Aug. 23, The Doctor Who Experience.

After a full night of fruitless negotiations with the Druids to release Mari,  Bruce felt that it was hopeless.  Mari was resigned to her fate, manacled to the walls of cold stone in the dark.  She began look at the resources left her when suddenly she heard a familiar sound:  A wheezing and huffing and then a blue police box appeared in her cell.  A very young man with a shock of sandy hair poked his head out, looking around, saying, "oh, no, no, no, no, I'm not supposed to be here.  Wait, wait, who are you?"  He glared at Mari.  "Well, what are you waiting for?''  Mari shook the chains she was attached to.  "Oh, well," he said, we'll sort that out directly."  He walked toward Mari and drew out his sonic screwdriver, quickly releasing her from her shackles.  " Now where were you supposed to be?"  Mari informed him of how the Druids had captured her and Bruce had left to go to the hotel.  "Well, I am the Doctor and I fix things"  declared the Doctor.  Mari followed him into his Police Box (bigger on the inside, of course) and travelling back in time he returned her to Bruce before he had a chance to begin negotiations with the Druids.  "Well, nice to meet both of you Americans.    If you wish you may join me on my adventure tomorrow, meet me at Olympia Two  tomorrrow morning.  

The morning dawned cold and rainy.  Bruce decided it would be prudent to take a cab, even though it was a long distance away.  We wished we could be transported by Tardis, but was satisfied with a friendly cab driver.  Entering the Doctor Who Experience Mari collapsed in a hysterical fan-girl heap.  Using a liberal amount of smelling salts and David Tennant's picture, Bruce was able to revive her.  On  seeing David Tennant's picture Mari swooned again and was taken around the exhibits by a hospital attendant and several very nervous staffers.  Hearing that Mari had received David's autograph a few nights prior, she was forced to detail every moment in the theater and outside the stage door.  She protetsted it was "Much Ado About Nothing".   

Seriously, though we did have a wonderful adventure with the Doctor.  The exhibit was a lot of fun, utilizing all sorts of technology, computer graphics, CGI, smoke, film, noise and 3D glasses we had an adventure with the Doctor, flying inside the Tardis and meeting moveable Daleks.

When the Doctor was saved we were allowed to wander exhibits of the 11 Doctor's clothing, some of the clothing of the companions, and most of the Monsters we had seen on TV all life-size.  It was very interactive and included making your own voice  sound like a Dalek and a cyber-man.  There were several screening theaters, a life size replica of the room where the artists create the characters and to our utter delight, a place where we had pictures taken with the Tardis, inside and out.  That was fun.  We are proudly bringing these home and hope to post them on Facebook.

We had dinner at an authentic English Pub and enjoyed the company of our waitress, Ebha, (Eva) an Irish young lady that is trying to get into the University here.  We topped everything off with a shared piece of decadent chocolate fudge cake, which probably shortened our life by several years.  Medics were standing by.

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Private Tour, August 22

We were scheduled to meet our tour driver at 7:45 in the morning.  While Mari was finishing breakfast, Bruce went outside to check and saw a big bus there.  Then he heard a gentleman call his name and much to his delight he found out not only going to be in a mini van, but we were the only guests.  We had the tour guide to ourselves.  We felt like celebrities getting a private tour.  Our driver, Jude, was a wealth of information, anecdotes and jokes.  He was a great deal of fun, and tailored the trip to our desires.

When he found out I was a Doctor Who fan, he detoured to show me the only blue police box left in London and where the Doctor Who Experience would be.

Our first stop was Avebury (pronounced   ave(long a silent e) bury.  Jude told us about the local history of how the town was built in the middle of the stones whose origin has long since been forgotten.  The huge stones were in two separate rings,  made from stones from about 2-3 miles away.  They mostly were at least 6-15 feet tall.  The stones had been broken and removed as much as possible by the local vicar in remote times, but a local man made a map of the stones so that in later years when they decided to resurrect the site, they knew which stones went where.

The setting was pastoral and serene.  The stones are able to be touched and we sat on the Devil's seat.  Jude, when he realized we had lost our camera, graciously took many pictures of us throughout the tour, including the one on Devil's seat.  We wandered around a bit and came to the "Wishing Tree", which looks like one tree with an extra large trunk.  When you come close you realize that the tree is 4 trees with roots intertwined.  I took a piece of sheep's wool I found near the stones and tied it to a branch that was laden with ribbons and made a wish.

