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Encouraging Perfect Propriety in an Imperfect World since 2001
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THIS IS ROBERT TALKING . . . Or, the Dark Side of Etiquetteer :-)

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Monday, Bastille Day 2025: Summer Abroad, Day 73: London Again, Day 19

July 14, 2025

1) I have to apologize for having just fallen off the blogging this past week. I’ll have to do my best to catch up on the plane tomorrow. Today is my last full day in London before flying back home tomorrow.

2) So happily it’s been a beautiful sunny day here, not too warm, and entirely unscheduled. I ran errands in the morning, had lunch at a little Syrian place on High Street Kensington, and began the Final Packing with Weekend at the Waldorf in the background; I gather the fabled Waldorf Astoria is reopening this week.

3) Tech issues marred the day, from my ATM card being declined by two different banks (thank goodness just about everything here is tap and pay), and the airline app not allowing me to add my luggage when checking in. I hope this is not a portent of things to come . . .

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4) After dinner near my hotel, I took a final promenade in the evening light of Kensington Gardens; how nice that for the last almost three weeks my neighborhood historic house has been Kensington Palace. The Round Pond had a busy population of geese (regular and Canada) and swans on its margin, and I got some reasonable photos of preening and flapping bird life.

5) My feet took me down a path I had not taken before, leading me to discover the Italian Gardens at the end of the Serpentine — a creation of Prince Albert for Queen Victoria. A charming spot for strolling, contemplation, and avian photography.

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6) And there were plenty Londoners strolling about, singly or in pairs (from a distance over the lawn I saw two women walking together in cream-colored niqabs, which reminded me of that Edwardian painting of the two women in long white dresses walking on the beach at sunset), and groups sitting in circles here and there.

7) And really . . . that’s it! I’m back in my room, 95% packed, sending out good vibes for a Boston friend who’s entertaining tonight, and deeply anxious about the national news.

8) I can and can’t believe this journey is coming to its end. What is to come next?

Wednesday, 9 July: Summer Abroad, Day 68: London Again, Day 14 →
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