Mike's European Vacation, 2005

New!!! Skip to Lou's Story here!!!

Aren't you glad I didn't say "Skip to my Lou"?

Sept. 14th - Take Off!!!:

First thing in the morning, Lou attempts to pre-check-in for us.Sadly, he can only point and click, since he has no thumbs.

Ma took us to the airport, and Lou just can't wait to start flying. Once on board, I decide to be the big guy and give him the window seat (it's his first flight).
Once I landed in London, I took a bus to the Tube (which is very ricketty, I must say), then managed to find my hotel. Don't ever stay at the Comfort Inn, Bayswater, unless you don't mind missing certain comforts. Me, I'm missing air conditioning.


Sept. 15th - Trip into "The City":

Got a late start - in part due to needing extra sleep, in part due to not being able to sleep w/out air conditioning. Guess that's okay - I'm still sort of on Australia time from 3 weeks ago.
Would figure that it's raining today - the day I'm thrilled about taking a walking tour of the old city. The City of London is its own entity - there is a "corporation" that maintains it, and it's been that way since the 12th century. There used to be some serious pomp and circumstance when the royals want to come into the original square mile of the city - they had to be officially invited and received.
Well, much of London burned down in the great fire of 1666. London seems to be proud of many of the architects who rebuilt the city, especially Christopher Wren. On my first walk, I encountered at least 3 buildings and a monument that he designed. The first of which was the pub "The Watling" - a temporary home for Wren as he designed nearby St. Paul's Cathedral. The pub was built with old wood from disassembled ships.
The St. Mary-de-bow Cathedral, just down the street, was another Wren design. It was rebuilt in 1668, shortly after the Great Fire. Out front is a statue of Captain John Smith, of Jamestown Virginia and Pocahontas fame. He was a parishioner of St. Mary's. The church site dates back to 1091, and has been through quite a violent history. A murderer once needed to be smoked out of it, the tower once fell, killing 20, a local goldsmith was murdered in the church, and the balcony once collapsed, injuring Edward III's wife Phillipa and her troupe.
Came across a bust of William Shakespeare, though it is dedicated to his two friends, John Heminge and Henry Condell: two actors responsible for compiling Shakespeare's works. The bust is on Love Lane, which apparently got its name from the fact that it was previously a red-light district.
Next stop: Guild Hall. Don't have my guide-book handy, but if memory serves (it hardly ever does), this building was built in 1423 and had suffered damage from the Great Fire of 1666 and even greater damage during air raids of WWII. To the right of it is the Guild Museum, which isn't quite as old. During its construction (I think in 1988), they discovered an ancient Roman amphitheatre dating back to 43 AD. They left much of it visible for people to go and look at. Very cool.
This is the Fat Boy, a reminder of the suspected cause of the 1666 fire: God punishing Londoners for the sin of gluttony.
Picture for Dad: the criminal courts on The Old Bailey, where one of my dad's favorite ficticious character worked as a barrister.
Pictures of the remains of a Roman fort dating back to 70AD:
Click! Click! Click!
I walked across London Bridge and snapped this shot. Color me stupid, but I don't know what it is. I think it's the Tower Bridge. Haven't made too much of an effort to find out.
Took a hike up to Bunhill Fields Cemetary. Many famous people are buried here, but more interesting (and sad) is that there are thousands buried here as it was used as a dumping pit for victims of the plague.
Here's another Christopher Wren work: the monument of the Great Fire of 1666.
We had Italian for dinner. I'm okay with it, but Lou couldn't take anymore British food today.


Sept. 16th - Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, etc, etc, etc:

Step one: get to Gordon's - said to be the oldest wine bar on the planet, at 108 years old. It wasn't until the third time I walked past it before I finally found it. It's down narrow steps and looks like a torture dungeon with very low arched ceilings and lit almost entirely with candle-light. The current owners' name is Gordon, but they're not the original owners. Wendy Gordon told me about how her barman won a courtcase when a rowdy patron sued. The case was thrown out when it was determined that the plaintiff couldn't say for sure if the barman threw the first punch or if he just hit his head on the low ceiling. Here's their official site.
Next stop: Trafalgar Square. Lions and...bears and, WTF? - Lou takes a tip from many other tourists and climbs on one of four Trafalgar lions.
I highly recommend going to the National Gallery of London - didn't take any pictures (assuming it's not allowed), but it had great works of Rembrandt, Seurat, Monet, Van Gogh, Pissaro, and too many more to mention.
Down Whitehall, came across the Queen's Life Horse Guards and Downing Street, where some sort of muckymuck lives.
Further down Whitehall, got a good view of Big Ben. Despite popular belief, Big Ben actually refers to the largest bell inside the tower, not the four huge clocks. Next to it is St. Margaret's Cathedral - such impressive architecture.
Continuing on across the Thames, saw the British Airways London Eye. Didn't go in it, though. Didn't want to waste the time getting on the thing and waiting to get around the loop (it goes very slow). Got this picture of Parliament House from across the Thames. Here's the same shot with Lou and me in the pic. Damn I'm so not photogenic.


