Well my time at the Alhambra B&B has sadly come to an end. I cannot recommend this place enough to anyone coming to London. The service is excellent, it’s really clean and the gentleman that runs the breakfast room is so friendly. It was a real shame to go.
Before heading off to my next destination I took a trip to the British Library. It’s not too much to look at from the outside, but it houses some real treasures. The highlight is the King’s Library Tower. It’s impossible to capture this large column of books in a photograph, so to give you a better idea there are 85,000 books contained in a giant glass column in the centre of the library. Some were published as early as 1454, and they all used to belong to King George III. His family kindly donated them to the library on the condition that they be kept separate, although people can still look at them for research purposes when needed. There was also a display about Coleridge, including some of his original manuscripts, letters etc.
There’s also a massive collection of stamps and postcards here from around the world, many are very old. One letter was from a soldier who was supposed to deliver another letter to Australia. In it he explains why the letter took several years to deliver, and apologises for the delay and its bedraggled appearance. First this guy’s plane went down, then his ship and all the while he held onto the letter and ensured it was delivered, in the end.
There was also an awesome painting, done like a magic eye. If you stood off to the side you could see it was 3D, but upon walking around everything melded together and it looked like you were walking amongst shifting library bookshelves. Seriously clever.
There was a display on the history of the English language, and the way words, grammar, slang etc have developed over time. There was even a place where you could record your accent for research purposes and archiving, as accents are evolving and disappearing over time. So like a fool I stood there and read a passage from Mr Tickle – hey, everyone keeps telling me how strong my accent is J
Then there was a rare collection of ancient bible, books and memorabilia, including (for Beatles fans) some of Lennon’s original song scribblings.
I am now staying at the Generator Hostel for a week, and I have to say, although I have only been here a few hours, it’s not really my thing. There is nowhere to put anything!! Everything has to be locked away for security and showering is a bit of a nightmare - everything gets wet! I put my pile of clothes on the floor only to discover that’s where everyone’s water supply runs to. Mmmm, soggy. I guess I sound like a whinger, but I need to get it out there so I have an authentic record of my travels. Oh well, I’m here for a week so will have to muddle through – hopefully I’ll make some friends.
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