Messages from London
Message 4: Food, shopping, and church
Hello there back home..
Today our Tube ride took us to the Liverpool station in the East End. This area is near the docks of what was once the world's greatest port and became the melting pot of many waves of immigrants. The Irish, Jews, Arabs, and Bengali all landed in England here. But, as sometimes happens, what was once a poor, tenement laden neighborhood, has metamorphosed into a stylish place. Jack the Ripper, who roamed this area in 1888, would hardly recognize it today! We took advantage of the now thriving food scene.
We broke up into two groups and had a fascinating and tasty spin around the East End. We had a bit of history as we walked and stopped at 6 different food restaurants and shops. We had bacon sandwiches with homemade ketchup (yummmmm), bread pudding, fish and chips, British cheeses, pub ale, and curry. Just so you know, "chips" are thick fries, "fries" are skinny and "crisps" are potato chips. A bit of language lesson there.
When we were done snacking our way around the East End we had some free time to wander Spitalfields Market. Another street market---yeah! This time it was indoors with lots of fun booths to wander. Clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, scarves, and crafts. Very fun. After just eating my way around the neighborhood I was less interested in the food stalls, but they were beautiful to look at. And of course, there was great people watching opportunities....
Our last group stop of the day was back in The City at St. Paul's Cathedral. Lovely and very different from Westminster. It has a huge dome and a special history in WWII. Our guide, Tom, was especially animated and humorous and added a lot of life to the visit.
At night I went with a tour member to dinner and to see my all time favorite musical, Phantom of the Opera. I have seen the show several times in Denver so it was awesome to see it in a permanent theatre. Rain was falling as we walked back to the hotel and the shimmering lights on Regent Street were amazing!
Martha
