OK before we start Day 3 in Lodon and a few comments using this trip to help you plan your own vacation.
Last week I had mntioned some theaters—-but London has so many more:
Click about to find out shoes, prices and tours given of the theater.
This is the theatre that Charles II’s favorite mistress, Nell Gwyn made her debut and caught the king a new addition to his mistress pol. It seems to be a popular place and something to do for Kings especially those exapanding thier well any way it might be noted I’m not over working this angle as William II is also said to have met his favorite here as well. But not always a fun place—-while attending a performance here King George III was the victim of an attemmpted assassination by a man in the audience who apparently also thought he was king.. The building was ealier the site of riots at least twice in the 17th c and has been rebuilt in 1672 (by Wren?), in the 1700s (by Holland) and in 1811 (Benamin Wyatt) following a fire.
West End and London Shows & Theatre Productions
This is London’s modrn theatre land–the West End.
In 1732: The Royal Opera Housee opened here on the eastern side of the Inigo Jones designed Covent Garden Plaza, and more would soon follow.
Coliseum/St Martin Lane: London’s largest. First revolving stage and the first in Europe to have lifts. In 1968 it became the home of the English National Opera which remains there today. It is best described as London’s first really modern theatre.
Shaftbury Ave. near Covent Gardens. (just click on the names for more info)
All of these were built her betwen 1888 and 1907.
Be warned that these ticket aren’t cheap but know that you can buy tickets in London—usually one for play dates that have excess and are usually within a day or two or so of the date you buy them—you’ll see ads all over London—on buses and the like—–but you may not be able to make your first choice unless you pay full and make reservations well in advance for the theater here.
Tips for buying cheap theatre and musical tickets in London
and we can’t forget South of the river—we’ve alreasy mentioned the Globe (last week)
But there’s a couple more in the land Shakespeare knew so well
Royal Victoria Theater–1833 —named in honor of the princess who would be queen. It later became the New Victoria and it is now called
1976
with a Foundation stone that is said to have originally laid by then princess Elizabeth 1951, The project idea dated back to 1848.
Theater in London: The Complete Guide
So let’s look at a London citizen in 1968 no less:
The Passion Man: Stanley Green
He made his reputation on Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Rd-
where he was often find carryin a sign bearing the logo:
Less Passion from Less Protein
Blaming we human being’s passion on the intake of “fish, meat, birds, chees, egg, peas, beans, nuts and sitting.” Don’t ask me about the sitting part—but I’m told he explains it all in his booklet On Passion Proteins—which he sold for 10 to 12 pence to those who asked. They say he printed it himself and evidentally not with a lot of condistency so it was said to be a bit wierd to say the least.
It is also said that he devloped his life view about life during the war when he was in the Royal Navy where he was shocked by the excess passions of his fellow shipmates. After the war there were a series of jobs until his 50s when he’d decided how things should be and started his street activities—though he was arrested a couple of times he continued until he passed away in 1993.
Oh and the sitting: He deecided too much protein and too little exersize let to a sedentary life which led to unhappiness and dissatisfaction with a desire for things one couldn’t find.
Now I look into all kinds of tales and stories and people in the areas I wander—and though that story may not have whetted your appetite for protein, you might have enjoy learning more about the places you go.
if you don’t want to find thing out yourself—not everybody is crazy like me you can take tours—–maybe a tour where everything from you flight—-hotel, agenda is arranged and you have a guide to tell you all about wherever you plan and want to go.
a little less structured fit you?
London has the On and off buses and other bus tours:
and look around for more—I have taken tours with street arrtists that you didn’t have to pay till the tour was over in case you didn’t like it….and all kinds of other — to me finding this kind of thing is interesting and fun—but use your good sense and stick to tours you can check on —-Remmber London was also the home of Fagan, Bill Sikes and the Artful Dodger.
So finally we start the day—-now I usually do walking tours for which I do my own directions—I keep these in a note book—-but those of you who trust electronic more could use phone or a tablet to get there.
In London like most big cities and lots of smaller ones you have a choice—-of driving yourself—-thanks I drove in NYC once on my own—-I gave that up permanenty then and that was in the 70’s—-so—but now days with all the directions on your phone or car’s dash it’s probably easier and helps if you have a laser installed to wipe out the other traffic (sorry just couldn’t resist that).
With out the car you have:
Cabs—–in London there are the big black ones—did you know they’re shaped that way to allow room for those high top hats the Brit men use to wear—-the driver have to be very knowledgable (they have to apprentice or at least use to) and the cabs are huge—we had four of us in one that had double seats in the back and we had room for all of us (two of which were over 6′ and our luggage on a very comfortable trip.
