Another gorgeous day! Earlier in the week, we’d met three women from Manchester staying at Pax; a mother and her two adult daughters. We ran into them as we left this morning so spent a few minutes sharing our previous day’s adventures. Given the beautiful weather and the blooming cherry blossoms, we went outside to take a few photos.
Our plan for breakfast today is to dine at a restaurant in the city; I crave eggs and am tired of eating bananas, oranges, apples, cereal, toast and cheese for breakfast at Pax. We exited the underground at Waterloo and walking towards the Thames river walk, stumbled upon a fence covered in ribbons. Called Cross Bones, this plot of land in medieval times was a graveyard initially used for prostitutes, referred to as the Winchester geese. Later, it became a pauper’s burial ground. Closed in 1853, the locals created this ribbon bedecked memorial to the ‘outcast dead’.
Although a bit chilly, we breakfasted at the Cote Brasserie’s patio on the river. I had an amazing egg crepe which satisfied my craving for the day.
We continued walking along the river towards the Tower Bridge and London Tower. The river walk, bridge and area around the tower was packed with families enjoying the nice weather and the kid’s school holiday.
We crossed the Tower Bridge, then worked our way up to Queen Victoria Street toward the white dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Given the throngs of people, we opted to take some photos and not go inside.
The plaza near the cathedral had several rotating discs in the pavement on which passerbys could enjoy a spin. A small girl was having a joyous time whirling her mom around and around; not sure who was making who dizzy!
We found the Aldwych Theater in the West End theater district without much difficulty and picked up our matinee tickets for Tina Turner, The Musical. As an avid theater fan, I had hoped to find different productions in London than in New York. Disappointingly, Tina Turner was the only musical playing in London and not New York. Seemed strange that Tina Turner would launch her musical in London vs. the States but after seeing the play, I understand the connection.
We had an hour to enjoy before the performance so stopped at the hotel next door for a glass of wine. It took almost 30 minutes for our drinks to arrive after we ordered, so we ended up gulping vs. savoring our wine.
The Tina Turner musical was well done. Adrienne Warren, who played Tina, a had beautiful voice and marvelous stage presence and the story of Tina’s life made for good theater. When Tina Turner left husband Ike due to abuse and his drug addiction, her career seemed over – she was 35 in an industry that devalued women as they aged despite their talent. After the divorce, she was destitute since Ike owned the rights to their prior music. So Tina moved to London, reinvented her music and became a superstar in her own right. She eventually married her German music producer and still resides in Europe.
After the play, we headed to a nearby pedestrian plaza lined with outdoor restaurants for dinner. Great atmosphere, ok food but we left quickly once the sun went down as it was getting chilly.
We took the tube back to Pax. It’s time to pack. We have just enough time in the morning for a good English breakfast and a quick walk before heading to Heathrow and home.