London accommodations: From swanky to dingy

The Hotel Russell in the Bloomsbury/University of London area

The photo above shows the entrance to the Hotel Russell, located on Russell Square in the Bloomsbury/University of London area of the city. It houses a nice restaurant, a bar, and conference and gala ballrooms -- in addition to 343 rooms, ranging in Olympics-time rates of £264-336 ($436-$589 USD) per night. It's not the most expensive hotel in London, but it's also not where you stay if you're on a tight budget.

So that was not where I stayed -- but fortunately, neither was this:

Low-end hostel accommodations near Paddington Station

The room above is part of a hostel on the upper floor of a pub in the not-so-charming (OK, depressing) Paddington Station area, where I took the train back to Heathrow. The pub advertised rooms for £19, ($33 USD) per night, and the bartendress on duty was nice enough to show me the upstairs when I asked to see what £19 accommodations were like. Come Olympics-time, the rate was going up to £50 ($88 USD).

Hostels are the most affordable lodging
The room was humid with a dank, musty smell and shower/restroom facilities down the hall. According to the guidebooks, hostels can be a good option if you are traveling on a really tight budget and don't mind sharing sleeping facilities with strangers.

However, I think you can find better hostel accommodations than the room pictured above. Fodor's London 2011 recommends a hostel, which like the Hotel Russell, is in the Bloomsbury/University of London area. It's called "The Generator," and lodging there ranges from £20-35 ($35-61 USD) per night. (Bloomsbury is the brainy, intellectual part of London; featuring the British Museum, which is worth a visit whenever you can go.)

The Generator has a restaurant, a bar, free internet access, and the option of single and twin rooms with their own washup facilities. It's described as a place where partiers can find fellow partiers, which is code for young, fun and probably noisy. Here's the official Website.

A/C and en suite, yes, please
Also worth knowing: Not all London accommodations have air-conditioning. This summer, the temperature in London has been running in the low- to mid-70s, so the need for A/C has not been as critical as in most parts of the U.S. during our record-hot summer. But still, my third-floor room at the "not-that" Four Seasons back in March was uncomfortably humid during the one afternoon that I was there for a few mintues -- but fine when I returned after dark. For Olympics visitors, after-dark could be as late as 10:30 p.m. because, believe it or not, that's how late the sun can set in England during the summer.

Another helpful FYI: The term "en suite" means that a room has its own toilet facilities. If you are booking online, especially if your place-to-stay is not a traditional hotel, do not assume that your room will have a toilet unless "en suite" is part of the description.

Next up: My accommodations at the "not-that" Four Seasons. This will be a live link as soon as the post is written.

Covent Garden, Tralfagar Square and the Grand Connaught Rooms

Jacqui led the way into Covent Garden.

Covent Garden today is an outdoor market and favorite tourist attraction, filled with produce, shops, restaurants and teeming with energy.

But Covent Garden tied to London's history is really too much to describe because it dates all the way back to the 1st century A.D., when London was occupied by the Romans and known as "Londinium." That's according to Covent Garden's official Website, where a timeline from then to now puts it all in perspective.

This covered area is a central feature of the outdoor market

After graduation on Tuesday morning back in March, that's where our little group headed to find a lunch-worthy restaurant. We had the afternoon to sight-see while marking time until the evening's celebratory dinner at the Grand Connaught rooms. Our group, as described in a previous post, consisted of my friend and fellow-graduate Steve, his sister Jacqui, their dad, David, and step-mom, Margaret. Circumstances worked out that another friend and fellow-graduate, Patty and her husband, Diego, were also able to join us, which made for a very interesting lunch.

Clockwise: Deigo, Patty, Margaret, Jacqui, Steve and David

Patty and Deigo are originally from Ecuador, but now living in Germany where he is working on his Ph.D. in economics and is very interested in game theory. So our discussion touched on that (because I asked him to explain it), whether (wo)man is rational, and what exactly was in the desert that Steve and Jacqui ordered. The dessert was called a trifle, and one of the ingredients was jelly, Jell-O or gelatin. We never really did get that figured out because Steve and Jacqui had empty dishes before the discussion got that far.

Also in Covent Garden, the historic landmark below is St. Paul's Church (not St. Paul's Cathedral). It dates back to the early 1600s.



