Evan’s flight was scheduled for late afternoon, we we wanted to do something fast and local this morning. Larry and I first walked over to Chapel Market, where there were just a few produce stands, and mostly housewares. We took the few bus stops over to the British Library, first stopping to admire the imposing St. Pancras.
My favorites are always the gorgeously illustrated old books, including the Golden Hagaddah from 1th century Spain. Really, I hadn’t noticed the “No photographing” sign until I was politely stopped by a guard.
We went back to the flat to pick up Evan’s bag, and went down to London Bridge to have some lunch before his train to the airport. Want to try the new pasta place which gets such good reviews, but the line was down the street. Instead got a table at the turkish Arabica in Borough Market, and then found out that the train had been cancelled, and he’s need to get an earlier one. The waitress was helpful in steering us to quickly prepared things, and after a tasty and fast lunch, we were out the door.
After seeing Evan onto the train, Larry and I headed over to Soho, where we had tickets to see Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart in Pinter’s No Man’s Land. They were absolutely brilliant in their roles, giving Pinter’s sometimes head-scratching words shape. I love how a gifted actor can impart humor or despair just with how a line is timed, or with subtle body language. And I adore the jewel-box London theaters, the intimacy so different from Broadway.
We met up with old friends Jonathan, Philippa and Susan in Leicester Square. Larry and I had a go on the light-up seesaws, there’s video footage here for blackmail purposes. Amy is really 4 years old. We took the bus up to our flat so J&P could drop their bags and chatted a bit, then walked down to Exmouth Market where Berber & Q was just opening. Modern Israeli food, lots of fantastic tastes and textures. We began with an assortment of mezes–slices of smoky eggplant, a delicious beet and orange salad, chiles in yogurt, a rich and chunky humus, a salad of okra and beans much better than it sounds. The short menu emphasizes schwarma, so we shared the fantastic lamb schwarma and chicken, served with herby salads, sauces, and pita. Great food, although the environment got so noisy when full we had difficulty hearing each other, something I hate about so many restaurants these days in my grumpy middle years. I’d certainly go again for the food, but only if I could eat outside or take away.
Destination Anywhere 