Sept. 17th - Many Steps, Accidental Tourist, Best Pub Name:

No specific schedule today, but first I decided to go to the top of the Monument. The thing is around 350 years old, and is the largest freestanding Ionic column. It is 202 feet high, and there's 311 steps up to the top. Here's a shot from the top. Lou didn't seem to be handling the height very well. I was called brave when I leaned over the railing to snap this shot of the staircase. The lady assumed I had my eyes open.
Next, since a friend asked that I pick up a mini replica of the Tower of London while I'm here, I felt as if I should take the tour to justify all the other little trinkets I got at the giftshop. Here are a series of pictures of the tower: a shot from the outside, , another shot from outside, still another shot from outside, entering through the castle gate, and an inside perspective from an archer's post. This tower was renamed the "Bloody Tower" as it was the site of two princes being kidnapped in their sleep, later to be discovered poisoned.
There are crows here the size of small dogs. I've hears someone say that they never leave the castle green. Here's anothershot from within the gate. Just underneath the clock is the entrance to see the crown jewels dating back 400 years, including the largest diamond, the Star of Africa. In the foreground is the site where a scaffold once stood and was where many executions took place. Notable executions include 2 wifes of Henry VIII: Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey, who was crowned queen for nine days before being beheaded. There's a great movy called "Lady Jane" staring Cary Elwes and Helena Bohnam Carter about Jane Grey's life and gruesome and heartwrenching death. The last prisoner held here was in the 1940s - a high ranking German SS officer.
Next came the tour of the White Tower. The Normans began construction on this inner castle and wall shortly after Hastings, which would be 1066 inner castle and original surrounding wall (only fragments remain of the wall) shortly after Hastings, which would be 1066. Construction was complete in 1087, but modifications were made to the White Tower and the surrounding grounds over the next 800 years.
Lou on Loo: Lou tests an ancient Norman lavatory. Here's a shot of Henry VIII's armour. What's wrong with this picture? Is he somehow boastful or misleading? The Tower was used for many things, including a central armoury for the British forces. Here's a shot of a very thick book (seriously 1' thick)that detailed all the armaments sent to North America to quell the insurrection. We know the story, though. They lost. Here's a shot for Dad, a fan of flintlock rifles. This huge gun rack looks like a redneck's dream.
Next stop: a wonderful little pub named (no kidding) "Hung, Drawn, and Quartered". Maybe this has to do with being about 10 blocks from the site where William "Braveheart" Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered on August 23rd, 1305.
Next and final stop on this tour was to Leadenhall Market, where I think a scene in the first Harry Potter movie was filmed. No real way to verify that.
For dinner, I stopped into an Indian restaurant called "Bombay Tandori", which had an all-you-can-eat buffet. I decided to leave after two plates when a cockroach the size of my thumb walked underneath my chair. Ick.


Sept. 18th - Laundry then Literary and Musical History Pilgrimages:

First off, I needed to do laundry. Thankfully there was a coin-op place just a block away from my hotel. Lou hates laundry day.
Afterwards, we headed off towards the St. John's Wood Tube Station to find Abbey Road. St. John's, as it turned out, was closed today, so I hopped off at the stop just before it: Baker Street. This gave me the opportunity to see if that famous address really exists, and it does!. However, it's conspicuously nestled between 335 and 339 Baker Street. Oh well.
After many more blocks walking, I finally found it. Actually, I found bunches of people snapping photos, which really clued me in. Lou was diggin' it. The famous Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles recorded many albums. They started here in 1962 when original drummer Pete Best was with them. BTW - Pete Best still tours, but he has himself billed as "Best of the Beatles". Here's the famous intersection where the cover of the Abbey Road album was snapped. Many people try to time the traffic so their companions can snap them walking across. Nobody tried it barefoot, however. My guidebook (thanks, Marya!) recommended against this, and I took the advice. We huddled together for a shot at the street sign. Here's an unobstructed view of the sign.


