A Lecture, More Museums and Music, Meeting with Friends

On Tuesday, April 28, Peter and I were supposed to go for a tour of the Charter House, an almshouse and estate in Clerkenwell, the history of which dates back to 1348. However, delivery of PVC sheets Peter is going to shape to fit the bimini frame was scheduled for that morning, so we cancelled that plan. There are plenty of tasks to do on the boat, and I am far behind in reading the designated books for two different bookclubs next week, so most of the day was passed with chores and reading for me. The PVC sheets arrived around noon, and Peter and I carried one of the four from the nearest road to the boat. They are not heavy but are awkwardly big. We then decided to use a dock cart for the other three and managed to get them to the gate to the dock. We needed someone to hold the gate open, and I asked a couple strolling by with their dog if they could assist us. It turned out that it made more sense for me to hold the gate and the men to transport the sheets to the boat. We then invited the couple (+dog) to the boat, which they were quite eager to see. It may have sparked a wild idea for them to buy a boat and adopt a similar crazy lifestyle as us!

While Peter worked on projects on his very long list, again, I spent some time on the phone and online with various northern European embassies trying to find a way to travel in the North and Baltic Seas for more than the 90 days allowed with a travel visa in the Schengen Area. It was a frustrating and fruitless endeavor which has caused Peter and me to rethink our cruising plans. Our current thought is to cruise from mid-May to mid-July and then travel to the East Coast of the U.S. (by air) to visit Katya and go on the annual Rodgers Family beach vacation in Maryland. We will then return to the boat, wherever she is in Scandanavia, and cruise for another month in continental Europe before returning to the south coast of England and making our way to Ireland, where we will probably leave the boat for the winter (as opposed to the previous plan to leave her in Spain). Like the water we travel on, our plans are fluid.

I finally got around to cooking some sauces for meals in the early afternoon. I made big pots of chana masala and ratatouille and some rice. Matthew was coming for dinner that evening and was looking forward to one of my home-cooked meals. Alas, just as I was finishing up, with the plan to finish the simmering of the chana masala before dinner, the liquid propane gas ran out, as we feared it would some time soon. The challenging task of finding a way to get more gas, by legal or illegal means, rose to the top of Peter's list!

An empty gas tank, purchased last year in Greenland

We had a Caesar salad for lunch. Afterwards, I went to the Post Office on Wapping High Street and then stopped at Waitrose as I returned to purchase food that can be heated in the microwave. I am still amazed at the small size of packages of food available here. 

The largest box of crackers I could find

Peter and I met Matthew at St. Olave Hart Street church (which is dedicated to a Viking warrior who became a saint) just after 6 p.m. Inside we accepted glasses of wine and plates of cake before seating ourselves in the front of the sanctuary. We were there to attend a 6:30 lecture by the author of the recently published First Kings: Forged by Vikings in England and Norway by R.A.J. Waddingham, which relates the ninth-century history of Viking raids and settlement in the British Isles and the subsequent conflicts and alliances between the Vikings and English and Norwegian leaders. These resulted in Athelstan becoming the first king of England and Harald Fairhair rising as the first King of Norway. Waddington is a dynamic speaker and accompanied his lecture with slides which elucidated the geography and lineages. Afterwards, we talked with the pastor about the church building history and members of the Cheap Ward, one of the 25 sections or aldermanries of the City of London, which are a survival the medieval governmental system. (The Court of Aldermen elects the Lord Mayor of London from among its membership.) 

Not being able to offer Matthew a hot meal aboard Mantra, we went to a nearby pub, The Crutched Friar, for dinner. It was a very noisy place. Not only did it have big screen televisions (which I detest in eating establishments), but, unlike in the U.S., the audio was on at a high enough volume to compete with loud voices, which erupted into shouts every time one of the two teams competing in a German vs. French team match scored. However, the menu was appealing, and I chose butternut squash ravioli and Peter and Matthew selected wagyu hamburgers. Unfortunately, they were out of these selections. I settled for the other vegetarian entry, but that was also not available. Peter and Matthew had burgers and fries while I contented myself with a side dish of sweet potato fries. 

