Friends, Food, Film, and the Daily Grind

We've spent the last few days either working or hanging out with friends, both admirable uses of time. On Thursday we met up with two of our AYS pals, Ben from London and Bryce from Nashville. We went for lunch on Brick Lane, a market street with a strong Bangladeshi population. We had papidams, curry and rice, a very fine meal. Afterwards Brianne and I had a catering job on a tall ship, which I of course was looking forward to after my previous ship job. Sadly, it wasn't as relaxed and fun as the other job - lack of organization and a problem with the little bridge at the marina to let us out, plus it was definitely a more choppy ride. Serving trays of champagne flutes can be taxing enough, but when you must carry a tray up steep steps from the galley to the top deck and the tray is slick plastic instead of rubberized and so light that the wind is constantly catching it . . . well, I hope you can feel my trepidation. Luckily, no spills. In the end, it was enjoyable enough, as the chef was quite friendly and Brianne got to witness Tower Bridge opening for us.

The next day I teamed up with Ben and Bryce again and we watched The Dark Knight. Utterly spectacular. Believe the hype - not only is it the best comic book film ever made, but Heath Ledger should definitely be considered for a posthumous Oscar. After the film we met up with B at Ye Olde Chesire Cheese. We had such a nice meal with Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill, we wanted to share it with our buddies, especially since Bryce will be going home to the States pretty soon. For dessert I had Spotted Dick . . . stop laughing. No, really, stop it. Fine. I'll wait.





Done yet? It's a little cake with . . . I said cut it out!





All done? Very well then. It's a muffin-like cakey thing with currants in it surrounded by warm custard, very tasty and very British. We went for an evening walk after dinner, touring around the Soho area. Very ecclectic shops and bars, interesting "only-come-out-at-night" type of people. On one corner we saw public urinals . . . you read that right. Not a port-o-potty, but a four-sided open air urinal stand. Weird.

Saturday and Sunday were spent working. On Saturday I did a private backyard luncheon for a wealthy family, while B . . . well, I'll let her tell of that later. Sunday we both went to a polo match to work the bar and canapes. Long hot day, bad traffic on the way back. My bar was an ice sculpture which dwindled away throughout the event. Dozens of people asked how long we thought it would last, trying and failing to be clever. At least ten people asked why we weren't lying on top of it. Gave me the idea that they should have an Ice Wall at events like this, against which people could periodically lean. I should check into a market for this.

Hever Ho and Away We Go

The jousting tournament started with a great deal of pomp and pride, but sort of meandered it's way into silliness. The knights were skilled, to be sure, and their riding and jousting were good, but the script they were using to create characters and comedy was weaker than that of a professional wrestling spectacle. We cheered and chortled for a fair bit, but when they got bogged down in slapstick instead of swashbuckling, we decided to move along and came to this striking Italian fountain next to their open-air theatre.

We wandered to the far edge of the grounds and this pretty little waterfall.

Several people brought their dogs to the grounds, and they were generally better behaved than the children.

At the end of the day we tried getting back in touch with our inner children on the playground. The result: we realized that our inner children have stronger knees than we do.

As a sidenote, Brianne and I have discovered a love of Travel Scrabble! We picked up the magnetic board game and played it to pass the time on the train. A lovely diversion, I suggest you try it.

A Day at Hever Castle

As a surprise outing, Andrew took us out to the English countryside for a visit of the childhood home of Anne Bullen (Boleyn); the second wife of Henry VIII. It is a small, quant castle surrounded by beautiful gardens, italian and roman scultures scattered through the lawns. There are three mazes and an amazing rose garden - not to mention the lake, the waterfalls and the jousting tournament that was going on in the afternoon.

First of all we were dropped off at a tiny station in the middle of nowhere, and had to follow the only road leading away from the station to find a lone sign that pointed to a path covered in brush. It was a lovely walk once we found the path, finally coming out to a main road that led into the tiny little village of Hever. All signs and traffic took us up to the castle.

no photography was allowed inside the castle, mainly due to the age of many of the displays as well as the fact that lighting just plain sucked. Some parts were so dark I couldn't even read the writting on the wall. (Take whatever pun you want from that.)

Around two in the afternoon a jousting match took place, mainly involving humour and the occasional sword fight. I'll let Andrew speak about that.

Being me, I picked up two postcards as well as a copy of three of the letters written between Anne & Henry.

Now, bring me that horizon

I had a really fun catering gig the other day on a tall-masted sailing ship called the SB May, which set sail from London Bridge City Pier to cruise the Thames. The vessel was entirely wooden and very rustic and authentic-looking. I know that it was quite old, but I can't remember how old. The serving crew consisted of me and another girl from AYS, plus the cook and the bartender. We served a three-course meal in the cabin below deck for 22 members of Saab, the car manufacturer. Some of their number were also members of the Swedish Air Force. The ride was quite smooth, except when one of the heavily motorized tour boats whizzed past, then their wake tossed us a bit. The scenery was great, mostly swanky riverside real estate, but the highlight was watching Tower Bridge being raised just for us to sail under! The trip lasted about 3 hours and was very refreshing, no sea-sickness at all. The guests were nice and my co-workers were very friendly. It's exactly the type of catering job I most enjoy - small and relaxed, with an atmospere that makes me feel like I'm serving guests out of my own kitchen, just as I felt at the Royal Ascot. I only wish I had brought my camera to catch the Bridge moment and the ship decor, but I've found it's really awkward trying to fit in photo ops while you're supposed to be working.

