Insatiable

Paris seemed to be all about Napoleon. The Arc de Triomphe, the restoration of Versailles, and many of the bridges across the Seine, are all attributed to him. So Paris = Napoleon. And, of course, public displays of affection.

England, on the other hand, bows before the ghost of Henry VIII. The separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church was one of the most significant acts in British history. Additionally, the story of his six wives is pretty fascinating.

Today, those of us who were not sick in our flats traveled by bus and train to Hampton Court, the home of Henry VIII.

Back when I was nine, I visited my grandma at her retirement community in Iowa and read a book about Henry VIII from the community's library. Soon, I could name all the wives and their ultimate fates.

"Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."

--rhyme to remember the fate of the six wives of Henry VIII

Hampton Court tells the story of Henry with interesting museum displays (including multimedia), an enhanced audio tour, and costumed actors.

Henry VIII in his later years, favoring a leg that just won't heal.

Catherine of Aragon faces off with Thomas Wolsey.

Henry was a man with large appetites. For food: the kitchens at Hampton Court were built to serve 600 people, twice a day. According to the museum website: the annual provision of meat for the Tudor court stood at 1,240 oxen, 8,200 sheep, 2,330 deer, 760 calves, 1,870 pigs and 53 wild boar. This was all washed down with 600,000 gallons of beer. And we've all seen the images of Henry VIII. He's like Fat Elvis: imposing, but not as dead sexy as his younger self.

For women: Sure, he had six wives. But also at least two mistresses. It is possible that Anne Boleyn only became queen because she refused to be Henry's mistress, as her sister had been. The other undisputed mistress actually bore Henry a son, Henry FitzRoy, who died as a teen, while Henry was attempting to change the rules of succession that would have allowed his illegitimate son to be king.

For power: It seems that a lot of the divorcing and beheading (and dying for that matter) was related to this issue of succession. Henry wanted a male heir, a son who could be the next king of England. Even better would have been "an heir and a spare," since Henry knew first hand that sometimes the older son doesn't live to be king. 

What do you know of Henry VIII? Have you seen The Tudors? Is it worth watching?

Ancient History

Vancouver, Washington is old. Lewis & Clark came through on their Expedition in 1805 and Lewis wrote that the area was "the only desired situation for settlement west of the Rocky Mountains." About twenty years later, the Hudson's Bay Company established a post there and the City of Vancouver was incorporated in 1857. For the Pacific Northwest, this is about as old as it gets--at least in terms of European settlement.

On Tuesday I went to a cathedral that was dedicated in 1258. That's right--TWELVE fifty-eight. Six hundred years before Vancouver was incorporated as a town (which itself pre-dates Washington even being a state), Salisbury Cathedral pointed its spire 404 feet towards heaven. Now that's old!

We've loved all our Blue Badge Guides. 

This is Sean. Knowledgeable and freakin hilarious.

Salisbury Cathedral is also home to one of the four surviving copies of thel 1215 Magna Carta, which means that I've seen half of them this week!

We also broke for lunch and exploration in the quaint town of Salisbury.

This couple is contemplating knickers
in the outdoor underwear stall.

But before we ever got to Salisbury Cathedral and town, we parked our motor coach next to one billion other motor coaches at...Stonehenge.

Stonehenge looks a bit more weathered than it did when I let my children climb all over it a few years ago. They don't let you get right up to the stones, you say? True enough. My kids hung out at the Stonehenge in Washington state. Our Stonehenge was built in 1918 on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River. It is a memorial to the veterans of World War I.

The Stonehenge we saw on Tuesday:

Now that's REALLY old!!!

 

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Monday we toured St. Paul's Cathedral. This is the fifth cathedral to be built on this site, the previous one was burned in the Great Fire of 1666. I'm not a big fan of churches, so...

Let's all go to the Museum of London! I do really like museums. Particularly free museums that are well done. And have historical clothing. The Museum of London is therefore a jackpot. I was so interested in the history of London--from the pre-Roman era all the way to "mods, rockers, hippies, and skin-heads"--to take very many photos, so check out the website.

I did get this, though:

Re-creation of my days as a medieval re-creationalist.

Which is an excellent segue to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where last night we were treated to Anne Boleyn. I joked about not spoiling the end, but really, we all know Anne's fate. The play was a fascinating mix of social history, political intrigue, religious hereticalism, and lust.

The Globe is a replica of the open-air theater built in 1599 where William Shakespeare worked and wrote his plays. I've been to a similar theater in Washington, DC, the Folger. It's a fun way to see a show, with three tiered balconies and the actors addressing the crowd.

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So, I think that brings me up to date! I'm leaving for Paris in the morning and will be off-line until sometime on Monday. Au revoir!

Performance: Street and Stage

There's a lot of talent in this town. Some of it can be found in in the tube stations or on the street. I caught this guy at Oxford Circus on Friday night when I was exploring on my own. I videotaped two minutes of his performance and then tossed 50p into the suitcase near his drum kit. On the way back to my flat several hours later, I saw him leaning against the window engaged in heated conversation with another person, en français.

Then last night, our entire group went to see Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

You can take a virtual tour of the entire theater on the Victoria Palace website. My seat was in the front row of the uppermost balcony

Screenshot from virtual tour video. © Victoria Palace Theatre

I was fortunate enough to see Billy Elliot in Portland a few months ago. I was glad to see that there was very little difference between the two shows. This makes me feel as if the Broadway Across America touring shows we get in Portland at the Keller Auditorium are equal in quality to the shows we'd be seeing if we went to New York or London.

Naturally the best part of the show was the young dancer who played Billy Elliot, as well as the other kids in the musical. What incredible dedication these kids have to do such a demanding, professional job, night after night (even considering there are multiple dancers who play Billy.) And what incredibly supportive parents they must have as well.

Chick liked the show, too, though he was dismayed by all the f-bombs dropped by the child actors. Geez, Chick, don't be such a prude.