As I mentioned earlier it has been at least 15 years since we last traveled in London. I actually found a city map dated 1999 in my files!  It is the same for Gerry and Sue. So our goal for the day was to rediscover London by taking the hop on-hop off bus tours of the city.  “Big bus” tours actually offers 4 different tours plus a river trip on the Thames River so we selected two of them. The main tour is the red tour which covers the major sights of central London in about 2.5 hours. Even better,  it stops right outside our hotel door. For a nominal extra fee you can get a two-day pass which included the Thames River boat ride so that is what we picked. By 10 AM we were on the road. 

I had forgotten how pretty London is- clean streets, varied architecture (old and new) and plenty of flower boxes in residential areas. We drove through the area of Belgravia where the rich and famous live(d), past luxury hotels favored by the movie crowd and where the homes must all be repainted cream color every 5 years. Next was Hyde Park, Mayfair, Buckingham Palace, Bond Street, Harrods, etc- places we have all heard about. A new feature on this tour was the presence of a live narrator rather than the normal recorded storyline. It added a lot to the experience with anecdotes and funny stories added to the narration.

About half way through the tour we were at the Tower of London and decided to get off and explore it in more depth because of its historical significance. We thought it would be a quick stop but ended up spending almost 3 hours there. I had forgotten how really large the area was and how the cost of admission has increased (23 pounds for a senior) since we were last here. We arrived in time to join a tour lead by one of the famous Yeoman Wardens( who guard the Tower), commonly known as the Beefeaters (dressed in the iconic red/black uniform with the big hat),  who live, patrol and secure the site. We were told that they are former military people who, once selected, remain as part of the Beefeaters for life. We learned there have only been some 400+ Beefeaters since the 15th century when the group was formed. A piece of trivia: more people have been in space than the total number of Beefeaters since its beginnings.

The tour lasted about an hour and we learned about life (and death) in the Tower over the centuries of its existence.  The original tower is called the “white tower” and was the home of the royal family up to the 16th(?) century when the royalty moved to the present palaces. We heard about how executions were carried out and the famous people who lived (and died) in the Tower- like Thomas Cromwell, Sir Thomas More, Ann Boleyn and 16 year old Lady Jane Grey who was queen for only 9 days. It was a fascinating history lesson for all of us. 

While there we were also able to see the Crown Jewels as they are stored here.  Endless to say security was tight and no photographs were allowed. 

The resident ravens were seen. To refresh your history they have always been residents of the complex and history said  that if they ever left the Empire would fall. Some smart person decided to clip their wings and feed them well so they have no reason (or ability) to leave.  They are still here today and the Empire (although diminished) remains!

We grabbed a quick lunch on site and jumped back on the bus to complete the red line tour before returning back to our rooms for some rest and prep for our scheduled evening on the town.

An important London activity is attending the theater, as it is probably the 2 largest theater scene in the world. Tonight we are scheduled to see the musical “Tina”, based on the life of Tina Turner. The musical is new to the world, having only opened earlier this year and it is not even playing in the US.  We like her music and had seen her perform live in Milwaukee years ago.  

The shows always start at 7:30PM and most nearby restaurants offer “pre- theater”,  two or three course, dinner menus. I had made reservations for a 5:30 dinner at a French restaurant a few blocks from the theater. Because the theater was in the Covent Garden area and our hotel was near Buckingham Palace we would have to either take the “tube (underground subway)” or a cab to the district. The tube would require a change of lines and given the cost  for a ticket we decided to simply take a cab as it was no more expensive because there were four of us.  There must be a million (we’ll at least 1,000) of those famous black cabs roaming the city and we found it very easy to flag one down. I did look up Uber and there were a few of them roaming the area, but we decided to simply stick with the local cabs as the cost for a cab and an Uber was not all that much cheaper here. Traffic at 5 PM in London is as bad as any other major city and it took longer than I expected to get to the Covent Garden district. Another piece of trivia: Covent Garden got its name because there were once many “convents” in the area. Those disappeared and the name was simplified.

London theaters are much smaller in size compared to US theaters, making the experience more intimate. You are typically closer to the stage so it is easier to see the actors and more importantly they are easier to hear. In many respects it is a much nicer experience. The only negative is the seats tend to be closer together and leg room can become a problem for tall people. Our seats were about 8 rows from the stage and you felt you were part of the action.

The show is about Tina Turner’s life, starting as a young girl in the south, singing in church, being “discovered” by Ike Turner when she was a teen, her 16 year marriage to Ike and the abuse she received from him during that time, her subsequent divorce and hard times until reinventing herself with the help of a British music producer and subsequent stardom later in life. She really went through some very rough times and was near bankruptcy after her breakup with Ike Turner.

Obviously her songs were an important part of the musical and all those memorable hits were sung by a young lady with a great voice and dance moves, and an excellent back up band.  Supposedly Tina herself approved of the lead actress for the show and was involved in the creation of the musical. The musical ends with a foot stomping, hand clapping mini concert with the audience on their feet.  If it comes to the US it would definitely be worth seeing.

There are many theaters in the area and when the shows exit there are hundreds of people looking for transportation. I was concerned we might have trouble getting a cab but it turned out to not be much of a concern. It must be that the very large number of cabs plying the streets makes the problem less of one.

We called it a night as we had a long, busy day and tomorrow promises more of the same as we have tickets to see “Hamilton”.