On the way to Glastenbury (an hour away)  We saw a white chalkstone horse, about 50 feet high and probably just as wide emblazoned on a hillside.  These use to be common as a sign of allegiance to ruling king at the time.  There had been a crop circle here, but it had been mowed over.

As we were nearing Glastenbury we saw a tall hill with a white tower on it.  This is thought to be the site of Camelot and the entrance to the isle of Faery.    We had no idea about the history of either Avebury or Glastenbury so everything we saw and heard were all bonus.

Jude told us that in about the 11th or 12th century that someone dug around the walls of the abbey looking for evidence of Camelot.  He found a large tree trunk,  it is there  he found the skeletons of King Arthur and Queen Guineviere, with a sign that said here lies King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in with the bodies.  There was a third body, unidentified.  The monks buried the King and Queen in a marble tomb inside  the Abbey

In the 16th Century Richard Whiting, Abbot of Glastenbury, refused to convert to the Church of England.  (This was one of the most powerful and rich abbies of England.  King Henry VIII had the whole abbey destroyed knocked down stone by stone.   He also emptied all the crypts and tombs in the Abbey.   Richard Whiting and 2 monks died horrible deaths, executed at the orders of Henry VIII.   Only a portion of the Abbey survives, but enough to demonstrate how grand it was.  There are artists renditions of the Abbey in its height of glory.     It is now surrounded by 30 of the original acreage that includes gardens, manicured lawns, park benches, etc.

Stepping into downtown Glastenbury was like going into Woodstock 1969 with new age and hippies and head shops all co-existing.  We had a tasty lunch at a historical old pub.

When we left Glastenbury we took a short side trip to the healing waters where Joseph of Arimethea was supposed to have visited and hidden the Holy Grail and nails used for crucifixion.  After drinking the cold metallic tasting water, Mary and I were magically transformed overnight into teenagers.  Imagine Brent and April's surprise when they find out they are older than we are when we arrive home.  Mary also waded in the water and can now dance like a pro.

Everyone has seen pictures of Stonehenge, so there is no need to describe it.  But when you visit the site, it is very mystical.  It's fun to theorize about it's origins.  There was a village of about 4,000 people nearby.  It's possible they built it in a similar manner to how the Egyptians built the pyramids, but it's perfectly geometrical and acts as a sundial/calendar/holidaymarker of sorts. It is exactly fifteen miles from Avebury to Stonehenge in a direct line.  The line is marked with similar configurations of stones.    Mari chipped off a piece of Stonehenge for Bill, whereupon Druids immediately emerged from behind the stones and dragged  her off kicking and screaming to the cheers of bystanders to God knows what fate.  Sadly, Jude and I continued our journey back to the hotel.

Sunday, August 21 --- Jersey Boys and The Tower

Caught the Big Bus again and rode around until we got off at the Tower of London.  Saw the torture room, the thickness of the walls.  Saw a variety of towers where the people were held until they were either released or executed.

Interestingly enough, the queens were not executed in public, but had private executions within the walls of this ancient compex.  There is a memorial where they died.  So much history took place in this tower that it is difficult to drink in what you are seeing and understand the length and breadth of it.


We took the bus to Trafalgar Square and walked to the Theatre District/Soho and were able to get very good tickets to Jersey Boys for 25 pounds each.

Before the performance we had lunch at another delightful Italien cafe,  where our Croatian waitress proved to be delightful company.  We talked a lot about the theatre district and her life.

Jersey Boys was a wonderful musical.  We knew we would enjoy the music because we love the 4 Seasons, but did not realize how dramatic their lives were.  The musical did a great job of intertwining the lives of the group with their music.  Quite moving.  The 4 leads did a marvelous job of acting, dancing and singing.  Especially notable was the actor who played Frankie Valli.

We went to another cafe for dessert and had profiteroles.  Bruce is in heaven, with more chocolate delights at another outdoor cafe.  So much fun to be surrounded by people laughing, joking and enjoying one another's company.  The Bobbies had to break up several people who were getting too rowdy, but the district felt safe and comfortable.  Bruce feels that the West End Theatre District is a wide open place with everyone free to be who they are.

Bus Tour

The day started sunny again so we decided to do the Big Bus London tour to get a better lay of the land.  We started at Madame Tussaud’s waxworks where the lines were horrendous.  So glad neither of us wished to go there.  We paid for 48 hours of bus rides and proceeded to take in the narrated sites.  Bruce was very happy to take the tour and we were guided to several places we wouldn’t have seen:  21 Downing St.,  Eaton Place where Upstairs/Downstairs was filmed and many famous people such as Sean Connery and Lawrence Olivier had resided.  We took this tour around the entire city drinking in all the famous sights:  Buckingham Palace, the Thames River, The London Eye, Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, Chesea, Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, etc., etc.  

