London, Part the Second

We finished off a fabulous day with an opera at the Royal Opera House at Covent Gardens. It was everything an opera house should be: lots of posh upholstery and gold leaf and a gigantic royal coat of arms over the stage. We saw Cosi Fan Tutte, one of Mozart’s opera buffa, set in modern day Italy. I was a little leery of the modern setting at first, but as soon as they started singing I was convinced. Dressing the characters in suits and putting Starbucks and cell phones in their hands took away a lot of the cultural barriers if you will that make opera so elitist. They became characters that the audience can recognize and even maybe relate with. The orchestra was excellent and included a period piano forte. It was perfect.



The next day was our last (sniff). A bunch of us started with a proper English breakfast, aka GREASY PROTEIN. I am used to orange juice and toast for breakfast, so the sausage and egg sandwich I ate was delicious, incredibly filling, and a welcome change from our lighter Continental fare.



Shaina went for the whole nine yards, including beans, bacon, sausage, eggs, and toast. Tasty.



Next (after stocking up on mint Aerobars- yum!) came a short cruise on the River Thames, something I recommend to anyone. It’s a nice way to see the sights and get great pictures without worrying about traffic and everything else.

The Tower Bridge. Note the towers.



The HMS Belfast



A cool old pub where the Bard himself hung out.



The Globe Theatre! All the world may be a stage, but some stages are cooler than others.



London Bridge did not fall down.



The London Eye (which occasionally doubles as a transmitter for massive plastic monsters)



Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster! 3 for 1!



We finished off the day with a visit to someplace I’ve wanted to visit for years: Portobello Rd.! Why would I be so excited about a road you ask? Number 1, it’s in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.



Number 2, well, just watch Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Portobello Rd. did not disappoint, even though there was not a single solitary soldier or sailor or pilot or anyone dancing. Antique book vendors, jewelry, posters, Hobknobs, watches, anything and everything a chap can unload in fact.



After another delayed train ride we were back home in Paris (and geeking out a bit about calling Paris “home”). Even after only two days in London I missed French food so much, and speaking and hearing French and old buildings and tiny streets and everything else. It’s good to be back.

(p.s. I've tried putting links in this post to youtube videos etc. Anything blue should take you to another website or clip or something. Let me whether or not it works.)

London, Part the First

It took us a little longer than planned to get there, but after a few hours delay (alleviated with bubblegum) we finally made it across (or rather under) the Channel and into St. Pancras train station. We literally hit the ground running, with just enough time to make it to the Rose theatre in Kingston for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream starring no other than Dame Judi Dench. It was well worth the sprint too. The Rose theatre is a small space not unlike the Globe, with two levels of balconies that wrap around the sides. We could only see half of the stage from our seats on the edge, but even half of the production was fantastic. Judi Dench as Titania was fabulous (who knew she could do giddy and love sick so well?), but the real star of the show was Bottom the Weaver. It was an excellent production, everything that Shakespeare ought to be.

The next morning had a slow start, but we finally made onto the double decker bus into town. First stop: Westminster Abbey. I've been dying to visit the Abbey for years and years, so I was ecstatic to finally make it. It was a cold, rainy, grey day (what else would it be in London in the winter?), perfect for spending a couple of hours wandering around a centuries-old abbey full of tombs and ghosts and stories. The British have a different approach to touring churches than the French; in France you usually don't pay to get into the church itself, although there may be areas like treasuries or crypts that require a ticket. Photography sans flash is almost always allowed except during a service. In London they charge an arm and leg to get into everything (yay for student discounts), and they are quite strict about photography.

Whether or not pictures were allowed, Westminster was perfect. Audio guide in hand (narrated by Jeremy Irons; again, perfect) I wandered around reading inscriptions on tombs and monuments that ranged from inconspicuous to theatrical. As long as I spent in there I didn't see everything the Abbey has to offer; the place is crowded with tombs, monuments, chapels, etc. Here are the highlights: The Lady Chapel is breathtaking, lined with emblems of knighthood and topped with a breathtaking Gothic ceiling; I'd never seen anything like it before. A small radiating chapel is dedicated to the RAF, with stained glass windows showing pilots at the Resurrection. There is a hole in the stone made by German shrapnel, left unrepaired after WWII as part of the memorial to the brave souls who fought for Britain.

Perhaps my favorite part of the whole abbey was Queen Elizabeth I's tomb, tucked away in a small room to the side and as grand as any other in the abbey. I've always been rather partial to her (she was a redhead after all), and being there with her earthly remains sent me over the top. When she died the whole country went into mourning, and I found myself crying too (only about 400 years late for the funeral). She's buried with her sister Mary, an unexpected and touching gesture. Between intense pressure to produce an heir and incredible religious tension, their family was dysfunctional in every possible way (divorce, attempted murder, hysterical pregnancy, estrangement, execution, imprisonment...). Maybe there is hope for reconciliation in the next life, where they don't have the burden of the crown to carry.