St. Paul's Church is known also as the "actors church" because of its historic

assocation with the theatre.

The afternoon took us next to Tralfagar Square, which commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar and the British Naval victory over Napoleon. It's also where London welcomes the new year.



A statue of Horatio Alger, who commanded the British fleet at the Battle

of Trafalgar, tops the verticle monument. The figure on the horse is George IV.

After a brief visit to the National Portrait Gallery, we headed to off to the Grand Connaught Rooms for dinner -- in a London taxi.

Let me just say this about that: Good grief! Mr. Toad and his wild ride have nothing on London taxi drivers.

Graduation dinner at the Grand Connaught rooms was lovely and swanky, and I learned that a British dessert called a "custard" is nothing like American custard but more like an apple crisp and is absolutely delicious.

Outside the Grand Connaught Rooms



A gorgeous venue and a delicious meal

The previous post tells of graduation at the Barbican Centre and the first part of the day.

Graduation in London: Goal achieved

Graduation, which was the reason I went to London this past March, happened on Tuesday morning at the Barbican Centre -- and it was the highlight of the six-day trip.

For five years, my nights, weekends, holidays and whatever time I could free-up from my work as a copywriter were invested toward this goal. In a city that would host the Olympic Games in just a few months, I already felt like the recipient of a gold medal in perseverance.

Photos from that morning tell the rest of the story.

The Barbican Centre rises on approach

Barbican Centre entrance

The view upon entering. This must really be happening...

Yours truly and fellow-graduate Steve in front

of the photo-op backdrop before the ceremony

Steve's family: Margaret & David, a.k.a. "M&D" (step-mom and dad),

 Steve, and his sister Jacqui. They had all taken the train in from Woking,

 a city of approximately 100,000 about 30 miles southwest of London. M & D,

reside in the county of Dorset. Situated on the southern coast of

 the English Channel, Dorset is known for its breathtaking beauty.

A good shot showing our "hoods" from the back. Unfolded, they look

 like something like an article of medieval clothing called a "liripe,"

and they're almost impossible to fit onto yourself without help. Each

 program of study was represented by a different color. Ours was

a lovely pale yellow.

The attire of the woman to Steve's left illustrates the diversity

 of graduates' home countries.

The stage is set before the ceremony. University of London faculty

sit in the chair rows beneath the banner. The large chair at front is for

the regent of the university (Princess Anne or "The Princess Royal,"

as she is referred to by the British). We did not learn until just before

the ceremony that she would actually be there to preside. Unfortunately,

the taking of photos during the ceremony was prohibited
 with the warning"we will shoot you if you do it..."

The venue begins to fill with graduates

I do have screenshots of the ceremony's Webcast, including a close-up of

Princess Anne delivering the opening address. However, my request

for permission to use them is still awaiting an answer from the university.

In the meantime, you can watch a streaming video of the ceremony here,

if you wish.The arrival of Princess Anne occurs at about 2:00 in the time code.

(Our group starts crossing the stage at about 81:30.)

According to a recently heard PBS program, Princess Anne's calendar is filled with more

than 500 appearances each year, so we were fortunate that our morning

ceremony was among them. With around 800 graduates and in the interest

of time, the event was divided into a morning and an afternoon ceremony,

and she did not preside over the afternoon ceremony.

As the ceremony drew to a close, I decided that the risk of actually

 being shot was low -- so I quickly pulled out my camera, aimed

 and clicked. That explains the poor focus, but you can still tell that

the figure front and center is the Princess Royal.

After the ceremony: Our row of eight graduating

with the MSc in organizational psychology

Also after the ceremony: We were not all able to find one another

for a group photo, though a few of us managed it. The students I knew

included Lucinda from St. Kitts (far left), Barbara (Canadian

& Austrian), and Steve (in back) (British living in Geneva). Also in the back

row are Chris (hat and orange robe), who is head of the our program,

and Andrew, a favorite tutor (professor).

As you can see, the hoods don't stay in place by themselves. They

 are meant to be anchored beneath a necktie or held by a button.

I made do with bobbie pins. Language FYI: The British do not

"rent" their caps and gowns; they "hire" them.

