Friday, 2 September, 2022 – Elias, Ian, and Kelsey are in London tonight. I hope the trip back to London from Newquay did not involve a fire, though if it included meeting more nice people, that would be a good thing.
When I talked to Elias a few days ago, he surprised me by saying he and Kelsey both want to see Notting Hill, in London, because they had just watched the movie. And Elias loved it. He is a romantic at heart so I should not be surprised. We talked about it briefly, because I love the movie too, even though I know it tends toward sappy, rom-com, pablum. I don’t care. I love the supporting characters and while Hugh Grant can get annoying, as Elias said, Julia Roberts is “beautiful and amazing.” That she is. In any case, I have a feeling they wandered through Notting Hill today.
I think they are staying here: Safe Stay Hostel, a half hour bus ride from Notting Hill. Elias said he was feeling really good about his budget so far; he has spent a bit less than he anticipated he would have spent by now. Not surprisingly, he had a weekly and daily budget he had allotted himself. If he says he is under-budget, I believe him. (Elias doesn’t joke about money.) This hostel looks to be $30 or so per night, so London is going to be expensive. Maybe they will be moving on to Manchester – their next stop – sooner rather than later.
The hostel is named “Safe Stay Elephant & Castle,” dubbed a “hip” hostel on the map. There’s a lot I do not know about London but I am sure I never heard of a neighborhood called Elephant & Castle.
This is Google’s description of the neighborhood: “Elephant and Castle is a fast-changing area with modern developments like the Strata tower, nicknamed the ‘Razor’. London South Bank University students hang out in night spots including hip Corsica Studios and iconic dance club the Ministry of Sound. The area is known for Latin American eats and there’s global street fare at Mercato Metropolitano food hall. Planes and tanks are on display at the Imperial War Museum.”
Something tells me “fast-changing area” is a euphemism for “this used to be a place where working class people lived, many of whom moved here when the British government left their impoverished colonies with nothing except the right to claim British citizenship if they could get here, and now rich people are moving in, buying up things cheap, and pushing out the previous residents.”
Cynical much, Kira? I guess if we knew the working class people were moving on to affordable housing, and quality schools, and nearby hospitals, banks, and grocery stores, I would not be cynical about the idea of gentrification as progress. I know it is not that simple…. Okay, I am done for now.
This site provides a brief, not very well-written, history of the neighborhood’s name. I have looked up several other sites, purporting to explain the name and they are all sort of confusing. The upshot is, no one knows for sure.
In any event, I hope they can partake of the “Latin American eats” before moving on. And maybe pass on the planes and tanks at the Imperial War Museum? I don’t know. It sounds like the sort of place I would have dragged my family to, not so many years ago.
