Today's randonnée ended up cut short, due to some unexpected drama at the Tower Bridge (more on that below)... but I still manage to see quite a bit more of London.
I wake up today wondering: should we do the "Bateaux Mouches" style tour of the River Thames? It seems to be something I am doing in all major cities I am visiting this summer... or perhaps we could go to the Tower of London? I've heard it is one of the best attractions of London. Maybe we will have time to do both? London City Cruises docks right near the Tower. I am also keen on seeing my ancestor's tiny street, which was also Charles Dickens' street at the same time, although it is on the other side of the River Thames from the Tower of London. I pocket the address just in case. In the end, we decide to to the Tower of London, since despite our epic walking tour yesterday, we didn't actually enter any of London's iconic landmarks. Then, after that, we can check the time for the river boats. We have to be at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for the 7:30pm show, and my ancestor's street is fairly close to the Globe. There is a chance we can do it all!
We map a route that will allow us to walk along the river as much as possible. It's about 8km to the Tower of London and back. It's also about 4km to Shakespeare's Globe and back. We had hoped for more, but as you will see, this is what we ended up walking: a total of about 12 km.
From the awesome Citadines Barbican Hotel, Colin and I head South on the A1 to the Museum of London, where we take the second exit onto Aldersgate Rd and continue onward to Saint Paul's Cathedral.
The lawn of the gardens is full of (mostly very well heeled) people lunching. We walk completely around the cathedral, and notice an accessibility ramp being put in on the North Entrance. Since it's been a popular news topic recently, I can't help thinking of Queen Elizabeth's age and reign length. At a fit 89 years old, the Queen continues to attend Saint Paul's Cathedral for significant events; however, at an even younger age, Queen Victoria famously attended her Diamond Jubilee from her carriage, unable to mount the steps to the cathedral. Perhaps some wise royal planners are thinking in advance??
Saint Paul's is also where several notable events took place, for example, this is where Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer (later known as "Lady Diana" or "the people's princess"). When visiting Paris in June, I also got to see the location of Lady Di's unfortunate end, marked with a massive golden copy of the Statue of Liberty's flame (although this is not the original or official meaning of the flame). I didn't put much detail of my boat trip in that blog entry, since most of the sites were covered by our giant randonnée our first day in Paris. But I'll put the photo here for context.
By the way, does this cherub on the cathedral make you think of the weeping angels in the 2012 episode "Angels Take Manhattan"? It certainly creeped me out...
Another important event to Dr. Who fans is when the 11th Doctor and Clara are trying to find people lost in the Wifi in "The Bells of St Paul'"s (ok, I'm not really finished collecting Dr. Who locations in London!). To be fair, the Doctor and Clara are actually in the nearby Grange St John's Hotel Skybar, with the Cathedral in the background, but you know... details. ;) Besides this, Saint Paul's featured prominently in the 1968 "The Invasion" episode with the 2nd Doctor.
Plus, from here, we can see The Shard, which was the HQ for the evil Wifi conglomerate in the Bells of St Paul. (Props to Celia Imrie, who kicked ass in that episode.)
We head down Distaff Lane to Queen Victoria Street. Here, we find ourselves temporarily stymied, and must walk a couple blocks West to cross using an overpass. Fortunately, it's not all a waste, since Distaff Lane is also the filming site of "The Invasion."
Along the water, we must use the Steelyard Passage, which is pretty cool. We also pass by a pub that is spilling out onto the seawall.
From here, we can see the HMS Belfast, a Royal Navy ship which is now permanently stationed near Tower Bridge as a museum. It's interesting that the 2004 Dr. Who episode "Aliens of London" doesn't show this ship in the filmography, implying that some of the shots were taken from the ship itself!
Next, we pass the London Monument, which we don't go up, because I don't remember at the time that this is one of the few sites I really wanted to go inside. It really sucks not having cell access while travelling.
We continue along the seawall, until London Bridge, which is often confused with the more glamorous Tower Bridge. It seems very difficult to cross here and stay on the seawall, so we detour a couple of blocks. There is a Waitrose grocery store nearby, so we buy some bread and cheese to have a picnic lunch after our Tower of London excursion. Then we continue on along the river side walk.