An after-ceremony shot of Chris, director of our program, and Lee,

who holds it all together from an administrative perspective. Note that

Chris' robe and hat are the official ceremonial regalia for University of London Ph.D.s.

Three of our eight MSc OP graduates: Steve, me,

and Patty, who lives in Germany but is from Ecuador

Cameroon's poor support of its Olympians is consistent with low Mastery values

Lack of training support back at home has been cited as a likely reason behind the disappearance of seven Cameroon-delegation athletes from the Olympic Village in London last weekend.

A CNN story published today included speculation that the missing athletes might be hoping to defect to a country where they could compete as better-supported Olympic contenders.

In the same piece, Aka Amuam Joseph, a member of Cameroon's Olympics commitee, contrasted the sub-par support that his country's athletes receive with much better support provided by South Africa and Nigeria.

This raises at least two interesting questions, the first being whether it's reasonable to compare Cameroon with Nigeria and South Africa. The second: If not, then why not, and what cultural differences may be involved?

South Africa doesn't fit
The first one is easy to answer because South Africa doesn't even fit completely into the same geo-cultural country grouping as Cameroon. Using Project GLOBE's classification, South Africa (caucasian culture) is actually Anglo, joining the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. That alone takes it out of the running for comparison with Cameroon -- but even comparison with black South Africa is problematic.

Black South Africa, which belongs within Sub-Saharan Africa along with Cameroon, Nigeria and some other countries, is actually among the least dissatisfied among all 62 GLOBE societies. Its mean scores are so different from the other Sub-S Africa countries that it sometimes functions as a outlier and wreaks havoc with mean scores for the region.

What about Nigeria?
On the surface, Nigeria appears to be reasonably similar to Cameroon because both countries have Gross Domestic Products (GDP) per capital at a little over $1,000 -- and because both rank low on the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI, 2010).

Yet cultural values tell a different story.

We turn to the Schwartz societal values, which comprise one of the most sophisticated, empirically valid frameworks available to help inform international business decisions and conflict resolution. Schwartz chose teachers as his study participants because he believes they are the carriers of a country's culture.

Of  the seven values, we need only look at two in order to propose an explanation for Cameroon's lack of investment in its Olympic athletes.

Mastery vs. Harmony
Those two values are "Mastery" and "Harmony," and they are conceptual opposites.

In high-Mastery cultures, people are encouraged to "master, direct and change their social and natural environment to meet personal or group goals." Important values are ambition, success, daring and competence. Not too surprisingly, the U.S. ranks very high in Mastery -- and you really don't even need to see the numbers to grasp that Nigeria ranks much higher than Cameroon on this variable.

Because Mastery and Harmony are conceptual opposites, we should expect Cameroon to rank higher on Harmony than Nigeria. And it does. In societies that highly value Harmony, "people are socialized to accept, appreciate and understand the world as is, to try and fit in and not change, direct or exploit." Important values are world peace and unity with nature and the environment. As the chart below illustrates, the U.S. ranks very low in Harmony.

At present, we really don't know much more about the missing athletes other than the fact that they have not been seen in the Olympic Village this week. If and when they surface publicly, we may learn whether lack of training support was the main motivator for their departure. And if another country accepts them as Olympic contenders, well, that could make for some interesting matchups in 2016.

Part 1: A lesser-but-interesting Olympic story: Vanishing athletes from Cameroon

A lesser-but-interesting Olympic story: Vanishing athletes from Cameroon

The surreptitious departure of seven Cameroon delegation athletes will hardly be among the most memorable events of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Yet through the shared lens of a familiar, world-stage event, this odd twist amid stories of competion lets us look at a country that is quite different from the U.S. Point of reference: With a population of about 20 million, Cameroon has about the same area-size as California and is situated on the Western coast of Africa. (CIA Factbook, 2012).

Recapping
To recap, the athletes -- five boxers, a swimmer (all men) and a soccer player (a woman) -- apparently took their belongings and left the Olympic Village last weekend. By Monday, they were gone. Sources interviewed by CNN and NBC describe the departures as intentional, with no suggestion of foul play.

Apparently, this has happened before -- and while the folks back home in Cameroon are still hoping for their athletes' return, interviewed third-parties say that's not likely.

