Marian the Librarian-or not

I spent my last day outside of the US in London. I went to London via the channel tunnel train from Paris. It was about two hours, and in my mind, much more enjoyable than flying. They had movies available via wireless, a club car where I could order lunch, it was quiet, clean, and fast. I got to see the countryside in France and England. The portion that went under the English channel was fast and I didn’t even really think about how deep we were under the earth.

I arrived at the St Pancras station in London. My hotel was only two blocks away so I checked in quickly and got back on the street. I traded about €20 for British Pounds, and that was more than enough for my day.

The British Library is three or four blocks away from my hotel and I made a beeline for it! A friend in Paris recommended it when I mentioned that the library was close by. I’m so glad I went! It’s a library unlike any I have ever experienced. The books are old, and you can’t really check them out. You can register to read them while in the library. So I don’t know if Marian is a librarian here, or if she is a curator!

When I got there the first thing I saw was a big plaza. People were hanging around socializing and studying. It has a café in the middle. There’s also a large bronze statue of Sir Isaac Newton hard at work. It’s got a QR code that you can read with your phone and go to a website where you can hear Sir Isaac Newton talking about his life-it was terrific. I learned a lot about his childhood, it was a very difficult time he was not happy and his family life. It talked about his discoveries being the foundation for everything we do now, including the very iPhone I used to listen to the speaking statue.

I read every single word in an exhibit about restoring all the books. I learned how to take them apart, repair them, and put them back together as good as I’ve been or better than-new. I listened to poetry about the black experience in England. There is a huge exhibit about that. There is another big exhibit about manuscripts. We saw a Music, holy books, literature, maps, and more. The manuscripts are probably priceless. They are protected behind glass. That exhibit also has headphones by each subject where visitors can listen to audio having to do with each portion of the exhibit. Of course I stopped and listened to some of the Beatles in the music exhibit!

The library has numerous study areas, a ticketed exhibit, several cafés, and a full restaurant. I went to the restaurant for lunch and had cream tea. I went for the full thing and even had a small Prosecco. I started with the sandwiches then ate the scones with clotted cream and jam, and finally the sweets. They washed down wonderfully with Earl Grey tea. The restaurant was full so I shared a table with another lady. She is a scholar and we talked about psychology and anthropology.

I spent the entire afternoon and early evening there, I didn’t leave until the exhibits closed at 8 o’clock.

Then I went to a grocery store and bought items to eat for supper, breakfast, and lunch. I slept very well at the Belvedere Hotel. I had a tiny single room, and shared a bathroom on the floor. It was quiet safe and close by The train station.

The next morning I took a train directly to London Gatwick airport and got on an airplane to come home. It worked beautifully. I think I’ll try that train combination again the next time I go to Europe: Chunnel then ThamesLink.

I am back in the US now. I will visit my mother in Montana, and then settle in back at home by the end of July. August 1 I will hit the job trail again. 

Next stop, Montana, to see my Mom!