England Part Two: "...indulge your imagination in every possible flight which the subject will afford..."

September 24, 2018

Dear Jane,

I shall, Jane, I shall! This is a quote from your masterpiece, Pride & Prejudice, and it reminded me of my time in England. I must confess that my imagination was taking flight with every new, astonishing location we came upon... Also: Huzzah! I have begun Part Two of my England adventures! In truth, I was not sure that I would actually follow through on this momentous task, but here I am...following through. Small accomplishments, Jane, are life's greatest pleasures. And cake, of course. Small accomplishments and cake.

Now, where did I leave off? Ah, yes- after Rachael and I nearly fainted from elated exhaustion onto our beds the night before, we awoke more or less refreshed and ready to explore London the next morning. Happily, another busy and delightful day was ahead of us!

Day 2

If I remember correctly, day two was a Friday and it was exceedingly diverting. Now, to remind you of a delicate situation from my last letter: My glasses were still broken, Jane. You must not forget this as there was a magical conclusion to the conundrum on day two! Anyway, our morning began on the tube where we rode all the way to {insert tube station here... alas, I cannot remember everything} and we made our way to the illustrious Sky Garden. On the way there, however, we passed an optical shop! Huzzah, my glasses were fixed!...said nobody. The employee within was unable to help me and in truth, I don't believe he wanted to. Ah well, I had my contact lenses in so it was not so very dire in the moment. 

Rachael on the deck!

Back to the Sky Garden. This is an enchanting, indoor public garden that has the most breathtaking views of London. It is also home to restaurants, a charming coffee shop, plant life, etc. What could make an establishment such as this even better, you ask? Entry is free of charge! If any gentle readers wish to visit, please note that you must book your viewing in advance. Anyway, Rachael and I ordered and enjoyed delicious cafè lattes and then wandered around the garden until the doors to the viewing deck opened. What a magnificent way to spend the morning! Once on the viewing deck, we marveled at the glorious sight of London from above.

SKY GARDEN!

However, as it did start to get rather hot and crowded (and we'd had our fill of both caffeine and the beautiful view), we made our way to our next destination: St. Dunstan in the East. Now, Jane, St. Dunstan in the East is not necessarily unknown to tourists, but it is definitely not first on "the list" for most people when they visit London. That being said, it was quite empty apart from some locals (you can tell a local by the fact that they don't have a wide-eyed expression of wonder or camera at the ready). Now, in order to properly explain St. Dunstan and it's fascinating history, I am going to use the old "Copy & Paste" method of explanation. The following is from the City of London's website: 

The Ruins of St. Dunstan in the East

"The Church of St Dunstan was originally built around 1100...and was repaired in 1631. It was severely damaged in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. Rather than being completely built it was patched up. A steeple and tower was added in 1695-1701 by Sir Christopher Wren. The Church was again severely damaged in the Blitz of 1941. Wren's tower and steeple survived the bombing.... after World war II it was decided not to rebuild St Dunstan’s. In 1967 the City of London decided to turn the remains into a public garden, which opened in 1970."

Someday my prince will come...
and he will probably be
impressed by my ability to pose
like a model in public places.

A most fascinating history, is it not? As you can imagine, a ruined church in the midst of a garden makes for a perfect fairy-tale setting. In fact, for those gentle readers who are also fans of the film, "Ever After," I felt like I was Danielle meeting Prince Henry in the ruins. *JUST BREATHE* (It should be noted that a prince neither appeared to myself nor my sister whilst we were in the garden.) 

Next on the itinerary was a captivating location that I have had my heart set on visiting for quite some time: Leadenhall Market...and it did not disappoint. For those who do not know, Leadenhall Market is a covered outdoor market which has been in existence since the 14th century when it was primarily used as a meat market (the best kind of market, am I right?). Now, however, it houses all sorts of high-end businesses from restaurants to shoe stores to flower shops. More importantly, however, it was a filming location of the famous Wizarding shopping street, "Diagon Alley," in the Harry Potter movies!! The architecture is truly dazzling.

The Leaky Cauldron...
AKA the optical shop. Photo has been
 edited to enhance your sense of magic.

Additionally, it just so happens that where they filmed the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, now stands...if you can you believe it...an optical shop! So, not only did I get to stand outside the shop and marvel at it's existence like the true Harry Potter nerd that I am, but I ventured inside and real magic was performed before my very eyes! An employee in the shop was kind enough to repair my glasses free of charge! He basically said, "Oculus Reparo!" but he must have said it as a non-verbal spell; we couldn't risk the muggles outside getting wind of what was going on. Huzzah for magic, kindness and Harry Potter!

The tremendous Leadenhall Market!

At this point in the day it wasn't even 11:45 in the morning yet! So much adventure before noon...shall I continue, Jane? YES, I MUST.

Adieu, Anne Boleyn!

After we explored Leadenhall, we had a quick stroll by the Tower of London on our way to lunch. As we were not able to make a trip inside this time, I had to pay my silent respects to Queen Anne Boleyn as we passed by (one must never forget to do this if one is so near the Tower, you know). 

