time flies, and so do i, apparently, as i write this on the plane headed back toward seattle. feels very odd to be heading back already, like i hadn’t quite gotten everything i needed out of this trip; more than likely my last journey just spoiled me a bit.
anyways–back to where we left off.
sunday was, especially compared to the previous four, a rather lazy day. i spent most of it in off my feet, writing and hunting about for things to do to occupy some of the rest of my time. i went out early in the afternoon to pick up a tea and ended up walking for about two hours, connecting familiar streets to new ones. by the time i got back i was slightly regretting that decision (or, at least, my feet were). i did properly commit to taking a breath for the rest of the evening, if you don’t count popping out to grab dinner.
on monday morning, i took the tube north this time to a village, still technically a part of london, called highgate, to see the famous highgate cemetery.
i had mentioned it last time, but they really do know how to do a graveyard justice.
this cemetery in particular is notable for being the setting of an infamous vampire hunt (spoiler: they didn’t find any) and for its occupants, including karl marx:
as well as authors george eliot (middlemarch, etc) and douglas adams (hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, etc). bet you can’t guess whose headstone is whose:
after a fair amount of time with the dead, i stopped by a bookshop because of course i did and walked down through hampstead heath into camden town, originally in search of a dubiously mapped tea room. i found myself in camden market, colourful and chaotic, eating a cornish pasty and wondering how i had ended up browsing vintage clothes stalls for so long.i had a nice dinner out that evening and returned to the flat knackered yet again.
tuesday morning i was up and out by half eight to catch the train to brighton, just an hour’s journey south of the city once i got to the station. i had missed traveling by train; something about the movement and the passing scenery and the ability to stand up and move to another carriage if there’s a screaming child just really sets a good tone. my five year old self would be having a field day.i arrived into brighton and was greeted by the rain, which was no surprise as it had been sprinkling off and on at the very least the whole stay. honestly, i might have been a bit disappointed if it hadn’t. i stopped for a very nice fry up (✓) at a rather classy pub, the lightly jazzy atmosphere only occasionally punctuated by the owner’s young child following a waiter about, asking silly questions. feeling quite full, i headed toward the shore and brighton pier.
located on the south shore of great britain, brighton’s beach is pretty temperate and made up of large, round pebbles. the channel was very still, and the small waves that dared approach the shore hissed through the stones as they retreated.
the pier itself is a coney-island-esque fun fair, covered in arcade machines and little roller coasters and helter skelters and haunted houses. a fortune telling machine told me now was the time to start that project. (‘what project do you mean, zoltar?’ ‘you know, the one you’ve been considering.’)
i stopped then into the aquarium–the very first aquarium in the world–which was partially closed for maintenance. they very graciously gave me a voucher to come back again for free before july. having seen an aquarium before, it wasn’t especially riveting, but i absolutely would be kicking myself if i hadn’t gone in while i was there.
i took a long walk down the shore then, following the road east and around before winding my way back through the streets to the brighton museum and art gallery at the pavillion. it was really excellent to see museum space dedicated to LGBTQ history–one room on queer fashion, another on experiences and artefacts from the lives of local transgender people. i had seen plaques and quiet nods to queer history in a number of museums and galleries before, but it made me quite emotional seeing such significant space and care dedicated to the community. they don’t call brighton the queer capital of the UK for nothing.
a cream tea (✓✓), a bit of shopping, and a delayed train (✓✓✓) later, i was back in london and in for the night.
wednesday came about with a groan, and a minor hitch with my bank card kept me off the tube for the day. fortunately for me, however, it was also uncharacteristically sunny, and kept quite warm so long as you weren’t in the breeze. i walked a winding path from aldgate all the way to and through hyde park, back up and about the regent’s park via baker street, over and down through the barbican centre, and then back about to aldgate. it ended up being about twelve miles total, stopping every now and then to pop into a costa or waterstones or pret a manger, or to journal a bit. exhausting as it was, it was also genuinely enjoyable to just be about the city. i’m sure i’ve sung london’s praises enough! it felt like a victory lap.
bank snafu dealt with, i left this morning feeling as though i’d seen simultaneously more than i’d hoped and less than i’d anticipated.
i left feeling even more connected to the city and to my friends who live all around the country. not yet home, i’m already itching to head back.
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