Hop: The flight over the pond was reasonably uneventful, except for the airline serving a vegetarian option that is more of a guessing game than a meal. I knew that once I was through the security gates most of my pre-flight anxiety would be left behind. This anxiety seems to be centred on actually missing a flight, not, as in this case, leaving behind my love, my friends, my dog, and everything comfortable and familiar about my life. Not especially rational, but once through the security gates there is an inevitability of the coming hours; no decisions to make, so no chance of making wrong ones.
The flight times are odd and I end up just doing away with one night’s sleep. Despite being bumped up to a wider seat it is still impossible (for me) to actually sleep. I meditate — on the first class beds in the cabin in front of me. Leaving at 6:30pm means arriving in London at 1:30 Waterloo time (6:30 London time). My friend and mentor, Patrick, has provided me with impeccable instructions on how to get to the flat in Kensington that he is house sitting. I discover later his partner, Penelope, is the real architect of the instructions. Still, this involved getting through customs (which was about as casual as entering Canada from our southern neighbour — “any smokes, booze, or guns, today”), negotiating the huge Heathrow Terminal 5 (you need to take an internal subway just to get to the building that allows you to exit to the world), taking the underground, and finally a taxi; all at about 2:30 my time.
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| The Italianate piazza by St Paul's Cathedral |
Skip: I arrived at their door about 9:30 local time, which is 4:30 internal clock time. Penelope fortifies me with two cups of strong, caffeinated tea and we set off to explore London. Penelope is English by birth, lived in London as a child, and is proud both of the city and her skills as a tour director. Thoughtfully, she has planned a series of routes of ever expanding circles from which we may return at any time. But surprisingly I keep going until 11:00pm, after being up for 30 hours. The next day I awoke at 7:00am, and felt like it was 7:00am. That evening Patrick and I stayed up till 1:00am talking.
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| The Airstream cafe |
In all, over the three days I am in London I skip about Kensington, Holland and Hyde Parks, Chinatown, Soho, Covent Garden, Piccadilly, and the South Bank. Sightings included the Parliament Buildings and Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, a remarkable number of art deco buildings, and an airstream trailer. Patrick and I spent hours at the Tate Modern and the British Museum. Just prior to leaving Canada, Ontario Bruce (a distinct entity from Manitoba Bruce) sent me a link for the BBC A History of the World in 100 Objects. The objects are all found in the British Museum and with guide in hand I have now seen 21 of the objects (and the empty display case for another — removed for some reason).
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| Oldest know carving of love making, 10,000 BCE |
Jump: The flight south to Accra is the same length as crossing the Atlantic, but Ghana is in the same time zone. This is a good thing, as Helen Lauer, the head of the Philosophy Department, met me at the airport and kept me running until yesterday afternoon, meeting all manner of administrators. I’m grateful for her meeting me, though, as I arrived after dark and it would have been a very disoriented journey to my accommodations. That, and I had no idea where I was to be staying. It is difficult, even with Google Maps and Earth, to judge real differences and the campus of the University of Ghana is huge. My room is a 15-20 minute walk from the main gate and my office the same distance again from my room. People even take cabs around the campus. Once classes start is will be a sweaty hike from my office to the classrooms. I appreciate the desire to arrive dry.
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