Defying Gravity

THE RUSSELL HOTEL PRESIDES OVER RUSSELL SQUARE


SICILIAN AVENUE, JUST OFF BLOOMSBURY SQUARE


A COUPLE OF SICILIANS

After our visit to the internet cafe Vince wanted to take a breather and relax a bit before beginning another day of sightseeing. While he rested up at the hotel I explored the area around our hotel a bit more. I walked through Russell Square again and it looked more picturesque than ever on this glorious spring day. I took bunches of photos there and then walked over to Sicilian Avenue, a nifty street studded with roman-style columns and Italian sandwich bars. I walked over to Museum Street and window shopped before heading back to our hotel.

I told Vince about Sicilian Avenue and he seemed interested in it so we went back and had lunch in one of the cafes there. Before choosing a cafe in which to dine we took pictures of ourselves in front of Sicilian House using the self-timer feature on my camera. I was drawn into the cafe that had the most delicious aroma wafting from its doors. It turns out the aroma was from the pasta that they make there daily. I was a bit disappointed that, aside from the pasta, there were no other Italian food items on the menu. At any rate, we both enjoyed our lunch there. I had a poached salmon sandwich and Vince had a chicken sando. Both of the sandwiches were topped with shredded white cabbage with dill and oil dressing -- very tasty.

Sir John Soane's museum was just a short walk from Sicilian Avenue. We arrived shortly before 2 p.m. We arrived to see a sign posted at the door stating the museum was full and we were to wait outside for permission to enter. Luckily we were at the head of the queue and did not have to wait long. The museum consists of three Georgian townhouses that belonged to 18th-century architect John Soane. Every nook and cranny of every room is crammed full of interesting objects: architectural models, paintings, bits of marble from ruined buildings, statues, clocks, barometers. He even owned a solid limestone Egyptian sarcophagus for which he had paid £2,000, outbidding the British Museum. They say he threw a three-day long party to celebrate the acquisition. One could spend days exploring Sir John Soane's museum but we were there for a good hour or so.

That evening we had dinner at a pub called the Coach and Horses. It was just your average pub with smoky rooms. Vince enjoyed his roast beef sandwich immensely. My fish and chips was so-so. I can't wait to take Vince to some Yorkshire pubs.

We abandoned the idea of the theatre that night in favor of a comedy club. Vince had found info on The Red Rose comedy club, a non-smoking club near Finsbury Park tube stop. We were entertained by four stand-up comedians as well as the emcee. The club was small, patronized by a rather youngish crowd and not sold out. Jacket potatoes were available from the bar but there was never any pressure to order anything. Since the club was so small we ended up in a seat near the stage. The emcee chatted with several members of the audience, including us. The chairs were kinda flimsy and offered little back support. We had moved our chairs so that they would back up against a wall. The emcee had noticed that we'd moved and commented upon it. Trying to explain this to the emcee proved difficult and Vince proclaimed that the wall was an anti-gravity device and pulled his chair out to demonstrate what would happen if we didn't have the extra support. We became known that evening as the "gravity-defying couple".