At the Tower of London, we do the Yeoman Warder's tour. Well, that is, after walking around a bit, trying to figure out where to get tickets and where to enter, which are not the same location. We meet up with the tour in what used to be the moat. Our tour is led by Yeoman Warder Woodcock. He is one of 37 current Yeomen Warders. To be a Yeoman Warder, you have to have 22 years service in one of the branches of the armed forces and have achieves a senior rank. He cracks jokes and tries to keep the crowd interested and engaged. He tells us that the moat we are standing in used to be 15m deeper, and driven by tides. After 500 years of throwing all kinds of filth in it, they decided to clean it up. Today, it is above water level and stays dry year round. I'm excited because it's also the scene of Dr. Who's 2005 episode "The Christmas Invasion," as well as where three (count 'em THREE) Doctors get imprisoned in the 50th Anniversary special, "Day of the Doctor."
In the photo below, you can see a different angle of where we gathered for the start of the tour. In a strange coincidence, our Yeoman Warder was stationed in Canada for two years at age 18. He told a story where he exited the plane and saw a billboard: "Drink Canada Dry" and he took it as a challenge. lol. I might have been the only one who laughed. He asks if there are any Canadians in the crowd, and both I and the lady next to me raise our hands. It turns out, she and her husband are from Alberta. At the entrance of the Tower grounds, there are several artistic renderings of lions, which show that this location used to host real live lions... and tigers, and bears... oh my!
Much of our tour focuses on the various celebrities who were tortured and executed here... it's definitely not for the faint of heart or sensitive disposition. At Wakefield Tower, across from Traitor's Gate, we are told the story of two young princes who were slain in 1483 and whose bodies were hidden in the tower, not to be discovered until 1674. Our tour ends at the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, where St. Thomas Moore and Anne Boleyn (among others) are laid to rest.
Outside the chapel is where we get up close and personal with one of the resident ravens. The Tower of London has six resident ravens. I'm happy about that, since one of my First Nations names is "The Raven." Colin sports a Raven tattoo. It is said that the Tower will fall if the ravens ever leave. While this raven below seems content to cavort about among the tourists, other ravens seem to be confined to cages in the Sit of the Great Hall, which I find very sad and confusing. While looking at the ravens in cages, we see one Yeoman Warder checking his cell phone and looking up at the multiple helicopters hovering overhead. We wonder if that is normal, or if something unusual is going on. The ravens ARE looking a little sluggish... ;)
After the guided tour, we are left to our own devices, so we tour through The White Tower, which houses the Line of Kings, and the Wakefield Tower, which was where many tortures took place. The Tower of London has held many very famous prisoners for hundreds of years. Where else would you hold three Doctors hostage? (thanks to BBC and The Daily Mail for these Dr. Who screenshots)
We pop through the The Chapel of St. John's, catch a glimpse of the Anne's Fortress Tour and enter the Menagerie. The Yeoman Warders live at the Tower. I guess that this last photo shows their living quarters.
We luck out in catching the changing of the guards in front of the building which holds the Crown Jewels. The line to see the jewels is extraordinarily long, so we decide it's time for our picnic and head for the river.
Checking out the gift shop on our way out, I find there is nothing raven-related in the entire gift shop! It's too bad, as I probably would have bought something. However there is plenty of Disney Princess type stuff, so if that floats your boat, you are set.
We set ourselves up with our bread and cheese on a bench outside the gates, right by the Tower Bridge. There are plenty of people there, but the seawall under the bridge is blocked by police tape and police are speaking to guests in the café under the bridge. We wonder if this is a cause of concern. Soon, a big group of diners leaves the café.
Then, a Yeoman comes over and tells everyone to clear the seawall. "Something's happening," is all he will say. I swear I can see a hint of fear in his eyes... in any case, he definitely looks nervous. We leave immediately, unlike most people around us. I remember that a Yeoman Warder needs 22 years in the military and a senior position... I decide on the spot that when a Yeoman Warder tells you to clear the area, you clear the area, and when a Yeoman Warder looks nervous... assume it's very serious!! We get farther down on the seawall, and find another Yeoman Warder is doing the same thing. Looking at the Thames, all the bateaux mouche tour boats are turning around and/or backing away from bridge. I'm a little bit concerned that life is imitating art.
As we pass the entrance to the Tower of London, they are refusing entrance to new guests, and many people are leaving. This is definitely disconcerting. We decide to forget about the river boats and hightail it back to the hotel. We pass the All Hallows Church and the "Walkie Talkie" (aka 20 Fenchurch St). Several blocks away from the Tower, I overhear: "Tower ridge was pretty hectic--I've never seen so many police on one place before!" That does not sound encouraging...
