The Picture Says It All

As I was grading Kerri's (one of the Humanities students) journal, I came across this photo. This kind of sums up my expertise as a tour guide. I told Kerri that I absolutely had to have a copy of this picture.

Tours and Protests

I gave my last set of finals this morning and Keri conducted the final program evaluation. Now all that is left for me to do is grade. I have been cramming every empty minute with grading papers (not that it has interrupted any of our sightseeing). I always think that I will never collect large written projects in my classes and then I find myself surrounded by a huge stack requiring hours of reading. My goal in both the Bible class and the Humanities class involved experiences and the paperwork was designed to document said experiences. I have a time-line assignment designed to help the students see all the sites we have visited in the perspective of English history. After reading the suggestions for my classes, I have discovered that many of them saw the assignments as busy work. That makes me sad since I have never knowingly assigned busy work in my life. Oh well, live and learn.

Da'Lynn and Greg gave us a couple of tickets for the Original Bus Tour of London and we headed to Marble Arch to get on board. As we left the building, there was a protest across the street and the Labour Congress building and you can imagine my surprise to look up and see a number of our students carrying placards in support of the American Screen Writers Guild. I had to get some photos of the event. Back to the bus, it was a wonderful drive around London to all the major sites with the option to get on and off. We have meant to do it since we arrived but have not had a space to do it. We will go back and finish tomorrow. I certainly recommend anyone coming to London to do this first. It is fairly expensive, but it is certainly a great way to see the sites and then to know where you need to go back to at a later time.

I needed to give an independent study exam at 17:00 (5:00 pm for those you on regular time), so we headed back home. I certainly needed to be grading papers anyway. Our time here is rapidly ending and I am not ready to leave. Of course, we am ready to see our family and friends. We are also ready to go to bed without the party on the floor above and the forever climb up the stairs to get to the flat. I'm afraid we don't know the students like we have in the past. Our greatest disappointment about our London 2007 experience is that we are so far removed from the students. Case in point - there is a ring ceremony in one of the women's flats tonight and we overheard the students talking about it. As I said earlier, live and learn. We are sad to see them go and really wish we had gotten to know them better.

Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon

As I exited the door to my building this morning, all the students started singing "happy birthday." They really surprised me. Julie Williams and some others gave me a box of Thornton's chocolates and had a birthday cake to share on the bus. It was so nice of them. Tony, our coach driver called and said he was caught in traffic and to meet him at Bedford Park so off we went. When he was able to get through the traffic, we headed for Warwick Castle.

Of course it was raining. After all, this is Tuesday and we were going on a walking tour. Tony said that it wasn't really raining, but that the clouds were on the ground and there was 100% humidity. Regardless, it was a good way to get wet. We toured the castle on our own and Ian went off with Aimee so I headed into Warwick. It is a beautiful little town and I want to come back someday for an entire day there. I raced back and made it to the coach for our 1:30 departure.

Tony drove us around Stratford-upon-Avon to show us some of the sites before letting us off. We had not planned a tour so we let everyone head for what they wanted to see. Many were Shakespeare buffs and wanted to get in as much as possible and hit the ground running. Keri had an agenda so Ian and I headed out on our adventure. We hunted for his bookmarks and found a couple. He has quite a collection now. We ate lunch at McDonalds (I know, I know, I am so ashamed, but I needed to find something Ian would eat.) We saved our chips (fries) and headed for the Avon to feed the ducks, geese and swans. Ian had them eating out of his hand. We window shopped and headed up and down back streets until it was time to meet the bus. Then it was back to London and the end of our England adventures.

One of the sad things about reaching the end of our time here is that we have to say goodbye to all of our new and old friends. Sunday was hard at Church and tonight we had to say goodbye to Tony, our Westbus Coach driver. He has been an absolutely perfect coach driver and really served as a tour guide as well. We now count him as one of our friends here in London and it was really hard to part.

Following our return to the flat, the doorbell rang and I opened to Jason, Erin, Jamie, Christina, Sarah and Kerri with a flaming candle decorated birthday cake. I'm surprised it didn't set off the smoke alarms in the building. It was so fun, and again, a wonderful surprise. What a great group! I can't believe we are parting in four days.

