A west-end show

Of course, when you think of going to London, attending a show comes to mind. My oldest son, who has been to London four or five times, said I should be sure to take in a show. And of course I had heard about Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, the world's longest-running stage production. 

So I decided to buy a ticket and go -- even though I wasn't crazy about the idea of going alone. 

I was a little nervous about being out on my own after dark, so I considered attending a matinee performance, but I found the idea of spending more than two hours sitting indoors during the afternoon intolerable. I purchased my ticket online and opted for the lowest price. These tickets came with a caveat that the seats were not for the faint of heart, because they are high and the seating is on a steep pitch. Pshaw, I thought. No big deal. After all, I have sat in the highest section of the Winspear and although it wasn't the best seat, it was not so bad. And St. Martin's Theatre is much smaller than the Winspear, so I figured it would be fine.

I spent the day sightseeing and made it back to the hotel just in time to change my clothes and head back out to the tube. I hadn't taken the tube very often; just twice, in fact -- once from Heathrow to the first hotel and then to get from the first hotel to the second. That time I got on the wrong train and had to backtrack, which was kind of frustrating, so I wasn't feeling too confident as I descended the steep steps of the Lancaster tube station. But after carefully studying the route map, I managed to choose the right train and got off at the Covent Garden stop. It was just a short walk to the theatre, and I arrived in plenty of time.

The theatre is in the Seven Dials neighbourhood, also the subject of an Agatha Christie mystery. This contributed to the feeling that I was not a real person, but a character in a novel or a movie.

Inside the theatre, I discovered that the warning about the steep pitch of the seating had been completely justified. Sitting so high up and looking down at the stage I felt slightly sick, and this feeling increased as the show progressed. It got so bad that I decided to leave at the intermission. (Since I have read the book and seen the movie, I knew the ending anyway.)

Upon exiting the theatre, I found that it was completely dark, and I was quite disoriented, trying to figure out how to get back to the tube station. I finally happened on the right street and got to the station, only to discover that I had lost my oyster card. I said every British-type swear word I could think of (just kidding) before buying a new one, and rode back to the Lancaster station, vowing that I would never again go alone to a night-time west end show. I think it would have been fun with someone else, but it is not the sort of thing I want to do when I am on my own.

The National Gallery

In Trafalgar Square, along with Nelson and his lions and the Boy and Dolphins fountain, is The National Gallery. Admission is free, which is always nice, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It had been a long time since I had gone to a really good art museum (my apologies to the Alberta Gallery of Art, but somehow a household door as art just doesn't do it for me) and I was quite surprised at how much I liked this place. Even though it was a reasonably nice day and I generally prefer being outside, I spent quite a lot of time here.

Of course, photos can't possibly do justice to such a majestic building and to priceless artworks, but I had to snap a few.

I also liked this Edith Cavell memorial, located at the edge of Trafalgar Square, near the Gallery and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church.

It was time for lunch, and when I saw this menu at the Gallery Cafe, I was drawn in. Partaking in afternoon tea was one of my goals for this trip, and as Paddington the Bear would say, at £17.50, this seemed like very good value indeed. But, you know, I should have realized that you get what you pay for. After all tea at the Ritz is £50.00.

The actual tea, as in the hot drink, was excellent, but the food was disappointing. The main 
thing was that it arrived more than half an hour after the tea, so that I had pretty much 
finished drinking, and what was left was cold. The sandwiches and "cakes" were nothing 
special -- quite dry -- and the scone was cold and hard as a rock. But it was still kind of fun,
and of course sitting and waiting always gives an opportunity for people-watching.

After lunch, I went into the gift shop of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The sign said that it was in the crypt, so that sounded intriguing, and it was kind of cool. The gift shop had some cool stuff, too, such as this coffee mug. But at £18.00, it was a little too expensive for my liking, so I settled for a photo.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

Just a short walk from Waterloo Place is the famous Trafalgar Square. And it is every bit as impressive as you might expect, with Nelson's column, guarded by the lions, many other statues, The National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, fountains -- and people!

