London Day Six

BTW, at breakfast they call them baked beans, but I can't see anything baked about them.

Errata: I left off a Roman numeral I. The Tower exhibit was about Henry VIII's armour.

Today we toured the "City of London," also known as the "Square Mile." Our guide, who is Cornish, was informative and witty, as they all have been. He clued us in early on that the correct answers are always: 1666 (the year), The Great Fire of London (the event), and Christopher Wren (the architect). In 1666 the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the city. This gave Christopher Wren an incredible opportunity to remake London in stone.
The original guilds in London were known as Livery Companies. They were given an order of precedence in 1515. Mercers (merchants) were first, followed by Grocers, Drapers (wool and cloth merchants), Fishmongers, and Goldsmiths. Taylors (tailors) and Skinners (fur traders) have always disputed their precedence, so each Easter they alternate positions. However, this probably is not where the phrase "at sixes and sevens" originates. We sat in a lovely churchyard garden which the Gardener Livery keeps up.
Speaking of fish mongers, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that her people must eat fish three times a week. This was to keep the ships in good working order and in the ready if war should break out.
On the tour we walked down Leadenhall Market, which was the set for Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter movie. We also saw the Lloyd's of London building, which is atrocious. It reminds me of a distressed sea cucumber, which disembowels itself upon upset. Lloyd's innards are all on the outside fabric of the building.
Do you know what defines a Cockney? Anyone who is born within the sound of the bells of St. Mary le Bow Church. We heard the bells and lunched in the cafe in its crypt. The sausage sandwich with onion marmalade was wonderful and the cheddar sandwich with chutney just as good. Said crypt was built in the time of the Norman Conquest, late 11th century, and its subterranean arches give the church the name "le Bow." Before lunch, Jim got a much needed shoe shine from a fascinating young man. He is originally from Lille, France, went to University, and then moved to London about nine years ago.
We strolled Covent Gardens and heard a young opera singer in a courtyard below street level. On a double decker #15 bus, sitting above, of course, we rode past Picadilly Circus and onto Oxford St, past the Marble Arch and on to Sussex Garden, near Paddington Station, where our hotel is. I love living near Paddington Station. It always makes me think of my oldest brother, Steve, reading aloud to his young sons about the bear from darkest Peru.
In the evening we went to the Southbank Centre and heard a free talk and performance of two short works of Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg, followed by a concert of the Philharmonia Orchestra performing the UK premiere of Lindberg's Graffiti as well as Janacek's Synfonietta and Stravinsky's The Firebird. Janacek has been a favorite of ours since my orchestra performed it in 1992. This evening we were in the second row, right in front of the celli and basses. We had a great view of the conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen (also Finnish), and the concertmaster, James Clark. We could see and hear and feel the energy and heart that each performer put into the concert. It was thrilling. During The Firebird, the lights flickered occasionally and actually went out while the orchestra was playing, which added to the effect of the music.
After the concert we went to Waterloo Station and found a Pasty Shoppe advertising hand-made Cornish pasties. I had a traditional beef and vegetable pasty and Jim had a cheese and mushroom croissant from the Delice de France booth. They were both very tasty. Taking the Bakerloo line, a delay was announced while we waited on the train in Charing Cross station. So, we left the tube and walked around Trafalgar Square, then took the 15 bus again, this time getting the coveted, at least by me, seats directly above the driver. Being up so high while the bus careens down the narrow streets of London, I can see the inspiration for the night bus in Harry Potter. It feels like the bus must shrink to fit in the space between cars.