Four Days in London

While working in Germany, the Lazy Wench had an opportunity to fly to London for a long weekend. She took it. Ryan Air has incredibly cheap flights all over Europe. The Wench called and made reservations to stay at a bed and breakfast near Victoria station and looked up several museums on the web. She also picked up a small tour guide and a map of the Tube system. She changed money, turning Euros into Pounds. She was ready!

The flight was delayed and the Wench got to meet some 'friendly' natives at the airport. She kept her cool, used Southern Charm and a little strongarm technique and got a hotel room and transportation to London in the morning. The cabbies were chatty and helpful. Her B&B host was gracious and allowed her to drop off her bags before setting out on day one of playing Tourist.

Day one was spent at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Wench dashed in, got partly through the midieval collection and regretted not having a ruler with her. Estimating thread count was tricky. She resolved to return and to purchase a ruler. There were no heads turned when she sat right down on the floor and whipped out her magnifying glass and flashlight to examine a cope. It's OK to take pictures in the museum but you can't use a tripod. There's an excellent museum shop in the V&A and the Lazy Wench spent a few pounds on reference books that can't be easily found in the States. She also spent time in the British Galleries, examining the Bradford table carpet and other bits of British history.

In the textile room, the Lazy Wench discovered row upon row of cases containing framed needlework and fabric samples. She was making her way through the blackwork pieces and taking notes when she realized that the Bostocke sampler was in the next frame! She had to gather herself together before she could stop shaking. Then she took the sampler out of the case, carried it across the room and placed it on a table to examine it. She discovered a lot of things that don't show in the pictures.

Day two was very full. Starting early in the morning, the Lazy Wench went to Hampton Court Palace, where a flower show was going on. Hampton Court is also the home of the Royal School of Needlework. Unfortunately, no tours of the school were possible and the shop connected to the school doesn't sell needlework tools or much in the way of materials. The Lazy Wench realized that her on-line resources from the States were better than those of the school. She's debating sending the school her collection of bookmarks. The Lazy Wench toured Hampton Court Palace. It contains a very complete Tudor Kitchen and wonderful costumed interpreters. The Lazy Wench chatted with them about construction of garb and found that Hampton Court used an SCA website as a reference for the games they played during the Christmas holiday activities!

That afternoon she went to the British Museum. The Lazy Wench wasn't nearly as thrilled at that museum, the exhibits that she was most interested in were undergoing renovation and there wasn't much on display. The bookstore focused on Egypt. The Wench did toddle off to see the 'Elgin Marbles' which caused quite a scandal when they were first shown. Fans of historical romances will smile at this. There is an incredible library in the center of the museum and the Lazy Wench entertained the librarians with her requests for obscure information. Since she was primarily seeking textile and clothing information, they didn't find much. There are excellent clothing and textile books published by the museum, it's just that the library didn't house many other references on the topic.

For day three, the Wench went to the Tower of London. It was PACKED, as it was a wonderful Summer weekend. There were many school groups in attendance, but the Wench managed to get a tour with a dynamic Beefeater who is available on CD, telling his stories of the Tower. Then the Wench struck out to examine details. She got pictures of Traitor's Gate and the tower where Elizabeth I was probably held. She stared at the spot where two wives of Henry VIII were beheaded. The actual executioner's block isn't still there, but there is a block on display in the museum in the Tower. She stood in line to see the Crown Jewels and found herself on a moving sidewalk to be ferried past them at a stately pace. She watched the Tower Ravens defend their territory from the tourists. There's a lot to see in the tower.

Day four, the Lazy Wench met Leon Conrad as she was on her way to send a few e-mails and learned about some hard to find things in the V&A museum. She headed back to the museum (with a ruler this time) and got some detailed shots of or nue and another look at the Bostocke sampler. Then she went to Leon's for a lovely dinner and a peek at his upcoming pieces. Nope, not a word, but I strongly suggest Wenches go sign up for advance notice of Leon's upcoming pieces at his website.

After a good night's sleep, the wench headed out for an early morning flight. The roads are under construction and she found herself almost to Newmarket before she finally made it to the airport. It's further out than you might think, I can't imagine making the trip out and back in a single day on horseback.

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