Walk Like an Egyptian

Anything Egyptian is all the rage in London at the moment. The Tutankhamun Exhibition is showing at the O2 / Millennium Dome in Greenwich and the tickets have been impossible to get. However, while we were there Saturday night, we saw notices that there were some tickets available at the box office so Keri went online and found some. So yesterday, we again ran errands as we headed to the "bubble". We went to Reagan's tea and coffee shop, H. R. Higgins and purchased some gifts and had morning tea. Reagan was right, it was a wonderful little shop just down Oxford street in a quiet little neighborhood (just one block off Oxford street). Why do we always find these places right at the end of our time here. On the way back to the Bond Street station, we had such a nice visit with a "Bobbie" and his horse.

We then went to Fortnum and Masons to get a gift certificate for Tony, our coach driver. He has done such a great job with us, serving as tour guide, friend as well as a coach driver. Fortnum and Mason's Christmas windows are all up and wonderful as usual. This year they have done the 12 Days of Christmas. I must go back at night to see if I can get some good photos because the glare was too bad during the day. If you are here during Christmas, you must take time to see all the wonderful window displays.

We took the Thames Clipper from Waterloo Pier again and since it was dusk, I got some wonderful photos of the Parliament buildings. That really is the best time to take photos but it lasts such a short time. The clipper ride was nice, especially sine it was not packed as it had been on Saturday. The O2/Millennium Dome is very accessible to London and is turning out to be an ideal spot for exhibitions and concerts. I'm sure it will be put to use for the 2012 Olympics. The King Tut exhibit was wonderful. Ian listened to every word on the audio guide and studied every artifact as did we. Ian has been fascinated with things Egyptian since we arrived here in London and went to the British Museum. Few of the artifacts were included in the exhibit that toured the States back in the 70s, and few of that number were included in this show. I'm looking forward to comparing the two show guides to help me remember what I saw in Seattle so many years ago.

Sunday, Reagan and Sara left at 5:45 to catch a cab to Paddington Station to catch a train to Heathrow. I was sorry to see them go. It was nice to visit with them, even if we were all trying to cram every minute with some activity.

We went to Wembley again and everyone there seemed glad to see us. They all apologised for everything that was going on and asked for our continued prayers. It was very sad leaving them. My family will probably be able to go back on December 16 if we get back to London as we have planned. The rest of Sunday, I graded papers.

All in all we have had a great couple of days. Once again, I got few papers graded. That, my friends, is about to become a major crisis.

LIVE 07

This was Ian's "Scouting Day". Today was the Live 07 Scouting show at the O2 Dome to celebrate the Centenary of Scouting. This was the culmination of the 100th anniversary of Lord Baden Powell's founding of the Scouting movement here in England. Groups from all over England were asked to participate and they put together a three hour extravaganza. We arrived at the Dome around 10:00 after a ride on the Thames River Cruiser. Of course we had to purchase the Scouting patches having to do with this event. Then we went into the show. I have never seen so many Scouts in the same place (around 20,000 at this show).

Following the show, we rode the Cruiser back to Waterloo Pier and took the Northern Underground back to Tottenham Court Road. As we came out of the station, we bought traditional fish and chips and headed back to the flat. I desperately needed to get some work done. It was a good day!!!!!

Loose Ends

It is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of our time here in London. With that in mind, we headed out today to do some of the errands we wanted to make sure we completed before we left. Keri purchased a Thomas Cook train book so that we could figure out the European train schedules. We then headed to Portobello Road so that Ian could pick out his soldiers. He has been looking at them the entire time we have been here but this is probably our last trip to the Portobello Road market since we leave a week from tomorrow. Andy Morant, the stall owner, gave him a great deal and he purchased all the ones he had his eye on for the amount of money he had. Then Andy gave him another one at which he had been looking for a Christmas present. He also brought me a mounted coronation coach horse to replace a broken one that I had at home. Through the years he has been so kind to us. We count him as one of our London friends.

