London – Part One

I left Cowbridge by train from Bridgend and arrived in London around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, I left my luggage at Paddington Station and grabbed a taxi for a rushed ride to the Old Vic Theatre. I had time to get a 20-pound ticket for the show and then went out at intermission and grabbed half a sandwich for lunch. A Moon for the Misbegotten was fantastic. I’m not a Eugene O’Neil fan but figured it was worth the risk as Kevin Spacey was starring in it. The entire cast was great and the show was riveting. I recommend it for anyone who is into a serious play.

After the show I went hotel hunting. My taxi driver had suggested a couple of places nearby so I started there. I had the number for the place I was originally expecting to go to and knew it was available. However, it was an apartment and it was after 5:30 when I got out of the show and called them, and by then it was just an answering service. Anyway, after much walking and phoning I did find a place to stay for the night. After going back to Paddington for my bags and then going to the hotel there wasn’t much time for anything but dinner. The next day I phoned the apartment and moved in there (Bayswater / Notting Hill area) for the rest of my stay. Neither place was fancy but the price was right and both were near subway stations, which is imperative in London.

Thursday morning I didn’t see much. I switched hotels and did minor things like mailed a package back to OC and crutches back to Copenhagen, checked e-mails, had CDs made for pictures, etc. However, Thursday afternoon and evening made up for it.

D, of D, C and L fame from earlier write-ups, came into town and met me at the Tate Modern where we toured around for a couple of hours. The exhibits were all very interesting but we did ask a few times, “but is it really art?” I realize my art education is very limited but my one observation from the whole visit was that you had to have a lot of self-confidence to be an artist. Anyone with low self-confidence might look at their completed work and scrap it. Not these folks. They are all reproducing similar works and having exhibits. Now I do realize there are some works of Monet and Picasso and Warhol and Liechtenstein and other famous artists in the exhibits. I’m certainly not saying it was all questionable. I’m just saying I found parts of it “interesting.” And isn’t that an awful thing for the Past President of the Rotary Centre for the Arts and the winner of the Honour in the Arts Award to be saying??? Oh well, at least I still support the arts.

I was then treated to a walking tour through parts of London around St. Paul’s Cathedral and Leicester Square and Chinatown; the first just because it is directly across the river from the Tate Modern, the second because we wanted to get cheap theatre tickets, and the third because we had to eat dinner. I’m still not sure how we did the walking, got the tickets, had dinner and made it to the theatre on time for 7:30. I thought it was almost 6 when we left the Tate. It might have something to do with actually knowing where you are going. My routes around London are generally quite convoluted and time consuming.

Dancing In the Streets was really fun and brought back lots of memories. The show is a Motown musical with performers playing the singing groups and individuals (Supremes, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, …) and singing all the greatest hits. You just had to sing along with every song and clap or tap your feet or something. Well, at least we thought so and so did most other people. The lady beside us never even twitched in time to the music. I’m not sure why she bothered seeing the show. Oh well, we just ignored her and all was well.

And on the way back to the tube station where we took the same tube but in opposite directions, my talented tour guide actually managed to hit the Maple Leaf Pub for last call at 11 p.m. Imagine how at home I felt in the log cabin environment with a stuffed bear, a Mountie, shirts from the Canadian teams (Team Canada, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, etc.). It was quite cute but I think I was the only Canadian in the place and they didn’t even serve Canadian beer.

As expected, the London theatre scene is great. I finally saw Chicago and it wasn’t at all what I expected. For some reason I had a totally different type of show in mind – something much darker and more “murderous”. It was fantastic and the cast was incredibly talented and gorgeous. I really enjoyed it. The lead was American, Ashlee Simpson as Roxie Hart, and used to be on 7th Heaven but I sure couldn’t place her.

Avenue Q was a total surprise. I really didn’t know anything about it except that it had won some Tony’s on Broadway. It was hilarious and there wasn’t a lull in the action at any point. There are only 7 actors and they all play characters who live on Avenue Q in New York. Three of them play people or act as people or … how does one say that? The other four operate puppets and it’s amazing to watch the puppet movements mirror the actor’s movements and vice versa. The topics ranged from racism to relationships, from the purpose of life to porn on the Internet and the worth of a BA. I particularly like the BA part at the beginning. It was great!

I saw Chicago and Avenue Q on Friday. The only other thing I accomplished that day was a long bus tour of all the sights from the top of a double-decker, open-air tour bus. It did present a great view but it took hours to get between the major landmarks so it seemed a bit tedious. It was also a bit cool at times when the sun disappeared behind a clout or building but I must admit that I’m doing very well weather wise. Most days I’m touring around in a T-shirt and then just throw on a sweater or jacket at night.

