Highlights-London Day 1
I had a flat white at a place in Carnaby Street called Flat White (seemed appropriate). Its garage door style opening made it flat cold (I didn’t return). I ran in Hyde Park and nearly lost my way on the return. You would think I could learn from last year’s Vienna debacle (apparently not). I saw Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution at London County Hall (name kept, functions changed). Like _Mousetrap_, it had a surprising (dare I say, shocking?, I’ll dare) ending that you are asked not to reveal. I bundled up for the chilly walk back to the apartment at 11pm.
Who is that guy?
He looks warm
Notable Items
I had a flat white and raisin roll at Flat White (seemed appropriate). It was long and narrow, widening only slightly at the far end. The garage door style opening made the interior freezing. Most of the people getting coffees seemed to be stopping on their way to somewhere else (probably warmer). I had no plan to return. I’m more the sip-coffee-in-comfy-chair-without-jacket-and-ear-muffs guy.
What was supposed to be a 7km cardio workout to, around, and from Hyde Park turned into something longer, a lot longer. On the plus side, all cardio is good as long as you don’t injure yourself.
This was my first run since leaving home and my skills weren’t sharp for city running. The first error I made was not using my iPhone to check my route while I ran. I thought the route was obvious. Oops, not so much. The second error was continuing far too long past unfamiliar sites before taking the phone out of my jacket. That was when I realized I was hell and gone from my planned route. I stopped running and walked as soon as my watch indicated I reached 7km. The total distance I ran/walked was 11km.
As I returned to Piccadilly Circus along Regent Street (walking), I encountered two men handing out free energy drinks. It wasn’t great, but it was wet. Timing is everything!
In the evening, I walked to London County Hall, on the South Bank of the Thames, for supper and to attend the production of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution.
On the walk, I passed Westminster and The Elizabeth Tower (just The Clock Tower until 2012). Many people know that Big Ben is not the clock, but rather the common name for the Great Bell inside the clock. The clock itself doesn’t have a name.
The massive stone building of London County Hall was formerly government offices, but no longer serves that purpose. Its Council Chamber is a great venue for the courtroom scenes that are central to the play. There are many nice restaurants located across from the building on Belvedere Road. I chose La Cucina di Mamma.
There are several distinctive features of the converted hall where the play is staged. The stage is in the middle of the hall with seats all around except the far end where the judges sit in a great wood structure. When purchasing tickets, you can select seats in the jury box. You will then participate in the play by voting with other audience members seated in the box. Scenery and props are minimal, even though not all the action takes place in the courtroom.
New for me: I ordered the “program package.” Before going to my seat, I met clerks at a table and placed my order for the intermission (interval in England). I got a program and could order two drinks with a small ice cream cup (the type with a flat stick in the lid). I ordered just one drink because over-hydrating seemed risky at the theater.
As I did for the Back to the Future musical, I took extensive notes during each scene. Most of the time, I couldn’t see what I was writing due to the darkness. A woman sitting next to me must have noticed because she asked me a question about a plot point from a previous scene.
It was cold, as might be expected, when the play finished after 10pm. I turned up the lapels of my blazer and pulled the BUF up over my ears and head like a balaclava. The wind was minimal and I walked briskly, so I didn’t get cold. This was a good test of the gear I packed for this time of year.