We left the bus at Baker Street, where we visited the eminent sleuth’s house.  This was so much fun.  They even had a pen, looking like a hypodermic needle, with the 7% solution in it.  Checked out several rock and roll gift shops, nearby.  

After this, we returned to our bus tour to get to Trafalgar Square.  When we arrived there, there was a preacher yelling out in the center and a very good street musician singing on the side.  Very busy and intriguing as well as beautiful.  Everything in the square was interactive:  people sitting, laying and lounging on the stone lions.

We walked from Trafalgar to the Buckingham Palace, which is blocked by tall  black wrought iron gates tipped in gold.  The Queen’s Coat of Arms was emblazoned everywhere.  Most amazing were the guards standing at attention right outside the palace, each one outside his little tin station, each one not moving a muscle.

We walked through the James Garden and into Green Park watching the people and ducks.  Near one of the gates to the park, a man was feeding the squirrels from his hands, one even climbed on his arms, but most of the time he made them behave and eat while perched on the fence.  All of the pigeons, ducks and geese were quite polite, looking at us hungrily as we walked by.  In the middle of one pond we saw white pelicans, so much larger than any of the other birds in the park.  Also notable were the black swans.

Nearing Piccadilly Street, we saw a band playing in the park under a striped awning.  People were lounging on rented chairs in the sunshine while listening to the music.

We left Piccadilly Street to go down a side street to find food.  We stopped at another Italian restaurant where we had a nice dinner.   Bruce was so hungry he ordered 2 main dishes:  a avocado salmon salad and a pizza.  He almost polished off both with dessert.  The dessert was chocolate profiteroles, one of his favorites.  

We were a little turned around on the walk home, but finally got to Oxford Street, the main shopping district.  It was getting dark and we had walked a lot today so we hailed a cab and got back to our hotel to rest for another busy day tomorrow.

Scream, scream...David Tennant and Catherine Tate

Interesting day.  Bruce went to run and I had breakfast at the hotel and then went for a walk.  We both ended up choosing the same places to be, although we didn’t see each other.  It was a beautiful day with blue skies, a cool breeze and NO RAIN!!!  We decided to meet up about three to get ready for the theater.

I went to Regent Park,  which is a lovely green area with soccer fields, a duck pond, the London Zoo and some formal gardens.  I spoke with several gardeners who said that a lot of what they have in the garden are perennials, but one of the main gardeners said sometimes they get space to do special projects and her group of gardeners had planned an herbaceous garden that was just around the corner.  There were large green spaces, beds of green as well as purples and reds, bright splashes of oranges and yellows as well as whites.  The spray of the formal fountains added to the beauty of the park.  People ran and strolled around the park.  There is a fabulous energy to the place.  

I also went to Queen Mary’s Royal Garden which is full of over 30,000 blooms and I think 600 species.  Amazing!  I strolled slowly, seeing which roses had the greatest fragrance.  There is another pond in the middle of this garden, full of different ducks and wildlife.  I wrote down descriptions of the ducks and birds so that I can find out what they are.  

In the middle of the pond there is a small island that contains a Japanese Garden, that isn’t as calming as one would expect.  They have built a waterfall to the side of the island that can be heard all over.  The water foams over the stones, rushing it’s way to the bottom.  A smaller brook trickles more peacefully around the inner parts of this garden.  At another edge a black stone spread-winged hawk poses to strike, beak open.  (The ducks nest peacefully under his open beak.)  There are beautiful willows, their green hair towering in graceful garlands over the pond.  I found a stone to sit and enjoy the beauty.

Continuing on, I went to 22 Baker Street, where I almost went into the Sherlock Holmes Museum, but didn’t go because the queue was too long.  The gift shop was fun to visit.

Stopped at a lovely pub for lunch, where I was able to buy a large meatball sub sandwich with a half pint of lager.  The staff was quite friendly.  I was only able to eat half the lunch so I took the rest back to Bruce.  

Bruce spent all morning at St. Regent’s park, too, and then went to St. Pancras Station, where they filmed the Railway Station for Harry Potter both inside and out.

We got all dressed up for a special night.  My heart was beating in my chest a mile a minute as I got ready.  We were going to see Much Ado about Nothing in London’s West End Theater District.

We left at 5:00 and took a taxi down.  Bruce had us pick up our tickets right away and tried without success to wangle a special meeting with David Tennant.  He even spoke with the Stage Door Manager.  

