We ate there for our first meal in London, and also on the day we wandered around London finding interesting things. Actually, several of them seemed mysterious to us.
Plus there is a real mystery further on down this page.
We took a different route
on the Underground this day. We wandered north a little, and then took another line back south to the Embankment area, but we got off at the Westminster Station. This is very, very different from any of the other stations. The major reason, I suspect, is that it is under the Parliment building. There is a high tech room behind glass panels with a bajillion Pounds Sterling worth of electronic equipment. And I think there are other rooms behind very locked doors that have who knows what in them. Survalence cameras everywhere that you could see, and lots of high ceilings with nooks and crannies. My guess is that this station is one of the most secure places in London, in England, in the whole world.
Oddly, very little of this is disturbing. It is absolutely low key, British style. I was a little amazed that something obviously so secure could be so relatively normal. But the design and scale of the station is anything but normal. The interior on your way from train to street is King Kong size. It's in the architectural style of Fritz Lang's seminal science fiction movie, Metropolis. Many subway stations around the world use art or strive to be a work of art to make their existence not only palatable but interesting. This station qualifies as bona fide architectural art, without question.
BIG BEN
You get a mouse-eye view of Big Ben as you crawl out of the Westminster Underground. I must admit that not only is that famous structure completely imposing, so are the security devices, whatever they are, around it. If you escaped an Orwellian 1984 feeling in the station itself, you do not miss it as
you exit.
I do not know what it is about photos of Big Ben. Very few portray anything near the real feeling of it. Oh, the photos seems nice enough. But the real thing, commanding the London sky to give it room, lots of room, has an indefinable presence. It is quite beautiful, with strikingly deep colors of gold and blue. And the detailing is more intricate than the picture most photos represent.
And the sound. The sound of the chimes every quarter hour. Sure, you've heard them on recordings and in a million movies. You can probably even play them in your head right now. But stand on the Embankment and let those body-resonating vibrations surround you. It is the sound of London. Nowhere else. And it permeates the subconsciousness of people probably even deeper than they realize. Fortunately, the genius who chose exactly those note was a friend to humanity. When you hear them you feel like you're a part of something grand, huge and lasting. Big Ben is a comfort and a promise. Perfect for the center of an empire, or a children's story about flying through the London sky.
We had come out of Westminster, heard Big Ben, and we were walking along the Thames toward Embankment Station to go back to our hotel. Suddenly, one of the many monuments of Europe that honored those who sacrificed themselves during the World Wars was at our right hand. You can see it on the far left of the panorama of the Thames at the top of page two of Our England. Here you see it in the foreground across the Thames from the British Airways Millenium Eye.
The monument is dedicated to the men and women of the English and Allied air forces who gave their lives during World War One. Later, an inscription was added in huge letters on the base which honored those who had done the same during World War Two. This place will touch the hearts of many families who had members in Europe during the World Wars. Colleen's mother was a nurse in London during World War Two, who later passed on because of the her work there. Colleen had been trying to put all that in perspective, somehow, all the time we had been in London. Now, in a moment, she did. This was for her mother as well as many, many others. It was closure for her in a very deep way. I can understand that, since my father was on the continent during that time. This was a very fine part of our vacation. Afterward, we went back to the hotel and got ready for... the second mystery
I've been promising you.
The Question
What entity has committed thousands of murders over a span of 50 years, each of which have been seen by dozens of people, yet no one has been charged with a crime... even though almost everyone in London knows where the incidents have occured, and in fact know the exact time the next murder will take place.
The mystery is revealed.
It is... drum roll... The Mousetrap, an Agatha Christie master opus that is the most attended performance in the western world. Six years after it opened at St. Martin's Theater in 1952, the play was listed in the Guiness Book of Records as the longest running show of any kind in the history of the British Theater. November 25, 2001, begins its 50th year. More than 10 million people have seen more than 300 actors and acressess play the various parts. Some, Like David Raven playing Major Metcalf, and Nancy Seabrooke as an understudy for 15 years, are also listed in Guiness.
The night Colleen and I went, we dressed for the occasion.
You don't have to, but we wanted to. We arrived at St. Martin's Theater in a cab. It's in the Theatre District around Leicester Square, nearly walking distance from Bloomsbury hotels. But high heels and hair must be given extra care. The theater on the outside is not much to look at, frankly, which is the case with many London theaters.
But inside... Wow.
You know you're at The Theater In London.
The interiors more than make up for aged exteriors.
Afterward, we went across the street to a little Italian restaurant that had the very best Tiramissu imaginable. We had two. We usually share that sort of dessert, but not this time. And so, by the time we were done, it was quite late. No cabs. We could have caught one in front of St. Martin's right after the play, but there were none at this hour that weren't already occupied. We decided to walk to the nearest Underground. It wasn't near enough. I know London is touted as a pretty safe metropolitan city, supposedly much more so than U.S. cities... but do be sure to have transportation arranged if you are going to be out late at night. We will, next time.
Oh, I didn't tell you anything about the play. I'm sorry, but you must see it for youself. All theater patrons are requested not to give away the plot. So you can either look up the play on the net, or go to London and see its Golden Jubilee production. I suggest the latter. Or you can click on one of the buttons at the bottom of the page to select another country to see along with us.
Or perhaps you'd like to start planning a European story of your own.
If so, I certainly can recommend Rail Europe.
Rail Europe (Click here for Rail Europe)
has been serving the American market since 1934.
They help more than 1 million american travelers a year spend 215,000,000.00
on their travel plans. Is it a good idea to book with them.... I think so.
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