Today was our one entirely free day in London. That is one of my favorite things about this trip. We have ample time to spend touring and doing what we want. I think that is the only way a trip like this works. A big group of us got up fairly early to ride the underground to the Tower of London. This was of the coolest things I have seen since being here. It is a reminder of the old and somewhat gruesome period of British history. We often think we have old portions of American history, but it has nothing on Britain. The tower is also home to the crown jewels. More than anything these are the representation of the great royal traditions that have been passed down for centuries. They have little if any utility but are quite amazing to look at. More gold is contained in that gallery than I have ever seen (and probably will ever own) in my whole life. Across from the crown jewels is the tower itself, which is the home to an impressive collection of royal armor. I saw the tallest suit of armor ever created for a human, standing 6'8". The tower complex is located alongside the Thames River and gives fantastic views of the Tower Bridge.
From the tower, the group I was with made an unexpected trip back to St. Paul's Cathedral. This time we paid to make the hike up to the dome. This journey goes up tiny, winding staircases. This is probably the realization of my biggest fear. Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I do have a bit of a phobia of people walking behind me up stairs. Any of my close friends would testify of that. Many of them are thoughtful and try to let me go last. Spiral staircases are the worst because I can hear people coming up behind me but can't see them. Thankfully, the view from the top made the whole journey worth it. The first stop is the Whispering Gallery, which is on the interior of the building. The acoustics of the building are so good that you can whisper from one end of the dome and be heard perfectly at the other end. From the Whispering Gallery, you move through one more outer view point before making your way up to the top. The views from the top of the dome are absolutely spectacular. A friend told me they rival the views from the London Eye. You can see the entire city. The climb to the top was definitely worth it. After the climb, we moved down into the crypts. This was kind of special experience because it gave a small glimpse at the sheer number of men and women who have given their lives in defense of the British crown. They have a sense of nationalism that is almost deeper that that of the United States, especially when it comes to the World Wars. I think this is because the wars actually happened here. This makes it somewhat holy ground and increases my appreciation for the freedom and liberties we all enjoy.
After touring the Cathedral, I split off from the group. I guess I really wasn't supposed to do this, but I don't think I had much of a choice. The half of the group we left at the Tower of London was going on a tour of the Harry Potter Studios, and the half I was with was taking a ferry out to Greenwich. Since I had not paid to do either (and I was going to Singin' in the Rain in the evening) I had to find something else to do. Honestly, I didn't really mind. I just took the Underground up to the British Museum. The museum itself is so massive that there is no possible way to have seen everything in the short amount of time I was there. I did walk through several cool exhibits about the history of clocks and watches, and the history of money, though. In the latter exhibit, I saw a note for 50 billion of the currency of Zimbabwe. I remember the guy at the Bank of England talking about Zimbabwe yesterday. He said if you want to be a billionaire for a day just go to Zimbabwe. Because of hyperinflation, it will only cost you about 50 cents. I am glad we live somewhere with a stable currency. I also saw some Mummies in the display on Ancient Egypt. Probably the coolest thing, though, was an example of the Olympic Gold Medal. We learned in our business visit that the Gold medals for the London Olympics are made from medal mined in the Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah. I have been surprised there has not been a bigger hype about the Olympics here in London. There are quite a few signs in places like the Subway, but other than that I have not seen much. I hope to have more of that experience when I return to London in a month.
My last show on the West End (for now) was Singin' in the Rain. I was probably the least excited for this one than all the rest just because I have seen it already (twice), and I found it ironic that we were going to a very American show in London. They made some very unique staging choices that I thought contributed to the show. They are subtle things that would be hard for me to explain to someone who has not seen the show before. During the first act I could not decide if I was really in love with the leads. They did not have British accents (thank goodness!). I think that would have been a little too much. Lina was funny, but maybe a little too over the top. Kathy's voice kind of annoyed me, which is funny since she is supposed to be the one with the pretty voice. Nevertheless, all of those things were washed away after the number Singin' in the Rain. I was very curious to see how they would stage this number. Every other production I have seen has used some sort of rain on the stage, but this one outdid them all. The sprinkler system came on and absolutely doused the stage. The middle part of the stage was sunk in, allowing the water to pool up. This pool of water became an integral part of the choreography. Don did the normal Gene Kelly dance routine up to a certain point, but then he started kicking the pooled up water out on to the audience. We were sitting in the sixth row, which was about the end of the splash zone. It was really exciting every time he kicked out in front of him. As cool as that was, the highlight was the very end during the curtain call. The sprinklers came back on and the entire cast came out in rain gear with silver umbrellas. This time all of them were dancing and the water splashed even farther. It was one of the most spectacular dance routines I have ever seen. Everyone had their silver backed umbrella, and then seemingly in unison they spun around to reveal brilliant colors that literally lit up the stage. They got a standing ovation from me for that number if for nothing else. It was a little bit of theatrical magic. Definitely worth the price we paid to see it. The West End did not disappoint!
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