While waiting for the theater we stopped at an outdoor table at an Italian Restaurant:  the food was amazing, the wait staff very attentive.  While we ate we watched the flow of people rush by, a babble of languages, colors and gender orientation.  Everyone was enjoying a Friday night out in London’s theater district which was flashing with marquee colors and delicious with the smell of different foods.

We walked down Charing Cross road to find Jersey Boys, so we could book tickets.  We will probably go back there on Sunday at 5:00 to see if we can snag some.  After talking with the box office people there, it was time for the performance of Much Ado About Nothing.

We had second row seats in the intimate Wydnham theater.  The first row was so close to the stage you had to crane your neck and could touch the stage.  I was so excited to see one of my favorite actors so up close and personal.  

The curtain opened with Catherine Tate who handled her part beautifully and with great wit.  David Tennant comes on stage with a roar, driving a golf cart load of officers to meet with the person who owns the home.  Every single person in the play was excellent.  I have to say it was a great ensemble cast, and though many people’s attentions were on Tate and Tennant, everyone had a moment in which they commanded the stage.  Of course David and Catherine had great interplay with each other, but definitey it was not the David of Doctor Who or Catherine as Donna the companion.  Benedict has a large role in the play, as does Beatrice, so there was no lack of those two stars as the play went on.  The staging was very fresh and contemporary.  I was within 5 feet of David and Catherine many times during the play.  There was one scene with Benedict in drag as Miss Piggy and David seemed to enjoy hamming it up to the hilt.  Catherine Tate was in another in which she is listening to the others talking about Benedict’s love for her and she gets hoisted by a hook up to the ceiling while the others pretend not to see her.    Both actors are much as you see them on television, and yes, David is as cute as you think and plays the role quite energetically and charismatically.  He and Catherine work quite well together.  I had read one review in which Miss Tate was chided for not having the depth to play the tragic part of the play, but I think she did quite well as of course did Tennant.

Because everything was done so well Bruce had a great time too.  I found myself enjoying all of the play and each performer was wonderful.

At the end of the play, Bruce stood by the side while I wormed my way into the crowd at the back of the theater who were trying to see David Tennant and  Catherine Tate.  No one was pushing in on them, everyone was waiting respecfully.  I asked people if I could come in closer, as I had a program to get signed and they let me get in arm’s reach.   Unfortunatelly, I could only see the tops of their heads but each actor graciously autographed my program.  The actors who played Don John and Hero rushed by, looking like they did not wish to be bothered, but I was able to get signatures from many of the other actors.

We ended the night with pastries and coffee across the street from the theater.  My program is now residing in our hotel room safe until we leave.

First full day in London -- totally soaked

Wow!  By this time next week  we will be flying home.  So hard to believe.  Many blessings, some hardships, lots and lots of walking, interesting times.

Today we had an early breakfast and then rested in our room before leaving about 10:00.  It was very dreary and looked like rain, but we decided to skip the umbrella (my idea which Bruce agreed with).

When we left our hotel, it was very cool outside, I felt chilly in my jean skirt and short sleeved top,   Bruce was cold.  We walked about 1 mile to  Oxford Street, found an H&M  department store where we picked up warm sweaters and a hoodie for Bruce.  We headed for the beautiful green spaces of Hyde Park and enjoyed a nice long walk before it began to rain lightly, then more hard.  After searching (almost desperately) we found a coffee shop in the Serpentine Gallery of Kensington Gardens  where we had hot chocolate, hot tea and a delicious chocolate-raspberry brownie.  BTW, April, we should have both packed a nice warm jacket, but it was fun shopping in London.

It continued to pour down as we searched for a place to buy umbrellas.  We took a break from the rain at the College of London  where we found free toilets, and chairs to wait out some of the rain.  A gentleman from the UK sat down near us and he and Bruce began to talk about how different the WWII experiences were for us Americans and for the British and French who fought the war on their own soil.   Bruce’s Dad  had served in the Solomon Islands and his Dad had served in the RAF.  He spoke of how few historic buildings in London had survived the Blitz unlike Paris whose Vichy government collaborated with the Germans and had all their historic buildings untouched. 

As soon as the rain simmered down, we left the building wishing the gentleman a good day.  We soon found a London tacky gift shop and bought two cheap umbrellas that threatened to fall apart as soon as the wind picked up.  It was very cold, but Bruce was determined.  He had made his mind up to go to Notting Hill.    We found an Antique bookstore close to Notting Hill where we took a look around.  The store had books by Jules Verne that I had not known he had written.  He had many, many old editions and was kind enough to supply me with a paper towel so I could wipe my hands before touching books.  I saw a folio of T.S. Eliot’s works that cost 200 pounds.  Not sure Brent would really like that 200 pounds worth.  

