"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Winston Churchill

We waited until the heavy showers subsided before venturing out this morning. It was a little misty when we headed for the bus stop. 

We stopped by the Vauxhall City Zoo which is just up the street from our house. Apparently, it is a charity - there is no admission - they work primarily with children from what this gal told us. 

There were fowl - ducks, geese, chickens, roosters, turkeys.

Then there were some funky looking llamas - or maybe I just don't know too many llamas so they look funky!!

Of course, I loved the sheep - I knew the black faced suffolk sheep - there were others that looked like cheviot - the gal just called them white faced. I can't remember what she called the black ones.

They have riding lessons - we saw kids riding horses last night when we were walking home.

And then we had to say goodbye to the City Farm.

We had decided to go to the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum so we took the 88 bus back to Westminster and walked through part of Whitehall out to St. James Park. 

We had walked down the steps in the picture below, but didn't see the entrance. I saw a business man approaching near where the gal in pink is on the left. Pardon me, can you tell me where the Cabinet War Rooms are? He looked at me like I was daft - then he pointed behind me to that black pavilion on the right tucked in beside the stairs - that is the entrance. I'm sure he was muttering to himself about annoying tourists as he walked away.

The War Rooms were busy. What an experience!! I love Winston Churchill and to see where he conducted the war, and then to see the museum with so much information about him and so many artifacts was fabulous. We were there for a couple of hours and could have stayed there for hours more. I had to force myself to walk past all the books in the gift shop - my bags are heavy enough!!

We were thinking of my aunt Hannie, her friends Jean and Virginia who were telephone operators during WWII down at Camp Edwards - now Otis Air Force Base. One telephone operator in the War Rooms worked 12 hours on and 12 hours off - except that she had a bed in the same small cubicle where her switchboard was so she was never really off duty. 

The air quality was poor and all the rooms had metal fans high up on the walls. One of the woman was tape recorded talking about the need for light therapy because they worked so long under ground and did not see sunlight for long periods. 

There were 6 and a half feet of concrete poured on top of the bunker to shelter them from 500 lbs. bombs - there was a bomb suspended from the ceiling at the entrance to the War Rooms. One of the woman working down there was taped talking about when one of the military men told her that if the Nazis bombed the Thames, they would all drown.

When the war ended, the fellow in charge of operations locked the door behind him - it was never opened again for decades - so everything was just as they left it.

There were pictures of politicians, military personnel, and workers. Jody took a picture of the telephone operators. I saw a picture of Clement Atlee who was deputy PM during the war years. The tour guide we had at Parliament had commented that Churchill had the personality and the ideas, while Atlee was the one who made sure everything got done during the war.

We were hungry, thirsty, and tired of standing when we left the War Rooms. We were seeing MacBeth tonight at the Globe theatre so decided to head down to Southwark to get a bite to eat. The day had cleared up so we decided to take the commuter ferry down the Thames. Normally, I am working inside 5 days a week for 8-10 hours so I enjoy being outdoors when I am off. And the three of us love being on or near the water. So we headed off to Westminster Pier.

I wanted the picture of the Union Jack.

Mairead, this one's for you! When I was in London in 2000 with three of my kids, we stopped here on Westminster Pier at this food stand - Mairead would have a crepe with Nutella each morning.

Our water bus.

This was an enclosed catamaran, and it was only a short trip - we missed the stop for the Tate and the Globe so we got off at London Bridge. We saw a restaurant with outdoor dining to the left so we headed that way. We checked out the menu,  but the atmosphere seemed a little formal so we walked a little further to a pub on the right which had outdoor seating overlooking the Thames - I think it was Horniman on Hayes. We were told to find a table and check the number on it - #408 - go into the pub, order, pay, and the food would be delivered - so we did. I ordered fish and chips - talk about fried!! Jody had gammon and eggs - Patty had a salad. We relaxed and enjoyed the view - I'm fascinated by all the people. Suddenly it was 4:15 pm - I was meeting Helen at 4:30 and wasn't sure exactly where! I saw a sign for Tooley Street - I knew Caffe Nero was off that street near Battle Bridge Lane. Patty and Jody walked along with me through Hay's Galleria. We turned left at Tooley Street - Patty and Jody were going to walk to Caffe Nero and then go to Borough Market. All of a sudden I heard "Is that Mary Ellen?" Helen was walking up behind us! After brief introductions, Helen and I headed for the cafe - Patty and Jody headed for the market.

