Today - which is yet another bank holiday, but the last for a while - I was with Discover London for a walk entitled The Great Plague 1665: The Full Story. Certainly makes a change from the Great Fire.. and another group I don't get to see often enough!
I was out in time to get a bus - which showed no sign of coming. Checking the ETA of my delayed bus - which should have come by then - on Buses Due, I discovered it wasn't due for another 15 minutes! Sod that, I might be late - I took the Tube. Arrived in brilliant sunshine - another day when I ended up carrying my coat around with me! As I remarked to someone else, you just don't know what to do with the weather, these days..
Apparently, the plague started really slowly - for a bit. A few deaths in Westminster - which, at that point, was far out of town - and one in the City, the victim being buried here:
Wasn't long before it ramped up though - half the population left (anyone who had somewhere to go), and in due course, the city gates were closed. There were quacks, of course - imagine what you'd do, faced with such a deadly disease and no idea what caused it, or how to cure it! We don't know we're born, these days. Anyway, we stopped at a pub named for one of these:
I have to say, one of the most fascinating facts of the walk was the name of our best source of information about the plague - A Journal of the Plague Year, by Daniel Defoe, of all people! Apparently, opinion differs as to whether this is better represented as fact or fiction, but it is a great record of the streets, the locales - I might get a copy, if I can. Also, she reminded us that the only confirmed plague pit was discovered, just a few years ago, under Liverpool Street Station! (Using new DNA techniques, they discovered the bacillus in the teeth.)
It was really nostalgic for me, walking around the area - I lived there up to about a year ago! Passed this, too, once, so it was nice to get some more info about it - apparently, it used to be a Victorian bathhouse. Now a bar/restaurant, it apparently has a large basement area, and is available for private rental:
Ah, I miss the scenery around here!
The Lord Mayor at the time of the plague - apparently a forward-thinking man, who did much to mitigate the misery - is buried at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate:
Some of us had food, some just drinks - but a lovely time was had! Have to say, too, the food was lovely - a really tender and tasty lemon and herb chicken, crispy chips, and a tangy dip. Plus a lovely, Marlborough, sauvignon blanc. Also delighted to meet some old faces, and that I managed to come today, on what was a really interesting walk. Cheered me up, in what is a difficult time - I had to rush to get back in time for the landlord's son, who was serving us our eviction notices, and then he ended up being nearly an hour late! And after I took the Tube back and all..
Tomorrow, having tried several sold-out shows, I finally plumped for Dixon and Daughters, at the Dorfman. Got the last cheap, restricted-view ticket in the pit..
On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats at last! Well, I couldn't resist a performance of Aspects of Love, with Michael Ball - I've never seen it. Showing at the Lyric - there have been cheap offers, but the best I could find were with the official website. Aisle seat, for the legroom - thanks for the advice, Seatplan!
And yes, film on Thursday - and I thought I might finally get to see The Blue Caftan! It's Moroccan, and again showing at what is still, for now, my local cinema. Although, checking the listings again, I found a new one - A Crack in the Mountain is a documentary about Hang So'n Doong, the largest cave in the world, which is in Vietnam. Looks gorgeous - but it's only on in the Curzon Wimbledon, at 5.40, which I'd never make in time if I stay at work as long as I should! However, it is on their Home Cinema.. which would also save the fare.. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
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