After dinner, we walked to St. Katherine Docks. On Mantra, we enjoyed cookies and Matthew and Peter had beers while we chatted for a couple hours. Matthew, who lives alone, was happy for the chance to talk.

Each day, as we stay up later, we get up later in the morning, a couple hours after sunrise. Yesterday, April 29, it was nearly 9:00 when I arose. Not being able to cook breakfast as usual, I, as well as Peter, had a bowl of cereal. I then prepared a bucket of bleach and water and cleaned the pilot house and cockpit. I think the last of the m old has been eradicated now.

After a quick lunch of crackers and cheese, I left to visit another museum, this time the Wallace Collection which is displayed in 25 galleries in the Hertford House at Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Hertford. It is named after Sir Richard Wallace, who was the illegitimate son and heir to the unentailed estate of the Richard Seymour-Conway, the fourth marquess. Sir Wallace's widow bequeathed the entire collection to the nation in 1897. 

The collection includes exceptional paintings, sculpture, ceramics, furniture and arms and armor. Artists represented by some of their masterpieces include Titian, Velázquez, Rubens and Van Dyck as well as Frans Hall, Joshua Reynolds, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher . In addition, there are pieces of Limoges enamel, maiolica, Sèvres porcelain and bronze sculptures. The museum is famous for its collection of 18th-century French paintings, decorative arts and furniture. Works of the ancien régime; wealthy British families purchased most of these pieces after the French Revolution, when the Republic sold them, free of taxes.

I joined a docent tour led by a delightful woman with an expansive knowledge of the works and their acquisition as well as the historical times of their creation and acquisition. Then, I spent time on my own, as impressed by the rooms themselves as much as the works. The design of each room is highly coordinated, mimicking the strict etiquette of 18th-century French palaces. The walls are covered in brilliantly hued silks; ornate crystal chandeliers hang from the high ceilings; rich woods such as mahogany are featured in doors and trim; and gold touches highlight architectural features.

One of the rooms of arms and armor

Knights' armor

Turkish design Minton-tiled alcove off the Smoking Room

Former Billiard Rom

A gallery in the Wallace Collection

The Great Gallery

East Gallery room

Another East Gallery room

Large drawing room

Large drawing room looking into the another room

Oval drawing room

Sèvres porcelain display

Drawing room displaying ceramics and furniture from France

Room with works by Thomas Gainsborough and other British artists

I left the Wallace Collection just before it closed at 5 p.m. and made my way via the Elizabeth Line to Milton Concert Hall at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, meeting up with Peter's cousin Wendy and her decades-long partner Don as well as Peter in the lounge, where we embraced and then enjoyed refreshments before entering the venue to enjoy a piano and voice concert featuring the works of Nadia Boulanger and her pupils, including the famous American composer Aaron Copeland. Boulanger was a French music teacher, conductor and composer who taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the twentieth. She was the first woman to conduct many major orchestras in America and Europe.

The piano was played brilliantly by several different students, and the short pieces were sung individually, with exceptional vocal tone, texture and resonance, by multiple young sopranos and one tenor. Extremely talented, the singers, we noticed, still lack the stage presence, dramatic gestures and personality of older and accomplished performers. Still, this did not diminish the quality of their music.

After the concert, the four of us stopped by Mantra (to show off the boat) and then went to dinner nearby Poplars Restaurant at the Dickens Inn, where we enjoyed more conversation about family and the state of the world.

It is another bright and sunny day here in London, even bordering on warm in the sunshine (but not the shade). We are even able to let in some fresh air through open hatches. I am going to the Tate Modern this afternoon while Peter continues to work through his task list at a slow but steady pace. This evening we will get together with friends for dinner.