Saturday was a religious day. I toured both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and attended Even Song at St. Paul’s and then went to see Wicked. Well I guess that last part wasn’t all that religious but it was magnificent! Wicked was the one show I really wanted to see. I knew it was a prelude to The Wizard of Oz and told the story of how and why the Wicked Witch of the West became so wicked. The production is huge and it is spectacular. The colours of the lights and sets and costumes and the overall staging are fantastic and I’d love to see it again. The story has several twists and turns but it is good and it explains just about everything. I won’t say more except that it is quite amazing how they wove so many aspects of The Wizard of Oz into the show. And the ending is great too!

But I digress and I guess I really should get back to the churches before I forget. Westminster Abbey is huge and so packed with history that it is going to be hard to describe. It was built in the 10th century and has since been rebuilt and remodeled several times, and it has been the scene for many important events since then. William the Conqueror was crowned here in 1066, and since then it has been the Coronation Church. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned here in 1953. It is also the burial and memorial place for many royals and famous people. I won’t begin to name them all but they run the gamut from Henry VIII to Mary Queen of Scots, from Chaucer to the Unknown Warrior. There are also memorials to important figures from Churchill to Roosevelt and from Darwin and Newton. The funeral of Diana Princess of Wales and of the Queen Mother both took place here. There are plaques and memorials everywhere. At times it is hard to think of it as a church as it appears so busy with memorials. However, it is huge and impressive and plays an important role in British history.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is also huge and impressive. The church on this site was started in the 7th century and it has been rebuilt and expanded many times in the past centuries. Christopher Wren did the last remodeling of the building in the 17th century and it is considered his masterpiece. The dome is one of the largest in the world and the paintings on it are fantastic. Some of the prophets and apostles are shown around the first part of the nave. You can see these from ground floor but get a better view from the Whispering Gallery (259 steps up), which encircles the lower part of the dome so I climbed up and enjoyed the view inside the cathedral. From there I climbed up to the Stone Gallery (378 steps) and the golden Gallery (530 steps), which are on the outside of the dome and offer incredible views of the city. It was quite overcast when I was up there but the view was still good. It gave me a great idea of where I’d been and how all the sights fit together.

I did the audio tour of the cathedral and enjoyed the history it presented. The cathedral has a central nave and then an aisle on either side with smaller ornate chapels off of it. There are various statues and memorials such as the Wellington Monument for Arthur Wellington who was the Duke of Wellington. There is also important artwork but I ran out of time before I saw Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World or Henry Moore’s Mother and Child – probably a bad move on my part but when I got the audio guide they told me to do the crypt and the galleries first as they closed early. Who knew I’d take so long that I’d miss out on other things?

The crypt was interesting and had some nice memorials. Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s and many other great buildings, has a rather plain tomb that simply says, “Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you.” I thought that was quite appropriate. There are also tombs and/or monuments to William Blake, Henry Moore, Sir Alexander Fleming, Lord Nelson and Florence Nightingale to name a few.

St. Paul’s is a beautiful cathedral and part of British history. For centuries it has been used for weddings such as Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s, funerals for people such as Nelson, Wellington and Churchill; and special events such as Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. I guess it’s no wonder, especially given the size and history of the place and all the climbing I was doing on my “great” feet, that I ran out of time (well actually walked out of time) before seeing everything. However, I did stay to hear Even Song that evening so that was the good part about being so slow. It was very nice and the boys sang beautifully. Still, I have to say that the Even Song in Wales was better. It was a more intimate setting and you could actually see the choir and hear every word. In St. Paul’s the choir was too far away to really be seen and the sound wasn’t as good.

On Sunday I tried to have a royal day. Buckingham palace wasn’t all that exciting. I’d already driven past it so had seen the outside. Now I was expecting to see at least some of the rooms on the inside, as the tour books said I would. However, I couldn’t go in because, as the guy at the gate said, “the Queen lives there!” Didn’t she live there when the tour books were printed? He was so emphatic about his answer that I didn’t think I should say what I was quickly thinking, which was, “Well, ask her to leave for a while.” I just didn’t think he’d see any humour in that. Later as I toured the queen’s Gallery I was told the rooms in the Palace were only open in the summer when the Queen was not in residence. That made more sense.

The Queen’s Gallery was interesting. It was an exhibit of watercolours and drawings owned by the Queen Mother. Some of it was the royal family portraits and that part was very informative. The audio guide was packed with lots of stories, especially about how the Queen Mother kept promoting the arts during WWII when art wasn’t exactly top of mind for most people. There was also a section on the royal castles and palaces, a general section with art from some of her favourite artists. Other parts of the gallery house more permanent exhibits such as royal dishes, jewels of various types (crowns, swords, jewelry, …) and artwork from various artists. I remember a Rembrandt that I liked but I don’t remember many other names right now.

