09.21.09 - London, Rosh Hashanah

Ryanair is a commuter plane: Advertisements everywhere, including the pilot and flight crew’s announcements; no cargo or seat space at all; and the joke is that bathrooms also cost money…but the flight is cheap assuming you pack light, bring your passport, print your boarding pass and check in online. Plus arrive 30 minutes early.
Once landing at London Standsted, from Eindhoven, Netherlands, Kelly and I Easybus-ed into the Victoria neighborhood, where we eventually found our lodging at the Astor Victoria student hostel. (not a bad place, seemed like fun). For me, because Rosh Hashanah consumed my weekend, I attempted to make Friday my big touring day. So Friday morning, after locking up our luggage in the Victoria Train Station, Kelly and I started our day at Westminster Abbey. At the Abbey I had a realization, which Rabbi Gordon echoed in his High Holiday sermon at the New London Synagogue: religion doesn’t get enough credit. Westminster Abbey is just one, but in my opinion the greatest, houses of worship ever architected. The scope, detail and grandness of the engineering and design, the blood, sweat and money devoted to manifesting these edifices, for a god, is seen across civilizations since the beginning of time. Give religion credit, Rabbi Gordon stated. Religion has been the inspiration behind cathedrals, pyramids, temples….incredible feats of humanity.
From Westminster we met Shari, Christine, and Arianna (Shari’s friend studying in London) to watch the much anticipated changing of the guards. I must say the guards are very awkward, but quite classy. From there we tour Parliament, photographed Big Ben and the London eye. Let me note, I think Parliament is the most beautiful, intricate, interesting and still useful buildings that I have seen in all my travels thus far. Like its constitutions and laws are constantly evolving, debatably, so too are its walls, portraits, externalities etc. The only thing that is set in stone as its actual foundation are its traditions and practices. I think it may be my favorite building in all of Europe. Just amazing!
In the afternoon we walked along the Thames River, stopped at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a choral rendition, crossed the Millennium Bridge, dropped into the Clink dungeon museum and re-crossed the Thames over the Tower Bridge right around sunset. So beautiful! After dinner some dinner we explored Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. What a day! Basically, London minus museums in a day!
Now I booked a spate hostel for Friday and Saturday because Arianna’s place, where the girls were staying, was farther away from the synagogue then I wanted to walk. The Green Man (bar’s name), Bestplace, Paddington Inn…We can call is “Bestplace”….for satirical purposes. The following is what I will write in my review in hostelworld.com: “Location: perfect. Breakfast: manageable. Sheet cleanliness: suspect, probably unwashed. Towels: None. Common-space: None. Area for luggage: floor. Beds, showers and facilities: architected for starving little people. I have never felt more claustrophobic and crammed in my life. The health board should outlaw such tight quarters. I did not pay for naval living facilities!” But it was 1.3 miles from shul, 1.5 miles from the British Museum and about 2 miles from the Thames. As long as I stayed out I was fine. Oh yeah. I slept on the bottom of a triple-decker bed, and the ceilings must have only been about 10 feet high.
Saturday morning I walked to services, which I didn’t realize were on the Abbey Rd. that the famous Beatles recording studio was on. So yeah, I guess I walked on Abbey Road! I arrive at 8:30 AM and didn’t live until 1 PM. Although long, I found my experience very pleasant and reflective. The gabbis and services leaders were helpful and the congregants were as proud of their congregation as they were friendly and helpful to all those guests to it. Rabbi Jeffry Gordon, JTS alum, and a Rabbi Mayor Rabinowtiz and Rabbi Stephen Garfinkel colleague, was very receptive to my emails prior to the holiday, offering me help where he could during my stay in London. While at the synagogue, I learned that New London (synagogue name) was one of the leading English shuls prior to the death of Rabbi Jacobs five years ago. And it wasn’t until recently, under Rabbi Gordon, that the synagogue is making a resurgence. After services, I went back to the hostel to change and spent my afternoon at the Bristish Museum and in Soho neighborhood. In the evening I met up with the girls for the evening showing of Mouse Trap, the most indigenous London theatrical performance – still going strong at 57 years.
Sunday morning entailed more services. Prior to services, however, I locked up my luggage in the Paddington Train station because I thankfully had to check out of the hostel. From services I booked it to the train station, through Hyde park and to The Bunch of Grapes restaurant where I met up with the girls, who agreed to take my belongings back to Arianna’s flat. That afternoon Kelly and Christine returned to Maastricht and Shari and Arianna did some additional shopping. As for me, I enjoyed the art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. After about an hour plus at the museum I walked across town to the London Eye, where I met up with Shari and Arianna. Shari and I rode the Eye up, while Arianna waited below in the Jubilee Gardens field. Then the three of us enjoyed a classic British meal of Fish and Chips…lots of chips (French fries). Now stuffed we stopped off at a local convenient store, bought a ton of chocolate and wafers, I also bought some milk, and we sat on a bench, under the London Eye, along the Thames, overlooked Big Ben and Parliament, stuffing our facing even more. What a night. The next morning Shari and I caught our 6 AM train back to Maastricht. One of the greatest weekends ever!
Something to note: going to London this weekend, exactly a month since I left the states and exactly a month until my parents visit couldn’t have been better timing. It kind of felt like home….and that’s what I want to briefly address. Not that I plan on moving but out of all the European cities that I have seen, and probably will see, London is the only one I could probably live in. I think I like it even more than NYC, definitely more than Manhattan. Like NYC, there is plenty of options for shopping, food, housing, touring, nightlife and of course Jewish life. But better than NYC it is cleaner, better public transportation, not as claustrophobic, the buildings aren’t as towering and dwarfing, the people are still moving quickly but it appears that they also know how to stop and smell the roses at the local pub a few times a week, and my favorite, it feels like it has more parks. I also must say that I have never seen as many BMWs, Mercedes, Jaguars, when did Porches become signals of mediocrity, Aston Martins, Lotuses, Bentleys and Macerates. It was like a car exhibit. I could be wrong because I have never toured NYC, and I have only been to London for 3 and a half days, but I like London more. Hands down my favorite city. Almost like home, and it’s not just cause everyone speaks English.

Ps please mind my grammer mistakes. I wanted to get the post up.