After stopping by Poet's Corner and paying my respect's to Laurence Oliver and George Frideric Handel (one of my favorite composers ever) I wandered outside into the cloister. This moment was too perfect, and I was outside so..... I snuck a picture. With the green grass, gentle rain, cold winter air, how could I not?



The Coronation Chair also resides in Westminster Abbey, a symbol of a living monarchy in contrast to all the dead monarchs. It's fairly unassuming on its own, but it's a great symbol of stability enjoyed by few other nations. More about coronations and monarchy later.

I reluctantly left the Abbey, and we jumped back on the bus for the Tower of London, after a couple of pictures at St. Paul's.




The Tower of London is another spot I'd been dying to see (again, forgive the pun) for years, and I was not at all disappointed. Note: the Tower of London is NOT a tower, although there are lots of towers there. It's actually a royal palace (Queen Victoria's initials are on all the rain spouts), although not a royal residence. We arrived just in time for a tour led by a wonderful old Scottish Beefeater. Westminster is all about royal ceremony, pomp, and circumstance. The Tower is all about royal death, torture, and execution.



Our tour guide was an old Scottish Beefeater. No photograph could capture his accent, his dramatic storytelling, or his charm, so just imagine.



He reminded us several times that we were walking where Kings and Queens of England walked. I was geeking out the whole time (as you have probably gathered, I do that a lot here in Europe). At long last I saw Traitor’s Gate, where three Queens, the young Princess Elizabeth, and Sir (or Saint if you like) Thomas More entered the Tower, almost all to meet their deaths.




The British seem to be really into tradition and legend, and legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower the whole thing will crumble into dust and catastrophe will befall the nation. King Charles I or II decreed that 6 ravens should be kept at the Tower at all times. They keep 8 there now, all with their wings clipped. They aren’t taking any chances.



The Crown Jewels are also there, well worth a visit. The tradition, ceremony, symbolism, and history that those items is truly remarkable. After watching footage from Queen Elizabeth's coronation, then seeing the crowns, swords, and scepters, that she and her predecessors have used for centuries, to be honest I was a little miffed about the American Revolution. The whole monarchy thing is REALLY cool and seems to work just great for Great Britain. Stupid Stamp Act. God Save the Queen.

Pont Neuf and Henri IV

Since I first read about him in French 202, Henri IV of France has captured my imagination, and I was finally able to visit parts of Paris that are a part of his legacy.

Like many interesting monarchs he wasn't the most savory of characters, and his reign could be seen as pragmatic and self serving or open minded and ahead of his time. I tend to fall between the two extremes. He made his royal debut as Henri of Navarre when he married Margot, sister of the king Henri III. Poor Margot wasn't too thrilled with the match; Henri of Navarre was a smelly Prostetant, while Margot was a faithful, and hygienic, Catholic. Their marriage was eventually annulled, but they enjoyed a sort of bizarre friendship for the remainder of their lives (she had a sweet place to live in Paris too, in what is now the Marais). When Henri III failed to produce an heir, Henri of Navarre claimed the throne. Needless to say the Pope wasn't crazy about the idea of Huguenot king in France, and neither was the Catholic League in Paris. After a few years of bloodshed and a horrific siege on Paris, Henri of Navarre infamously decided that "Paris was worth a Mass" and converted to Catholicism. Neither the Pope nor any other Catholic European power (like Spain) could argue too much, and Henri was duly crowned and welcomed to Paris by a population tired of war and starvation and ready for a new start.

In spite of numerous mistresses and copious gambling debts, Henri was able to do some good things for France, most notably the Edict of Nante, granting numerous civil and political rights to Protestants and ensuring civil harmony for the next several decades. He also had big ideas for Paris, and although some of his projects were not completed during his life, he left his mark on the city.

The Place de Vosges was never completed during his life, but it was his idea and so he gets the credit. It's a charming square surrounded by homes with uniform, symmetrical, brick facades. The square is full of trees, a welcome sight in a city like Paris, and now holds a small playground. It was designed for parades and other events, but became a popular place for dueling etc. Richelieu lived there at one point, and a couple of centuries later Victor Hugo took up his residence there as well.



Pont Neuf was started by another king, but was completed under Henri IV's supervision. It's still there today as Paris' oldest bridge, I think. A wide, stone bridge was kind of a big deal in a big at that time, when bridges were often overcrowded with shops, pedestrians, and even houses, and had a tendency to collapse.

Henri IV ruled France until his death in 1610. He did not go peacefully. One day as he made his way through the crowd Rue de la Ferronerie, a fanatic Catholic leaped into his phaeton and stabbed him three times. The king died almost immediately, and the nation went into mourning. Today the rue is still there, and there is a plaque marking the spot where the dreadful deed occurred; but Parisians have moved on. As I stood there remembering one of my favorite monarchs, diners smoked and drank at the Banana Café and teenagers ran around texting like crazy. Sometimes I wonder about Parisians.