Next, we pass the St. Lawrence Jewry and Colin wants his photo taken with the signage announcing the Ward of Cheap. Even in potential danger, family legacies die hard. ;) Behind the church, a wedding is in progress, and the square opens to the gorgeous Guildhall building. The square itself is the site of an ancient roman amphitheatre. Perhaps of even more historical significance is a blue police box onsite, whose signage reads: "The telephone is no longer operational," just like in Dr. Who!!
Next, we see an office building evacuated, and all the employees standing in the street. We still hold out some hope that this could all be the result of something "good," like the crown Prince suddenly needs a new pair of Dolce Gabbana sunglasses, and so a trail must be cleared for his safety... but with the recent call to terror by ISIS, it could also be something very bad. Today is Eid, lady day of Ramadan, in other words, the last day of ISIS' proposed "month of terror." Arriving back at hotel, we check the internet: it appears there was a bomb threat on Tower Bridge.
After a reasonable amount of time, and assurances by the media, we decide it's ok to venture out and attend Richard II at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. While we didn't realize it when we bought the tickets, it turns out that "Richard II's reign began and ended at the Tower of London." What synchronicity.
I had reserved £5 "groundling" tickets online. This means we can be right up at the stage (actually some audience members are right within the stage!)... BUT... you have to stand for all 3 hours of the play. I promise Colin that if it is really really boring, we can leave at the intermission. We head out past St Paul's Cathedral to the Millennium Bridge, and walk over to the Globe. Unfortunately, there is no time to go see my ancestor's address nearby.
We go to the Will Call booth and are told we don't have to wait in line with the other groundlings, We're also given a sly tip: Door 4 opens first! We head to the bar and order two Globe Ales before sauntering over to Door 4.
Inside the theatre is everything I imagined. Standing at the stage, Colin asks me what I remember of the story. I start in: "Well, in 2007's The Shakespeare Code, the Doctor and Martha stood right over there..." He stops me: "No no..." So I correct myself: "Oh you mean about the witches? The globe was the perfect geometry for their magic spells..." Exasperated, Colin interrupts me again: "No, I mean what do you remember about Richard 2!" "Oh!" I am stumped. "Not much..."
I keep taking photos as a priest and his assistants enter onto the stage and swing incense over it. I assume he is energetically/spiritually "clearing the space" before the play, but an usher quickly tells me I need to stop taking photos now that the play has begun... oops!
The play is actually quite good... and unexpectedly, we discover it is interactive theater! Actors come and go from the craziest places, including a ladder from the ground floor to the second story balcony (see photo above). The musicians randomly appear in the theatre, sometimes in the upper balconies. When the king is coronated, perfectly timed sparkles float down from audience members' bags sitting in the balcony above.
Hilariously, sparkles also fall from the backside of an actor's leather pants when he stands up a while later. At other times, audience members call out to answer questions that the cast put forth in the play, for example: Should I do X? Yes! and: Will no one say amen? Amen! Colin and I argue whether a chocolate brownie was meant to fall into the groundlings area when the actor says "rubbish falls from above." It nearly hits us!
The young King Richard is coronated and the cast calls out "Richard!!!!!!!!" I am endlessly amused that he is carrying a little wooden horse at the time. There is much humor in this drama, and the storyline keeps our attention enough to hold us through the intermission, when we refill our beers and nab the last portobello burger from the grill outside.
Over the duration of the play, certain cast members are reused, which is somewhat confusing. However, when one of the actors is asked about his previous incarnation, he diffuses the tension by answering: "He's dead, as sure as I'm alive!"
All this "interactive theatre" has its own set of issues, including unexpected turns when the audience is concerned. For example, the target of a failed game of keep away, a pair of boots, goes to a grounding audience member, who won't give them up... After a struggle, The Duke jumps down into the audience to retrieve them, then labours to get back out. I really don't think that was planned!
The usher who told me to stop taking photos stands near us the whole time, staring dreamily at the stage with clasped hands, enthralled as if she's seeing the play for the first time.
It's amazing watching the play in the theater it was originally written for. I catch myself gazing up at the stands throughout the play, hardly believing I am there. It is a pretty amazing experience.
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