London, day 2, July 23rd 2016 ~ West Norwood Cemetery! pt. 2

Part 2 

We wandered around that beautiful place and while looking at the stunning and beautiful monuments and tombs we were in deep and wonderful conversation about many things. Sometimes having to force our way through nettles and brambles and ivy tendrils. And still some areas remained impassable. 

Especially the brambles pulled and teared on us so it somehow felt as if the place signalled 

"stay, stay here, we will not let you leave again"

 (my overboarding Gothic imagination could almost hear these words whispered to me) 

After spending some considerable time there, exploring the grounds and revel in the overwhelming beauty of the graveyard, we decided we are still in the realm of the living and it was time to take care of our empty stomachs. 

My wonderful Friedhofsführerin had another surprise for me (that day was full of surprises and fantastic moments!) She had picked a special place for us to have dinner. She hummed a melody but i was somehow too distracted to have noticed it. But I understood when i saw the place. So this is where we were supposed to eat:

Source: 

https://www.zomato.com/london/the-electric-cafe-west-norwood/photos

And the tune my friend had been humming had of course been this:

K. called this a typical British "caff" and it took me a moment to grasp that this is obviously a term for a "café" and not the German word "Kaff" which means "hicksville". As we were mixing German and English all day long, my confusion might be understandable. 

I looooooved this caff!!! It was so charming and the food was solid and the prices really moderate. 

I have read here that this little café is run by the same family for decades (pronounced [dek-eyd] !! which i am well aware of *in-joke*) which explains the intimate atmosphere. 

And for the first time in my life ever i heard of a dish called "Bubble and Squeak" (as i said, a day full of surprises) 

Feeling reinvigorated we went back to the cemetery and spent another 2 hours there. We could not visit the catacombs because these are only accessible on guided tours and when you are a member of the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery. But K. showed me the entrance. I was amazed by the catacombs at Highgate West but the catacombs here still have a hydraulic coffin lift! You can read more about it here:

Subterranea Brittanica

Continuing our expedition, we came to the newly restored and very splendid tomb of Otto Berens. I had seen photos of this mausoleum online but nothing prepares you for the real thing. It is utterly stunning. And the restauration work turned out fantastic. 

The damaged tomb

The restored tomb

K. then showed me this marvel

On the photo it looks as if it is really exposed but it was well hidden. So much so that K. couldn't find the way there at first. Only on the way back we noticed the small path leading to it. I have the fullest understanding for not finding a way. I mean, i cannot find my way with a map in hand while walking real streets. So it is more than excusable to not find a small path here. It was exactly here, when we walked back to the main path, that the joke about a certain Herr Müller was born. I will never forget! 

We then visited The Greek Necropolis with its gorgeous monuments and statues and mosaics. 

Here we sat for quite some time deep in a conversation which became really emotional. I for my part totally forgot about time. Thankfully, my Friedhofsführerin did not. Yes, it was time to leave that magical place. When we arrived at the main gate, some guy was just about to wrap a chain around the bars. That was a narrow escape :) The place was wonderful and overwhelming but to be honest i did not really fancy to spend the night there. Not that i would have been creeped out but i don't think it would have been that comfortable. And i had paid for a hotel room, so there. 

Back in the real world we paid another visit to the Great North Wood pub for a drink. After a while a horde of really (and i mean really really!) noisy guys entered the pub and we could not understand each other anymore. So we decided to leave and spend some more time in the little park area in front of St Luke's Church which stood honey-coloured against a perfectly blue sky. 

A truly wonderful day came to an end there. I had expected it to become an interesting day, i had known i would like the cemetery but my expectations were not only met but easily exceeded ~ it was a perfect day, spent in very nice company. Saying goodbye was saddish but i took with me a whole load of impressions which then turn into memories. So i sat in the train back to Victoria Station in a blissful state of mind, grateful and really happy. 

Writing down the events of that day was a ride, indeed. I re-lived that day and it was emotional. Sometimes we romanticise and idealise when looking back but i knew then and there that this day had been perfect and it was hard to top. It just doesn't get much better than this. Even though i had more days and more adventures ahead in London, that day was really very super extra über special! 

(writing it all down i realised we didn't go to Tate's tomb? K mentioned it and we intended to see it but i noticed we did not.)   (footnote 1 at the end of the entry!) 

This lovely track translates all my feelings about that day into music:

(1) My Friedhofsführerin pointed out to me that i have made a mistake. We did see the Tate tomb! Looking through my photos i have mistaken the Tate tomb for another one. There was this sepulchral monument for the Doulton family which looks similar to the Tate tomb. Only just now i have realised that i have made photos of both mausolea and thought it is one and the same. I stand corrected and apologise for having messed it up. Moreover they were both called Henry .. Henry D. and Henry T. :)

Here come the photos :

This is the Doulton Mausoleum 

and this is the Tate Mausoleum

And the Tate Mausoleum is made of Doulton terracotta as i have read here

Now i try to find out which tomb came first.