A long and difficult day on the one hand, but a very well worthwhile one on the other. Today, I spent a good many hours waiting for or going to Down house, the house of Charles Darwin. So, I woke up at about 10:00 an hour or so later than I wanted to. I think if I had woken up that hour earlier, it would have been a far easier day. As it was, the night before I made the decision to go to Charles Darwin’s house, in spite of my earlier rejection of the idea of going there at all, especially this late, as it was far out of the way of central London, being in zone 5, but not anywhere near the Underground. The decision to go there was based on the idea that Charles Darwin, by my estimation is one of the most important and influential men of our time. The house apparently closes from Monday, 19 December to sometime in very late January, and Sundays are hell to get the buses to work, many don’t run at all. I figured, therefore that this would really be the last opportunity I would probably have to see it, and it seemed like a good idea. So, I awoke an hour late for what I wanted, with the intention of giving myself two hours travel time there and an equal amount for the return too. As it was, my original intention turned into something of a nightmare or at least was quite altered by the circumstances of the day.
I left for the train station, after getting ready and finishing yesterday’s journal, around 11:30. First I took the bus from Ladbroke Grove to Victoria station, this was about a half longer ordeal than I thought it would be, as I arrived there very close to 13:00. I went and bought a ticket from an auto ticket machine (the queue for the live agents was terribly long and the one for the machine was much shorter though still quite long). I then caught my train to go to Bromley South, notice it was a train ticket and not a Tube one, for 13:11. Now the fact that it was so late frightened me, I wanted to give myself at least three hours there, but as it was going I had far less time, or so it seemed, since the house shut down at 16:00. I caught the train, and it was a pleasant enough journey, and once I got to Bromley station I went to go buy a ticket for the bus (as mine didn’t work in zone 5) but was a bit stunned to find the cost at £2.90, a little steep for just a bus ticket in the same zone, but oh well. Also, it was written with the wrong destination on it, and I wasn’t sure that the bus driver would accept it. When I went to the stop, I saw I had just missed the bus, and it only came by once an hour, I was a bit miffed by this, and considered more than once just turning back and admitting it was too ambitious for this day and time of year. I thought better of it, and walked down to a Waitrose (a grocery store chain here) and thought of eating, but never did until I got back to the flat. I then came back, and eventually caught the bus. The bus ride was pretty and took us out of anything recognisable to me as London, though mind you we were only in the second to last zone of it, so it was strange to be sure.
I finally got there, but didn’t realise that I was as close to the house, by bus as I was going to get. I sat in the bus waiting for it to take off and come closer to the house but looked out the window and noticed a little brown sign in an arrow shape that said ‘Down House’. So I walked this path, which was not paved may I add, convinced I had the wrong area, but finally figured out where I was going. I took the footpath there, through fields and such, and it was exquisite, I just wasn’t sure I would make it in time for the house to remain open. I got there about a quarter after 15:00 and the lady there I think pitied me, (realising I believe how far and hard it was for me to get to the house) so she gave me free admission, which helped soften the blow a bit. As I walked through the house with the audio guide in hand, I felt the house was huge. Each room was just enormous, especially for England. The house was great and furnished very well. They had the original desk that Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species” at, and his chair and all sorts of things. I thought I had a bit less time than I did so I rushed through the house a bit. It was amazing to be in a place where such an opus was written, and it very much inspired me to get a similar place of my own someday. The top floor was basically workshops and dioramas and everything. After this, I returned downstairs and walked along his gardens and sand walk, which was absolutely incredible and positively inspiring, it showed me a great deal of why Darwin could be so brilliant in his theories to have such access to nature and all the goodness of it. I walked along this route and took many pictures.
I finally left after closing time and walked back to the bus stop to catch the bus. I found out that when I got there it had left about five minutes since and would not be back for an hour or so. This was disappointing as it meant finding something to do in a tiny village for an hour. There actually was an attractive looking pub by me called the George and Dragon, but I didn’t want to have myself sit inside for the time, so instead I went back to a trail I found when I was looking for Down House. This trail was quite gorgeous, especially at this hour as the beautiful sunset was taking place, I took as many pictures as I could and enjoyed it immensely, I listened to the Ludlows from Legends of the Fall, which seemed most appropriate for the occasion. It was so tranquil and serene that I thought I could be most happy there, in fact I was. This was the setting I figured I wanted to spend most of my life in, or at least one like it. I figured Darwin chose an exceptionally great place to live, to be out of London but close enough to get there quickly if he needed. What amazed me was how rich he must have been, for how large the house was, and furthermore, how much land he owned additionally. His sand walk was a very long expanse of land but how truly great and useful such a thing must have been. Then to have these public right-of-way trails near at hand to inspire him further with the beautiful setting of nature surrounding him without the likelihood of running into another soul while having time to search his own for answers, what a true blessing. Well, after sometime of wandering this trail I returned to the bus stop, took a few pictures, albeit extremely blurry ones, and waited for another 25 minutes or so.
Finally the bus arrived, and I went back to the station, once there the train did not take long to arrive luckily and I came back to Victoria. Thence, I took the Victoria line up to King’s Cross then the Hammersmith over back to Ladbroke Grove. When I got there, I went to a local fish n’ chips shop and bought some cod and chips and went back home. Once there, the Jessa’s other guest, Jeremy had arrived, and he seems to be a nice chap, a little quiet but like a good fellow, and I know that Jessa adores him. He was by the way also from St. John and apparently had travelled around the world from sometime this summer, going from the US to New Zealand to Australia to Thailand all around Europe and now from London back to the US. Extraordinary and I must confess my jealousy for where he’s been, but I’ll get there eventually. I ate my fish n’ chips somewhat rushed but I hadn’t had anything to eat all day until that point. I then took my malaria tablet too. After a bit, the others left and I was left alone to do as I pleased, strangely enough I watched two episodes of Star Trek Voyager on television, even though it is quite rare for me to turn on the television voluntarily. I changed to UK: TV History, where they talked about innovations by the Stuarts and then moved on to a show about the Williamites and Jacobites fighting at a battle near the Boyne river in Ireland as William III ousted James II from power in 1690 or so. I took a nap between this, as telly usually sends me to sleep, when I awoke I began the task of writing this journal, and I talked to Natalia a bit online, as she finally returned from days of exile, much to my delight. Besides that, I stayed up til quite late in the morning and finally went to sleep. Also, may I mention I watched Legends of the Fall, as I was inspired by the day’s trip.