London, England
G'day. Todd here again. Today we woke up, at what felt like a frightfully earlier time. Perhaps it wasn't so early as late considering when we went to be bed. Unfortunately our new French friends had to go back to South Hampton to their jobs and we must continue on with our trip. We will miss them. They will both have a special place in our hearts.
We made it back to the hotel with enough time to take quick naps before check out time. Apparently Nick had been making plans while we were out entertaining. Through the contacts he had made at Land Rover a time was set for an interview with a prominent Land Rover enthusiast and author James Taylor. Nick asked if I would join him and I agreed.
Throughout the rest of the day I tried to rally, but really, it was not much use. My body was worn out. Nick and Chanda announced they were going out for the afternoon but I was too tired. Instead I stayed in the room and watched the movie Four Rooms on Nick's laptop. It was a great distraction from the bustling city even though I felt a bit guilty that I wasn’t seeing and experiencing the city. The guilt didn’t win its battle with exhaustion. Four minutes into Four Rooms and I was out like a light. By the time I woke up, Nick, Doug and Jeff had left and I found myself alone in the room.
I heard the door opening and quickly wiped the drool from my cheek. Chanda entered and greeted me inquiring about the others. I had no idea what time it was, but apparently it was time to leave. Russ, Gina, Chanda and Nick had tickets for the performance of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Chanda invited me along and quickly left. Eventually I managed to drag myself out of bed, She had written a "meet us" note, placed in an obvious place, which made it easy for me to meet up with them.
I headed downtown to the theater. London has a great feel in the day or night, because it seems to be built much differently than any American City I’ve experienced. Maybe it’s my Hollywood background, but there seems to be a certain thrill, or maybe a role I take on, while walking in this stately city. Perhaps it’s the age or the architecture. Or maybe it’s the automobiles or accents, or the combination of the three, which sets it apart from newer more grid-like layouts of other cities. Los Angeles, where I grew up, doesn't compare, and neither does New York. I can't quite put my finger on what separates them, but something does.
As time was a factor we headed straight for the theater and into our seats. Although the performance would most likely seem completely and utterly sacrilegious to a devout Shakespearian, it was hilarious to me. The performers (Americans) had reduced all the works of Shakespeare into a two-hour performance. Since this was their goal, they called the act "The Reduced Shakespeare Company.” In true American fashion it exemplified American wit and disdain for tradition. I would recommend the performance to anyone who has guts to watch Laurel and Hardy do Shakespeare.
Unfortunately Nick never met up with us, good thing for me since I used his ticket. We capped the night with dinner and a drink (one of my favorite things to do in Britain is to have a pint of bitter). We went back to the hotel and, once again, I fell asleep on the floor of Nick and Chanda's room. I had a strange dream, which I can’t quite recall, but it had to do with tomorrow’s interview with James Taylor. It was a big deal for us but I wasn’t sure what we would say.
