In Which Kailey's Father Comes to Town

Tuesday I went with my “Historic London” class to see the Globe Theatre, a working, open-air theater built as a replica of the original globe theater. But since the original globe theater caught fire and burnt to the ground, leaving no blueprints or models behind, the Globe Theatre today is really just a good guess.

Wednesday I went to see a modern adaptation of “Titus Andronicus” by Shakespeare at the Arcola Theatre with my “Performing Arts in London” class. I’m going to try my best to keep my description of this family-friendly. This play is one of William Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays. In the story people kill each other and do things to each other that are worse than killing each other and then some other stuff that is equally horrendous. At the end of the play you find yourself cheering for the bad guys, who were seeking revenge against the bad guys, and because our dear friend Bill Shakespeare is such an excellent writer, the whole thing feels very triumphant. But when the curtain rolls you end up feeling manipulated for siding with evil. Except that you’re so exhilarated by the sound of Shakespeare ringing in your ears that you’re glad you saw the play. At the same time you want to wash your eyes out. * Disclaimer : Inappropriate for Children * If you’re a well seasoned human well accustomed to death and depravity, you could definitely look up the plot on your own and then imagine seeing this play adapted for rival gangs of skinheads and goths in the 1980s replete with plenty of fake blood, some nudity, and gore.

Nothing more exciting really happened until the weekend, but then my father came to town. He was on his way to India for a business trip and stopped by to visit. I showed him around my stomping grounds, and we acted like tourists, seeing the Tower of London, taking an open bus tour, and experiencing the London Eye firsthand. It was great to get to spend that much one-on-one time with my father, a luxury we usually don’t have. 

We took a Yeoman warder tour of the Tower of London. You have to serve in the military for twenty-two years to begin to qualify for the position of Yeoman warder. The Yeoman warder live on the Tower of London grounds and guard the crown jewels. 

School field trip! 

The faces. 

The British are big into blood and gore and brutality.

Friday night, we set up a make-shift bed for my dad to sleep on because his luggage was still in transit only to be woken up just before falling asleep to the sound of the delivery guy calling to set matters right.

On Saturday morning, we walked down Regent's Canal and around Victoria park, the place where I go running.

You see that red structure? It's a slide. 

I popped popcorn the night before and we fed the waterfowl. It's something he taught me to love as a young child, taking me every weekend to feed the ducks when we lived in Oregon.

Swans are more willing to accept popcorn than the geese. Turns out British birds are picky eaters.

I know this is a dragon, but, "What does the fox say?!

This is a South American house-boat vendor named Pablo. My life is awesome.

Saturday afternoon we went on an open bus tour around the city.

There are signs up for the NFL all down Oxford Street and there was an NFL rally in Trafalgar square. AMERICA!

This photo is not spectacular except for the engraving above the door of that building. It says, "Westmorland House." Westmorland was the multi-family housing unit we lived in when my dad was finishing his degree and where we lived when some of my earliest memories begin.

This somehow has something to do with Punch and Judy and they serve fish and chips for six pounds on Tuesdays.

Because I am so mature. NAKED BABY! 

My mother's name.

Then there was the ferry ride. The tour guide was actually not a tour guide but a waterman by trade. He was the best one we had all weekend.