Hay's Galleria has shops and restaurants and this fountain.

Helen's husband had dropped her off and went to park the car to take the train in. Unfortunately, the London Bridge stop was closed, and he had to go further on and double back. In the meantime Helen bought me my first coffee since arriving in England. We caught up on our families, how the trip was going so far, etc. - John join us, and we talked about politics, history, John's work experiences, life in general. The time past very quickly. Jody texted that she and Patty stopped for a Pimm's after marketing. We arranged to meet at the Globe.

John and Helen walked to the Globe with me. They pointed out so many points of interest along the way - I had my own private tour guides!

We met up with Jody and Patty in the lobby - took some photos - I am just realizing that the photos were all on Helen's camera except this one:

So we said goodbye to John and Helen as we made plans to meet next Tuesday before we go to the Globe again to see Merchant of Venice.

Helen had suggested renting cushions for the wood benches. So we did. I couldn't believe our seats! I was directly in front of the stage in the middle level!! Right in front!! Jody was 3 seats and a post away, and Patty who had bought a ticket just before the performance was one row behind and several seats away!

The above picture of the stage shows the open roof.

It was a little cool with the open roof - that must have felt good to the people standing around the stage. It must have been great to be standing and leaning on the stage. I think it might have been Helen who told me about the mad rush once the doors open to get up close to the stage on the ground level.

The play itself was great. The fellow who played MacBeth reminded me of the actor who played Othello in a production Jody and I saw in Boston. The oldest actor who played the king whom MacBeth murders was a little stiff which surprised me. 

The play's opening witches scene was put to music which was different. The singers and small band were on the stage overlooking the actors. One of the actresses playing a witch had lost part of her right arm but like most people with disabilities she was quite able to compensate for it. In one scene where she was playing a soldier, other actors grabbed her by her stump to throw her around - I don't know whether or not I was more aware of her because I am a nurse - but she was excellent and very funny in one scene she starred in.

As Jody and I were just discussing - as we were sitting outside on our terrace/balcony in the sun - it is so interesting to see these plays a couple of times done by different companies. I wonder where or how they get the inspiration for their interpretations. Each production is different - I often wonder is it the director or the actors or both interpreting the roles. Some people think that Shakespeare is very high brow, but didn't he write for the masses as well as the wealthy and/or educated - isn't that who the groundlings in front of the stage were - so his words would have had a comedic twist, plenty of gore, and sexual innuendoes.  

Anyway, we grabbed a taxi back to Vauxhall Station - I wanted to grab a snack for the morning to take my Ibuprofen, but they were closed. I went this morning instead. 

We are talking about going to Camden Market and Regent's Canal today - so that will be another adventure!

First day in London!

So we made it to Heathrow, and meanwhile Jody had walked over from her terminal to terminal 2 where we had landed. We grabbed a black cab to take us and our bags to the house we rented in Vauxhall. I got a little nervous about the cost when we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, but it only cost us each 30 euros and that included a tip. The Heathrow Express was 27 euros each for one way - and I really hadn't wanted to take the Tube - so not much difference. The driver was not very friendly though - I'm more used to talking with the cab drivers - being able to ask them what we are passing or where exactly we are. 

We knew from the internet that the house would be interesting. It is located close to Vauxhall bus and tube station - we drove by Vauxhall zoo - not sure that is the correct name - ducks, geese - horses - I want to take a closer look tomorrow when I am more alert.

An old key opens two locks on the front door which leads into a good size entry hall. 

Jody looking out from living room - next floor windows are for the lofts.

Black lock box has key to front door. Difficult to see the locks.

Front hallway and stairs to the first floor.

The stairs take us to the first floor - kitchen,  dining area, living room - back door leads to small deck.

Too bad I didn't take these pictures yesterday when the sun was shining - they might have come out brighter.

Pull out couch in living room - Jody and I brought bed clothes and pillows from low bed upstairs - I didn't open this couch - just slept on top of it.

The stairs to the second floor bring us to the door to the terrace on the right.  

The bathroom has a pull chain toilet!! It has an old fashioned shower in the bathtub. 

There is a bedroom with a double bed AND a stairway to a bed in a loft. 

This bed was too low for me so I took the bed clothes downstairs to the pullout couch.

Stairway to Patty's loft.

The other room on the second floor has a couch and a stairway to ANOTHER loft bed.