Sept. 19th - 10 Hour Train Trip for 5 Hours of Site Seeing (no pictures)

Got to Kings Cross station at stupid:30AM to catch a train up to Edinburgh. Kings Cross Station, btw, is the station used in the Harry Potter Movies. There is even a mock-up of Platform 9 3/4 where a wizard has apparently left a trolley 1/2 way through the wall - the wizards-only entrance to the platform.
Toured Edinburgh Castle where I saw very many interesting things, including Mon Meg - a huge cannon, plus the Scottish Crown Jewels, and an interesting story behind how the honours were hidden from Cromwell, lost, then discovered a century later.
Next, Lou and I walked down the Royal Mile to the Scotch Whiskey Heritage Center, where they have a very elaborate and high-tech demonstration of how scotch is made, plus an emphasis on how important it is to the Scotish economy. At the end of the tour was a "Barrel Ride" - a Disney-like ride in guided cars shaped like barrels that rode slowly around diaramas depicting the history of scotch in Scotland's history. I was able to sample 5 different kinds of scotch there - a blend at the beginning of the tour and one single malt from each of the 4 regions after the tour.
Later, Lou and I walked down the Royal Mile past the Parliament House. It was in 1999 when Tony Blair allowed Scotland a great deal of independence, including the ability to hold their own Parliament sessions. I still remember the NPR radio broadcast of the historic role call - there were all sorts of weird Dr. Suess sounding names like "Seamus McHaggis McVicar McGee" and the like. Too bloody funny.
Then, to the Doric Bar for more samples of fine scotch. Didn't hear any mention of the famous 3M product, though.
Then, back on the train. It was a five hour trip up for five hours of touring, then a 5 hour trip back. Could have used more time, but, oh well.
Cool thing about Scotland: Pubs can stay open as late as they like, unlike London. Tourist tip for Edinburgh: If you want to book a day trip from London - you'd probably be better off doing the train booking yourself, plus everything else. It would likely be significantly cheaper (didn't have the heart to check into it). Better yet, since the pubs stay open, just go directly to Scotland, bypassing London completely.


Sept. 20th - Globe Theater, London Bridge, and Thievery Afoot
(still no pictures)

Got up late due to a late bedtime.
Went around the Borough Market, then to the remake of the Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The original was fairly close by to the new one.
Then, off to walk across the Tower Bridge. While trying to walk across it, I discovered that it was also a drawbridge, as it opened seconds before I reached the gate. As it turns out, the bridge design allowed pedestrians to still walk across the top while the drawbridge opened. Neat idea, really - the city entertained many ideas before settling on the current design.
Here's the first (hopefully only) fizzer of the trip: my camera got stolen. Here's how it happened:
I went up to the top of the North tower of the Tower Bridge, watched a short movie, then walked across the walkway. Halfway across the walkway, I realized my camera bag was gone. I dashed back to see if I left it in the North tower and was told by a nice German family that they discovered a camera in a camera bag and handed it over to the staff. When I retrieved my camera bag from the staff, it was short a camera. The staff claims is was empty when they received it. Also missing was a 256MB SD Memory card and a special battery for the camera. Very suspicious. I didn't want to start busting heads, since it had already gotten confrontational between the German family and the staff, each blaming eachother. I just had to go out and buy a new damned camera so the rest of my vacation wouldn't be ruined. Not much I could do - I called the police and they were less than helpful. I'm still pissed, but determined not to let it ruin my vacation.


Sept. 21st - Lacock, Bath, and StoneHenge

Got up and hopped on the tourbus for all these great destinations outside of London.
Still in the city, though, we drove by some interesting landmarks, particularly that of William Hogarth's residence. During his career, he disliked that everyone drank way too much, even children, and this anger was often reflected in his satirical artwork. Apparently, everyone drank beer, wine, or spirits, as it was just safer than drinking the water. Posthumously adding insult to injury, the Fullers Brewery was built next to his old house.
First interesting point outside of the city is an ancient monument now referred to as "Silvery Hill". It was dated back to 2700BC by carbon dating the flying ants in the structure. It is a very tall mound made of chalk that has since been overgrown. No ideas as to why it's there - there are no bodies or anything of value in the hill - it's just...there.

