Travel Diary

There was no time to lose. I woke up early and grabbed my camera to take some shots of the city in the morning. Before people wake up, the bridges are clear and--if the lighting is good-- one can take great shots. But the lighting still wasn’t all too accomodating. I did what I could and returned to the hotel to check out.

I took the train back to the airport and caught a quick flight to London. Once there, I went to a travel desk and picked up a weekly travel card (Oyster) for Zones 1 to 3. I then tubed into the city and found my first hotel. It was the Sanctuary House, which I had stayed at the year before. The price had dropped at the last minute so it was well worth returning. The place is nice. The staff is friendly. I do recommend it a lot.

Before finishing the check-in, they noted I had not opted for the breakfast and asked if I would like to purchase that. I said that while I loved the hotel, breakfast was not their forte and turned that down (really, it was pretty bad).

Once checked into my room, I walked down to Victoria Street to visit a Carphone Warehouse and buy a sim card and data plan for my phone. I wanted full data for the week that I would be there. They had a fabulous deal. The plan was 500GB of data 1000 texts and 150 minutes, all for the unbelievable price of 9 pounds (about $12). Wow! Sold! I wasn’t positive the sim card would work with my Verizon iPhone6, but they popped it in, rebooted and voila! I had data and minutes--should I choose to use them (I never did, or maybe I did one time).

That, my friends, is THE way to go. Again, $12 for a week of data and minutes.

Returning, I found a neat church--Westminster Cathedral--and got some great photos there. Plus, they had a bell tower, which I never turn down ascending. The view was good, but time and progress had allowed other tall buildings to spring up, so the view was mainly of other these other tall buildings.

Then I got some take-away Thai food and headed back to the hotel. Oh, yeah, and a 4-pack of Guinness. My backpack was at the hotel, so it was a little tough to carry it all, but I managed. When it comes to holiday booze, I manage.

At the hotel, I consumed my beer and food and then headed out to my first scheduled show: “The Spoils.” It was one that American actor Jesse Eisenberg had written, and featured him and a “Game of Thrones” actor (Alfie aka Theon). The show was a riot. I was splitting my sides laughing so much. (That said, there was a deal of bathroom humor at times, which worked okay. I guess sometimes gross humor is allowed for a comedy.)

After the show, I hung around outside for a long time, hoping to greet the actors. I didn’t think any of them would come out until I finally saw Jesse exit and immediately dash across the street. I figured, what the heck, and crossed too. Free country. I could say hello if I wanted to. But he was gone in a flash. I ran into another American who was hoping to do likewise. A moment later, we saw Jesse, but he was on the phone (or claimed to be) and we let him dart away again. He’s a rascally fellow.

It was a bit disappointing but some people are just shy by nature and only comfortable around strangers when a fourth wall (albeit invisible) is separating both parties.

The American did mention that he was able to meet “Theon,” who was talkative and friendly. I grimaced at hearing I missed that opportunity, but I never saw where he was.

I returned to the hotel and crashed for the night.

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