06 - Forty-nine

We slept in to half ten when I realized I am now 49 – blimey. Tony and Jane are off to see Dahli’s paintings and then back to Portsmouth. We are now on our own for a week. Time to get a move on. Oh, it rained earlier this morning, looks like it is drying up at present.

First order of business, across the street for a SNFL and get a weekly pas for the wireless internet (which was easy and so now I am emailing from our bedroom loft rather than in a café) and I am not paying the hotel what they want for internet – fifteen quid per day! We walked (10 minutes) to the British Museum where we explored exhibits such as the America’s, Egypt and Africa. Cleopatra’s mummy was there. There was also an interesting exhibit about a man and women and their lives from birth to death showing all the medication they took over their entire lives in actual pill form. It was interesting to see the 30 plus foot long 2 or more feet wide display of medications each of them consumed, and how the first 18 years accounted for merely a small portion and how the last 10 years more than half the total. We plan on returning, there is so much more to see. <FYI – we never got back>

It started to drizzle a bit but that didn’t stop us from heading towards Regency St. where exists the big giant Apple store. It was pretty cool. A bit more walking now through SOHO where we stopped in to our friendly corner pub (there is one literally on every corner) for a pint and some fish and chips.

We then stopped by the ticket office of The Dominion Theatre and got the best seats (row K stage level centre) in the house for tonight’s show which has been playing for over 6 years straight – “We Will Rock You”. Now we only had and hour and half to get home and get cleaned up and come back. After the longest way back to our hotel (instead of straight up High Holburn), I was feeling the start of a cold – sneezing, itchy eyes, crackling ears. After all, I was not interested in theatre – especially a musical. But I kept that to myself.

WOW. Probably the best theatre I have ever been to. The music (of Queen) which I knew much of, and the singers, and cute ladies in skimpy outfits on occasion (required for the storey-line) – spectacular. Absolutely brilliant. Blimey! A small observation, kind of funny really, the singers (some of which were British) speak British but sing Canadian (and some even American). You know what I mean, have you ever heard a Brit or Aussie or Quebecer sing the way they speak – nope. When they sing, they actually pronounce the words they way the dictionary documents it.

We found a nice little place for a late bite. The Spaghetti House where we quickly snarfed down salad and pizza and wine before heading home. But as we were leaving – downpour!!! Luckily we were around the corner from home, I didn’t know, Lisa (says she) did, I guess I do not give her enough credit for her navigational skills. By going to the theatre, we missed the Football game tonight at the new Wembley, it was a friendly against Germany. England lost. Blimey! The weather has not been great, but after all, this is England where people always carry a (broken from the wind) umbrella, as the weather changes quicker than you can shake a stick at it.  Tomorrow a new adventure, what awaits us?


 
Crossing a busy street
British Museum