From there we headed to Borough Market. Keri, Reagan and Sara had visited it while it was in full swing. It really is a must visit market for everyone to see. Unfortunately, we were running out of time (and I had another insulin reaction). We had great fish and chips and then headed to meet Reagan and Sara at the Kensington Palace Orangerie for tea. Fortunately, they were running late as well and we arrived at the same time. After a nice tea (in a warm environment) Reagan, Sara, Ian and I headed for Hamley's Toy Store while Keri headed back to Southwark Cathedral to meet Patricia for a concert.

Reagan and Sara headed for The Mouse Trap while Ian and I walked to Pizza Hut for supper. I know, I know, there were many other places we could have gone but Pizza Hut was easy. It is fun walking along Oxford Street and Regent Street now that all the Christmas lights are on. I really enjoy being in London at Christmas.

We plan to go to bed early tonight and catch up on some sleep.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

It has truly been a blessed day here in London for this group of expats. We have been away from family and friends for a long time and to many of us Thanksgiving is all about being thankful with family. With that in mind, Keri has been working for days to create a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner complete with all the expected foods. Friends have sent cornmeal, we tracked down pumpkin for pies at Waitrose, a wonderful nearby store, lots of turkey (white and dark meat), and homemade cranberry sauce. To this, everyone else contributed rolls, corn. green beans (several varieties), cheesecake, pecan pie, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes (several varieties), and many other items that this food stuffed brain cannot remember. If someone wanted something that wasn't there, they either didn't mention it, or were supposed to bring it themselves and didn't. All the students were back among the living and were there (except two that decided that they must have one more trip to Oxford) as well as many visiting families and friends. We set everything up in Flat 5 and served our plates and then headed to Flat 4 where all the tables had been placed. It really was a wonderful "feast" with new friends and I think it was enjoyed by all. Many stuck around for a showing of A Knight's Tale, a particularly significant movie to our stay in London. I snuck off to grade papers, but ended up writing this.

The day began with the annual Thanksgiving Day Service for the American Community in London at St. Paul's. I have always wanted to attend but it has never worked out. This year we arranged our schedule so that those that wanted to could attend. It really was presented for Americans in London and including staff from the American Embassy and the United States Marines. I did not expect to find it emotional, but after a wonderful service, the Marines returned to the center to receive the American flag and Marine flag from the priests to the choirs and audience singing America the Beautiful, I discovered a big tear rolling down my face. I looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed and everyone was wiping eyes. We also sang We Gather Together and others we would expect at such a Thanksgiving Day service. Following the service, we were invited to visit the American Chapel, created by the British people in honor of the Americans that had died here during the World War II. It really was a special way to begin our Thanksgiving Day and I will never again celebrate Thanksgiving without thinking of sitting in St. Paul's singing America the Beautiful.

Reagan and Sara are here and we talk late into the night, but once things are open, they are out and about. They are really checking off their list of things they had planned to see at a breakneck speed, almost the Dan-Tullos-tour speed (which means seeing the whole Louvre in one hour. I should know, I was there! Keri)

I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and/or friends.

HMS Belfast

After our outing yesterday to Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle, we planned for an easy day today. I taught class this morning and Ian worked on homework while Keri worked on the Thanksgiving dinner. Following lunch, Keri headed out to find additional groceries and Ian and I headed to tour the HMS Belfast. Ian has wanted to see it since we came to London in 2003. It was a good history of World War II and Ian wanted to see every inch of it. It is maintained as a part of the Imperial War Museum and is presented well with figures in most of the rooms engaged in whatever would have been done there.

We then rushed to meet Keri at Kennsington Palace for tea only to discover that it was closed for a special event. Maybe we will make it Friday.

Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle

Yesterday, the HUE group, Reagan and Sara, and several families made one of our best trips away from London. I really enjoy seeing Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Palace, and it makes it special when both are decorated for Christmas. There is just something about being in England at Christmas time. Unfortunately, it rained on us the entire day.

