Sunday: London, England

Sunday, August 24, 2003 (London, England)

I have no idea why some of this coming out double spaced, so I don't know how to fix it. Sorry.

I was awake at 4:00 a.m., totally off schedule now.  Couldn’t sleep but at least I’m a hundred pages into my book.  I got up at 6:15 a.m. and did my rubber band arm exercises and bathed, dressed, and went to breakfast. 

I swear they have a central bakery for all the hotels in the whole world. Wherever I go, the pastries look the same.  I had a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, a baby strawberry yogurt, a cup of cut up melons and a raisin croissant.  I wanted one of those big fat sausages but might have my two boiled eggs I brought along for lunch if I get in a hurry.  I’ll have sausage and eggs tomorrow and bless the British – they serve tomatoes with breakfast. 

Our city tour was a “panoramic” tour, meaning we didn’t visit anything – only photo stops.  We saw all the landmarks; Big Ben, Tower of London, London Bridge (the new one, as we have the old one in Lake Havasu, AZ), St. Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and Gardens, Westminster Abby, Downing Street, Scotland Yard, Parliament Buildings, Picadilly Circus, Prince Albert Hall, the Millennium Wheel, and the new monstrosity – City Hall.  We watched the Queen’s guards parade to Buckingham Palace, but didn’t stay for the actual changing of the guard.  Again, LOTS of people.

You can always go to Google Images, and ask for a location by name and get much better photos than the ones I could take from a coach.  

We returned to the hotel about noon and were on our own until 3:15 when the bus would pick us up to go to the theater. 

I gobbled the two boiled eggs I brought along (fridge in room), a whole wheat dinner roll from the airplane, a string cheese I brought along, and part of an apple muffin from the plane.  I took a different route to Harrods so I could get a better picture.  I dropped by a Crabtree and Evelyn to see what they have which we don’t have in the states.  Nothing – all the same. 

The Aga was $8,000; no telling what the price is now.

Liked this view with the red double-decker in front.

In the window at Harrods. No price showing.

I picked up eighteen postcards and stamps at a London version of a 7-11; right down to the Indian proprietor.  I walked over to the Victoria and Albert Museum and saw a wonderful exhibit of designer clothes from the 1800’s to the 1990’s, some ceramics and jewelry and other treasures from Persia and Tibet – some as old as 9^th Century.  I picked up a CD of “Victorian Music for the House and Garden” in the gift shop and ran through a large room of sculptures on my way out and made it back to the hotel in time to leave for the theater at 3:15.

This was the first time I'd seen a Chihuly, and I wasn't sure I liked it. Now I love his work.

The play was called “The Complete Works of Shakespeare – Abridged”.  Only three young men, a million costume changes, and very corny.

We were at Picadilly Circus, the Criterion Theatre, entrance by the fountain of Eros, and we went down and down and down stairs.  We entered from street level and there were two tiers of balconies above us, so the whole thing must be underground.  I should have stayed at the museum, but I had no idea what to expect.  I’d never heard of the play (even though I overheard someone saying they’d seen it in New York), and I’d never seen a London theater.  So now I know.  I got most of my postcards addressed and written during the intermission and second act, so the time wasn’t totally wasted. 

The bus brought us back to the hotel and I walked over to a McDonalds for dinner so I could continue my research.  London would have taken first place from Shanghai except for the limp lettuce and cold fries.  I ranked them second, moving Paris to third.  Hope I can find McDonalds in Dublin and Edinburgh.  Not easy to continue my investigation in a tour environment. 

I regrouped, packed, showered and washed my hair, wrote more postcards and worked on my journal.  I just couldn’t keep my eyes open, so lights out at 9:30.  The women with the funny head coverings and a dozen kids came thundering in at 10:45 and brought me out of a deep sleep.  The slamming and banging and crying and yelling went on for an hour.  When the bedlam moved to the hall, I opened the door and saw six of them crowding into the elevator.  Ten minutes later the room next door calmed down.  Now I’m wide awake at midnight.  I’ll finish my last five postcards and read my book and hope to get some more sleep.