The Royal Mews were also interesting. The horses, stable harness rooms, etc. were nice to see but the royal carriages were the best part. The stories behind them and the decorations were amazing. Our tour guide was great and that always helps enhance the experience.

I then headed to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge but was told that I wouldn’t have time to see all of the Tower of London and I should come back the next day. That left Tower Bridge. I like the bridge and had taken several pictures of it but I really wasn’t too fussy about seeing the “inside” of it. However, the tour was quite enjoyable. The exhibits included short films on how the design for the bridge was chosen and how many times it was turned down, as well as the construction of the bridge and how the lift span works. More importantly it provides access to the upper walkways on the bridge and that means great views and hopefully great pictures!

As I was leaving Tower Bridge I stepped on the first step of the stairs to the bridge and had pain shooting through my foot and up my leg. I managed to hobble back to the tube station and on to my hotel but my touring speed was reduced drastically and I started popping pain pills. I finally broke down and decided to make an appointment with a specialist. I’ll report on those results later.

On Monday, after finally arranging the doctor’s appointment, I managed to make it to the Tower of London. The guy from the previous day was definitely right. You need a lot of time to tour that place. The name may imply it is a tower but in fact it is a whole town complete with exterior and interior walls, grass space now where the moat used to be, homes, towers, palaces and crown jewels. I joined the guided tour and we had a fantastic guide who made the visit very enjoyable and informative.

The complex was built as a fortified city in the 11th century. The White Tower or castle was built by William the Conqueror after he conquered the British army in 1066. He wanted a place in London to show the people that he belonged. It is now an armoury museum and all five floors have exhibits of guns, swords, cannons, armour, etc. One exhibit shows horse and rider in full armour - Henry VIII perhaps? I’m sure it was one of the Henrys and it was definitely impressive.

The Beauchamp Tower is where prisoners were held. Sir Walter Ralegh spent 13 years there. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were held for shorter times. Most prisoners were later led out fur public execution although I believe some, like Anne and Catherine, were beheaded within the privacy of the Tower. Many of the prisoners carved their names and sayings in the walls and their writing is quite amazing to read. The torture chamber is also available for those who want to check out medieval methods of torture. I always wonder what kind of devious mind dreams up such strange and cruel devices. I’d probably dream up death by chocolate if someone asked me.

Okay, on to some of the more pleasant parts of the Tower. The Chapel Royal of St. Peter of Vinsula is small and quaint and apparently still operational. The medieval palace was a residence for the Kings and Queens of England. The rooms have been restored to the era of Edward I (1272-1307). The rooms looked quite comfortable and livable but castle walls always have a cold feeling in my opinion. I guess that’s why they needed all the fireplaces and the servants to keep them going. Some of the rooms were decorated very nicely and would have been great areas for entertaining. The Great Hall is where the real entertaining was done and it was very large and would definitely hold quite a celebration.

Traitors Gate was at the entrance where the river and moat came under an arch in the castle wall. Originally it was to enable deliveries in and out of the castle by water. Later it was used for transporting prisoners in and out during the night so they weren’t seen. Henry III also had a Watergate (no, not the US kind) where he could secretly get in and out when needed.

The main reason for going to the Tower of London was to see the Crown Jewels. All the other sights were an added bonus. The crown jewels are kept in the Waterloo Block, another huge building within the complex. The jewels are indeed impressive and very well displayed – even if you do have to ride around the moving pathway a couple times to see everything you’re looking for. And some of the diamonds in them are very huge and impressive. Some of the crowns and jewels date back to the 14th century and many of them are still in use today for special occasions.

I did not go to the Fusiliers’ Museum or on all of the Wall Walk as my feet (or at least my foot) was getting tired. If you wanted to do and see everything in the Tower of London you would definitely need the better part of a whole day.

That night I went to see Billy Elliott, mainly because it was on the yellow tube line and easy for me to get to and from. I bought a ticket at the last minute. The girl told me the price, full price of about 50 pounds so over $100, and said there was some restricted vision. I said I didn’t think I should have to pay full price for a restricted vision ticket, which I think ticked her off. She then said she had one ticket in the front row of the balcony that only cost about 20 pounds so I said great. Well, I’m sure she laughed me all the way out the door. I was in the first seat in the front row of the balcony. The balcony was a “U” shape so when I sat squarely in my seat (more on that in a minute) I was looking between rows 3 and 4 of the ground level seats. I had to turn my head at least 80 degrees to even see the stage, and what I did see was only about one third of the total stage area. Now wait, it gets even better. Because I’m the end seat in the front row of the balcony I actually can’t even sit straight. I have to turn my body away from the stage because the front railing is curving around and it’s right up against the left edge of my seat. There is no room for my legs, other than in my neighhbour’s spot. Luckily she was a tiny little thing and wanted to be closer to her friend on her right anyway so we did manage.