We began at Hampton Court Palace. I warned everyone to do the maze first so that they wouldn't miss the bus because they couldn't find their way out. It truly is a complicated maze and Ian just loves it. After an initial shock of losing Ian on the grounds, we made it in (and out) and did the "Dan Tullos tour" (at a dead run) of Hampton Court Palace. The kitchens are probably the most impressive section to visit because it shows what would been going on during the preparation of a feast for Henry VIII. There was even a demonstration about how they built a fire from a spark. Ian was enthralled.

From Hampton Court we headed through Runnymead to Windsor Castle. Unfortunately, there is little to see there but I wanted everyone to see the large field where King John signed the Magna Carta.

We turned everyone loose for a late lunch in Windsor and met back for admission to the Castle. Unfortunately, they didn't tell us, when we called and notified them that we were coming, that the State Rooms all closed at 3:30 and the grounds closed at 4:00. Of course that is dark now that the time has changed. Again, we did the "Dan Tullos tour" and took it all in. Ian was fascinated with the weapons room and could have spent the entire day there. We made it through and headed out into the town for an hour before our bus (excuse me, it should be called a coach) left. It was all decorated for Christmas and the bells from St. George's Chapel were ringing. After they rang for an hour we realized that we were at Windsor on the 60th Wedding Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. It was fun to be there at that special time. Of course, HRH and Prince Philip were already away in Malta.

Tea and Rain - Back Home in London!

Jacqueline put together this great "tea" for everyone this afternoon. There were mince pies, Victory sponges, scones, crumpets, a wide selection of teas and many other items. It was a lot of work for her but it was a good introduction of the "afternoon tea" for most of our students that will not invest in one at a hotel or tea shop. I'm so glad Jacqueline put it together.

Afterwards, Ian went to watch a movie with Christina and Keri headed off with Sara and Reagan to see Mary Poppins left me with time alone. I had been dreaming of time alone, but I needed to plan for it, not be surprised with "aloneness". I decided to head to St. Paul's to get some night pictures. When I came up from the station I discovered that it was raining. I walked around it several times looking for the best shot but finally quit fighting the rain. I walked across the Millennium Bridge to The Globe, but again the rain kept me from getting a good picture. The tea party and the rain were good welcome backs.

Portsmouth and Salisbury

This past Tuesday, the group went to Portsmouth and toured the H.M.S. Victory, Lord Nelson's ship during the Battle of Trafalgar. We had really enjoyed it several years ago and I knew that Ian would love it. He did!! Unfortunately, I was at my meeting in Boston and missed the trip. Ian told me that the guide had said that Ian was the age of the kids that served as "powder monkeys" aboard the Royal Navy ships. He was thrilled, of course. I bought him a book about Lord Nelson but I have already sent it back to Searcy. We will need to read it when we get back. From there they went to Salisbury Cathedral. I'm afraid I don't have many details, but I wanted to record the trip in this blog of our adventures.

I, on the other hand, left Boston yesterday at 9:00 AM and arrived here 8:30 PM. Immigration went smoothly and I walked right through customs and headed down for the Underground. I was back home by 10:30. I sure wish we had this type of mass transit at home. It would make travel so much easier. Reagan and Sara have arrived and all well on their way to seeing everything in London in one week. If anyone can do it, Reagan can. They have gone to see Mary Poppins along with Keri. Ian and I are getting ready for bed. I almost feel like I'm home. It was a strange feeling heading back to London from Boston. I've always been glad to come here, but this time I had the feeling I was heading home. I must think about the implications of that when I have a minute.

Off to Boston

I left yesterday (Monday) for several meetings in Boston. I left the flat three and a half hours before the flight and it was none too early. The trip Underground trip went smoothly and I'm beginning to think that the Underground really is the best way to get to and from Heathrow. Once I arrived at Heathrow, the lines started. There were lines to get the ticket, lines to go through security, lines to go through another security check to get shoes examines, lines to get passport checked, then additional lines for security at the ticket gate. I made it to the plane as they were boarding.

