Me (in the green shirt and khaki shorts) in front of the stage at the Globe Theatre during intermission of "The Honest Whore". I have no idea who that lady next to me is. A Tom Marihart photo.
We awoke to another gloriously quiet morning. It was in these quiet times that I was really glad that I had decided to come to Beverley. It was a great place to unwind for a few days. Of course, the accommodations helped. The staff at the Eastgate Guest House was very helpful. It's run by a young family who does a very good job of making sure that the stay is comfortable. I'd recommend a stay at the Eastgate Guest House to anyone visiting Beverley.
Another reason to stay there is the innovative ways they serve breakfast. Yes, "the full fry" is on the menu. But, you can also get just eggs and toast or just bacon and toast instead of the typical British breakfast spread. Sort of a cholesterol lite, if there is such a term. Anyhow, as I mentioned on the previous day's page, the most interesting option for breakfast was macaroni and cheese on toast. I didn't get it the day before, but it just sounded too intriguing to pass up. So, I ordered it. And, it was very good. Best of all, that breakfast allowed me to meet the minimum cholesterol level requirements for tourists departing England. The British are pretty strict about people having enough serum cholesterol in their systems before departure. Failure to have the proper levels results in tourists having to devour a large "full fry" at Heathrow before departure. Believe me, airport food is not the most appetizing way to get your cholesterol levels up. Try to stock up before departure.
It was with a sad heart that we walked out of the Eastgate Guest House. Our sadness wasn't a result of the stay. It stemmed from the fact that we were headed back to London, which meant that our trip was almost over. Still, we had seen a lot of things and met a lot of interesting people. Plus, we still had a day of adventure left in London. Those thoughts mitigated our sadness. So, we walked out of the Eastgate Guest House, arrived at the train station, and boarded a train for York.
After another two-hour ride to York, we boarded another train for a two-hour trip to King's Cross Station in London. Upon arrival, we gathered our bags and jumped into a taxi for the trip to the Garden Court Hotel in Paddington. Now, I've always been suspicious about the stories surrounding black cabs in London. For those that haven't heard the stories, the deal is that black cabs are officially licensed by the City of London. The drivers have to pass a test that calls on them to know the location of every hotel and restaurant in the city. These drivers are also supposed to take passengers directly to their destination via the shortest route. If they are ever caught cheating, they (supposedly) can have their licenses taken away from them. I've always wondered if these stories were true, especially since I've been in a couple of cabs where I was convinced that the driver was taking me around the block a couple of extra times to boost the fare. Anyhow, I don't doubt the stories anymore. As I said earlier, the driver picked us up at King's Cross Station. We told him we wanted to go to the Garden Court Hotel. What we didn't know is that there's (at least) two Garden Court Hotels in London. The one we were staying at is a budget accommodation in Paddington. The other one is a very posh establishment in Knightsbridge. He took us to the one in Knightsbridge. We immediately told him that this wasn't the one in which we were staying. He had never heard of the one in Paddington and doubted its existence. Nevertheless, he proceeded to it once we gave him the street address. The meter at the Knightsbridge address said £8. By the time we got to the Paddington address, the meter read £12.50. I thought he might try charging us the full price. Instead, he asked for £8. We gave him £10 for his honesty. Now, I don't know if this gentleman was unique. But, his actions did give me some confidence that the stories about the integrity of London's black cabs are true.
We unpacked our stuff in our room and wondered outside. The only plan we had was to be at the Globe Theatre at 7:30 p.m. in order to catch the performance of Thomas Dekker's The Honest Whore. Since it was only 3:00 p.m., we decided to find something to see that most tourists don't visit during their stay in London. We decided on the Clerkenwell House of Detention.
As the name indicates, the Clerkenwell House of Detention was once one of several prisons in London. This prison is unique because large portions of it are underground. The subterranean nature of the prison gave it a reputation of being a very difficult place from which to escape. As a result, some of the worst criminals in London were kept in it. In the early 1900s, the complex was closed as part of an effort to consolidate the prisons in London. Over time, other buildings built over the site. In the 1970s, the prison was "rediscovered". Today, a portion of the complex is open to visitors. One can tour several rows of cells, as well as the kitchens, laundry areas, and medical areas. Each of these sections is graced with several exhibits that gruesomely depict the living conditions in the prison during its late 1800s heyday. I thought the place was pretty interesting, but there is a drawback to the place: it's extremely hard to find. One has to get off at the Farringdon tube station. Then, one walks north for about a half a mile to Bowling Green Lane. Turning east, one goes to the first street going south. Following that street, one wonders to its end. There is a nondescript ticket booth with a placard outside stating that this is the Clerkenwell House of Detention. My description may sound easy, but believe me; it's not that easy to find, especially if you've never been in that part of London before. It might be a good idea to have a cab take you to it if you've never been there before. The cost to enter the prison is £4 for adults, £3 for students. It's open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
After our prison stay, we headed back toward Green Park. I had wanted to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe before I left London. However, the line was as long as it had been on July 29th. In fact, I'm sure I recognized some people in line on the 12th that had been there on the 29th. Anyhow, we spent some time trying to decide where to eat. We spent so much time trying to decide that we realized we didn't have time to eat because we had to get to the Globe to catch our play. We grabbed a taxi and headed across the Thames.
I had visited the Globe in 1997, but hadn't seen a play at it. So, I was looking forward to the experience. The Globe is an exact reproduction of the theatre where Shakespeare and his troupe performed some of his plays. When I say exact reproduction, I mean exact reproduction. There's a thatched roof, wooden benches for seats, and an open pit area in front of the stage where people can stand (or lean against the stage) for the performance. Simply watching a play in this venue is a different experience. The audience seems much more participative in this theatre than it usually is at other theatres. And the play gave them plenty of opportunity to be participative. The Honest Whore is the story of a whore who realizes that the only way she'll be able to get the man she loves is if she stops being a prostitute. So, she does. And she catches the man that she loves, after some intercession by the local ruler. That alone would make a great play. But, that story only takes the audience up to the intermission. After the intermission, the play picks up the story five years after the whore was married. Here we find out that her husband still doesn't trust her and is contemplating a divorce. Again, the local ruler is called upon to straighten things out. While I liked the play, I really didn't think the entire portion after the intermission was necessary. In fact, it felt like two plays - one before intermission and one after intermission. The one after intermission was weaker than the one before. Still, there was something special about sitting in a seat in the outdoor air along the banks of the Thames watching a play from the 1600s. It was a great experience. The tickets for this production were £20 per person. There are different prices, but our price was for seats in the second floor, center section. There are other secrets about buying tickets at the Globe that I won't reveal here, but which I can say are very effective. One thing I will reveal is the need for cushions for the seats. Wooden benches are not pleasant to sit on for a three-hour production. They cost £1 to rent.
The play ended around 11 p.m. Since we were still hungry, we headed to the only place where we were sure we could find food: Leicester Square. There's nothing like eating pizza bought from one of those outdoor stands in Leicester Square. Either you'll end up with salmonella or a great piece of pizza. We bought our pizza and headed over to the tube. We ate our food while watching the mice run across the feet of unsuspecting travelers waiting for a train. We got back to the Garden Court Hotel just after midnight.
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