Great Japanese food, and other things

You're going to see a succession of short posts to catch up on details of my trip. I'm home now, but want to record some vignettes so I don't forget...

On my last night in London, I treated myself to supper in a Japanese restaurant. This one was off Regent's St, near Oxford Circus tube station, and was small and wonderful. (Called something like Chousou, I think). Everything was perfectly prepared and beautiful, and I think I had real wasabi for the first time. I've read that the wasabi you get here in Canada is usually not wasabi but horseradish. This wasabi blew the top of my head off (in a good way) and now I'm never going to be satisfied with the fake stuff again...

Judi Dench was fabulous. The play (Noel Coward, "Hay Fever") was a bit undistinguished, but the comic timing of all the actors and the sets and just being in that theatre (Theatre Royal, Haymarket) made all worth while.

Searching for Eustace

Canterbury was altogether delightful. One of my missions on this trip has been tracking down obscure literary connections that caught my fancy, and one of my reasons for wanting to go to Canterbury Cathedral, believe it or not, is because I read Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. Because of this connection (and if you've read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about), I was looking for the mural with the picture of St. Eustace meeting the stag. Neither of the ladies who functioned as kind of cathedral "greeters" knew it - "There's St. Augustine, St. Thomas... no St. Eustace, as far as I can see..." but a charming gentleman guide knew immediately what I was asking for and gave me specific directions to the spot in the cathedral that I wanted. He asked me why I wanted to see it, and I told him, and he very politely said that it sounded like a most interesting novel... They should make more effort to exploit such literary connections - "this way for the Riddley Walker fans; this way for Murder in the Cathedral."

Norwich was a little seedy

(apologies to any Norwich residents who may read this) - not my favourite place on this trip. The center was nice, where the cathedral is situated, but the city as a whole had a slightly edgy, slightly run-down feel. My rellies thought I was nuts, as my prime reason for going was to visit Juliana's church - not for any religious reason but because of the quotation in Four Quartets, and in pameladean's Secret Country books, and because she's credited with being one of the earliest women writers. The church and her little cell (restored, because the building was destroyed by a bomb in the war) and the little garden where Marjory Kemp is said to have gone to consult Juliana were lovely. As was the little dog, Luke.