I must admit that American Airlines appears to be the airline to use for international travel. There was more leg room, a small movie screen on the seat in front of me with my choice of movies, two fairly good meals or snacks, and extremely helpful staff. Once in Boston, I took the bus directly from the airport to near the hotel. After checking in, I walked the great distance to downtown Boston to check out the location for my meeting today. It was good being back in the States but I found myself missing London. The thing I don't miss is the sea of humanity. It is possible to walk down the street without facing a roadblock of people coming right at you.

There will be no photos for awhile because I left the camera with Keri and Ian in London. I will add updates about their adventures when I return to London on Sunday.

Remembrance Day

On Sunday, we gave the students the option of attending services elsewhere. All students took that option and not one student attended at Wembley. We had all been so excited about the International Sunday planned at Wembley on November 11th. Unfortunately, the Sunday before all visitors were asked to leave which left a great sense of unease with all of us. With that in mind, most of the students chose the Remembrance Sunday services at St. Pauls Cathedral (although a few went to the Imperial War Museum for services and some went to Whitehall). The services at St. Pauls were very moving and I am so glad we went. I especially appreciated the two minutes of silence during the ringing bells of St. Pauls.

Afterwards we went to Paul, a nice patisserie that looks out at St. Pauls. Particia and Jacqueline were also there. Keri wants to take Reagan and Sara next week.

Sir Daniel of Hatfield

I now have a new title, but you all can just call me "Sir Daniel". We had a Medieval Feast at Hatfield House last night. It is about an hour and a half north of London so Tony drove us on our Westbus coach. The feast took place in the Great Hall of the Old Palace where Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary and King Edward VI all played as children and where Elizabeth held her first Council meeting when she was informed that she would be the new Queen. It was very dramatic and a wonderful place for a banquet. The food was also very good. It certainly beat what we have been having as "pub grub". It was certainly not traditional Medieval food and we appreciated our knives and forks. As a part of the program "Henry VIII" and then "Elizabeth I" called people from the audience to show some of the things that had occurred in that hall. I was call and knighted into the "Order of the Garter" and I have the certificate (and garter) to prove it. I won't go into what I had to do to earn that position but there are photos floating around (unfortunately). The students were is shock that their quiet "attract no attention" professor played along on the stage throughout the entire "knighting" procedure.

Today was the Lord Mayor's Show, and we took in all of it. We were some of the first on the street and we found our old favorite place on Cheapside (from A Knight's Tale fame) in front of Starbucks. The parade takes several hours to pass and included everything from accordion bands to tanks and dogs. At the end comes the new Lord Mayor of London in the fabulous coach that is usually in the Museum of London. Last time we saw the parade, Ian and I went up to the guildhall and got to go all around the coach and take his picture beside it. This year they had it stored away behind glass before the parade. I guess the bombing here really made an impact on security. It was a fun parade. We explored around until the fireworks over the River Thames. Those were also great but I have never seen so many people. Keri and I decided to walk home instead of getting on the Underground or a bus with all the multitude. Ian had gone to a play and to the park with Amy and the crowd was to great to meet them like we had planned.

Cabinet War Rooms & Chili

Following classes this morning we headed for the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall. I should really say that some of us headed that way because several are ill. I'm hoping it is only a bad cold that is making its round. We have one case of a serious sinus infection and we think there is one case of strep throat. We are working at getting some antibiotics.

Those that went to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum had a good time. As we have come to expect, it didn't go in the way I expected. We had arranged with the Museum office to walk through for an hour and then they would do a presentation regarding London in World War II. When we arrived, no one had ever heard of such a presentation and we never did find who or where we were supposed to be. It was a good place to visit. It is hard to believe that this vast compound was created across the street from the House of Parliament and no one even knew it was there. The area around was hit by bombs, but they said there was never a direct hit on the war rooms.

Tonight Keri made chili for everyone. She tracked down all the ingredients and made cornbread, served Doritos and dip, brownies and After Eights. She served Dr. Pepper, Coke, Diet Coke, and Fizzy Orange (our new local favorite). It was a big hit. The way everyone ate, I think they must all have been very hungry. There was little left over.

