From Lorien to London

Last night, the Tolkien society met at Magdalen bridge. We walked to a remote site, east of the river. Candles had been set up, and a large bonfire roared. Half the group were in cloaks, and we had to walk through the dark woods to get there, it did feel very much like Lorien. And then, I kid you not, someone lost their ring, and started asking if we had seen it. I hope it didn't fall in a volcano. There were fireworks, sparklers, barbeque, mulled wine, songs, skits, and a lot of fun. I was at the "Gandalf's Fireworks" for about five hours, and still left the group early.




Today I took the bus to London.
I walked through Hyde Park, passing the fair which is set up for Santaland, a large carnival-style Christmas thing. I walked through Kensington Gardens a few times, making sure I saw all the things I wanted, I had never visited them before. I went to the Orangery, a restaurant at Kensington Palace, and had venison sausage with Yorkshire pudding and mashed potatoes. It was good, but expensive, and I ended up not going to the palace itself. Instead, I walked to the Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum. I rushed through all three, just trying to get a taste. I also visited Harrods, which I'd also never been to, and which is very large. I walked back to Victoria, bused back, and then made dinner which came out well.