England, May 29 - June 1, 2014

On Thursday we drove south to Aldbourne, about 90 minutes west of London in Wiltshire, to visit Christopher and Joanna Hobart, old friends from Costa Rica.  Their village is so prototypically English that a visitor might expect to see Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple pottering about.  Indeed, when we were there, a townsperson came by to deliver material for the village fête.

Christopher and Joanna Hobart

We continued on to London the next day, working our way slowly through the city under the guidance of Agatha, who took us over the Thames three times.  Our goal was a hotel in the Docklands, a newly redeveloped sector in the east of the city beyond Canary Wharf—all terra incognita for us.   Fortunately, the area has excellent rapid transit services, including light rail and—most spectacularly—the “Emirates Air-Line,” a gondola across the Thames to the O2 Arena.

Crossing Tower Bridge under Agatha’s guidance

Emirates Air-Line

Thames Barrier from Emirates Air-Line

The O2 Arena is an eye-popper.  With a tent-like roof suspended from towers, it houses 29 restaurants (with more outside) and an enormous pavilion for (mainly) rock concerts.  We wandered through the Saturday crowds, which had filled most restaurants to capacity by 5 pm.  Not surprisingly, we guess, 99.9% of the other visitors were younger than the Stewarts.

O2 from Emirates Air-Line with Canary Wharf in background

O2 exterior

O2 entrance

O2 interior

We were reunited with our age cohort at a performance of “Bring Up the Bodies,” a theatrical adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s second historical novel about Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s minister.   The play, a Royal Shakespeare Company production, was every bit as good as we had expected.

Outside the Aldwych Theatre

The Tower of London, where much of the play’s action took place

On Sunday we took in the well attended evensong service at Westminster Abbey, finding seats in the Poets’ Corner right under a bust of William Blake.  The music was magnificent as the choir and organ notes reverberated through the enormous Gothic nave.   The service program invited parents with sons who like to sing to have them interview at the Westminster School as prospective choristers.

Parliament Square with Churchill statue in lower right

Big Ben

Façade of Westminster Abbey

Detail with modern saints and martyrs, including King, Bonhoeffer, and Romero

We walked from the Abbey to Piccadilly for drinks at the Ritz Hotel bar before heading to the home of Jane Reid, an old friend from Jamaica, for a wonderful dinner party.  A great way to end our visit to England.

Ritz Bar