Jody's loft.

There is plenty of light in every room, and a nice cool breeze in the large window this afternoon.

After slapping some water on our faces to wake up, we walked through the nearby park to the Vauxhall tube statin to buy an Oyster card. A very nice gentleman explained how they worked and showed us how to get them. Then he showed us the bus map - #87 or #88 bus to Westminster. Since it was a nice sunny day, rather than take the Tube, we jumped on the double-decker and stayed downstairs because it looked like a short drive. I didn't calculate the traffic!

Jody buying her Oyster card.

Patty's turn

We finally made it to the Westminster stop - we were hungry and wanted something to eat. So we went to the Cafe at Westminster Abbey. Jody and I had pumpkin risotto, and Patty had potato salad. We struck up a conversation with a very interesting young man from Manchester - he has just finished school and is working as an intern at 10 Downing Street with the new British Prime Minister Theresa May. He said he was supposed to work with David Cameron, but he recently stepped down after the Brexit vote. 

We talked about British and American politics and each country's differences - he thinks Trump will win! We discussed Tony Blair's fall from grace due to the war in Iraq, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, the Royal family. He made lunch a very enjoyable experience.

I know I was tired and jet lagged because I never asked this young man what his name was and never took a picture with him. But he had reddish hair, blue eyes, very light complexion and was very knowledgeable and engaging for his age. I am writing down what he looks like in case HE is PM in the future - I'll email him to remind him of his and our first trip to Westminster Cafe!

Parliament Square

After our delightful lunch, we walked to Parliament - stopped and asked a guard about the tour of Parliament. He told us to walk across the street to the ticket office in the building near Westminster Pier. Of course, I went through a revolving door into the wrong building - a government building - I hadn't noticed the two guards with machine guns outside. Patty joked with them, and we found the correct office. We walked back to Parliament to the opposite end from Big Ben and got into the queue. We passed a statue of Oliver Cromwell - Jody took a picture of me and Patty shaking our fists at him - he was the one back in the 1700s who was going to solve the Royalist and Papist problems in Ireland by conquering the country -  "To hell or Connaught." 

We moved up in the queue to the first guard. The man ahead of us tried to be funny, but the guard told him to leave - this was not the place for jokes. The fellow was taken aback as were we. The guard again told him to leave. The man turned, and the guard told him that he was kidding - it was a "got cha" moment indeed! The guard then joked and told us to keep an eye on the fellow!

The tour of Parliament was fascinating - I have read a lot of books about English history - although I can't keep all the kings straight since so many have the same name but different numbers after them! To be inside this building was amazing! To see the splendor and detail of the Queen's robing room and the House of Lords! And then to see the House of Commons so plain in comparison tells you the mind set of those days.

I could have spent hours looking at the frescos, paintings, statues - we didn't have time to see or look at all of them - from the paintings of the Tudors and Stuarts to the paintings and frescoes of important scenes in British history - to the paintings of Victoria and Albert to the statues of the prime ministers. Never mind the statues of the ancient kings and some of their wives. I could have spent hours there except that it was so humid that the guide must have thought I was having hot flashes! Sweat was pouring down my back, dripping into my eyes and down my cheeks. I must have been a very sorry sight!

We couldn't sit down in the House of Lords - God forbid - not on those fabulous benches! But when we got to the House of Commons and the old cracked leather benches, we all sat down for a break.

There were all kinds of tours - including several school groups - I was surprised at how many people were in the building. We had wanted to attend the Prime Minister's Question Time which is held every Wednesday, but unfortunately for us, it is conference time so Parliament is in recess. But we were able to see the chamber where it is held - we have seen it on TV so know it can be contentious. I had wanted to see the new PM's high heel shoes over which such a fuss is being made - the young intern with whom we sat at lunch did say that they were something!!

By the end of the tour my lower back and hips were crying. We all were tired and wanted a drink - so we walked over to St. Stephen's Tavern, but it was packed! No place to sit inside - standing only outside. And I needed to sit.

I suggested a ferry ride on the Thames - it was a nice sunny day - it was just the thing! We had out first drinks in London on the top deck - unfortunately, the day turned cool and cloudy - but that felt great to me!! Not so great for pictures - and I had forgotten Dan's digital camera at home - so I only have my iPhone. One of the crew points out some of the sights along the way.

We took a City Cruise one way to Tower pier.

