to see Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House. After a hurried dinner of Angie's yummy leftovers from our Indian meal the night before, we took the tube to Covent Garden. We joined London's high society as we made our way to the Royal Opera House. This building is so beautiful, and entering the plush interior made me feel like I was trespassing through territory reserved for the privileged. Troy treated us to seats just two rows from the stage. We could BBC cameras on a lower balcony behind us. Then we noticed Stephen Fry being interviewed. (Later, during the intermission Troy saw Stephen Fry with Alan Davies quaffing champagne and scarfing down buffet fare.)

So close to the stage, facial expressions and voices so clear, we were pulled right into the Genoa of Simon Bocannegra. The male actors, especially the (black) American, Russell Thomas, delivered the kind of star quality performance expected at a world class opera house. Critics anticipate Russell Thomas cast as Otello in the near future. The female lead role - Amelia - played by Hibla Gerzmava was a little disappointing. She was an outstanding actress and had a beautiful voice, but she couldn't carry the highest notes. I found this a little surprising, given the high standards of this venue. Overall, though, with Verdi's moving music, and a troupe of outstanding actors, we loved the performance.

London Skyline from Hampstead Heath

London has had awful summers the last couple years. Not so this year. With each day warmer than the previous, the pull of the outside was too strong to resist. Troy, Daryl, and I took a stroll through Hampstead Heath in the morning. We showed Troy our favorite bench not too far from Parliament Hill. One of our London traditions is to sit on this bench, eating chips from an excellent nearby fish and chips shop, and sipping cold beer. From here you can enjoy the most wonderful view of the London skyline.



After Troy left we made a beeline for Archway on the overland train. Lunch at Peking Palace, a little vegan Chinese restaurant on Holloway Road, was a tradition we didn't want to sacrifice. The rather inexpensive buffet lunch - a decent assortment of tasty, sensibly prepared vegetables and tofu dishes - lived up to our expectations. A slide show on wall monitors of environmental damage resulting from meat production made us feel quite smug about our dietary choices!

We spent another stimulating evening with the Self family in Willesden Green. Daryl prepared a tasty pasta dinner and Tasha (who has suddenly turned into an adult) provided the wine and cheese. We covered as many controversial topics as we could, thereby preserving our special bonds. I can't get over the fact that the youngest Self, Katie, is about to start university. How did this happen? An evening here always leaves us with those warm feelings of gratitude to not only know such lovely people, but to have them as lifelong friends.

Regent's Park is a lovely walk from Angie's flat in Belsize Park. Down Haverstock Hill Road, then into Primrose Hill, across the park and over to Regent's Park. We met up David and Rona in this gorgeous London park. After a stroll through the fragrant rose garden we found a shady spot outside the café. Over a pretty decent lunch of tomato soup and ciabatta sandwiches (roasted eggplant, mozzarella, and pesto) we exchanged highlights of our lives since we'd last been together. A lot has happened in the last year - and we appreciated the opportunity to experience for a few hours the company of old friends who genuinely care.


On our last evening in London we wanted to have an indulgent dining experience. After all, we were in one of the world's great culinary capitals. My first thought was to go to a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef like Jamie Oliver or Ottolenghi. Then Daryl came across rave reviews for an exclusively vegetarian restaurant called Black Vanilla in a quiet lane off Chancery Lane. So we made our reservations, and slid into proper evening attire. Before dinner we did the London thing of having a beer at a nearby pub. Warm summer evenings in London are full of festive atmosphere. Chancery Lane is famously the address of London's barristers, and they were all here at this pub, in clusters, spilling out on the street. Atmospheric pubs, summer evenings, strong English Ale - I love it!

As soon as we stepped into Black Vanilla we knew we were in for a damn good time. Indeed, every moment was an experience to savor. The tasteful interior - like an old English home - and contemporary china were clear indicators of an intent to pamper. It was so much fun studying the extremely unusual menu, knowing you could choose absolutely any item. An amuse-bouche of some savory mousse in a cute little bowl appeared before the first course. A reassuring touch - we chose well with this restaurant. For starters I had brie ice cream (savory of course) with pickled plums and mulled custard. Daryl chose the grilled carrot cake with sheep's yogurt. My main course was the goats cheese and toasted cauliflower mille feuille. Daryl had the fried mushroom mousse and rosemary scone. We shared a dessert that will be a topic of conversation for years. Roasted White Chocolate, cep mushroom custard, and tarragon cream cheese. I love ceps (aka fungi porcini) and will never turn down the opportunity to eat them. Unless they are served as dessert. Daryl has a thing about ordering inventive desserts and so I had to take the plunge and dare to be different. Of course, the dessert was another fine example of the chef's skill. Interesting, well thought out flavors - yes ... but am I sold?

An unforgettable meal at a first class vegetarian restaurant has the delusional effect of making you feel like all is right with the world. Such was our state of mind when we boarded the Eurostar early the next morning. Destination: Bruges.