First actual stop is at the town of Lacock, which seems to thrive completely on tourism. The town is 13th century, but some changes have been made up until the 17th century. They cannot build new buildings here, and must maintain the existing buildings with the the original materials. Before entering the town, we saw the Lacock Abbey. The Abbey is the site of the very first photograph by William Henry Fox Talbot. You can see the photo here. While wizzing by in the tourbus, I managed to snap a digital photo of that side of the building.
Here's another shot from the other side: Click! The cloisterwalk and courtyard was used in the Harry Potter movies.
Here are some shots around the town:
Click, Click, Click.
Next stop: The town of Bath. Ancient city dating back to prehistory, then used by the Celts, then the Celts and Romans lived together somewhat harmoniously (even building temples for both Celt and Roman gods together), then the Romans moved out around 400AD. Afterwards, the place steadily declined for 1400 years. Then some postal worker came up with a brilliant idea to streamline mail delivery, landing him tons of money. He decided to spend his new found wealth on rebuilding the town as the grand site it is today.
One of the more famous structures in the town is the Royal Crescent. Here's a shot of me and Lou there.
Next stop: the Celtic/Roman Bathhouse. It was quite a complicated structure with pipes and drains everywhere. This was a joint venture between the Celts and Romans, and statues of both Minerva (Roman godess) and Sulos (Celt god) were found there. Lou captures me in a bit of camera verite. Next is a small tour of the botanical gardens by the Avon River. This one cracked me up, the E and the R were missing from the wording, so the topiary was thus named: "Butt Flies"
Lou-upon-Avon - Lou strikes a pose. An old man commented on how photogenic he is. I couldn't help but agree.
Back on the tourbus, next stop is StoneHenge
Here's the long and short of it: the stones came from a quarry 200 miles away in what's now known as Wales. Construction began 3100BC and was finished around 1500BC by prehistoric man, and has been used by others over the years (including the Druids). It appears to be a calendar, but no-one can really say for sure the real intention of the structure. It's certainly cool, though.
Here are some shots of it going around the circle: Click, Click, Click, Click
Here's a shot of Lou and me there. Lou was there preparing to make his move. He shoots, he scores, and gives the Paws Up sign.
Further around the circle is the Healstone, which I'm guessing it got its name from the look of the thing. It was said to be the end point for processionals - I think, I wasn't really paying attention. And here's a parting shot of Lou at StoneHenge.

Later at dinner, Lou continues to flirt, this time with some lovely ladies from Australia. Lou lives up to his name as a party animal.


Sept. 22th - Fast Train, Chunnel, Minor International Incedent, Lovre at Night, Wine Bar, Paris is Cool:

Got up silly early this morning to make sure I could get to the Waterloo Station in London to catch a train to Paris. I travelled on the EuroStar - a fast train that got me to Paris 2 hours quicker than a slow train to Edinburgh. The Chunnel is 27 miles long and the journey through it was about 20 minutes. The train's speed varied quite a bit, going slow in high traffic areas and up to 260km in the countryside. After 3 hours, Lou and me arrived at the Paris Nord station.
After checking into the Hotel Holiday Inn Bastille, which is like a castle compared to the Comfort Inn in London. Actually, this Holiday Inn was built in 1913 as a palace, but plans were abandoned to make it so. Still no alarm clock in the room, though.
After a short power nap, we headed out for dinner. After an embarrassing incedent trying to order dinner from a waiter that didn't know English, I found a nice place where the waitress knew just enough English for us to settle on a meal for us. Here we are after dinner. Afterwards, I walked around the city, which is quite cool. Here's a shot of the Louvre at night. I went to a wine bar and had a few samples - there are loads of wine bars here - sort of like StarBucks anywhere else. After the walk around this evening, I've decided that Paris is cool, despite my initial communication problems.


