Wembley, Actually
I grew up eating those white and black packages of cheese and powdered milk marked “USDA Government Surplus”, a 1960’s form of food stamps, which may in part explain my perpetual desire to save a buck.
So it was I found myself in a “World Traveler Plus” seat aboard a British Airways 777-200ER, a bird with some serious miles.
World Traveler Plus purports to give you a slightly larger and more-reclining seat than mere coach along with some business class amenities for the Atlantic flight at about half the cost of business class.
Probably the biggest advantage is a smaller dedicated cabin for “Plus” class meaning more quiet.
And, the seat was wider and did recline more; that and a double dose of valium and some other sleep aide I had caused me to miss the evening meal, eat breakfast without recalling it and to stumble off the aircraft at Heathrow.
I had no idea of the time and wasn’t sure I cared.
My seatmate informed me I didn’t snore, little did she know that was the least of the possible drug-induced shenanigans.
But, I was in London.
Solo
This is a “spur of the moment I need to get the hell out of here trip.”
The first thing you notice is that a male passenger traveling alone with just a small backpack and no checked baggage apparently ticks all the security boxes.
I was pulled out of line at boarding for a good once over which happily involved me being sent to the front of the boarding line afterward.
British Immigration fairly grilled me about my plans of which there are few.
Before I knew it, I was left loose on London.
The Tube
I’m a mass transit user so the Tube seemed a logical option.
At Heathrow there is a Kiosk staffed with folks who, at least in my case, questioned me closely about where I am staying and where I would be traveling in order to make sure I purchased the best farecard, one known as the “Oyster Card.”
Tube trains seem more intimate and homey than DC’s metro with a smaller interior space and brightly colored cushions.
The stations are a warren of pedestrian tunnels with walls of glazed colored tile and good signage, essential for the ignorant traveler.
First Stop: The Imperial War Museum
The museum, located in Lambeth, south London, is in an old hospital, the Bethlem Royal Hospital, better known as Bedlam and has been on the site since 1936.
The central atrium is a wide open, 5-story space hung with aircraft and with galleries on each of the six floors.
Major exhibits include both World Wars, an extensive array of Victoria Crosses, a floor devoted to the Holocaust and even a small gallery of John Singer Sargent works.
Perhaps the most popular current exhibit at the museum are new galleries devoted to the 100th anniversary of the British effort during the First World War.
Britain, like all of Europe was devastated by the static trench warfare which killed millions.
The first day of the Somme offensive in 1916, there were 57,000 British casualties, and most of those before lunch.
The exhibits are both dense and sophisticated, using overhead laser projection and sound effects with superb results.
One such exhibit near the beginning uses animation to explain the tensions and monarchical politics responsible for the outbreak of war.
There is over an hour of vintage film showing troops in the trenches and the life there.
One of the jarring aspects of trench life is that you could go from the streets of London on leave to the hell of the front in less than a day.
Troops regularly received food packages from Fortnum and Mason and London papers from a day or two before.
Life and death, war and peace were a jumble.
WWI Exhibit
I made the same old mistake–trying to see too much at once.
Perhaps I’ll go back and see just the WWI exhibit.
We’ll have to see.
Long day, off to Wembley, mate.