Lynda's Lovely London Adventure - Part Three

*No pictures today. Blogger and I aren't getting along.*

Thursday - Oh brother where art thou?

The day began with a visit to the majestic Westminster Abbey. We decided not to spend £10.00 each to enter inside and look around. Instead, we took a walk around the outside of the church and visited the gift shop. Then it was time to view the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Big Ben is big. It was interesting to note the presence of one armed guard at the gate to Parliament. There were several other security people hanging around, but only one with the big gun.

We walked across the Westminster Bridge, the side of which was partially blocked off for repair. From the bridge, we were able to get a good view of the London Eye. Once we saw the lineup for the Eye, we congratulated ourselves choosing to climb the Monument instead. Still, it was pretty to look at.

Then it was off on a walking excursion to find Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I love trying to find my way through large cities. It makes me feel like I am on the Amazing Race. By this point, I no longer cared whether I looked like a tourist or not, so I carried my map in my hand and referred to it frequently. As my sister pointed out, we already looked like tourists since we were travelling as a group of four. Apparently, Londoners go solo or in pairs.

While we were walking to the Globe, we went through a quiet neighbourhood of small row houses. It looked just like Coronation Street! There was even a pub! I wanted to take a picture, but that was vetoed by the cooler members of our party. So I took a picture in my mind instead.

We signed up for a tour of the Globe Theatre, and it was well worth it. We got to go inside! We sat in the seats! It's amazing. Even with my meagre knowledge of Shakespeare, I was fascinated. It was like stepping back in time, except for the fact that the theater was crawling with tourists. I think it smelled better than it did back then, too. But I kept looking over my shoulder and expecting Colin Firth as Lord Wessex to appear. Sadly, he did not.

After the tour, it was off for Oxford Street for some lunch and shopping. To my delight, I discovered chicken and stuffing sandwiches at the Marks and Spencer food store. I had previously eaten an excellent chicken and stuffing sandwich earlier in the week, and had been unable to find another one since that time. Long live chicken and stuffing!

We had determined that it was best to go our separate ways for shopping, as each of us had different shopping expectations. I went with Katherine, since we had similar shopping needs. Jamie and Mom each went off separately. We decided to meet at the Gap. Familiar and easy to find.

Shopping in London was quite daunting. Clothing sizes are way different. Even from store to store, I found a difference. Plus, there are people everywhere! Everywhere! Katherine and I did manage to make a few purchases before our designated meeting time. We met Mom at the Gap. We waited for Jamie to get there.

We waited.

And waited.

After he was 20 minutes late, I was dispatched to another nearby Gap to find him.

No luck.

My mom headed off in the opposite direction to check other Gap stores. Katherine and I were left to sit on a cold bench and panic.

At last, he came. Apparently, he had gotten turned around and went to another Gap. Once he realized it was the wrong Gap, he had to backtrack and find the right one. I was so relieved! I thought he had been kidnapped!

Anyway, all's well that ends well. We did some more shopping. I bought a lovely scarf at Marks and Spencer. Then it was back to the hotel for supper and to get ready for the theater.

We saw Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. Freaking fantabulous. I have loved this musical for a long time. I saw it in Toronto on a choir trip when I was 14. I have two cast recordings. I have the Dream Cast in Concert DVD, where they have people perform the show while standing in front of microphones. Nothing compares to seeing it performed. In London.

Initially, I was underwhelmed by the actor playing Val Jean. However, in the second act, when he sang "Bring Him Home", he blew me away. He wasn't the greatest actor physically, but his voice was stellar. There were many powerful voices in the cast, which suits the musical well, since many of the characters have show-stopping songs in the second act. I was so overcome with emotion at the end of the show that I cried. A lot. Thankfully, I knew it was coming and brought kleenex. The audience gave a standing ovation. I was surprised, because I had heard that London audiences were subdued and rarely stood at the end of a show.

It was definitely a high point of my trip. I would see it again in a heartbeat.


Friday - blood and guts and gore. and ravens. and the Beatles.

Friday was our last full day in London. We had a lot to get done, so we headed off early for the Tower of London, another impressive must-see. We were led on a tour by an engaging, articulate yeoman warder (aka beefeater). He regaled us with tales of the tower's history. Fascinating stuff! They used to chop people's heads off!

After the tour, we made a beeline for the Crown Jewels. Me likey sparkly things. It took us no time at all to make our way through the convoluted corridors that led to the main viewing room. The best part was the moving sidewalks on either side of the display cases, perhaps to ensure visitors don't linger too long. Then we wandered about the various towers. There was armour! And swords! And bowls! We also saw the tower ravens, and a little raven burial ground.

After a visit to two gift shops, we ate fish and chips for lunch. Well, Mom and Jamie ate overpriced fish and chips, and Kat and I ate overpriced chips. I had a bite of Mom's fish, just to say that I had fish and chips in London. I haven't had fish years. It still tastes awful.

While we were eating, there were way too many pigeons flying around. Not only that, but some small children felt compelled to chase the pigeons away, making them swoop dangerously close to us. I hate pigeons. I don't hate children, but I seriously question the wisdom of parents who let their children chase pigeons.

We were off again, this for a walk along the Thames towards St. Paul's Cathedral. Magnificent. The whole time I was humming "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. I sat on the steps of St. Paul's, just like the little old bird woman. I had tuppence. Wisely, I chose not to feed the birds. It's best not to encourage them.

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. At Marks and Spencer, I was ecstatic to find "cookies in a tube". They are ginger cookies that they used to sell at the Superstore. They are the best cookies in the world, and I haven't seen them in years. I bought three packages. I should have bought out the whole store. They're totally worth it.

I also saw the Mr. Darcy bus again. Squee!

After shopping, we made the pilgrimage to Abbey Road. We had attempted this earlier in the week, but we had forgotten the map and didn't know where to go. This time, we heeded the clearly posted sign at the Tube Station and asked for directions at the Abbey Road Cafe. There was the obligatory picture taking and gawking at Abbey Road Studios. Super fun.

While Mom bravely went back to face the crowds at Oxford Street for some more shopping, Jamie, Kat and I went back to the hotel for some rest. As we flipped through our 6 tv channels, we finally found Coronation Street!! Woot! I was glued to the tv. What's more British than watching Coronation Street? Mom got back from shopping in time to catch the end of it.

We ate supper at an Italian restaurant. Our waiter was amusingly persuasive and talked us into ordering two appetizers.

That night, mom and I went for a walk around the block before packing. I finally got to see Royal Albert Hall (site of the Les Mis Dream Cast Concert). Something important must have been happening that night, as there were armed guards all around. Walking around our peaceful surroundings was a great way to say goodbye to London.

In the epilogue of our tale: another airport adventure. Also forthcoming: an end to excessively long-winded posts.