Sept. 23rd - Louvre, Lou, Tour Eiffel, Much Pain

First stop after breakfast today was the Louvre. Despite all I've heard about the lines being around the building (which is huge), I was able to walk right in. The thing is not an art museum - it is a museum. It contains cultural treasures from the ancient world, great works of art, Napolean's furniture, you name it. One could easily spend days here, which I refuse to do (this trip, anyway).
First thing of note the famous Venus de Milo, found on a Greek island. Who was that Milo, and why precisely did he cut off his woman's arms? Next stop, the Winged Victory, who's real name is Nike. She was also found on a Greek Island in 1863 and dated back to around 190 to 220BC. Then, the stone of the Code of Hammurabi. If I recall correctly from 8th grade history, the Hammurabi Code is the first experiment with any sort of legal system. If you want to know what the Code of Hammurabi is, , you can read much of it here.
The museum has a strict policy (which is enforced) against photographing of the paintings, especially their prized possession, the Mona Lisa. I guess I'm just a little rule breaker.
Before heading off to lunch, I got this shot of Lou at the famous Louvre Pyramid.
After the Louvre, it was lunch time, and Lou and I split a bottle of wine. Lou just can't handle it.
Next stop: a walk across town to the most famous Parisian icon: la Tour Eiffel. It was built in 1889 for the World's Fair and was, at the time, the world's tallest structure at 900 meters. I remember when I was quite young reading about writer Guy de Maupassant's comment about it: he ate lunch at the ground floor restaurant every day because it was the only place in the city where he didn't have to see the thing.
Going to the top requires waiting in line to pay 10.70 euros, waiting in line for the elevator to the second floor, then waiting in line for the lift to the top. Here are some pics: After that, I limped home, feet sore from walking all day.


Sept. 24th - Musée de Orsay, good food, good wine, more good wine, Lou makes a fool of himself

After yesterday's tiring trip, we decide to sleep in a bit today. All we have on the plate is to visit the Musée de Orsay.
First up, of course, is breakfast, which is nutella and banana crepes. The cafe where I ate was just across the street from Notre Dame - famous for its gargoyles and a story about a guy with serious scoliosis, zritten by Victor Hugo, memorialized in 1923 and 1939 black and white films (the former starring Lon Chaney), and altered beyond recognition in 1996 by Disney. I really like this shot because of what I think are called ( no kidding) "flying buttresses" - those large stone supports all around the cathedral portion. Just picture old Quasimodo up top of the two bell towers cowering while wailing "The bells!!!! The bells!!!"
On to the Musée de Orsay
The Museum was converted from an old train station built in 1903. The building itself is a work of art, as most train stations here in Europe seem to be.
The museum has many great sculptures, models, and painting styles, but it is most known for its collection of impressionists paintings. Originally rejected as a valid form of art, the Orsay is the beneficiary of the impressionist masters. Represented en masse are: Degas, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renior, Seurat, and Pissaro. Here are some somewhat blurry shots of Monet: Here's another mysteriously famous painting: Whistler's Mother Here's a fascinating sculpture with 4 women of the world, including an African and Asian woman, plus two who just plain look caucasion to me. The interesting thing about this sculpture is that the African woman is bound on her right foot with a shackle and chain.
After that, it was time to search for some wine and cheese. One particular place, L'Exclusiv, offers 4 glasses of wine with 4 different cheeses, and you must pair each. It was quite an education, and I feel I was able to match them. Lou, ruins the evening by getting very rudewith our dear waitress who's been kind to us the last few days.


Sept. 25th - Last day in Paris, Arc de Triomphe

Once again, torturing myself by walking to the other side of the city, this time to see the Arc de Triomphe. Lou is ready for the climb. Before today, I didn't know you could climb to the top of this thing. It was 8 euros for the privilege. The thing was designed in 1758 to be a huge elephant (literally), as a monument to Frances military prowess (I can hear the giggling all the way from Paris). It was finally built in 1806, more so in Napolean's vision, as a symbol of welcome home to his soldiers.
Here's Lou at the top. Lou attempts to return favor by capturing my visage, but can't quite time it (I lost patience). Also at the top, before you get to the outside, is a museum of the arch, and of course, a gift shop. I got some post cards.
Back on the ground, here's a shot from underneath the thing and in front of it is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Afterwards, it was time for dinner, some last minute shopping, and to sample something called "kir". Kir is wine mixed with blackcurrant syrup. I didn't think I'd like it, but I just had to try it.