Through admirable perseverance and Bruce’s determination we made it to the edge of Notting Hill  where we found Prince Albert Pub, which was truly a local hangout.  I got 2 different half pints of beer and Bruce had a coke and lemonade.  We shared a platter of munchies and a salad.  The food was quite good and I had a chance to sample the British chips, although most people were eating them with ketchup instead of the traditional salt and vinegar.    The finale of our meal was a shared plum and raspberry warm tart with homemade vanilla ice cream; the perfect touch to warm us up.

Interestingly enough, all ordering is done at the bar, including food.  We waited quite a while before we discovered this, since I finally decided to go up to the bar to get us some drinks.  Not sure we tipped enough, though.

Took the bus home from the pub, but got off way before our stop due to misreading  and then was sent off in the wrong direction by a person who was waiting nearby.  We walked an extra mile in the cold rain and Bruce allowed me to wear his new hoodie over my sweater because I was so cold.  

So, warm and safe now in our hotel.  The maid had removed our key from our room:  Bruce’s worries were correct; so he had to check with the front desk and they cancelled that key.  Really weird.  

So...tomorrow, maybe David Tennant.....really hope we didn’t screw up the dates!!!  I am so Excited.

Leaving Paris, Hello London

Busy day, with mixed reviews.  We were sorry to leave Paris.  The weather was a bit uncertain in Paris, but each day the weather became sunny and warm.  We walked everywhere.  And everywhere we went it was beautiful. Everyone was in a holiday mood and we met with delightful Parisians who were courteous and did their best to help us in any way they could.

Sadly we left our hotel a 9 a.m. after a lovely breakfast.  The cab took us to a very large train station:  Rue du Nord, where we picked up the Eurostar.  Unhappily I had left our camera in the cab, which our driver said he would return to our Hotel.   I think it really helped that Bruce gave a huge tip to the driver.   So, several days from now we should be getting new photos taken. 

The Eurostar trip was without incident.  We had spacious comfortable seats and were able to take all of our luggage onboard.  Surprisingly they served a tasty brunch with wine and coffee.  We had a nice conversation with a young German girl who was interning in marketing.   Her grandmoher had fought in the resistance and she mentioned that the French were very prejudiced against the Germans, lumping them all in one category.   She was taking a business trip to London and appeared quite excited about it.  She had difficulty in making her connections because her train in Germany had been cancelled.  The next train was so crowded, she had to sit on the floor the whole way to the Rue du Gard.  There was nice scenery throughout the French counryside, but nothing spectacular.  The arrival station, Pancras Station in London was the same as Harry Potter used when he went to school, very impressive, but I wasn’t quite sure how they set it up for the movies.

We walked to the hotel:  A busy street in the business district full of men and women in black or charcoal suits...very uniform, bustling and intense.  The sky was grey and the day cool.  The buildings around us were  modern and made of glass.  Bruce expressed his disappointment and desire to have stayed in Paris.  Our hotel is lovely, but not the wonderful intimate hotel we had in France.  We had to wait to check in, wait 2 hours for our room and the front desk was bustling, but not too friendly.  

The room is quite nice, though a bit small.  Everything has an extra price except breakfast.  They want 18.00 Pounds for a day of internet and  53 British Pounds for 25 hours of premium tv.   We’ll go to the wifi cafe to get our internet.  

After me having a long nap, we left the hotel after buying an umbrella.  We had to walk a bit, but found a very satisfactory restaurant with friendly waiters who found us a quiet seat.  ( Most of the restaurants and pubs were packed with locals, no tables to be found.  We were a little suspicious of those restaurants which had few or no patrons.)

We ordered salmon and braised beef shanks.  The food was delicious and not too expensive.  During the meal we spoke to the 2 women sitting next to us, asking for advice and directions.  They were delightful:  one is a tribunal who helps decide medical wrong-doing and parent-child conflict cases; the other is a counselor at a college.  The latter spoke with me and we talked shop.  Bruce had a good time speaking with the other woman, who spoke of racism in the UK as there are only 3% Blacks in the UK population.   The two women have been friends for over 30 years and were willing to share their brief time together with us.  So sad that life has to have such brief meetings.

They oriented us towards our hotel and we said goodbye and swiftly walked back to our hotel glad for a better orientation to the new town.  Tomorrow we get our metro tickets and learn to navigate this more complicated city.