London

Bridge is not falling down. Fortunately. Especially since we drove on it. England is definitely one of the places I would like to re-visit.

The traffic was crazy and I would prefer to explore it by foot, but it was wonderful of Nana to take us around in her van. Nana was an exchange student (from Japan) we had when I was in first grade who now lives in London. She is now a mother and her husband Chris was kind enough to watch the little one while she showed us around for two days. We went saw many of the traditional sights - Big Ben, the bridge, the parliament building, and also went to see Anthony and Cleopatra at the Globe theatre. Michelle and I got standing room tickets and were so close we could lean on the stage. When the servant committed suicide in the play, we go splashed with blood. It was exciting, and well worth standing for 3 hours. Mom, Michelle, and I stayed at a hotel that was really more like a backpackers - totally bare-bones furnishing and no phone in the room. Still, it was worth it.


We went to Stratford Upon Avon to see Shakespear's birthplace, which was also neat. They charged an excessively unreasonable amount to go inside the house, so we just looked from the outside. It seemed too touristy of an idea to me, but Mom and Michelle wanted to check out the gift shop, so I went in too. I got a collection of sayings/poems on love by Shakespear, but the item I found most amusing was an eraser with the saying "Out, out, damn spot" on it. Gotta love McBeth.


We also went to visit Warwick castle, which was over-the-top touristy, but had some interesting exhibits and shows, and the jousting was fun to watch. I can never complain about watching knights ride around on beautiful horses.