Sept. 26th - Paris to London, Massacre at the Royal Crown Apartments, and the Mafia Cafe (sorry - no pictures)

Took the train back to London today. Mostly uneventful, except for the English couple with a 2 year old daughter and a French woman with the 2 year old the row in front of them. The two two-year olds seemed to communicate very well - not with either french or english, but a beautiful yet mysterious blend of gibberish, slobbering on the seat, screaming at an intolerably high pitch, crying (lots of that), and hysterical laughing. The young french girl and I had quite an intense battle of peek-a-boo (I won, I'm sure).
Back in London, I've found a new hotel - one that I'd hoped would be better than the Bayswater Comfort Inn. The Royal Crown Apartments, just near Paddington Station, has provided me with a much larger room than my Habitrail-sized Comfort Inn room. But it's even more run down that the Comfort Inn. It's pretty obvious that many chains have had to retro-fit hotels from these ancient tenements. The Royal Arms seem to have been the site of a serious armament battle - not with those sissy gun things, but with sledge hammers and pickaxes. The walls in the hallway are all badly damaged. My friend Jason has sold me not to expect air conditioning in any hotel in London - "It's a British thing", he says. Oh well.
Strangely, I find myself in need of fettucini alfredo, so I looked for the nearest Italian place, which was a block away. No kidding - the place is called "Bizarro Italian Cafe". The thing that struck me odd about it is that, from the time I walked into the place until the time I walked out, 13 other people walked in - only 2 were customers. Thankfully I had a seat facing the door - in just such an emergency.


Sept. 27th - Raffles Breakfast, Globe Theater, Piccadilly Huh?, cross section of life at the internet cafe, packing it in

Okay first order of business - breakfast!!! Found a great place that serves an enormous breakfast at a remarkable £2.99, including 2 eggs, ham, sausage, toast, mushrooms, and baked beans over yet another slab of toast. Weak coffee is extra, of course (more on this later).
Next - to the Globe Theater. This is not the original, of course, but has been reproduced quite nicely. One of the stewards working there passing out seat cushions and checking tickets was gracious enough to tell me that both the Rose Theater and the original site of the Globe were just a few blocks away, however Shakespeare's original theater was on the other side of the Thames (can't remember what it's called).
I'm here to see "The Winter's Tale", considered to be one of Shakespeare's most bizzare plays - called a tragicomedy in the program. The weird thing about it is, unlike Hamlet or King Lear, King Leontes is somewhat rewarded for his reconciliation at the end. Sorry to give the climax of the story away, but he gets his dead wife back at the end of the play. Bittersweet, he didn't get his dead son back, or his friend Antigonus, who was eaten by a bear.
Here's the thing from the inside. In keeping with tradition, the "groundlings", or those on the floor who have to stand, paid 1/5 of what I paid for my ticket (I could have saved £20 had I realized). Good deal if you can stand - £5 for an amazing production. Here's a shot of the stage. Lou and I are up in the middle section. Afterwards, we went and looked up at the stage. For a moment, Lou pretended he was the bear who mauled poor Antigonus
After that, I crossed the Millenium Bridge, which just a footbridge roughly between the areas of Southwark on the south bank, and Blackfriars on the north. I didn't think it was all that big a deal, but the place has an official website here
Next, I needed to find Piccadilly Circus - not sure why. Because it's so immensely popular? Because of the funny name? Probably both those reasons. Well, here it is. I think the thing that's most important about it is that it's the center of all the theaters. "Momma Mia" is just one of the many musicals I've seen while walking around. I walked by the St. Martin's Theater, where Agatha Christie's play "Mousetrap", at 51 years, has been running so long (longest on record), that they've put it on the side of the building in gold tile lettering. A walk further down towards Covenent Gardens, I came across the famous Marquee Club. A crowd was gathering outside. I asked the lady at the front door who was performing tonight, and she said the crowd didn't have anything to do with it. MTV was interviewing Lil'BowBow, and his screaming fans were hoping for a glimpse. One even threw an umbrella up at the window where she hoped to gain his attention. Must have gotten it - I made it a block away I heard loud screaming. Anyway, as it turns out, the Marquee Club I found is't the original where the Who played years ago. The nice lady at the Marquee informed me that the original was miles away at Water...something Street, and the Marquee has become more of a brand than anything. Oh well.
Now, my last evening at this wonderful internet cafe', and I've finally noticed what a cross section of life the clientele is. At the same computer next to me, I've peared over to see a guy writing nasty emails and surfing for porn, then a young Asian woman composing a Word document about Jesus.
My last evening here in London - I'm ready to come HOME!