Last Night in London, Day 7: March 28, 2006

Today I was late getting out, but the sky was blue for the first time in days! It was great. I walked through St James Park over to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. It didn't start yet, so while waiting in the windy cold I watched the clouds racing in and out of the blue sky. The daffodils have started blooming in the park; I really enjoyed it.

I wanted to see a show tonight, so I decided to try "The Producers" because it's been highly rated, and I figured we could see "Mary Poppins" when the girls come in August. I went to the theatre to buy tickets. "What's your cheapest ticket for tonight?" £20 for full view. "What about restricted view?" £10. So I took it and was excited about going to a show in the original Drury Lane Theatre, the oldest and one of the fanciest.

When I got there tonight, I found that since my seat was in the 3rd balcony, we didn't even get to enter through the regular theatre. I was late and had to run up through a separate entrance leading up 7 flights of grungy stairs with peeling paint, no carpet and an old iron handrail! The top balcony actually has no access to the rest of the theatre! Is this a class mechanism intended to keep the riff-raff separated from the richer people?

My "restricted view" seat had to look between the railings on the very end of the row, so I just took another one several rows further up, because there were a number of empty seats up in the rafters.

The musical was supposed to be funny and flashy and politically incorrect. I can say that it had a good sound system. The plot had promise: a show was intended to flop so the producers could raise $2 million from backers, put it on for $100,000, fold it, and not have to repay the backers. It started flashy and fun, but I didn't enjoy it because of constant innuendoes and finally hiring a whole gay production crew and worse. I noticed I was not applauding when everyone else did. At intermission I sat there wondering whether it was worth it to invest the time to see the rest of the show, because I needed to got to an internet cafe to send this e-mail and repack all my stuff. Then I thought, "What would Heavenly Father want me to do?" That was an easy answer, so I got up and left immediately. I thought that show would be safe enough, but I was wrong!

Most of today I spent on shop-till-you-drop research. I headed north to Camden Town Market; supposedly the kids will think it's great. It sure is different from the department stores I've been seeing! Let's just say that the word "sleaze" does not adequately describe it! Studded leather belts and body piercing, tatoo parlors and T-shirts with vulgar sayings . . . I also found some cool things like a canal with a lock in the middle of it all, and an African drum shop and a place to buy 3' X 5' flags of other countries. The smell of incense was everywhere.

They have what they call "vintage" clothing around here. That means "used." There's lots of it at this market. I suppose you could find some really cool stuff if you could stand to go through the racks and racks of junk! It started to rain, so I ducked into this covered area called "The Stables," and bought some sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese girl in one stall , while others called me to buy theirs. I sat down to eat by a balding, bearded Scotsman from the Outer Hebrides and a couple from Berlin. I think the husband was of Indian ancestry. We all actually conversed, due to the gregarious nature of the Scotsman!

I'd had plenty, so I decided to chuck the rest of the flied lice and get back to town. A fellow in another booth noticed and heckled me saying something about "It's not good? Why you throw it away? Come buy from me!"

I went to the high-class shopping area in London around the intersection of Oxford Street and Regent Street. I was looking for stores with the kind of stuff teeage girls would like. I found 2 branches of H & M, Top Shop, and some others. I found a store in the coolest old half-timbered building called Liberty. It's got balconies up 4 floors on the inside and kind of unique furniture and wierd expensive clothes for rich people.

I have a new favorite store! It's called Hamley's and it's a toy store. It claims to be the best in the world, and it just might be. It's on 5 or 6 or 7 levels, and it has some of everything. Jared, it has a whole section devoted to Thomas the Tank Engine! It also has a Steiff section and sections for Barbie and costumes and games and everything else you can think of. But the best part of all I only found by accident just before I left. It's a "Chronicles of Narnia" staircase. In one corner of the building, it goes up for 7 flights of stairs, and the whole staircase is decorated like "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Heidi, you'd love it. You even enter through the bookcase. I was beat, but I climbed to the very top. The whole place is full of shoppers, but none of them seem to even know it's there. I guess that's why it's a secret. I was the only person on the staircase. It was very cool.

Well, I've done lots this trip, but I definitely haven't had time to just wander. I'll be glad to be home tomorrow night and see my family and let my feet rest. It's been a productive trip.