Economic and well-being comparisons
Initial speculation had the athletes leaving for "economic reasons," which if you look at some of the available data on Cameroon, is not hard to believe:

-- Out of 169 nations, Cameroon ranks 131st on the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI, 2010). The U.S. ranks 4th, with Norway at the top. The HDI is widely used as an indicator of quality-of-life.
-- Gross domestic product per capita (GDP) in Cameroon is $1,115 vs. $46,381 in the U.S.
-- Cameroon is a stage-1 economy, which means it relies solely on unskilled labor and natural resources as a basis for business competition. The U.S. is a stage-3 economy, competing on the basis of innovation and the development of new and unique products (World Economic Forum, 2010).
-- Corruption is the most problematic factor for doing business in Cameroon, while in the U.S., corruption ranks 11th on the same indicator. (WEF, 2010).
-- Average life expectancy at birth in Cameroon is only 54.7 compared with 75.8 in the U.S. (CIA Factbook, 2012).
-- Gender inequality in Cameroon is charactized as "appalling... on multiple dimensions," with maternal mortality and adolescent fertility being the strongest contributors (HDI, 2010). Cameroon ranks 129th out of 148 countries on this indicator, with the U.S. 4th from the top. Cameroon's maternal mortality is a staggering 690 deaths out of every 100,000 mothers giving birth to live babies, compared with 21 out of 100,00 in the U.S. (CIA Factbook, 2012).

Maybe it's really about the Olympics
If all the above is not reason enough to leave a country that you call home, CNN is reporting that the athletes' departure may have had more to do with lack of government resources for proper training. In a story published today, CNN quoted Aka Amuam Joseph, a member of Cameroon's Olympic committee: "Back home, they aren't giving the proper training. They know if they are well trained, they could beat the person from another country... It pains them to be here and see people beat them, who they can beat if they are well taken care of."

Also, according to the report, the athletes have visas (the work permit not the credit card) that allow them to remain in the U.K. until Nov. 8. Further speculation, based on lack of training support at home, has centered on intention to defect. Consider it sort of an international free-agency, where the athletes could be "picked up" by a country that does invest in the training of its Olympians.

Again, quoting Aka Amuam Joseph from today's CNN story:

"Why do Nigerians not flee away? Why do people from South Africa not flee away? When you go there, you see infrastructure of the highest level," Joseph said. "Why don't they flee? They know that what they find in Europe, they find back home."

Who flees, who stays
In fairness to Cameroon, South Africa -- even black South Africa -- is not a valid comparison. Project GLOBE data, if you crunch the numbers, show black South Africans to be among the least dissatisfied respondents among all 62 countries studied. Presumably, this has something to do with advances against apartheid. Nigeria on the other hand seems to be a fairer comparison. Its 2010 HDI rank is 142, even lower than Cameroon's. Its GDP -- at $1,1,42 -- is simlar as well.

Part 2: Cameroon's poor support of its Olympians is consistent with low Mastery values

British TV: Surprise after surprise

British TV is not all "Downton Abbey" and "Foyle's War," though I did catch a bit of the latter falling asleep during my first night in London.

Only at the end of six busy days were there a few minutes allotted for TV viewing, but that was sufficient time to realize that "Masterpiece Theatre" doesn't quite capture it.

Some of what airs in England would absolutely not meet FCC regulations in the U.S. Much of the rest of it just falls into a category that could be generally described as "not-PC" (politically correct). For example, one program -- similar to "The View" in the U.S -- is titled "Loose Women."

"Loose" is probably a reference to "loose tongues," as in being outspoken about one's opinion. However, we don't need a focus group to tell us that that "Loose Women" as a title would likely not have the same connotation among viewers of "The View." Can you imagine Elisabeth Hasselbeck agreeing to being characterized as a "loose woman," even in jest?

Embarrassing bodies

Another British TV offering, "Embarrassing Bodies," is difficult to describe without being... well... gross.

But I will try.

Guests, both male and female, present with physical complaints of a uro-genital nature, followed by a graphic explanation of their symptoms, followed by a physical examination shown from the vantage point of the clinician. It's the sort of thing that medical residents might see during hospital rounds -- or perhaps ob-gyns in the privacy of their own offices.

As far as I can tell, the newscasts weren't that different from those of the major U.S. networks, though I don't recall ever seeing Diane Sawyer or Katie Couric wearing ruffles. A side comment here... Unfortunately, photos are lacking, but two fashion trends are worth a mention.

