Day 7-8: This Wooden O

Monday, December 19, 2011

It was our last full day in London, so we were seeing all the things we had missed during the week. Finally, we had a gray London day! First stop was St. Etheldreda's. It is the oldest Church in London that is still Catholic (from the 1290s). A sign seriously proclaims, "restored to the Old Faith in 1874." We waited outside for quite a while until someone came to unlock the door, but the facade was interesting to look at. The brown stone church is just stacked in between modern office buildings. There is a staircase leading down to a crypt. Inside the Church is small and Gothic, but there are huge stained glass windows. One depicts the martyrs of England during the Reformation, and the large one over the altar portrays the Four Evangelists in bright colors.

After a brief struggle to find James some breakfast that he would actually eat, we trotted down Fleet Street, looking for barber shops or meat pies, and admiring the ancient facade of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. The 16th century buildings in this area of town were incredible:

Thatched roofs are rare in London since they were banned after the Great Fire, so I was happy to see some vestiges of what the Elizabethans might have seen. We also passed Dr. Samuel Johnson's house, and the church of St. Dunstan in the West, next to a huge clock and statue of Elizabeth I.

Taking shortcuts through the Temple Law Schools and the Inns of Court, we came to the Thames at the Millennium Bridge. We saw a daytime view of the dome of St. Paul's, then crossed the metal bridge, which was still in working order, despite the Death Eaters destroying it a few years before. Seen from the shore, the silver bands supporting the bridge made it seem like it was flying.
From there we saw the replica of the Globe Theatre:

The whole family discussed the merits of visiting the Globe over seeing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and since we didn't have much time to get to the Palace and stake out a good spot, we decided to take a Globe tour. The museum showcased exhibits about building sets, costumes, and bear baiting, both now and in Shakespeare's time. They also had a computer that would record your voice reciting some lines from a play opposite a Globe actor. The woman giving the tour was very knowledgeable and funny, and had a wonderful accent. Even though scaffolding cluttered one side of the Globe's stage for some repairs, we could still see the beauty of what it would look like fully lit up for a performance. Rows of wooden balconies closed in the intimate circle. The roof of the stage was held up by wooden columns painted to look exactly like red marble. The underside of the roof, called the "heavens," was decorated with zodiac figures and a fiery sun and moon.

Finally we took a river taxi to Westminster, then walked back to Trafalgar Square to go to the National Gallery. Colin and I were tired of art by now, so we went to get coffee. Despite the rain, we walked around and peeked inside St. Martin's-in-the-Fields.

Trafalgar Square at dusk.

In London? Really?

 By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.
~Samuel Johnson

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

To fit all of us and all our luggage, we took two taxis from our flat to Marylebone Station. The drivers were like those of any other big city, taking turns a bit too fast and swerving in and out of "Bus Only" lanes.
We boarded the early train to Stratford-upon-Avon and had a great time watching steeples and trees speed by. Along the way we saw sheep, black and white cows, and tiny houses. Just before we pulled in to Stratford, we could see the towers of Warwick Castle in the distance.

After disembarking we pulled our luggage to our hotel, only a block from the station. Claire promptly fell in love with the desk clerk, Philip, and his devastating accent. Stratford itself seemed shabby except for the touristy area, but later in the day we saw some more homey parts of town. We walked through Stratford until we found the house where Shakespeare was born. A very old Tudor house, its brown walls and dark windows seem secretive.

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. ~Henry James

Before going on a tour of the Birthplace, we ate lunch at Quickley's. The food was a revelation. I poured out the warm and sweet tea for mom and myself from a white pot, and added cream and sugar. I ate savory goat cheese with an English muffin, and a raspberry compote with salad, then a scone with clotted cream.
Hurrying back to the Birthplace, we had a really fun tour, with videos and automatic doors rather like a Disneyland ride. They displayed original photos, signet rings, historical documents and models of London. Shakespeare's father having been a glove maker, one room held racks of soft rabbit furs and treated leather. It was fun to imagine a tiny Shakespeare running across the stone floors or playing on the large bed in the living room.
Exiting the Shakespeare home, we took the long path to the home of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. More Tudor houses stood along the way:

A long dirt trail led us past small houses and green parks. Anne Hathaway's cottage was fairytale-like, with a kind of curvature to the structure reminiscent of Gaudi. The garden here was green and filled with roses and willow tree bowers.

As twilight blossomed we came to Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried. The beautiful brown Gothic church is set behind a churchyard with many crosses and gravestones covered in lichen and faded letters. The stained glass windows are set with the graceful figures of Joshua, St. George, Caedmon, Chaucer and Milton, as well as scenes from the life of Christ and the Blessed Virgin.
Shakespeare is buried in a chapel by the side of his wife, the walls hung with wooden monuments and the windows illumined with the Cross of Christ.

As it grew dark and cold, we made our way along the Avon, watching the ducks and the steeple reflected in the water:

 From there we saw the theatre where we would see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform later that night.

The play was Measure for Measure, and the performance was excellent! The first scene, which took place in a brothel, was a little risque, leading Mom and James to go home for the second half. The rest of us however had fun, watching the Duke do coin and card tricks, Isabella speak with purity and passion and Pompey make bawdy jokes.

In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away
Death's second self that seals up all in rest ~ Shakespeare's Sonnet 73