IMS_Blog

“So what shall we do this weekend?” came the plaintiff cry. In the end we decided a little trip out into London, with a couple of things on our mind. First we made a trip to wander around Camden Markets. Now personally I can see why a certain type of person why simply fall in love with Camden. It has a certain buzz and style that would simply irresistibly attract them. However, quite apart from being charged four quid (!) for a pint in the Camden Eye, I am most certainly not one of those people. Markets in general have always slightly disturbed me—too much confusion and people ready to talk to you as soon as you look at something. Nor have I ever understood the attraction of store after store of below quality, identical rubbish through which one has to wade to find anything decent. I wandered round with a look of perplexity wondering at the throngs of people seeming totally enjoying all this. I think next time Jan would probably prefer to be with someone other than me! We did buy a little cat ornament though.

The second place to visit was the Charles Dickens Museum, housed where he used to live in Doughty Street (not that far from the British Museum which would have frankly been a better choice). Neither Jan nor I are admitting to having come up with this idea in the first place. While it is somewhat interesting to wander through the rooms Dickens must have known at £7 per person there simply isn’t a lot to see—a room full of various editions of his books which one can’t touch, a few displays of writing materials and an “exhibition” around the musical version of Oliver. I may have missed it but there seemed to be almost nothing around the social and historical background against which Dickens was writing and which, to a none English scholar like myself, makes his work interesting. The website says the museum is undergoing a refurbishment very soon, which can only improve things.

After that disappointment we hadn’t time for much else, so after a walk done for a pint in the Euston Flyer opposite the British Library we headed home.