The first: Black tights and boots worn with mini-skirts, short-shorts, and even business-casual, Berumuda-style shorts. The second: Thick, colorful scarves, tied like at the neck like plumage, worn with every sort of outfit -- and often with those black tights and boots -- even when outside temps are quite comfortable.

And then, there were these guys.

The photo above is from a program called "Nine out of 10 Cats," which has something to do with guessing poll results. The twins are known collectively as "Jedward." According to Wikipedia, they are Jed and Edward Grimes, an Irish pop duo whose fame originated on the original British version of  "The X-Factor."

Adverts

The commercials -- or "adverts" as they are called in England -- were also quite unique. One, in particular, featured a bouncing ball of raw ground beef, again not an image that would work very well in the U.S., where we really don't like to be reminded where our animal protein comes from.

Wrapping up this post, two things are not in doubt. Certainly, my brief encounter with British TV does not do justice to the full range of viewing options. And, I am equally certain that some of our programs in the U.S. would seem quite odd to our British cousins.

However, on "Downton Abbey," we can agree.

Mastering London's bus system... not so much

While the Underground (tube) system in London is very easy to figure out, the same cannot be said of the bus system.

I was highly motivated to ride the busses because there were times when I just needed to sit down, and the Underground trains were almost always standing-room only. Besides that, using the tube is great for speed, but it's like popping in and out of worm-holes, which leaves you with no context for how you got from here to there.

London's zones
Yet another reason: My 7-day Travelcard was only good for zones 1-2. That's enough to see most of London, but the Olympic Park was much further out. Even so, bus transporation was covered.

Even Rick Steves' London 2012, which is an excellent guidebook in most respects, did not adequately explain the bus system, implying that a map could be found easily and that a sight-seer could figure out how to get to the desired destination simply by learning to decipher the signage at the bus stop.

Neither of those proved to be the case, though the guidebook still provided a great deal of helpful information about London bus travel.

The locals try to be helpful, but...
Asking the locals isn't much of a solution either because Londoners, I concluded, do not know how to use their bus system. They only know their own familiar routes. Twice, I was given wrong information by people who really did want to help me. From time-to-time, I would ask a passerby or a patron at The Volunteer if s/he could explain to me how to use the London bus system. To my frustration, the answer was always the same: "Where do you want to go?", usually followed by incorrect information. All of this may just be owing to the nature of city bus travel, rather than bus travel in London, in particular.

My bus-system savvy didn't improve much even after I managed to get hold of a map from a manager at one of the tube stations. Even then, the maps were not out for the public. I asked, and he kindly retrieved one from his office.

A smartphone is the solution
Yet there are solutions... the optimum one being a smartphone that works in London. (Here's a column about that). Once you know where you want to go, all you need to do is plug the coordinates into the travel planner at tfl.gov.uk/Journeyplanner. That's what my friends Patty and Deigo did, and they had no trouble making bus-travel decisions on-the-fly.

I, on the other hand, had a laptop with a slow internet connection in a hotel room that was three flights up. Not all that convenient if you want to stay flexible about where you go next. However, by phone, I managed to reach a woman in some city office, and she actually told me that I was free to call her personally if I was out and about and needed to know where to make a connection.

Now that's hospitality -- and I have to say that I found no shortage of it during my six days in London.

For anyone who is actually interested in learning more about the London bus system, I can tell you that the bus stops are usually paired and near one another. The route is the same, but the busses go in opposite directions -- and it's very easy to get on the wrong one. What actually happens is that, when a bus gets to the end of its route, it turns around and goes in the other direction.

So, the London bus system won the first round -- but there will be a rematch if I have the good fortunate to visit this marvelous city again.

Signage reveals London's hidden psyche

Besides revealing as much about the message sender as it does the target audience, outdoor advertising also adds to the character of a locale in a way that no guidebook can.

In that respect, London did not disappoint.

Sushi to go
Londoners must take their sushi seriously. This signage sits on back of scooters parked outside a restaurant. Cool name for the business and a clever way to advertise as well as deliver.

Steering potential customers

This piece of cattle-sculpture stands atop a restaurant in The City, the oldest part of London.

