Colleen and I have done and seen so much since our last email. I just hope I can relate it all to you in one email.
After our experience with the mob scene, we made our way back to the hotel and kicked back with one of the movies I brought. Hint: if you want to combat culture shock, bring along some DVDs and something to play them on. Even if only a couple of hours long, the experience of watching a movie from home takes you back. I brought along a pack of 20 that fits nicely in a small case. Should last pretty much the whole trip.
Breakfasts here are great. They are traditionally British � an egg, 2 pieces of �bacon� (ham), a sausage, baked beans, and toast. The British prefer to have tea with their breakfasts, so if you like coffee (like we do), you have to settle for instant coffee. After a while that might make me drink tea for breakfast, I guess.
After breakfast yesterday, we headed out for the newly rebuilt Globe Theater. Made to look and function like the theater in Shakespeare�s day, it comes complete with the open roof and area for groundlings to wander around. We were hoping to get tickets for Romeo and Juliet this weekend, but they are all sold out. However, we might just go down and wait in line hoping for some no-shows to provide empty seats. I�ll let you know how it goes.
From there, we made our way to St. Paul�s cathedral. This masterpiece, designed by Christopher Wren, is the center of the Anglican church and the most important church in Britain. The inside is beautifully decorated by mosaics that Wren despised in his time, but I thought they looked quite nice. We spent some time looking around the place, and we were totally blown away by what we found behind the altar. The area back there is dedicated to the American soldiers that fought in WWII. Three stained glass windows tower behind the altar decorated with American symbols � George Washington, state flags (apparently all 50 are there), the eagle, the flag, and a 50s-era missile. Now that�s gratitude.
As Colleen wove her way through the crypt, looking at the graves of Wellington (no, his first name wasn�t Beef) and other British heroes, I decided to climb to the top of the dome. Now, this wasn�t the highest dome I have ever climbed, but the stairs were a pretty good workout � almost 400 feet to the top. I can only say that the views of London from the top of St. Paul�s have to be the best in the city. Breathtaking.
By this time, Colleen and I were both starting to wind down. After such a long drive across the country and limited physical exercise in DC, we weren�t prepared for the constant walking that London demands. So we sat down for lunch in Leichester Square before making our way back to the hotel for a nap. We didn�t feel too bad, though, because we were headed for the theater that night.
If any of you come to London, try to make time to see Blood Brothers. Sure, like any musical, it�s kind of hokey half the time when they are singing, but the plot was great, the actors were phenomenal, and we had 4th row tickets that we got for half price (thank you, Barb!). It made for a great night on the town.
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