Incidentally, in case you didn't know, the bridge that you usually see in scenic shots of London with the ornate stonework and sweeping spans is, in fact, Tower Bridge, not London Bridge. London Bridge, while historic as a landmark, is utterly unremarkable to look it. Just as the nursery rhyme suggests, it's had to be rebuilt so much over time to sustain the traffic using it. Now it just looks like any other simple concreate and steel span, without opening capabilities.

The Mother of All Department Stores

Brianne and I entered the hallowed halls of Harrod's yesterday. This place makes The Bay look like Dollarama. I swear it is the first time in my life I'd ever seen £139 (approx $300) cashmere sweaters sold out of bins. BINS, I tell you! Like they were irregular socks or something! The prices were insane, but of course it was the highest-quality, top-brand blah blah blah. I predict at some point the ludicrously rich won't even bother wearing their designer outfits, they'll just walk around naked holding the PRICE TAG in front of them, as an ironic update to the story of the Emperor's New Clothes.

The store was quite impressive and oppulent, with high-fashion clothing, sparkly jewellery, and even a section of gourmet food and drink. One thing that struck me is that, contrary to what one might assume with such high-end merchandise, the staff were very open and friendly rather than snooty and dismissive of the riff-raff. I guess Harrod's is a tourist attraction in itself and the staff are quite accustomed to those of us who are "just looking."

Audition and the London Eye

Brianne and I had our first British audition today, and it went really well! We found a casting call online for Me & My Girl, a 1930's British musical that will play at the London Palladium for one night only after - and here's the interesting bit - only 48 hours between the start of the first rehearsal and when the curtain goes up! It's a race against time, and it's for a lukemia charity.

We both did a monologue and song, and then had a quick and easy dance call. In all honesty, I felt we were among the top prospects in our group today. Of course, we're not counting chickens, because we estimate they're seeing about 800 people over two weekends. Still, they're looking to have a chorus of 50, and we'd like to think that they'll warm to the novelty of giving the cute Canadian newlyweds a shot!

One thing that got a good laugh in my singing audition came when they asked what kind of British accents I could do. I launched into a few bars of On the Street Where You Live and switched between RP, Cockney, Irish and Scottish. I recreate it below for your amusement.

After the audition finished up, we just a stone's throw from the London Eye, so we trundled over to enjoy another wonderful bridesmaid gift. In case you've not heard of it, the London Eye is a gigantic ferris wheel-like with about 30 glass "pods" fitting up to 20 people at a time that circle around on a 30-40 minute long cycle, and gives a commanding 180 degree view of London. The scenic view was quite spectacular and we got a lot of good pictures. Here's a sampling below.

The only thing that would've added to the experience was a less overcast sky. Unfortunately it was only bright and sunny when we left the house that morning and when we arrived home. BAH! Also, there were some very ill-mannered children who kept hogging all the good window spaces. Double BAH.

Dancing for Climate Change

Just wanted to post this, as I found it very interesting. There's a new "eco-friendly" dance club opening close to where I live right now. In addition to a wind turbine and solar panels, it will actually have a dance floor which generates the club's electricity by dancing on it! The bar will recycle all glass, plastic, and paper. The washrooms will have low-flow toilets and - I had to read this twice to be sure - waterless air-flushing urinals. On top of it all, the club will waive the regular £10 cover charge if you can prove that you got to the club by walking or cycling!

Oh Whiskey You're the Devil

When you think of the Royal Ascot, what probably comes to mind is race scene in the movie My Fair Lady, and that would be fairly accurate in terms of attire. Fancy hats and tail coats abound. The attitudes of the patrons, however, are not staid and stern. A fair percentage of the patrons are well off, but not stuffy; they shout "Move yer bloomin' arse!" just as well as Eliza Doolittle. The vast majority of patrons are regular folk in their Sunday best out for a view of the horses and, like all great social events, a chance to get rip-roaring SMASHED. This is why my fellow AYS crew and I were treated to a lovely drunken rendition of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" on the train ride home on the second day of the Ascot. Picture this pop-tart anthem as sung by Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers films and you have a good idea of what this sounded like. Add to this the fact that he was screwing up the words quite badly, and I think we have a candidate for "Worst American Idol Audition Ever."

I find it interesting that the London Underground has only very recently made a rule against consuming alcohol while in transit. This rule went into effect about a month ago, and Brianne and I were coming out of the tube just as it struck midnight on the day; as we were exiting, we passed a squadron of cops heading into the tube to start rounding up the drinkers who were - at that very moment - now in violation of the law. They had their work cut out for them - some young lawyer from the city had used Facebook to organize a system-wide booze-up, causing the entire Circle Line tube to be jam packed with frat-style frollicking. It was a gargantuan mess that we had, mercifully, avoided.

