We traveled all the way to London’s West End to see Chicago.

At dinner prior to the show, we ate at a pub where the waiter was part Norwegian and had heard of our little town of Decorah in NE Iowa. On top of that, he also worked at a restaurant in Australia at roughly the same time that Steph had eaten there when she studied in Melbourne. Go fig.

We started the day out at Trafalgar Square and walked down Whitehall (saying Cheers to the Prime Minister on Downing Street) and crossed the Thames to Shakespeare’s Globe. We finished off with the Tower Bridge.

We also stumbled across an Apple store earlier. England doesn’t get the iPad 2 for another couple of days. It took a great deal of willpower to resist the temptation to walk into the store and say, “Excuse me, do you have the new iPad? No? *hold up my iPad*. Well, I do!” and then run like hell from angry Brit geeks.

As usual, pics after the break.

Continue reading “Small World” →

What we learned today in London:

How to Kill an Hour in London
1. Stand outside a tourist attraction (in our case, the Horse Guards).
2. Look at your watch wondering what time the parade starts.
3. Be greeted by an elderly Londoner (he said he was 81, didn’t look a day over 60).
4. Spend the next hour walking and getting a tour and history lesson on the Changing of the Guard plus tips on where to stand, little things tourists might miss, and very enthusiastic advice on where to get theatre tickets.
5. Part ways, see a great Changing of the Guards, and curse yourself for not getting the man’s name.

The Rosetta Stone
It’s bigger than you think and really fascinating. The whole of the British Museum was great, even if we only got to see about a third of it (if that much). Also, seeing the Elgin Marbles was quite interesting along with a whole host of Greek and Egyptian artifacts.

How to Make An English Lit Geek’s Jaw Drop
Enter the British Library and go into the Special Treasures Room (sorry, no cameras allowed). Turn to the left and wait for it. The original copy of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Go a little deeper and pass copies of da Vinci’s notebooks, Shakespeare’s rough drafts, Handel’s Messiah, and you’ll end up at one of four remaining copies of the Magna Carta. It is strongly recommended you bring along a towel to wipe up the drool.

How to Make a Harry Potter Fan’s Day

Pics after the break.
Continue reading “London Education” →