I've spent most of the weekend wandering my neighborhood, Connaught Village. London originated as a series of villages that, over the centuries, have grown together into a whole. London is still divided into various boroughs and each borough has its own civil and administrative authorities.
This area, especially along the Edgware Road, is heavily middle Eastern. Yesterday I had a great Lebanese lunch at Sannin Restaurant. I want to emphasize that the area feels very safe to me, so no worries on that account. I had dinner in an Italian restaurant just a few blocks away form my flat, but it was only so-so.
Today was my first Sunday in London so I went out for a lunch of roast beef with all the trimmings. A tradition of British cooking is the Sunday joint or Sunday roast. This large piece of meat, accompanied by Yorkshire pudding (a sort of popover), roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy was both a mainstay of family life and a way for a housewife to get a start on the week's cooking. She could make the roast on Sunday, then turn the leftover meat and vegetables into several meals later on in the week. When I was last in the UK, in early 2000, Sunday roast was primarily served in people's homes. Now it's a hot trend in restaurants, from the corner pub to the fanciest place. I chose the Jugged Hare in The City which has a highly-rated Sunday lunch. I started with grilled sardines, then I had roast beef with all the trimmings. Both courses were very good.
Today was a Mother's Day in the UK so lots of people were taking their mothers out for lunch. For my quilting friends, this tiled floor was at the entrance of the Jugged Hare.
On the way back from lunch I happened on this sculpture which represents a window washer. He's looking up at a tall, glass-faced building as though assessing how long it will take to wash these windows.
And for my South Carolina friends, here is a photo of okra I saw in a market when I was out.
Total Steps Today: 5,861
Vocabulary Word for Today: Oyster Card. The Oyster Card is a prepaid card for use on the transit system in London. It's a smart card an charges visitors who travel within a certain area a maximum per day. If you're planning to visit London it's best to order your Oyster Card before you come travel.
3 comments:
I should only read your travelogue at lunchtime. It makes me hungry. :-)
Loved the photo of the Sunday roast. I should only read your travelogue at lunchtime. It makes me hungry. :-)
Have you had a full-on afternoon tea? I'd look forward to that.
No tea yet, but it's on my list. I'll do that while my friend Collier is here if not before!
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