England and Scotland for Dad's 70th
Day 5 - Monday - England
(continued)
So we stop off at the proper train station and,
courtesy of perfect directions from the train man, cross the Thames
over the Southwark Bridge and can at least see it -- it's huge!
And, at 4:45 I know I probably can't get in, but we'll walk over and
see what we can see. The first thing we see is a sign that says
"Last tour at 4 p.m." Doh! I say let's go in and see if we
can at least sneak a peek, and I tell the ticket lady I guess we missed
the last tour, and she says "Oh, no, the last tour's in 10
minutes."
It is? And how long does it last? I ask, knowing we
have to meet Francesca at 6:30.
"35 minutes."
That would
have us finishing at 5:30, we can make it! Please, Dad!
Pu-leeez?!!
Okay, he said, as if No was an option.
Then she
told me we'd probably see the actors rehearsing for tomorrow's
performance - YEA!
And it was very cool -- lots of restructuring info,
a
video showing their opening night where actress Queen Elizabeth I waves
to the real Queen Elizabeth II, the "Atlanta Olympic Park"-style bricks
on the
way to the theater where a 300-pounds-each donation displayed names of
actors including Michael York, Patrick Stewart, John Cleese, Michael
Palin, Prince Edward and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. There is also a
beautiful wrought iron gate adorned with iron figures, each from
different countries, representing different animals or flowers
mentioned in the plays. Then the theatre -- all wood, bench seats
in the upper part, standing room only on the floor (where the
actors were rehearsing -- playing madrigal music and dancing), and the
stage -- huge and gorgeous, painted with all sorts of ornamentation I
would never have pictured in a million years. My head is so much
clearer about Shakespeare staging now.
We beat it back to the tunnel (Underground) station
to catch the Circle Line to Mansion House station, then the Northern
Line to Embankment, and the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden (including
hopping one train in the wrong direction and changing back at the next
station), to find Francesca waiting for us. She took us to a
fabulous Turkish restaurant ("SOFRA") for tasty olives, hummus and
focachia bread followed by entrees of grilled chicken and lamb, and
shepherd's salad ("Name the dressing's ingredients," I challenge
her. "Vinegar, sugar, fennel and celery leaves," she replies).
To the New London Theatre!
Francesca didn't know anything about this theatre
since she's never been (CATS
is the only thing playing there since
she's been in London and she's never seen it), so she's surprised to
find it's a "modern" theater. We sit in our amazingly perfect
seats (end front row of the second section, right where the cats run
down the aisle and entertain the people sitting, well, where we were),
and very close to the stage. During the interval we had ice cream
and put our wrappers under our seats. During the finale, one of
the felines nosed under my chair, pulling out the wrapper,
investigating it and looking up at me with a "it's all gone!" pout,
which was too adorable.
We return to Francesca's flat, exhausted, and with
the song "Memories" stuck firmly in my head.
England and
Scotland for Dad's 70th
Travel Journals
The
Marilyn Website home
Copyright Marilyn Estes
1997-2004