Our first tour guide in the white shirt with the microphone.

View of the London eye as the ferry turned around to head down to Tower Bridge.

Tower of London

Tower Bridge was down as we approached it.

We had paid for a one way ticket to Tower pier, but we decided to stay on board and go back to Westminster pier. 

It was up as we headed back to Westminster.

Jody watching Tower Bridge on the way back to Westminster.

The Chard - it has offices, apartments, and restaurants.

The reason for our trip - The Globe Theatre - we see our first play her tomorrow night!! The thatched roof is the only one in London.

Our second and better narrator - both held an old champagne bucket for contributions as you disembark.

Leaving Westminster pier, we found the bus stop for #87 and #88 to Vauxhall Station and hopped on the first one that came by. We were looking for the Tesco that is suppose to be near our house but found another market close by and stocked up a few supplies for the night. 

We walked back home through the park with our groceries. I couldn't wait to get inside to sit down. I had some yogurt and a scone so I could take some Ibuprofen. We all just relaxed for a while. I took a shower - started this blog - started an email to Johnny Murphy's cousin but forgot to send it - I couldn't keep my eyes open another minute. 

Helen is my husband's first cousin - I first met her when I was living in Sneem and our children were small. I met her again in Watertown when their aunt Helen Murphy died. Helen has been very good about keeping in touch so I am hoping to met up with her today.

It is almost 8:30 - I've been up since 5:30 - time to have a scone, take some Ibuprofen and see what the day brings. It is cool and cloudy so far - I guess there is a chance of showers. Oh well - this is London after all!

Traveling with the sisters!

We should go to the Globe Theatre sometime. I said this half seriously and half in jest to my youngest sister Joanne/Jody. 

We have been going to see productions of Shakespeare's plays in the Boston area for a couple of years. I'm not a Shakespeare scholar - I can't tell you the names of the characters nor all the twists and turns of the plays - but I love the humor and human insight - and I especially love when we have sat up on the stage and have been part of the production.

So after another wonderful play last winter, I emailed that question about the Globe Theatre to Jody. And she agreed! So we started planning. Well, planning is a mild word. One thing you might know about me is that I research any destination where I travel to get the most out of it.  It appears Jody also has this bug. Once we decided when to go, the research began. Jody decided to go for a week. I decided to fly from London to Ireland for a quick visit to family and friends. So Jody arrives at Heathrow on Wednesday, September 28 at 7:30 am, and I arrive at 8 am.

Next Jody bought tickets for 2 plays at the Globe and tickets for a play in Stratford-upon-Avon.

I researched Stratford and booked a room at the White Swan for Saturday October 1.

Then we looked around for a hotel. We found Park Plaza Riverbend overlooking the Thames, and Jody made reservations - it is on the Albert Embankment - the room has a view of the Thames. Imagine having a cup of tea in your pajamas while looking out at Big Ben!!

My sister Christine works in the schools so she could not get the time off to come on our adventure, but my sister Patty and my brother Jimmy expressed some interest. So Jody and I started talking about renting an apartment - big enough for 4 people. Sometimes renting is less expensive than a hotel, but more important is having the extra room. Depending on how many are traveling, you can have your own room - your own space. Even if sharing a bedroom, there is the sitting room and if you are lucky, there is a balcony, a deck or a terrace. You can spread out! I don't know about you, but I like some time to myself - especially at the beginning and end of the day. Don't talk to me until I have at least one cup of tea and an English muffin in the morning. Then let me unwind before I go to bed.

So we ended up renting a whole house in Vauxhall - just in case Patty and Jimmy decided to come. Big Ben is near Westminster bridge - next is Lambeth Bridge and then is Vauxhall Bridge. Vauxhall tube station is 5 minutes away from the house.  Just in case it was only the two of us, we also found a smaller place on St. Katherine's docks down near the Tower of London.

Now the real research started. We both want to see Parliament, Imperial War Rooms, Winston Churchill's War Rooms - I would like to see Southwick Cathedral and tour the Globe Theatre. This is my 4th or 5th trip to London so I have already seen some of it.

In August Patty booked a seat on my Aer Lingus flight to London so now there are 3 of us heading to London. I finally contacted Jimmy who said he could not make it. Which is too bad - everyone brings something different to a trip.

