It’s been a busy week! For some reason, I saved the busiest schedule for the last week I am here. Last Sunday I was in Chorley with Hetty and her family. After lunch, we took the train back down to London where I stayed the night with her before leaving in the early morning with a tour on Monday to Stonehenge then Bath. I then stayed in Bath for two nights where I was given some soap and had a shower in the rain (along with seeing many wonderful places!) and then took another morning train on Wednesday back to London to explore Kennsington Palace, see a show at the Globe Theatre where I ran into someone I last saw in Switzerland, whizzed through the Tate Modern, and saw the musical Love Never Dies at the Aldelphi Theatre. Thursday morning I woke up early to catch a morning train to Cambridge where I went punting and enjoyed a long walk before giving a talk in the evening. On Friday morning, I woke up early to, you guessed it, catch a morning train to Lewes which went through London. Arriving in the afternoon in Lewes, I had another walk and a good dinner before getting about nine hours sleep! I am here in Lewes for another night before catching the train back to London tomorrow evening. I then get a full day to explore Greenwich, the Tate Britain, and see Wicked before flying home on Tuesday.
It’s nice to have my last weekend here in a small town near the coast and though it involves two talks, it’s still a way to unwind a bit and get some rest. I’m getting a hang of this traveling thing though, all the trains and the tube system. I now know what to look for, where to go, and am feeling quite confident. It’s a nice place to be, it is what I am used to. (I have spent a lot of time stepping on and off trains!) For example, yesterday to get here, I had to take a bus, a train, the tube, and another train. No problem. Easy as pie. Even my backpack has become a friend, that traveling companion ever nearby.
Today George and I are walking to see the castle here in Lewes before I give my talk tonight. I also get to wash all my clothes today which is pretty exciting as well. I’ll try to create a post of pictures later today for all of you to see.
Riding the MAX train here in Portland sounds similar to using the tube in London. The Brody theater on Saturday nights has been my MAX destination. The Brody puts on improv shows with a variety of themes. Yesterday's show was titled "Improvcalypse." Before the Brody theater shows begin on Saturdays, I'm in the Powell's bookstore for an hour. The theater is three blocks away.I got one book and one pamphlet on Quaker stuff. The material on Quakers and certainly on Jesus seems quite plentiful. My interest in this stuff is pretty strong.
In London, I'd like to see the spy museum. John Dee's spy apparatuses are on display. He was a spy and magician for Queen Elizabeth the First. One thing I've wondered about the places you've seen, are there many everyday items from past times on display, or are most locations largely denuded of artifacts?