Pretty Sissy and Prosecco!

Lunch, as it happened, was an event in and of itself. Fortunately, I made reservations at a most exclusive and esteemed restaurant called The Coppa Club, long before we arrived in London. Our eldest sister, Regina, had first told us about it and we just had to have a meal there! This restaurant is known for having special outdoor pods for people to dine in throughout the year. During the summer, they're called "Paradise Pods" and in the winter they make enclosed igloos. It was an extraordinarily hot day, so sitting in a plastic bubble under the sun was probably not as luxurious as it could have been. Luckily, our table was somewhat in the shade and we ordered a chilled bottle of prosecco straight away! It was actually a most diverting experience and the food was both delicious and affordable...just what two single ladies in possession of no fortune require!

Paradise Pods at the Coppa Club along the Thames!

A splendid sight before sleep
took me hostage.

Feed the Birds, Jane!

After our luncheon, we walked to none other than St. Paul's Cathedral, Jane. What a sight! I have seen it a few times but I am always astonished by the sight of it. Happily, neither myself nor Rachael had ever explored the inside of the cathedral or climbed to the top so that was our next adventure. Once inside, I was so exhausted from the heat and our busy morning that I promptly fell asleep almost immediately upon sitting down. We had those darling audio guides but I heard not a word of it! I quickly took in the general splendour of the room and, of course, imagined the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, but after that I shut my eyes for a good amount of time. #SorryNotSorry. After a nice rest, and some more exploring of the chapel we began our ascent to the Dome! And after what felt like one trillion steps later, we arrived at the top of the Cathedral. I was (excuse my frankness) A HOT, SWEATY, TIRED MESS but the sight that awaited us was divine! 

View from the top of St. Paul's!

The Cheese.

Cider=Happiness

As you can probably surmise, Rachael and I were incredibly fatigued after our climb to the top of St. Paul's and were more than ready for a pint. Luckily, Rachael's favorite pub from her time at King's College was not too far away so we walked with as much gusto as we could gather to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. This charming pub was a favorite of none other than Charles Dickens so you can imagine how brilliant it is. It should also be noted that Hartford, Connecticut resident, Mark Twain also frequented the spot. Now while all that is well and good, I think the best part about it was that there was a cold, pint of cider readily available in a dark, cool, authentic pub basement. It was bliss after our exertions, Jane.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Is day two over yet?!" Well, the answer is, "no," gentle readers. Pray, you have stayed with me this long- I only have a little more to share! 

Beveling in Twinings
is all the rage.

After "The Cheese," we ventured to Twinings (an establishment that you bought tea from as well, Jane!) where I purchased some lovely buttermint tea. Then, as it was down the street, we stopped at St. Clement Danes Church where it is believed that the misguided Lydia Bennet had her hurried wedding to the blackguard, Wickham, in Pride and Prejudice. I love walking in your footsteps, Jane!

As you must be from reading this long account, Jane (and gentle readers), we were exhausted from our day. Naturally, some sisterly bickering ensued which indicated that we were more than ready for a cup of coffee and a respite. We then decided to save ourselves a toilsome journey across town via public transport by hiring a post-chaise to our next destination of Marylebone.

Daunt Books!

Marylebone is a lovely district of London which is home to darling shops, restaurants, etc. and it just so happens that a beautiful bookstore that I had longed to visit is located there as well: Daunt Books. Luckily, this literary establishment was around the corner from our dinner reservation so visiting it worked out splendidly! 

After Rachael kindly humoured me and agreed to browse the books for a spell, we walked excitedly to La Fromagerie for dinner. (Nothing puts a pep in our step quite like the giddy anticipation of dinner, Jane.) And what a dinner it was! Meats, cheeses, nuts, bread, figs, wine...oh my! 

Needless to say, we were content after our meal and ready to walk to our last destination of the evening: Regent's Park Open Air Theater for a truly wonderful production of "Little Shop of Horrors!" Rachael and I LOVE this show, so to see it performed outdoors, in a park, in London was just the most perfect ending to our second day. The weather was grand, the cast was incredible, the production was both unique and creative...a remarkable evening to be sure! Additionally, the actress who played the leading role of Audrey, Jemima Rooper, is of the Austen world! She played the heroine, Amanda Price, in one of my favorite miniseries: Lost in Austen and she was just wonderful in Little Shop! I WAS ELATED, JANE! 

The rest of the evening involved journeying back to our hotel whilst suffering the most acute shoe pain and thigh chafing...but it was all worth it, Jane. 

Until my next fearfully long letter...

Yours Faithfully,

Amanda

BONUS CONTENT: The selfies during our climb to the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral do more justice than my words ever could. Enjoy.

Amanda Is Out of Shape: A Series

Made it to the whispering gallery
...wait there's more!?

"WHY AREN'T WE DONE YET!?"

SO CLOSE!

We reached the top!
Look at those red cheeks...