At least this new tube law is one way to curb public drunkeness, but another factor to the problem that I've noticed seems to slip past unchecked: most pubs close at a decent hour of 12 or 1 am, but they stop serving food around 9pm. This leaves three to four solid hours for patrons to knock 'em back without the benefit of potato skins and nachos to mitigate the effects. And then we wonder why it is that there is a mob staggering out at closing bell to wander into traffic and belt out Rod Stewart's greatest hits!

The London Dungeon

This past Sunday we descended into the bowels of the old city, into the depths of gloom, doom and despair, into a cesspool of torture and decay . . . fun for the whole family and educational to boot! The London Dungeon is an interactive museum experience located near London Bridge. It uses costumed actors in a themed environment to educate visitors on the darker side of London history, including torture, imprisonment, the Black Plague, the London Fire, and Jack the Ripper. What a thoughtful wedding present from the bridesmaids!



We were quite fortunate to have fast-track tickets, as it was pouring rain and the regular line was half a block long. It seems every Londoner plays tourist on rainy weekends, we had the same thing happen when we went to the Natural History Museum. Here we are in the much shorter line, pleased as punch.



A humourous gravestone inside the main doors, and a gargoyle. I've always liked gargoyles.




They really set the mood well, from creepy sound and lighting effects to a dank smell. They have wax works and animatronics, and even a display full of live rats, as seen in the video.


At one point after being threatend with grisly torture, we and our group are taken by a bailiff actor to a judge actor to stand trial. I was picked out of the crowd and accused of wearing women's clothing for the purposes of soliciting sailors. Here I am on the witness stand.




They said the only way to get out of a horrible death sentence was to mince like a poofter and offer myself to a man in the audience for tuppence a throw. Of course, I played the whole thing to the hilt, even riffing improv dialogue with the two actors and Brianne in the audience who could barely keep from tearing up laughing. If even one person thought, "He must be a planted employee," I've done my job.



There was a flume ride in the dark through the infamous Traitor's Gate of the Tower of London.

There followed afterwards a virtual shave from Sweeney Todd, the history of Jack the Ripper, a lesson on the Great Fire, and a Drop-Zone style ride to simulating a trip to the gallows. Behold my aghast face, and Brianne's . . . scarf, actually.

A very creative take on history and a real fun time.

Random Thought

Did you ever notice that when people on a reality show are quarrelling with someone and they say "I'm not going to argue that with you," they actually mean "Please don't interrupt me while I'm insulting you, my sound-bite isn't finished yet"?

A Thought on Rubbish and Politics

I found it peculiar for the first few weeks I was here that I couldn't seem to find a rubbish bin anywhere within the London Underground tube system, once forcing me to carry a banana peel with me for about half an hour. It was later that a friend pointed out that this is a result of the July 7th 2005 bombings of tube stations; the authorities removed all garbage cans so they could not again be used to conceal devices.

"7/7," as it is short-formed, is a dark day for Britons. However, my friend informed me that it is not a constant discussion topic amongst authorities and politicians, who consider it bad form to dredge it up. I'm sure we can all see what a stark contrast this is to American politics. Heck, Guiliani's ill-fated run for the White House seemed to run on the "How often can I invoke 9/11 in a single sentence?" ticket. And though I can't site any specific examples, I am sure that even our own commandante Harper has used phrases like "The world has changed since . . ." and "In light of the tragic events of . . ." to further his agendas. Whatever else one may say of British politics, at least it seems that such knee-jerk righteous grandstanding is considered a bit gauche.

Just a little thought to chew on. I'll get back to talking about silly things next time.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Today we flew our flags proudly and celebrated Canada Day in Trafalgar Square in the centre of London. We put on maple leaf tatoos and enjoyed the festivities which included the street hockey seen above, bison burgers, Moosehead beer, a comedian from Just for Laughs, and real honest to God Tim Hortons! YAAAAYY! There was a busker who got the crowd going with some BNL, Spirit of the West, and Tragically Hip. Lots of canucks in the audience, knew just when to sing along. Also, heard a rumour that they had planned to serve poutine, but the cheese curds didn't make it through cusotms at Heathrow in time!

We had a nice outing last night as well, as we went on a ghost walk through the West End with a very friendly Scottish guide, pointing out various points of interest and telling neat ghost stories of the area, particularly having to do the theatres. One of the most famous is The Man in Gray, a benevolent spirit of the Drury Lane Theatre who has been sighted over 100 times over the centuries. Another favourite of ours was a costume coat in which an ingenue was apparently strangled to death, and subsequent wearers of the costume experienced loss of breath, welts on the neck, fainting and nightmares. ooooooOOOOOOOOooooooo. Fun overall, but still not quite as good and spooky as the ghost walks in Ottawa. Below you can see a classic alley of the type i always associate with Victorian London, narrow and atmospheric. Also, a vintage gaslight from outside St. James Park.

And just to share some other nice shots with you, we wandered by the London Eye before heading off on the walk. The Dali Museum is nearby. Check out his version of an elephant.