Freudian slip

A visit to Freud's London residence in Hampstead revealed a cache of floaty pens.

Sigmund Freud only lived in London for one year before his death, but his daughter Anna lived on afterwards in the house at 20 Maresfield Gardens.

Freud's famous couch is on show and the chair he sat on out of view of his patients.

This is the exterior of the house.

 

I would have loved to buy some Freudian slippers from the gift shop.

 

There were some interactive displays in the house. On this table were a lot of pencils that needed sharpening.

One of the interactive assignments was to try and guess what Freud would have said about some of the work of artists on show in the house.

Horrible Trenches rat

This one is from the Imperial War Museum in London, commemorating the rat-infested trenches during the world wars.

Jewel Tower

Looks like I should rephotograph this pen. Very out of focus. I bought it in the Jewel Tower across from Westminster and it is a historical timeline with a gang of people representing different stages of history floating in it.

London double decker bus

I bought this in the St Paul's Cathedral gift shop on crypt level. In London, there's a whole line of these red, black and white souvenirs available: coasters, pens, etc.

I occasionally go to St Paul's to listen to organ music because otherwise it costs 12.50 pounds to get inside. I took the picture of St Paul's below from a bus.

London loot

I found these London "made in Denmark" pens in a shop on the Strand. I wandered in expecting nothing as usual, but found a great stock of Eskesen brand pens.


I was so taken aback to find them after so many months spent looking for Danish-made London floaties that I asked the shopkeeper if they were knock offs. He obviously thought I was a lunatic of some sort, smiled and pulled out an extra stash from underneath the display area as if to placate me.

Undesirable floaty pens

Here is a surreptitious snapshot of a container of pens in a shop on Carnaby Street in London. The pens are exactly the type the world does not need. They are not made in Denmark by the Eskesen company. It is impossible to tell where they are made because it is not stamped anywhere on the pens. They are not well made and the pictures aren't very good. The stuff inside doesn't float very well.

Companies in England apparently do not have to state where a product originates, unlike in Canada where it is obligatory. This same type of pen is sold in most tourist shops. It makes me wonder if all the tourist shops are owned by the same company.


At any rate, it is very odd. I wouldn't buy any of them anywhere. There seem to be precious few good quality floaty pens in London considering the size of the city and the possible range of designs.

British Museum pens

I bought these pens last year at the British Museum in London.



Architect Norman Foster designed the Great Court.