We had planned our trip to be divided into 2 stages -- a week in London, doing major sightseeing, inhaling bus fumes, and generally enjoying all the excitement that a major metropolitan location (in Europe) has to offer, followed by a more relaxed week in a small market-town in a rented cottage (cottages are cute, houses are boring) with Richard's family. Unfortunately, given the fact that Richard was still in a lot of pain and not particularly mobile the first week, London was not the best place to be, and it may have been better if the weeks had been reversed, but it all worked out just fine.
Week One --London.
Richard spent a lot of time in the hotel while Lucy and I traipsed around the city. Luckily, the hotel owner, also named Lucy, was just incredible. Before arrived, Richard had called the hotel to request a first floor room. We had booked a triple room, but because she did not have a triple on the first floor, she gave us an adjoining double and a single. The only bummer of this was that we did not feel comfortable letting Lucy sleep in the single by herself (and she didn't like that idea either), so poor Richard was banished to sleep alone. From the minute we arrived at the hotel, Big Lucy, as we called her, was just lovely. Each morning, they would prepare a breakfast tray for Old Gimpy, as we called him, since he couldn't make it down the steps into the dining room. And a couple of times, Lucy looked in on RIchard to make sure he was faring ok on his own while his wife and child, who had ditched his ass, were roaming London. When we left, she gave Little Lucy a small Easter present. Honestly, I can't say enough about her. (If you are ever in London, please stay at the Merlyn Court Hotel in Earl's Court. Tell Lucy we sent you.) But anyway....here are some highlights of the week.
Tate Modern. I really enjoyed this museum. The most interesting installation is this huge artist-made crack in the floor.
I can't imagine that it would fly in the States (that's what you call America when you are abroad, by the way) -- definitely a lawsuit waiting to happen -- I could just see ankles snapping (and one of my worst fears in life is a broken ankle. Just ask Richard.). This visit was definitely a highlight for Lucy because for some reason, a group of Harajuku girls were there taking photos. Lucy was enthralled.Shakespeare's Globe.
Surprisingly fun. When we got there, it was mobbed with American school groups, so we could not do the full tour. Lucy was gutted. (She has loved Shakespeare since Jocelyn et al. gave her a book of poems for Christmas. Next time you see Lucy, ask her to do her recitation of the Battle of Agincourt scene from Henry V. It is superb.) We did, however, get to have a "Quick Peek" as they were calling it, which allowed us to go into the theater and look around. They had a school group there rehearsing for a kids production of Hamlet (or Blamlet, as we were calling it). Definitely cool. And the museum was nice too. Sir John Soane's Museum.
This is an under-appreciated gem. Really. John Soane was the architect for the Bank of England, and he built this incredible house on Lincoln's Inn Fields that is just full of fascinating stuff. He even has an Egyptian sarcophagus in the house. And he had so much artwork that it did not fit on his walls, so he built these hidden panels that fold out again and again. It was just super-cool. Lucy and I loved it.Tower of London. This is a no-brainer. I have been there a couple of times, and think it is so fun. If I never saw the crown jewels again, it would be too soon (although I was interested in how they have that display set up now to keep the line moving -- they have moving walkways, so there is NO lingering), but everything else is great. Unfortunately, it was pouring, so our Beefeater cancelled the tour halfway through. We had a good time poking around nonetheless. (Fun Fact: they feed the ravens bunnies and bunny blood. Poor bunnies.)
National Gallery. I am not a huge fan of gigantic traditional art museums (the Louvre kills me), but Lucy and I enjoyed the National Gallery because they had a really good audio tour for kids. And they have a great cafe. Chicken and mushroom pie to die for.
Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. I am not a history buff at all, and only went here because for some reason, Lucy wanted to, but I loved it. The Cabinet War Rooms are the underground bunker used by Churchill and his cabinet during WW II, left virtually untouched. So cool. And the Churchill Museum is pretty new, and really well done. I enjoyed this way more than I would have expected, and would definitely go again.
Some other highlights: Lucy participating in street theater in Covent Garden....a solo trip to Portobello Road market....a quick stop in the sketchiest coffee shop ever, featuring a giant English tranny and a smacked out couple nodding on the couch (you should have seen poor Lucy's face)....free Irish yogurt as part of a St. Patrick's Day Irish food fest....dinner at a new Gordon Ramsay pub in Docklands with Richard's friend Alan....a day with our friends Tariq, Trish and their kids (8-year old English kids love Hannah Montana too). I really could go on and on. It was a fabulous week for me and Lucy (not so much for Richard since London is not handicapped-accessible at all, but he did not complain overmuch).
More to come.....I will let you know when I get all 500 of my pictures up on Flickr so you can take your time perusing them.
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