Too Little Time--Too Much To See

I haven't made a blog entry for four days, both because the internet cafes tend to close before 10:00 and because Dianna and I have been trying to fit 14 hours of touring into 12 hours each day. I'm happy that she is finally able to experience the non-stop wonder that being in a city like London offers the diligent traveler. I'm not going to try to compile a nicely developed prose narrative--just a list of some of our stops for future use.

CABERET
Well, we haven't been spending all our time with ancient history or literature. We've taken in our share of the local entertainment including a trip to the Lyric Theatre for a performance of Caberet. Along the way, we've tried to experience the local cuisine, including fish and chips and mushy peas (the last is really quite good) down at the warf and a nice chicken pie with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies all covered in thick, brown gravy.

THE TOWER
This was an entire day's excursion. Americans tend to think of this historic location as "the" tower, but, in fact, the white stone tower and wall built by William the Conquerer in 1084 was subsequently surrounded by a secondary wall with 13 additional towers in the 12th century. In the 13th century, another wall was added with six more towers; thus, when you visit "The Tower of London," you'll actually see 20 towers--the white tower rising above the others in the center of an elaborate fortification. And what history! Not only did the early Norman kings settle here as their primary residence in England, but also Henry VIII and the Stuart kings used this location as well. Famous prisoners such as the two princes (see Shakespeare's "Richard III"), Sir Thomas More, two of Henry's wives, and John Stuart were murdered or executed within these walls. Ann Boleyn and Catherine Howard are buried under the alter in the Royal Chapel within the walls. Many prisoners left graffiti in their cells which were located mostly among the 13 towers of the inner wall. For those of you who care little about history, there's always the gross display of opulence known as the Crown Jewels. Yep, we saw them--several times. The display of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and gold scattered like so many rhinestones on crowns, swords, canes, and clothes was pretty astounding. Also on the grounds is the museum of the Royal Fusiliers--very nice--and a fun changing of the guards ceremony.

SHERLOCK HOLMES
Yes, I realized a boyhood dream and visited the rooms of The Detective and the doctor at 221b Baker Street. The Baker Street metro stop is the oldest in London--first opened in 1863--and it would have, of course, afforded Holmes rapid transit throughout the city. On the street above, there really is a 221b address where an enterprising company has constructed "The Sherlock Holmes Museum"--strictly a tourist trap since old Sherlock is purely fictionally--but for me a fun hour. The rooms are decorated with period elements that replicate descriptions from the stories, and an actor playing Dr. Watson greets you as you are shown upstairs. He asked who I was, and I, of course, replied, "Mycroft!" (I'll just let you look that up if you don't know.) As you continue to climb the stairs up the apartments, you'll see scenes from the stories depicted using wax figures from Madame Tussaud's (pretty campy). Just a little up Baker Street from 221, by the way, we saw the work room and living quarters of a real person--author H. G. Wells.

KENSINGTON GARDENS
Dianna and I took a stroll across this natural marvel in the middle of a bustling city. Stopped to see the Elfin Tree--an acnient oak tree with figures of the wee folk carved by a 19th-century artist into its trunk and branches. At one end of the gardens is the impressive ALBERT MEMORIAL, a tall, neo-Gothic tower and monument erected to commemorate the passing of Queen Victoria's consort.

KENSINGTON PALACE
Located at the west end of Kensington Gardens is the city get-away of British monarchs William and Mary. A country house in the 1600s, the royals purchased the residence in order to have a home removed from the center of London. Christopher Wren (of St. Paul's fame) expanded the home into a palace, and it has remained in the royal family ever since. All four Georges lived there for a time during their reigns, and Victoria was born there. Indeed, Victoria was awakened in her bedroom there on the day that her uncle, George IV, had died, and she was told that she was the queen of England. More modern residents included Princess Margaret, the current Queen Elizabeth's sister, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana--right up to their divorce, of course. The rooms of William and Mary have been restored to late-17th-century spleandor, and the art work throughout the palace makes the spot worth the visit.

HMS BLEFAST
Resting at dock along the Thames River is the light-crusier HMS Belfast. Commissioned in 1938, she saw action in the North Atlantic, was part of the Normandy invasion bombardment, and supported British and American troops during the Korean Conflict. We climbed to the Captain's Deck, ducked our way into the forward batteries, and visited below decks where the crew lived and worked--a fun, floating museum.

BANQUETING HOUSE
Located just down the street from number 10 Downing (Tony Blair's current digs), the Banqueting House is the only surviving building from a great palace build by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century. The poor cardinal was forced to surrender the place to King Henry VIII (it is good to be king!) who expanded the location into his primary London residence. Queen Elizabeth entertained ambassadors and saw dramatic perfromances on the location, and current Banqueting House was built by James I in order to house the elaborate court masques that he enjoyed. Designed and executed by Inigo Jones, the Banqueting House introduced Italian Renaissance design to England. The lower floor consists of row on row of beautiful low arches after the style of a monastery; James and Charles likes to bring close friends there for drinking parties. The upper room boasts a single, cavernous ballroom decorated with white stone walls and gold-gilded columns and a gold, coffered ceiling. Charles I commissioned the Flemish artist Rubens to paint eight vast works to decorate the ceiling--they were allegorical works that validated his divine right of kingship. Ironically, in 1649, following his capture and trial during the English Civil War, Charles I was marched through this room and executed on a platform built onto the Banqueting House just for the ocassion. William and Mary held court from the room, and, much later, it became a museum for the display of militaria taken during the Napoleonic Wars. Today, it is used for official state dinners. Several American presidents--to say nothing of diverse diplomats from around the globe, have dined there.

And now, a final anecdote. So, what's one of your greatest concerns when traveling? Of course, where can you find a clean bathroom!? Well, we're in the Banqueting House where heads of state are entertained, and Dianna says, "I have got to go to the bathroom." She goes downstairs, and I follow her down where another husband is already waiting. Dianna heads in through a marble doorway with a great carved door festooned with elaborate appointments. In a minute, a woman comes out, walks immediately to her husband and says, "It was just beautiful--I knew it would be." A couple of minutes later, Dianna appears at the door and says, "You should go the the Men's room just to see this." Okay, I'm game. I enter. It was heaven. To begin with, it may be the only clean bathroom open to the public in London. Marble walls and busts gleam white, while the tile floors mix grey and light blue. I'm nearly faint with the dazzling display and take a seat--you know where. Afterwards, I wash my hands at the polished fixtures using designer soap available in clear dispensers. I dry my hands on one of the thick, folded towels stacked beside each sink. I didn't want to leave. Finally, as I stagger out, I walk over to Dianna who says, "Do you realize that I might have just sat where Laura Bush once sat?" The thought is just too much for me to fathom.

This list brings us up to yesterday--but this internet location is closing. More later.