Nelson's Column

 

St. Martin-in-the-Fields

The National Gallery

Waterloo Place

In Regent's Park

After spending the morning exploring Regent's Park and the surrounding area, I hopped on another bike. I wanted to ride south, but first I couldn't resist taking the road that circles the park. There were a lot of other cyclists doing the same thing -- it must be a Sunday morning kind of ride. The road is wide and not too busy, and the scenery is beautiful -- lots of fantastic old buildings and greenery.

 

Heading south, I passed still more lovely old buildings and statues:

and spotted the BBC broadcasting house

right across from All Souls Church.

Having used the BBC Learning English website extensively in my ESL classes, I was somewhat curious to see Broadcasting House, so I decided to dock the bike and check it out. Easier said than done. I wandered around looking for a docking station, asking several people along the way, but without success. I walked further and further...

and finally saw this friendly police officer and asked him for help. He didn't know right off, but he went in one direction while I went in another, and then he tracked me down to say that he had found a one. As can be seen from this photo, I was not the only person he helped that day!

I was kind of frustrated, as I wasted a lot of time looking, ended up about 3 kilometers from the place I wanted to go, and had to pay for the extra time I used the bike. Oh well, I guess it's all part of being a stranger in a big city!

A couple of days later, I discovered that there is a docking station behind this hotel, which is right across from All Souls Church. The docking station is just off the main street and hidden by parked cars, so if you don't know it's there, you can't see it.

The happy ending to my frustrating search for a docking station was that I ended up at Waterloo Place just as the London Marathon was ending. There was lots of excitement, and there were more statues and classy old buildings.

London Marathon 2015

Waterloo Place after the Marathon

John Franklin

There are so many statues in this square -- the equestrian statues are George IV and Edward VII.

Florence Nightingale and a few other Crimean War heroes are here, too.

And there's John Franklin, the explorer whose ships got lost in the Canadian Arctic. I read a book about his expedition, so I had to take a photo of his statue.

Florence Nightingale and the Crimea War Memorial

The Duke of York Column

St. Cyprian's Church

While I was exploring the area near Regent's Park, I came upon this church

There was also a sign saying the morning service was going to start in 10 minutes, so I thought, "Why not?"

It turned out to be High Church Anglican, something I'd never experienced before. Chanting, bells, incense -- they were all part of the service. It was quite beautiful and I enjoyed it, but I was too shy to take photos of the church's interior. Fortunately, someone else did so. It was built in 1903, and apparently it is considered one of the most beautiful churches in London.

I was glad I went. I have to say, though, I felt like I had walked into an Agatha Christie novel. The people in the congregation were just like the people she describes in her books. 

And these were some of the buildings on the same street as the church:

Regent's Park area - Sunday April 26

Riding on a hire cycle (rental bike in Canadian-speak) I headed for the Regent's Park area. If the hire cycle theme is beginning to sound familiar, it's because I rode one at least 5 times a day every day. I think I should advertise the Cycle Hire service; I went almost everywhere on the saddle of one of these bikes.

On the way to the park, I passed some lovely old buildings and churches.

Also this adorable pink car. 

If I were about 20 years older and knew how to drive on the left side of the road, I would like to have this!

After docking the bike, I wandered around the streets near the park and stumbled on the London Central Mosque -- open to the public. I did borrow a headscarf from the security guard before stepping inside.

This is a beautiful building with a shady courtyard, and they even have a restaurant downstairs.

Not far from the mosque is the Abbey Lodge apartment building, where you too can own a condo for £2,750,000 to £5,000,000. Of course, that almost certainly includes the doorman! 

If you can't afford to buy a place here, maybe you can rent one for £260,000 per year. 

The Francis Holland School for Girls caught my eye -- it was built in 1915. School fees are surprisingly modest here, at about £6,200 per year.

Also near the park, there is a roundabout with this statue of 

St. George and the Dragon in the centre. Somehow, it is also a memorial for both World Wars. This roundabout was extremely annoying, because there are sidewalks running across it, but no crosswalks. You simply have to stand and wait for a break in traffic before you can cross. Even in a cosmopolitan city like London, cars rule, it seems.

And now some scenes from Regent's Park itself, where I had a warming cappucino in a little cafe.