Public transport in the UK
Taxis are great but not at rush hour—they are pricy, especially if you’re stuck in traffic. Late night they’re my favorite…..in addition to the standard cabs (which is my preference) there is Uber and I took that once after a play south of the river…..no problems but have more faith in the main ones.
I have seldom eever taken a bus—and that leaves the subway—-I purchase a card when I get to London and put X # of dollars on it at the station with my cedit card and then I just swipe it when I enter the station. I always look up the route I need—there are several. the underground or tube the Brit’s names for it—in London is clean—no grafity and I have (knock on wood) never been in a scary situation of any kind—–I’ve even been offered (on more ocassion) a seat from a kind gentleman. Oh and before you return home you stop at the station and have the amount on the card you haven’t usd refunded to your card.
You can take the tour bus to get around on the on and off again, but that gets much more costly than anything but each his own.
OK however you get there we did get there to St Paul’s
Any time you go to a European City you have to grasp the idea that this gathering of peoplee ar not the only ones that probably have lived here. I found that there have been legends and tales of the St. Paul’s site being the site of a temple of Diana—-but alas I have found nothing to prove this—but given the history and the depths of the city all about its riverside location still might one day cough up something.
The Entire History of Roman Britain (55 BC – 410 AD) // Ancient Rome Documentary
There has been a church here honoring St Paul since sometime in the 7th c AD when it was built for the Anglo-Saxon King Aethelberty of Kent—-there may have been a return to a pagan philosphy shortly after that …..but evntually Christianity returned and so did the clergy to the city.
Fast forward to the end of the 17th century when this church was built—again rumors that while they were working on the church—burned along with most of London in
-they found remains of Diana’s Temple—but if they did I have not seen any refernce to it…….but anyway.
Wren’s Church—a Cathedral became even more important as the Reformation seemed to discourage the addition of more of these—-and is is Wren’s classical architecture and while not popular with the powers that be and thought he eventually was allowed to put it up it was not particularly popular. Though all that has changed in the current city I think.
Visiting St Paul’s Cathedral
There is so much to see here–the pediment carvings done from 1706 and showing the conversion of Paul—The West Porch–it’s main entrance. A statue of Queen Ann in the forecourt. The largest Dome (well almost—after St. Peter’s in Rome) in the world. The 850 lb lantern. The stone gallery with a grand view of London. The whispering gallery. John Donne’s tomb (1631) which was the only monument to survived the Great Fire. The crypt with its memorials to famous figures including Lord Nelson and Lawrence of Ababia. And of course Wren’s tomb…..marked by a slab with the inscreption. “If you seek his memorial look around you.” And much much more.
St Paul’s Cathedral Tour – London
from there we go to Cannon Start…..Starting along St Paul’s Church Yard heading east.
After 150 yards continue straight into Cannon Street still going east
and continue for 1/2 mile on Cannon Street
and you’ll come (see above picture) to the
London Stone
Now this is an example of finding those little things that are interesting and make you amazing to your tour guides and other people who live in London who might not eeven have heard of it.
But always remember that all big cities have areas where you probably don’t belong and might not be able to go there in safety—–so check carefully. I was looking into one area of London as to whether it was a good place or a bad place I found an apartment (like a condo in US) for sale for a couple of hundred pounds—-figured they could afford to be in the good part.
The Ancient World in London – The London Stone (1/25)
This forgotten stone was once considereed to be the very thing that kept London prosperous– that without it’s presence the city would must surely falter and fail.
I have heard all manner of tales of its origin from the Roman occupation when it was said to be a gold painted Roman milestone……some have even dated it many, many years early back to ancient Troy and tells that an exiled King who brought it (I mean who’d go anywhere without their big stone) with him when he feld and he kept it with him , there was also some mention of giants but after all that I began to question the whole acuracy of this account. Or maybe that temple of Diana—if not at St Paul’s loction, others speculate it was where the London Guildhall is today. There’s also a St Paul’s connection (described as a ceremonial stone—what ever that means.) Or maybe it was on a ley line that runs between St. Paul’s and the Tower of London—-that’s an interesting combo of sites.
What we do know is that it surviveed in London for many, many years—some say a thousand originally –eventually at a site the Lord Mayor made officialy it’s site and when the road was enlarge it was moved less than 50′ to the wall of St Swithin’s Church where it outlasted the church (the Luftwaffee did it–destroyingthe church while the stone survived) and was placed in the Wall of the building that would eventually replac the church—the office of the Overseas China Banking Corp.
When we visited the site the building was empty—it had been a restaurant or pub at the previous time and there was
It’s my understanding that it has closed and is out of busineess
The London Stone
Oh and Just an FYI: more recently that building was torn down—-and so the stone was taken to the Museum of London temporarily —-as you can see in 2018 (or there about/the above picture) it was returneed to the street—it’s visible through that oval in the stone between the new building’s doors—-back on Cannon Street.
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