The visit to London, England was long awaited. The trip was even threatened by the very thing that had brought us to Europe, Ben's work. But, we finally reached London on Saturday, May 30. I have been to London before and I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time. I could expect nothing less when visiting it the second time. We were able to get a nice hotel in a fairly central spot, central in the sense near the tube (within walking distance) as well as near the famous sites of London. After getting settled, we did not stay for long in our hotel. We immediately got on the tube and headed to London's famous theatre district to get Les Miserables tickets. Ben had always loved the music and had not been able to see anything like the musical anywhere. Once in the district,we wondered the theatre district because we figured we'd simply run into the theatre that was most definitely showing Les Miserables. Sure enough we found Queen's Theatre and it was playing our beloved musical. We entered, not sure what to expect for prices, because we had searched for tickets online, but did not seem to find a deal. The tickets at the box office were no better. Ben was frustrated and didn't feel we should spend that much. Outside of the box office, we talked it over. I told Ben that this was going to be the time to see it, part of the reason we wanted to visit London was to see this play. Ben was consoled and we spent the money, even though it was a bundle, it was going to be worth it.
After our expense, we headed toward the tower bridge, figuring on killing time for the musical wouldn't be until the evening. The bridge was as magnificent as I remembered. It loomed against the skyline like a large four legged beast. Everyone was out to enjoy the weather and the pigeons followed suit. The bridge bustled with activity. People sold ice cream and flavored nuts, the aromas were tempting and it felt as if we had stepped into a local American county fair. After walking the length of the bridge and eating some ice cream, we decided to see yet another famous site of London, the Tower of London. It was just a small walk away from the Tower Bridge. The Tower was a amass of people, much like the Bridge. Yet, there were reenacters demonstrating siege tools as well as medieval weaponry. We watched amazed and intrigued, learning that the sword was heavily used and that the use of the bow and arrow was only used in cases were the archer was a quite a distance from the attacker. Before long our stomachs began to rumble. It was time to eat. The little eateries around the Tower were quite busy and we felt it would be best just head toward the hotel, for we saw a pub that looked quite tasty next to our hotel. We hopped on the tube and found our hotel's neighborhood, no problem.
The pub was called The Good Friend. It seemed like a good place to eat. Locals were already enjoying some beer and a football (soccer) game. Ben and I found a seat, for despite the time it wasn't very busy. We both decided on the fish and chips feeling it was the best way to get acquainted with the culture. Ben ordered and we sat and enjoyed the game. We did not wait long, I'm not sure if we were expecting the service French style or not, but we were impressed by the rapidity that our food was served. It was hot and delicious and for me, brought up memories of being in Wales and having fish and chips served at lunch. The memory included the Welsh drenching fish and chips in all in malt vinegar to be enjoyed with a fork. Being products of our culture, Ben and I used our fingers for the chips and a fork for the fish. Nevertheless it was eaten no problem. Full from our lunch, we headed to our hotel for a little breather. We spent only a few minutes there deciding what to do next. It was time to head to the Buckingham Palace.
After exiting the tube, there seemed to be a rush of people headed in the same direction we were. We were heading that way, but the excitement was a wonder. What could all these people be rushing to see? We found the answer on the road to the Palace. A parade was being rehearsed in preparation for the Queen. It was crazy to see mounted men dressed to the nines in red and black. All of the these men were not just ordinary soldiers, some of them had special skills. One of the skills included playing an instrument while mounted on a noble steed. Reins were on one arm while both hands held and played each instrument. The horses were well trained too, their pace was deliberate and calculated, the band which were mounted upon them were precise and exact with their playing. It was quite a spectacular sight. (Picture of some of the players, above). We continued to watch for sometime, following the procession back down the road, closer to the palace. It was not possible to actually see the palace, but remembering from past experience I told Ben it was not that impressive. So we resorted to walk back. We headed in the direction of the Parliament and Big Ben. Those were just as I remember them, large and in charge. The Parliament building is impressive through its intricate architecture, having carved details all over the building, much like a French Cathedral. Also outside the Parliament is a dramatic statue of Charlemagne, one of the most well known kings of old. Big Ben on the other hand is magnificent in its simplicity. It holds the clock to keep London on time, just holding its own with its height and monolith type quality. All were fun to see, if only for a little while and just from the outside, but I felt was if it was new again, seeing it through someboy else's eyes. Our enjoyment was complete so it was time to take yet another break at our hotel. Again, easily attained through the nifty transportation of the tube.
Transportation is easy in large cities, especailly if they have a subway. We got back to our hotel in no time and immediately laid down to rest for a little bit of time. Soon it was time to get ready for the play. We got in our best clothes and headed back down to the Queen's theatre.
The theatre was bustling, it seemed as if many people were there. The atmosphere reminded me of Hancher, but it was much more sophisticated, having a designated bar for drinks and alocholic beverages. We sat down after a small wait in the lobby. Our seats were pretty good, but once the musical had started we realized the balcony blocked the top part of the musical's scenes. (The set had an upper level, the actors could climb quite high) I found the music awesome, but in Ben's opinion it did not fit exactly to what he had been listening to for all this time. He thought the first London cast did better than the one we saw. Our emotions were all over the place as we chose character's to like and to dislike. For despite that fact that they sung the songs in their own way, the actor's knew how to act and to sing. We cheered when Jean Valjean was saved from Javier, we cried when Epotine was killed and cheered yet again when Cosette and Marius married, still in love after such an ordeal (the revolution, the love triangle and Javier's constant presence). It was a completley delightful experience. As the play ended, we realized we had not had anything to eat, tired from the day's events we resorted to the American eats of McDonald's. And found ourselves in the company (or same room) as a bunch of guys and their very drunk friend. These guys were trying to appease their friend, but he certainly was out of it from his drunkeness, saying silly things and doing things I'm sure he'd never do if he was all there. It reminded me very much of what I experienced in Wales. Despite the unpleasentness of the situation and the atomosphere of the McDonald's it had been a wonderful night and productive touring day.