So there are several good things about the 3 of us traveling together. We each research before we arrive somewhere. We each can list a couple of places that we really want to see - the rest will be gravy.  I think we each have a daily game plan but are flexible enough to grab any opportunity that comes along. Most importantly, I think we can each say we need some space - some time away from each other - without taking it personally.

With Patty coming along, we decided to rent a car and drive to Stratford-upon-Avon - we will stop in Oxford on Saturday October 1 for a 1:30 pm Inspector Morse walking tour. Patty and I love Morse and Inspector Lewis as well as Endeavor on PBS. Sunday we may stop at Blenheim Palace on the way back to London for champagne during National Champagne Week. I love Winston and especially his mother - the American Jennie Jerome - one of the wealthy Americans marrying, and more importantly bringing her fortune/dowry to, a titled British citizen. Unfortunately, Highclere Castle was booked up so we won't see Downtown Abby.

This past week has been hectic - day off from work for doctor's appointments in Brighton - back up to Watertown the next day for computer upgrade training - that meant 5 days work crunched into 3 days - then the computer systems were slow - we had to shut down early twice this week - this all means longer working days to get everything done. 

Mike was going to a wedding in Connecticut on the weekend so I rented a car from Enterprise in Falmouth for $9.99/day Friday thru Monday - how can you beat that! Unfortunately, all they had left Friday morning was a Ford 250 truck. I wasn't fazed at first - Johnny Murphy had an old 250 which I liked driving. Then I saw this huge brand new truck - I was laughing as I walked into the office thinking of this young kid looking at me coming to rent a truck!! It was hilarious when I tried to get into it! Johnny's truck had a step up to the frame - this truck was higher and had no step. I was hoping I could lift my left leg waist level because I can't lift my right leg. The young kid was looking at me skeptically - but I made it up and in - probably not too pretty a sight from his perspective. I gave Mike the thumb's up sign and happily drove off.

I had no problem driving the truck - I felt like I was in a plane because I was up so high. Johnny Murphy's mouth dropped as I sped into the driveway. Then I tried to get out - I was dangling about a foot and a half from the ground holding on to the handle on the frame. I had a bit of a hard landing on the driveway. All of a sudden I thought about my bad right hip - I could have shattered it with the hard landing. So I spent all day Saturday using a stool that Danno had made in Middle School - I tied twine around it and pulled it up after me or dropped it down before I got out. Worked fine until the dowel broke and the legs caved in! Must have been the age of the stool - certainly couldn't have been my weight!!

These two pictures are to give an idea of how big this truck is - Johnny Murphy drove landscaping trucks for years and thought the step was high!

Sunday they had a Nissan Rogue for me. I absolutely loved that car/mini SUV!! I drove to Lowell to see Dan and Amanda - Dan was lending me his suitcase and digital camera. The Rogue was great on the highway - I was sitting up high compared to my stinking Corolla. 

I ran into TJMax in Falmouth about 6:30 pm before I went home to pack and was checking out when JB called - two flat tires - car had to be towed - he and 3 others stuck in Hanover - over an hour away. So instead of packing my bags, I headed to Hanover. The Rogue was great in the dark. But it was 10:30 by the time we got home after dropping off the J1 Visa kids - such nice guys - all from Eastern Europe.

I went to bed early Sunday night - 11 is very early for me - so I could get up early and do some clicking for work - a mindless, time consuming task.  I worked late Monday - was ironing some clothes during the presidential debate - Hillary did okay, not great - but better than Trump. Went to bed at midnight so I could get up early to pack, and do other odds and ends before leaving.

Chirp, chIRP, CHIRP!! 2:30 am and a cricket practicing a solo!! In my bedroom! After coughing from the bug spray fumes, I was wide awake. So I gathered my stuff and started packing. I went back to bed at 4:30 am with a good chug of Nyquil and slept till 8:30. After tea and an english muffin, I started pulling things together. I hate packing in a rush - I had thrown things into my suitcase during the night - intending to pull some out, but now I was rushing and packing everything. Quick trip to Falmouth Library to return Winston Churchill. Quick trip to Stop and Shop except the check out line was crawling. Decided to skip the haircut and throw the last few things together and head out. Mike had offered to drive me to the airport, and we were off after a quick goodbye to Johnny Murphy.

Met Patty at the gate, and we flew out at 6 pm. We were sitting in different sections of the plane. Now we are sitting in Dublin airport waiting for our 6:40 am flight to Heathrow where we will meet Jody somewhere. And then the games will begin!