Greenwich

Following my morning classes, the group headed for Greenwich. There is so much to see there but we never have enough time to see it all. Today was no exception. We took the Underground and then the train to Greenwich and walked up to the Royal Observatory. This is the site of Greenwich Mean Time, as well as a beautiful view of London, the Queen's Palace, and the National Maritime Museum. The community of Greenwich looks like a nice place to explore as well, but we have never had time. We managed to see the sites at the Observatory and then headed back to the Thames for a ferry back to London on the Thames Clipper. I wanted to wait until dark because the trip back into the heart of London is wonderful with all city lights. It lived up to our expectations. The greatest part is that it only cost £2.50 with our Oyster card.

Aimee, Christina, Keri, Ian and I walked along the Embankment to see the Thames at night and then headed back to the Wagamamas near our flat for supper. All in all it was a nice day out.

Opening of Parliament

Another good day of London adventures! Our group usually goes away from London on Tuesdays but decided to stay today due to the Opening of Parliament. Most of us were in position in front of Buckingham Palace by 9:30 this morning. Troops, bands and embassy officials hurried by while we waited for the crown jewels and the Queen. Finally the carriages with the Royals emerged from the Palace followed shortly thereafter by the crown and mace in a carriage of their own. Then came the HRH the Queen and Prince Phillip. It was very majestic and well worth the morning spent. Most of the students headed out but we waited for her return. It took only an hour or so and then the entire party returned.

We had a nice walk through Green Park on the way to Buckingham Palace. The leaves are falling and it was wonderful Fall weather. Amanda, Courtney and Ian jumped in the leaves to pose for this picture. I was afraid the park officials were going to appear at any minute and yell at us for messing up their leaf pile, but we got away unchastised.

We, along with Patricia Cox, walked down to the Texas Embassy off Traflager Square. We thought it would be a nice place for lunch and it was. Ian said that for a minute he felt like he was back home. It may not be on the list of "must dos" if you are in London for only a week, but if you are here for several months, it is worth a visit.

Following lunch, we walked down Picadilly and stopped in the outdoor market at St. James Church. and then Patricia and Keri took off on the bus and Ian and I went to Waterstone books. It is a huge bookstore, but it is more famous for its former identity. The building used to be Simpsons Department Store. Many of you will remember Simpsons as the inspiration for Are You Being Served. You almost feel like are going to pop around the corner at any minute. There is a restaurant downstairs where their department was located.

Changing of the Guard

After Chapel this morning, Keri, Ian and I headed out to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. We thought we were early and would get a good spot to watch but forgot that we were dealing with other tourists and not people from England. When we arrives (90 minutes early) there was no place anywhere near the fence so we followed Suze's advice and headed for the barracks to watch them emerge on their way to the palace. We had a good view of the band and the guard and I tried another video. I will post it if possible. There is supposed to be a way to capture individual pictures from movies and I am trying to figure that out before the Opening of Parliament tomorrow.

Since we were close, we ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (the original and 1st). It was a great lunch and we enjoyed ourselves. The English waitress was asking all about our stay and seemed shocked when we mentioned that our lunch was costing around $85. I think it dawned on her why the numbers of Americans eating there had drastically decreased recently. It was our first time this trip and we will probably take our guests but certainly couldn't afford to go frequently.

We headed down to "shop" in Burlington's Arcade, Fortnum and Masons and Hatcher's which I have mentioned earlier. Then we caught the bus back to Tottenham Court Road so I could give a test. It's a hard life!

Strange Sunday Morning

We had a strange morning at the Wembley congregation . As I have mentioned before, we go to Wembley for both class and services because we want Ian to get to know kids his age there. This morning we had a great class about separating Biblical teaching from personal interpretation. Following class, the services began with singing and prayer. Then we had Communion and when the sermon was about to start, John Griffiths, the preacher, announced that he didn't have a sermon prepared and he then asked all visitors to leave while he talked to the members. Considering some of us had traveled for at least an hour to get there, it seemed inappropriate. I guess something serious is going on. We discussed it in Bible class tonight and I asked the students to pray for the Wembley congregation. We shall see what is happening when we return next week.

