1997 Trip: Leaving London

Today we went to Hamley's the biggest toy store in the world (5 stories) & got some stuff, like stuffed animals (me & Chrissie), posters (m & C), small trinkets (C), a "Gromit" pen (M), & craft books (Mom). After having lunch, we saw Jesus Christ Superstar, at the Lyceum (I rate it between Oliver & Guys & Dolls - pretty good). After dinner, we went back to the hotel to get ready for bed.

1997 Trip: Lazy in London

Today I did nothing except watch TV (Cartoon Network, as always) & eat. I have no museums or activities to write down, but we did call grandpa today. Otherwise, nothing really happened. Bye!

1997 Trip: A Birthday in London, Shakespeare, and More Culture

Here it is:

• Friday: It, of course, was my birthday. Chrissie & Mom surprised me w/cards, art supplies, & a cake (wheeled in the room at night). We went to the Tower of London & also went to see The Winter's Tale at the reopened Globe Theater. It was okay, but the girl who played Perdita was a bit annoying & the stage was such that one of the major focal points was hard to see from my seat. It was a good experience, anyways, so I wasn't upset.
• Saturday: On Saturday we finished up the British Museum, seeing the literary area, Mexican art (I liked the turquoise masks), prints by Picasso, & Korean art. Then, we went to see the new musical Always, about the romance between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. I thought it was cheesy & also had bad music, but Chrissie & Mom thought it was pretty good.
• Sunday: After finally getting into the Hard Rock Cafe for an early lunch, we went to the National Gallery & saw the paintings there. Though the work was great, we all reached a consensus that we were museumed out!
• Monday: Today was our day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, where we saw Anne Hathaway's house, Shakespeare's mother's house (where I got to hold & feed an owl), & the exterior of Shakespeare's birthplace (it was closed by the time we got there). As a side note, Chrissie & I almost got locked in a store! Well, bye!

1997 Trip: Museums, Musicals, and More

• Wednesday: First, we went over to Westminster Abbey & saw all of the famous graves. After lunch, we headed over to a matinee of "Oliver," which was not as good as "Guys and Dolls," though it was nice. At intermission, when I attempted to get a CD, the stand was bombarded with pushy schoolkids & I had to wait until the end to get it. Also, the kids in the audience were a bit antsy.
• Thursday: Today we saw the British Museum (or most of it - we'll come back later), visiting the Ancient Greek, Roman, & Egyptian antiques (including the Rosetta Stone), Medieval to modern decoration, and an exhibit on mummies during the Roman-Egyptian period (which had paintings of faces rather than standard Egyptian stuff). We had an early dinner & went back to the hotel.

Ok - that's it. Bye!

1997 Trip: Culture in London

Here it is:

• Monday: In the morning we went over to Madame Tussaud's & the Planetarium. After lunch (where I had some really good "dough balls"), we went to the Dickens & Sherlock Holmes museums. After getting back, we dressed up to see "Guys & Dolls" at the Olivier theater. Because we got back late, we ordered room service before bed.
• Tuesday: After a late start, we headed to MOMI (Museum of the Moving Image). The temporary exhibition there was on Disney's Hercules & was pretty nice. To appease Dad, we went over to the Cabinet War Rooms, which were organized like they would be during WWII. We then had dinner & got ready for bed.

That's it for today.

1997 Trip: Parting with Paris, Cheerio to London

I finally have another chance to catch up, so here's what we did:

• Thursday: We complied with Chrissie's wishes & saw Disneyland Paris. Many rides were completely different from the Anaheim versions. The Indiana Jones ride was a straight-up roller coaster (with a loop-the-loop) and Space Mountain had both a loop-the-loop & a corkscrew. Thankfully, the park closed at 8:00, but we didn't get back until late.
• Friday: We went to London on the Eurostar (through the "chunnel"). It was nice, with tables & assigned seats. However, it was nearly empty. We made it to our hotel & had dinner.
• Saturday: We went to Regent's Park & the London Zoo. The park was lovely & I enjoyed the zoo more than I thought I would. I especially liked the potoroos, the skunk which I named the "coffee skunk" b/c it kept running in circles & bumping into the glass, the tigers, the bats, and the apes.
• Sunday: Today we saw the Imperial War Museum. While the Fashion & Espionage exhibits & "The Trench Experience" were nice & it was overall better than I expected, the straight out war stuff tended to be a bit on the dull side. We walked home with a stop at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner & watched some TV.

Well, that's it. See you later!

1997 Trip: Bonjour Paris

It's really late & I have to get to sleep, so I'll be quick:

• Sunday: We went to the Trevi Fountain & then walked around. After playing Hearts at the hotel, we went to Alfredo's (the original restaurant was closed, but we found a 2nd one) for a farewell dinner.
• Monday: We flew to Paris. I was able to talk to the lady next to me ("Ellen") b/c she knew some English & my Spanish helped me understand some Italian.
• Tuesday: We toured Paris, going from the prisons that held Marie Antoinette to Notre Dame to the Pantheon (which held the graces of French notaries) and back to the hotel. It was 5 miles total, but the cold temperatures & interesting sights made it bearable (I especially liked the crypts of the Pantheon).
• Wednesday: We saw the Louvre. That place is huge! There was some beautiful work, and, though the Mona Lisa was crowded (as expected), Leonardo's other stuff & many very famous paintings (David's crowning of Napoleon) were easily seen. Though it was worthwhile, everyone was tired by the end. We later went to the fair by the Louvre & went on a flume ride (so-so), a roller coaster (ow), a haunted house (so-so), spinning swings (pretty good), a motion simulator (nobody else was in the cabin so Chrissie & I kept sliding from side to side), and a fun house (all I have to say is that fun is relative - I would call it a bumping around house). It was okay, but I would have rather stayed back. Oh well.

 Goodbye & good night!