Friday, August 22, 2014

Lots of Walking, lunch with Vic then Shakespeare's Globe on our last day in London!

We headed our a little earlier today for our last day in London. Vic had suggested a cafe in Shoreditch which opened up a new area of London to us. Theoretically two buses would have done it fine but, of course, Oxford Street had been hit by a bomb  (aka a burst water or gas main) and we had to walk a fair way as the eastbound 55 seemed to have  disappeared into the aforesaid crater! We weren't too late and enjoyed a very pleasant snack (avocados must be flavour of the month!!!).
  

It was great to see Vic and catch up on all the doings (and the baby & kitten talk) - he looks well and is very busy! There is something lovely about touching base with your kid's friends as they move into their 30s and shuffle further along the coil they have chosen. Shoreditch had a real touch of the Newtowns about it you could fell the grunge under your feet. On Vic's advice we walked down the hill past Liverpool St. Station, across Blackfriars bridge to Shakespeare's Globe for the afternoon performance of "Antony and Cleopatra". We had a gallery seat but would be tempted to stand up with the plebs next time - it wouldn't want to rain!!
           

Seeing Shakespeare in this original environment was quite wonderful and it was great to see the faces of the crowd, with even some kids, enthral led by the story presented so simply! Some of the dialogue from the softer exchanges gets lost in the open air (especially with the odd jet aircraft going overhead) but we guessed that, with Shakespeare, you are meant to have read it up before you come! It was a great experience and we enjoyed it a lot!

We stayed at the nearby Swan for a drink and a little food before walking up, for the final time, across the Thames - via Millennium Bridge this time - along Fleet Street to Alwydch for a faithful 9 for slower trip home in some of the clearest weather we have encountered. We were home around 7:30 with time to pack and organise ourselves ready for a quick getaway in the morning via British Airways from Heathrow to Vienna! Vale London!

No comments:

Post a Comment