“The world is like a mask dancing. If you want to see it well you do not stand in place.”
— Chinua Achebe
“Why would someone want to jump in after a mermaid?”
The museum guide was tall and sported a top hat and black dinner coat, complete with tails and bow-tie. After a few minutes of eavesdropping, it was clear he was meant to be Frederick Horniman, the century-old museum’s original patron, by the way he referred to “my son John” while leading a group of families around the African gallery.
There wasn’t a moment of hesitation before a six-year old boy in the crowd answered, “Because they’re tempting to kiss.”
It was Saturday morning in southeast London and, for a change of scenery, I’d popped over to a little district called Forest Hill. A few days earlier, I had come across an amazing list of cafés in London put together by Time Out. I was in search of a new coffee house to try out—something with a little more character than my neighbourhood Costa Coffee or Café Nero I so often end up at—and a listing for St. David Coffee House in Forest Hill, which Time Out described as “higgedly piggedly” and “tiny but cosy,” sounded perfect.
But before diving into my latte in a mismatched chair in front of mismatched antique mirrors, I walked over to the Horniman Museum and Gardens, just a ten-minute walk from the station. While wandering from exhibit to exhibit, I kept listening in on the tour group’s conversation, hoping for more scintillating remarks, when I heard the guide say:
“There’s so much to see, you forget to really focus on one thing.”
What a line of truth, spoken by a historical actor in a top hat. I thought about how spot on that is not only for museums, with their myriad collections and galleries, but with life itself, especially life in London.
There’s so many boroughs and districts and neighbourhoods and tucked-away streets that all deserve a day’s exploration, it’s sometimes easier just to stay in the one we call home and call it a day.
But I’m determined to get out and about, and get to work filling in the blank spaces on my own map of London. And so I started with Forest Hill.
Horniman Museum & Gardens
St. David Coffee House
I tried signing up so that your blog posts are emailed to me, but it said the blog wasn’t set up for that. What’s the deal? i want Candice in my inbox!
I think Forest Hill is one of the untouched parts of london in which you can really see the history of England and some of the heritage still exists! I have spent many an afternoon at St David’s Coffee House and plan to spend many more this summer!
Great blog!
Hi there! Thanks so much for the comment–I’m so glad to hear that someone else has enjoyed Forest Hill and St. David’s as much as I did 🙂 I definitely want to keep discovering those little untouched corners around London and seeing what they hold!