March 9, 2018
During a 12 hour layover (and change of airport) in London, I decided to visit the Imperial War Museum, housed in the former asylum at Bedlam south of the Thames. The Museum had been a major contributor to the documentary series "The World at War" from 1974, which is arguably the best long-form documentary series about the war (1). The Museum covers British Military history since 1914 and appears to be geared toward 15 year olds (2) who were not paying attention in high school history class.
After a nice walk by Westminster, I found the Churchill War Rooms Museum, where the cabinet met and formulated strategy during World War 2. The underground rooms were vacated on August 15, 1945, and converted into a museum in the early 1980s.
After making my way to Luton Airport, I caught my flight to Craiova, Romania. As we were landing at about 2:30 a.m., I saw the quarter moon rising. The color was as close as I have ever seen to a blood red moon, with a very red-tinge orange glow.
The passengers on the plane all appeared to be Romanians working in the UK going home to visit relatives and friends. I was the first passenger off the plane and through immigration. As the door from customs opened and I emerged, there was an audible sense of anticipation from the waiting crowd that turned to disappointment when they discovered it was me and not Cousin Vasile.
I got in the front taxi in the queue and said my destination. The driver said "problema" and pointed to the cab behind him. The same happened with the taxi behind. Third time's a charm and I got my ride. I later realized the older cabbies in front were sticking the young kid (my driver) with the shorter ride (and smaller fare).
(1) In addition to the usual archival footage, the series contained interviews with many high-ranking officials official from both sides, including Karl Dornitz, head of the German Navy, and Albert Speer, the German Minister of Armaments (who spoke English quite well). Producing the series in 1974 allowed for first-hand accounts of many aspects of the war from aging participants. The series, while focusing on British action and experience during the War, avoided being nationalistic in tone.
(2) The place was overrun with groups of high school students who apparently had been given worksheets with questions to seek the answers to among the exhibits.
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