Off To The Races

That's where we were all last week, the Royal Ascot racetrack, providing impeccable service to VIP private boxes. That was actually the easy bit, it was the travel to get there that was the burden. Up at 5am - yes, that's right - each morning. Luckily in this part of the hemisphere the sun is already up at that time, so it eased the transition. Got down to Waterloo station by 6:30am to take an hour-long train trip out to Ascot. We had some great friends to share the trip with, so we were happy AND bleary-eyed, a grand combination.



The boxes were fully stocked for bar needs, with a commanding view of the track, plus a flatscreen TV to get the full race results. The hosts of my box were a very friendly Irish couple, rather well off and great racing enthusiasts. They and their guests placed many wagers, won some and lost some, and were very gracious the whole week. It's no secret that we servers take on the Ascot gig in hopes of getting generous tippers, and I was not disappointed in this regard. The only drawback was that the hosts and their guests seemed to pride themselves on being the last to leave each night, so it was a bit of a rush to clean up, sign out and catch the train home. We'd get home around 11pm each night. LOOOooonnnggg days. Rewarding and fun, but long.


This was how the box looked, with my trusty sidekick James in full uniform. Below is a view of the track.


After a celebratory drink with our AYS friends on the final night of the Races, we took Sunday and Monday to recuperate a bit. On Monday we went out to see the sights of Covent Garden, and witnessed the following hilarious juggler from New Zealand. Covent Garden is chock full of buskers, ecclectic shops, flea markets, and good restaurants.

To cap off the night, we attended a performance of Avenue Q, a gut-bustingly funny Tony Award-winning musical that is best described as a bawdy adult version of Sesame Street, with live performers and Jim Henson-style puppets as the main characters. The show contains such classic tunes as "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," "If You Were Gay," and "Schadenfreude." If you ever get a chance, go see this show, it's hysterical, intelligent, and in some points quite touching. Made me appreciate just what an impact Henson had on the world.

Walks and Wax

A huge thank-you to Brianne's amazing bridal team for their scrapbook of London attractions. This week we managed to take a Jack the Ripper Walk AND see Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum!

Our Ripper walk left from Tower Hill tube station, and we were guided by Donald Rumbelow, one of the foremost Ripper-ologists in the world. He's written two books on the case and is highly knowledgable and very professional. We strolled through the East End of London viewing the different murder scenes and other points of interest such as The Ten Bells, the pub at which every single Ripper victim drank. We've made a mental note to return there for a pint. All in all it was an interesting trip, though we actors could've used a little more theatricality, such as one gets on the ghost walks in Ottawa. There are, in point of fact, at least half a dozen different ghost walks that we intend to visit. London is considered by some to be the most haunted city in the world, after all.

Today was spent at Madame Tussaud's, and it is very fun and entertaining place. It's set up with waxworks of numerous celebrities - from movie stars to politicians, athletes to ancient royalty - arranged standing around large themed rooms, to make picture taking easy and up-close. Take a look at our album on Facebook to see the full account famous people we bumped into, but enjoy a sample of pics below. There is also the famous Chamber of Horrors, which specializes in depictions of torture and mass murderes such as Vlad the Impaler and Dr. Crippen. There's even an interactive "Chamber Live!" which is basically a walk-through haunted house with actors that jump out at you. A jolly good scare - we both jumped more than once. Another fave exhibit of ours was The Spirit of London, a brief Disney-style animatronic ride in the middle of the museum which takes you through a brief history of London. Highlights include Shakespeare, the London Fire, the building of St. Paul's, and the Swinging 60's. A wonderful experience all around.

Dogs and Other Things

I want a dog. Not going to happen for quite some time, but I want to own a black Lab one day. They're just such soulful, magical dogs. I was reminded how great they were when I met the black Lab of my friend Ed the other day. The dog liked me; any time I stopped petting him, he headbutted me in the crotch. Sorry if I seem indelicate.

Y'know how in North America there was (and perhaps still is) a "fad" of dog breeding in which every mix seemed to involve Poodle somewhere in it? Well, there's a corresponding fad here in England, in that every mix seems to have Bulldog in it. All the dogs around here, from Labs to Daschunds, seem to have that signature Bulldog stockiness. It's an odd sight to see an intimidating weiner dog, I'll tell you.

The last few catering jobs I've had have found me working behind the bar, a change of pace from dinner or canape service. Fairly fun, and you do get a chance to chat with people, but in some cases you are so swamped with thirsty patrons it's all you can do to keep pouring out the bubbly and press it into open hands. Champagne certainly seems to be the thing people will guzzle as long as it's free.

The only real London landmark I've seen this week (work's been crazy) was Camden Market on Sunday. Camden is a truly crazy mish-mash of vintage clothing, antiques, collectibles, novelties, art, food vendors, precious junk, and jewellery made out of cutlery. I'm serious about the last one, there was a stand at which a metal smith was bending and twisting forkes into bracelets and spoons into rings. They looked pretty cool, actually.

Looking forward to some eventual down time to relax and see some more of the city. Especially hoping to take a Ghost Walk, and see how it compares to Ottawa!