After lunch, Keri, Ian and I went to the Bayswater Road Market (art along Hyde Park) to find something for our London wall. I couldn't decide so I walked away with three watercolor prints and one original, several by John Burrows. His winter at Canterbury Cathedral was one of my favorite and since we were here this past Tuesday, I had to have a print. Check out his website linked above.

Tonight we had classes. We must do the required in order to pay for the fun things. We have a busy week ahead of us with Opening of Parliament, Greenwich, Cabinet War Rooms, a medieval feast at Hatfield House, and the Lord Mayors Parade.

Harrods Christmas Parade

Early this morning Father Christmas arrived at Harrods Department Store and we were there to greet him. Actually, the annual Christmas Parade at Harrods is one of our favorite events. Unfortunately, we have to leave the flat by 6:30 AM to get there and get a place before the parade begins at 8:30. They have all kinds of entertainment for everyone before the parade begins including the Chipmunks, all varieties of stilt walkers. Harrods staff walks around passing out candy, juice, water, balloons, etc., and there all sorts of animal characters roaming around talking to the kids. Then the snow starts. Harrods guarantees snow on the day of their parade and it always snows. Of course, it is made of foam, but it looks like real snow and it is so fun. The parade only lasts an hour and really only goes for a block or two behind the store but it is always worth getting up early. I experimented uploading another movie, not that it is particularly exciting. I just wanted to see if I could do it.

Following the parade, we headed in to Harrods to spend money. It is as impressive as ever. We discovered that they were introducing several new Beanie Babies and of course we had to get several for gifts. The food court was grand and we each bought a piece of candy (about all we could afford). Keri is going to go back when it is not so crowded, and we have to get Ian in to see Father Christmas. This year you must reserve a time. This certainly eliminated the long ques but makes it a little more difficult for those of us with unpredictable schedules.

Keri and Ian headed home afterwards and I headed back to Portobello Road to get some of Ian's soldiers for a Christmas present. Unfortunately, they had sold the set Ian really wanted last week so we will need to start over. We will definitely find him some before we leave in December.

I walked back along Kensington High Street and stumbled on St. Mary Abbot's (a wonderful little church) with a flower shop. I hope to go back and explore it when I have a chance. I needed to get home (it was supper time and my feet hurt).

Guy Fawkes Day

Actually Guy Fawkes Day is November 5th but since that is Monday, the fireworks and bonfires began tonight. These celebrations actually represent a very gruesome occurrence where the English Protestants discovered a plot to blow up the King and Parliament by Catholic protesters in 1605. I told all the students to pick one celebration and if it wasn't great, pick another tomorrow night. We checked out our usual place (near Putnam Green) to watch the bonfire and fireworks, only to discover that they weren't celebrating this year. So we headed to Clapham Commons. They had no bonfire, but the fireworks were great. The underground station was closed after the display (I'm sure because of the crowds) so we took the bus instead. One of the strange labor practices here in London is that when a bus driver reaches the end of his shift, he stops the bus at the next stop and everyone must exit and wait for the next bus. That happened at Traflager Square, so we just walked home from there. Downtown London is really very walkable.

Mary Poppins

This morning I stood in line at the TKTS in Leicester Square and walked away with discounted tickets to Mary Poppins. This was one of the shows that we really wanted to see and we realized that time was getting away from us so we thought we had better go today. I actually walked from our flat to Leicester Square and then walked from there to Piccadilly Circus, then up Regents Street, then down Oxford Street to our flat. It was a nice walk and very easy to do in a couple of hours.

We were seated in the floor, eleven rows from the front, right in the middle. They were perfect seats (they better be considering the cost). Mary Poppins was a wonderful surprise. It really was a great show and worth every penny (or pence). We were all enthralled from the beginning to the end. The rolls of Mary and Bert were played by Scarlett Strallen and Gavin Creel. I have a hard time imagining a better match for these rolls. I would certainly recommend this show to anyone coming to London. You had better come quickly because it is closing here on January 12 and heading out for a tour. I'm really glad we saw it here. It really is a perfect show to see in London!!