So there I sat with my body facing one way and my head turned around the other way so I could see a third of what was happening on stage. Aside from the fact that the young boy wanted to dance ballet and the family didn’t want him to, I knew nothing about the story. I couldn’t understand the accent, which I thought at first was a heavy British accent but it turned out to be Welsh, so the first half of the story was totally lost on me. I thought it was wartime but later found out it was the coal miner’s strike. Anyway, at intermission I packed up and moved to a much better seat dead center about four rows back on the grand circle or second level. I had noticed the seats were empty throughout the first half so I decided to make use of them.

What a difference location makes! I finally understood what was going on. Regardless of the problems, the show was really well done. The male Welsh miner’s chorus was great and so was the dancing. The kid that played Billy Elliott was amazing. It’s so awesome to see such talent in one so young. Acting, singing, dancing – he was fantastic. And I’m sure every ballet school in the world uses his speech about ballet and how he feels when he is dancing. That answer was absolutely brilliant – well written and well delivered. I would go to see the show again any time.

On Tuesday I walked through Kensington Park, which is very green and relaxing, to Kensington Palace. This is an old palace going back to the 17th century in what once was the outskirts of London but what is now right in the middle of the city. Queen Victoria was born here. Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon lived here, and after her separation from Prince Charles, Princess Diana lived here right up to the time of her death. It was the whole garden area of Kensington Park in front of the palace that was covered in flowers and tributes after her death. There was an exhibit of photographs of Diana and it was fascinating. Mario Testino took the photos and they were some of the last official photos of her. Some of them were published in a magazine just before she died but this exhibit showed more of them. She was in formal gowns, some of which were also on display, and the photos were very casual. It was a great exhibit and I’m glad it was on while I was there.

The Palace itself was nice but I don’t remember the details. There was a ceremonial dress section where they showed not only the clothes but also how some of them were made and what had to be worn on what occasion and how it had to be worn – or not worn as in the case of the flat hat, which the men just carried under their arm. The room Queen Victoria was born in was shown as it would have been, and there were pictures of her as a young girl in the Palace. The dining room and other rooms for after dinner entertaining and dancing were on display. Boy I hope this is all true. I’m trying to recall and picture it in my mind but it’s now two weeks later and I’ve seen so many things in the last months! I know the clothing part was there and I know Queen Victoria’s room was there. It’s just some of the other rooms I’m unsure of. I also know Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon’s apartments were on display because many of his photographs were exhibited. After the Palace visit I walked back through the park and out down by the lake.

That night I saw Bent. It was really well done and the actors did an incredible job. Given the subject matter of Nazi Germany, the Holocaust and homosexuals, it was really heavy material and sometimes difficult to watch. However, I really enjoyed it and give the playwright, Martin Sherman, and the actors big kudos for tackling the topic and producing such a moving show. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone though.

My gosh, London just seems to go on and on and on. Maybe I should break this into two parts. Well before I do that I guess I’d better finish off the foot story or some of you will be wondering what happened. I hurt my foot on the Sunday, or should I say my foot started hurting again on Sunday. Monday morning I had to spend some time trying to find the right doctor and making an appointment. On Tuesday I had my appointment and on Wednesday I had to go back just to pick up receipts that normally get mailed out.

The doctor was an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot problems. He did a thorough examination and decided I had a stress fracture across my left foot. Sometimes it was fine but occasionally I step on it wrong and re-injure the fracture so it hurts again. His recommendation was four weeks in a boot and I agreed. The boot doesn’t exactly make a fashion statement but then I don’t do that often myself so that’s not a big problem. At least now I don’t have to worry about bending my foot the wrong way. The x-rays from Copenhagen and Wales have been sent to the specialist and he has confirmed by e-mail that I fractured a bone on the outside of my right ankle, which I knew and which appears to have healed well. He has also confirmed that I had ligament damage and a small fracture across the middle of my left foot. The swelling in the original x-rays would have made its detection almost impossible so that’s why I’ve been hobbling around for the last four months looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. With leaning on crutches or slouching over for balance, and wearing my backpack and limping unevenly and even swaying at times for balance, I actually looked and acted like a drunken hunchback. So now I’m in a boot. The foot will heal and hopefully all will be well. Four weeks seemed like a long time when he said it but what’s another four weeks when I’ve already been limping around for four months? At least now I know it wasn’t all in my head and there really was something wrong with my left foot. Right from the start it has been the only one that really hurt so I feel better just knowing I wasn’t imagining it.

Okay, enough of that. The trip continues. The crutches have been sent back to Copenhagen. The boot is mine because I had to buy it and I’ll just wear it until everything feels better. And in the meantime, I’ll just keep walking and enjoying the sights.

That’s all from the hunchback for this time. Part two of London will follow shortly.

Jayne
- currently in Barcelona in case you’re interested