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fauxkloreThe primary reason for this trip (and, in particular, the timing of it) was attending the Fforde Ffiesta in Swindon, England. That deserves (and will get) its own post. I had a brief interlude in London before heading to Swindon. I’ve been to London more times than I can remember and it’s an easy place to spend time. In particular, the gentleman with whom I’m conducting the world’s longest running brief meaningless fling lives there. He’s a workaholic, so I go my own way during the day and we spend evenings together. The first night, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant which was okay, but located in a basement reached by a somewhat treacherous spiral staircase. The second night we walked over to the Kensington Marriott and had dinner at their restaurant. The food was fine, but the service was not particularly efficient. He also got to listen to me bore him with various details about my recent (and some older) travels.
I really had just one free day for sightseeing. I had contemplated going to the V&A East, but decided that was a bit too much out of the way. Instead, I decided to go the British Museum, which I had not been to in several years. Before that, I checked out a Jewish deli restaurant, Tongue & Brisket. (They have a few branches, but the Goodge Street one is the closest to the British museum.) I had a very good tongue sandwich and cole slaw, before walking over to the museum.
My primary goal was related to a previous trip to England, when I’d visited my friend, Diana, who lives in Ipswich and we went to Sutton Hoo. While they have a museum on site, the actual artifacts from the ship burial there are in the British Museum and I wanted to see them. In particular, there is this helmet.
The same section also has the remains of Lindow Man, the first well-preserved bog body found in Britain. The body was found in 1984 and has been referred to as the oldest murder mystery in the country, since the evidence is that he died a violent death.
There are, of course, dozens of other things to see at the British Museum, ranging from the collection of an Assyrian library to assorted mummies to timepieces to a room about money, which had this rather remarkable display.
The downside is that the museum does get quite crowded and, since it was a weekday, there were large groups of noisy schoolchildren. Still it was a good place to spend some time and I don’t have to go back for another 20 or so years.
I really had just one free day for sightseeing. I had contemplated going to the V&A East, but decided that was a bit too much out of the way. Instead, I decided to go the British Museum, which I had not been to in several years. Before that, I checked out a Jewish deli restaurant, Tongue & Brisket. (They have a few branches, but the Goodge Street one is the closest to the British museum.) I had a very good tongue sandwich and cole slaw, before walking over to the museum.
My primary goal was related to a previous trip to England, when I’d visited my friend, Diana, who lives in Ipswich and we went to Sutton Hoo. While they have a museum on site, the actual artifacts from the ship burial there are in the British Museum and I wanted to see them. In particular, there is this helmet.
The same section also has the remains of Lindow Man, the first well-preserved bog body found in Britain. The body was found in 1984 and has been referred to as the oldest murder mystery in the country, since the evidence is that he died a violent death.
There are, of course, dozens of other things to see at the British Museum, ranging from the collection of an Assyrian library to assorted mummies to timepieces to a room about money, which had this rather remarkable display.
The downside is that the museum does get quite crowded and, since it was a weekday, there were large groups of noisy schoolchildren. Still it was a good place to spend some time and I don’t have to go back for another 20 or so years.
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Date: 2026-06-07 11:54 am (UTC)I've never been to Sutton Hoo, but I've seen the stuff at the museum in London. I have a replica of the helm, which I have worn at a few shows.
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Date: 2026-06-07 11:59 am (UTC)Sutton Hoo is worth going to if you ever get the opportunity. Sent from my iPhone
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Date: 2026-06-07 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-06-07 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-06-08 12:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-06-08 02:46 am (UTC)Almost certainly true. We spent the better part of a day there and felt like we'd only scratched the surface.