Snake charmers allowed on the bus
Look closely at the wording beneath the sign.

The morning read
An add for The Guardian, a London news publication. The copy reads, "3 journalists, 4 chefs and 126 people with hangovers discuss the perfect fry-up." In case it's not obvious, the art is supposed to represent a fried egg.

Going green
London seems to be quite committed to progressive environmental policies.

Catch the next one

Guess no one was born knowing how to drive a double-decker bus...

An important message

This billboard is near Paddington Station, which is definitely not one of the more touristy areas of London.

Fire safety
Interesting because I've never seen anything like it in the U.S., where we have fire extinguishers instead of fire blankets. Oddly, this apparatus was in a restroom (not a kitchen) in a theatre on the West End.

The Volunteer: A London pub

The Volunteer became my favorite adopted-neighborhood pub while in London.

Located on Baker Street, it's just two doors down from the Sherlock Holmes Museum and a few blocks north of the Plaza Park Sherlock Holmes Hotel. It was also just a couple blocks over and up from my hotel room, which was actually more like a little kitchenless apartment.

The lines were often long outside the museum, but The Volunteer -- despite its proximity -- did not seem like a tourist trap. Bar-area tables inside and out were populated with groups of friends, young professionals having a drink after work, and the occasional couple.

I could be wrong, but they all seemed like regulars.

A killer exchange rate
If you're planning a trip over and want to project how far your U.S. dollars will go toward food after conversion to Great British Pounds (GBP), The Volunteer's menus will help give you an idea. (Photos at bottom). The exchange rate when I visited was .57 of a pound on the U.S. dollar, which means that it took almost $2 (USD) to equal $1 GBP.

Pubs often have what they call a "fixed-price menu," which is similar to a list of daily specials. Sometimes, these match up with the handwritten menu on a board behind the bar, but you can also request a traditional menu.

To better put this in perspective:

One, two and three courses (appetizer, entree, dessert) from the fixed-price menu at The Volunteer were 7 GBP ($12.30 USD), 10 GBP ($18 USD) and 13 GBP ($23 USD), respectively. I chose, instead, from the traditional menu, and enjoyed a very delicious "mushrooms with stilton cream on rye toast," priced at 5.50 GBP (about $10 USD). The most expensive item on that menu was a 10-oz. rib eye steak with fries, confit tomato and green peppercorn butter for 16 GBP (about $28 USD). (Stilton is a cheese that tasted like bleu or Roquefort. Confit tomatoes are seasoned and roasted in oil). As a footnote, tipping in the bar area is not expected, though it is customary -- at about 10 percent -- if you dine in a pub's restaurant-service area.

Spirits
Alcohol, of course, adds to the ticket.

Apologies to my ale- and lager-imbibing friends. Selections were quite extensive and impressive as far as I could tell. But I just didn't pay any attention because I am more of an oakey chardonnay or sparkling water kind of gal.

Interestingly, British pubs serve wine in two sizes, a 175 mL glass, which is roughly equal to a U.S. standard pour of 6 fl. oz., and a 250 mL glass, which is about 8.5 fl. oz. Bottles are also available.

The least expensive 175 mL glass of wine at The Volunteer was a fruity chenin blanc from South Africa at 3.85 GBP ($7 USD), while the only oakey chardonnay (from Australia) was 5.10 GBP ($9 USD). The chardonnay was priced about the same as what you would pay for a Kendall-Jackson at our local Outback Steakhouse ($7.95), but it's more than the house brand at $4.95.

If you're starting to think that London is an expensive place to visit, you're also starting to get the right picture -- and we haven't even touched on accommodations yet.

Till then, here are a few more photos from The Volunteer:

Notice that the bar is similar to a counter. Unlike a

typical U.S. sports bar, the patrons don't dine there.

A very helpful and courteous staff member at The Volunteer

The view into the street as patrons start to gather after work

 

A primer on British pubs

British pubs are an entity all their own -- a type of venue that I have never encountered in the U.S.

Not exactly anyway.

Respite and refreshment
During my trip to London this past March for graduation, I enjoyed meals in five pubs and ducked into another couple for respite and refreshment -- so I'm fairly convinced that the commonalities I observed probably apply to London pubs in general.

