MacBeth and The George Inn

Wed. Aug. 28:  John & Ted headed off in the morning to visit our friends at Wildy & Sons while Ellen & Maggie hit Oxford Street (specifically the massive store, Primark) for clothes shopping.  Maggie did very well there getting clothes for her upcoming school year.

Only a law nerd would be as excited as John to see the Incorporated Council on Law Reporting (publishers of the various British Law Reports) on Chancery Lane.

The four of us met up and walked from St. Paul's Cathedral across the Millenium walking bridge to the southbank of the Thames.  Here's the wonderful view from that bridge looking east.  One can see Tower Bridge off in the distance and to the right, the new office tower, the Shard, which is now the tallest building in Europe.

We saw the wonderful matinee production of MacBeth at the new Globe Theatre (accurate recreation of the original Globe Theatre in London).  The play was marvelously well acted and made for a splendid afternoon.

The stage of the Globe Theatre prior to performance

After the play we had dinner at the George Inn, a 1600s coaching inn in south London.  It is a delightful pub for a good dinner.

The George Inn

The British Museum

Tue. Aug. 27:  We headed out in the morning for the 15 minute walk from our flat to the British Museum where we enjoyed the exhibit about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the devastation of Pompeii and Herculaneum.  One sees the physical remainders of the horror of the burial of these cities in molten ash and the deaths of thousands.  Sorry, pictures not allowed in the exhibit.

The imposing entrance to the British Museum

The kids at the British Museum

After our tour of the museum we returned to the flat, ate, and all succumbed to jet lag and got an early night.

Arrival in London

The flight was uneventful (but as is always the case - long).  Ellen and the kids managed to sleep a fair bit but John wasn't so lucky.  The plane landed around noon on Monday August 26 and we were at our rented flat in Fitzrovia by 1:15.

The flat is great.  Small but spread over 2 storeys.

Here's the view of the living/kitchen area:

The iconic BT Tower is within a few yards of our flat.  Here it is as viewed from the little terrace of our flat.

The trip began (for John & Ted) on Friday August 23 when we set out with all of Ted's stuff packed in the car for delivery to storage in Waterloo (for his next year of university).

Here's a view of the Chicago skyline while we passed through on our way to Waterloo.

Sunday August 25: John & Ted drove the scenic route from Waterloo to Toronto stopping in West Montrose, Ontario to see the last 19th century covered bridge in Ontario and to have a look at the Elora Gorge.

John & Ted met Ellen & Maggie at Toronto Airport (they flew from Winnipeg on Sunday morning) and as our flight to London was not until 11:20pm, we had the day to spend in Toronto.  The kids headed off to the Toronto Convention Centre for FanExpo (the city was overrun with nerds, geeks, and costumed characters) while John & Ellen wandered about the city.  The kids had a great time and the parents had a relaxing day walking around the city and  relaxing in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel).

London & Vienna 2013

From August 26 to September 6, 2013 the Eatons of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada will be vacationing in London and Vienna.  This blog will record some of the details, impressions, and (of course), photographs of their experience.

John Eaton
Winnipeg
16 August 2013