First off, there's no crowd sitting on stools around the bar. At most, you may find three or four stools. But if they are occupied at all, its most likely by patrons who will head off to a nearby high-top table as soon as they give their food and beverage order to the bar staff and pay for it.

That's how it works...

The bar staff at a pub called "The Globe" on Marylebone Road

No tipping in the bar area
If you don't see anything to your liking on the handwritten menu posted behind the bar, the staff will give you a menu and you can have a seat, in which case you order at your table. Still, no tipping is generally the custom in the bar area.

Most of the pubs do have a separate restaurant area, where the service is more like what we are accustomed to in a U.S. pub-type establishment. There, tipping is part of  the service, and according to the guidebooks I read, 10 percent is fairly standard for sit-down service.

Because London is a city -- with space at a premium -- the various rooms within a pub are often on different floors out of necessary. If the establishment has a traditional dining area, don't be surprised if it's up a flight of narrow stairs. If you need to use the loo/water closet, it's almost always upstairs or downstairs, which is not great news if your feet and knees are aching from walking or if you have some other mobility issue. If you call it a "rest room," the British will know what you mean, but they don't generally use the term.

Next post: Pub fare and pricing

More photos from The Globe:

The bar area "The Globe" looking out onto Marylebone Road

Delicious open-faced seafood sandwich with chips. Notice that the chips are wide,

 similar to what we know in the U.S. as "steak fries." The seafood medley included

baked salmon, cod and tuna salad. Nothing wrong with the tomatoes. I just don't like tomatoes.

Hyde Park and Speakers' Corner

Hyde Park was on my list of attractions to visit in London, mainly because I wanted to see whether anyone was really trying to rally a crowd at Speakers' Corner.

No one was, possibly because I went on a Monday, and the soapbox oratory that supposedly goes on there happens on Sunday afternoons.

So drat!

According to Rick Steves' London 2012, anyone who has something to say and wants an audience can gather one on Sunday afternoons at Speakers' Corner. Apparently, speakers climb step-ladders, wave flags, wear sandwich boards and do whatever they can to attract attention and listeners. (A few days later, I did see a guy standing in The Thames playing an electric guitar, but we're not there yet.)

London's Central Park
Hyde Park is Londoners' version of New York City's Central Park. Its 600 acres of lush greenery and broad lawns were originally Henry VIII's hunting grounds. My friend and unofficial guide Steve and I took a stroll through part of it on an uncharacteristically cool-but-sunny day that he described as "tropical" by London standards. Actually most of the week was like that, but I don't doubt the veracity of those who say that it's usually raining.

With two and half days of sight-seeing about to wind down, the reason for the trip -- graduation -- was just hours away, scheduled for the following morning.

Steve and I would be among eight graduates receiving a master's in organizational psychology, though about 400 bachelor's and master's candidates from all over the world would be participating in the ceremony at the Barbican Center.

Coffee, conversation and OP
As much as I enjoyed the sight-seeing, it was even more fun to actually converse in person with a fellow student and graduate. OP has been around for along time, but even though I live in a city with three four-year colleges, none of them offers it -- and having studied through distance learning, I'd never actually met any of my fellow students. Although some close friendships had developed during conferencing and emailing, being able to sit down and have a conversation about OP with a kinsman was an experience I'd been imagining for the past five years.

Steve and I would walk for a while as he shared his knowledge of London and England, then we'd decide it was time for coffee and sit-down conversation -- and a coffee shop was never far away. London is like that. Looking for a pub? Start walking... Need to buy a postcard? Start walking... Need to find an Underground station? Start walking...

We never ran out of things to discuss... courses we enjoyed or didn't, our experiences with various tutors (i.e. professors/instructors), and our OP areas of interest. Steve is intrigued by non-violent conflict and e-learning, among other things, while I am focusing on cross-cultural psychology.

The comparison may be lost on readers who are not Star Trek fans, but meeting my OP pals reminded me Deep Space Nine's Odo and how he felt when he found his home planet.

Below are a few more photos of Hyde Park. In case you haven't noticed, the slideshow at right includes all of the 34 photos I've posted so far. To view them as a slideshow, click on the photo, and you'll be taken to my flickr page. There, click on the "action" menu at the top of the page, and then choose "view slideshow."