Category: England

Dartmoor

Dartmoor

Dartmoor National Park is a vast expanses of moorland rising to rocky outcrops (tors and crags) where ponies and sheep graze intently among the bracken and heather, falling to picturesque wooded valleys where villages shelter beneath the moor. Linger on Dartmoor and enjoy some of the following sights:

Haytor Crags

The view from atop Haytor Crags on the Bovey to Widecombe road is a spectacular one—there is a feel of The Hound of the Baskervilles to the place. Softer and prettier is the walk down wooded Lydford Gorge (NT) to White Lady Waterfall (between Tavistock and Okehampton). A cluster of cottages and a tall church steeple make up Widecombe in the Moor, the village made famous by the Uncle Tom Cobbleigh song. The famous fair is still held on the second Tuesday in September. The pretty town of Chagford at the edge of the moor has attractive houses and hostelries grouped round the market square. Buckland-in-the-Moor is full of picturesque thatched cottages. Buckland Abbey (NT), once a Cistercian abbey and home of Sir Francis Drake, is now a museum with scale model ships from Drake’s time to today among its exhibits At Buckfastleigh you can take a steam train 7 miles alongside the river Dart. Castle Drogo (NT) is a fanciful, castlelike home designed by Edward Lutyens overlooking the moor near Drewsteignton.

Chagford

Castle Drogo

Castle Drogo

Chagford

Buckland in the Moor

Buckfast Abbey

Castle Drogo

Wells Cathedral

Wells is England’s smallest cathedral city and the cathedral is glorious. Park your car in one of the well-signposted car parks on the edge of town and walk through the bustling streets to Wells Cathedral. The cathedral’s west front is magnificently adorned with 400 statues of saints, angels, and prophets. The interior is lovely and on every hour the Great Clock comes alive as figures of four knights joust and one is unseated. From the cathedral you come to Vicars Close, a cobbled street of tall-chimneyed cottages with little cottage gardens, built over 500 years ago as housing for the clerical community. On the other side of the cathedral regal swans swim lazily in the moat beneath the Bishop’s Palace where at one time they rang a bell when they wanted to be fed—now visitors’ picnics provide easier meals. There’s some delightful shops/stores on the town square. Just on the outskirts of town consider staying at Beryl a delightful B&B in a lovely home.

Glastonbury

Nearby Glastonbury is an ancient market town steeped in legends. As the story goes, Joseph of Arimathea traveled here and leaned on his staff, which rooted and flowered, a symbol that he should build a church. There may well have been a primitive church here but the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey that you see are those of the enormous abbey complex that was begun in the 13th century and closed by Henry VIII just as it was completed. The abbey is in the center of town. Legend also has it that Glastonbury (at that time surrounded by marshes and lakes) was the Arthurian Isle of Avalon. Arthur and Guinevere are reputedly buried here and it is said that Arthur only sleeps and will arise when England needs him.

Shottery, Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Not a lot is known about William Shakespeare (1564-1616) but a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon will get you as close as you can get to the bard and give you an insight into life in his hometown. As you approach Stratford look for signposts directing you Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Anne married William Shakespeare in 1582, but until then she lived in a darling thatched cottage at Shottery, a small village just a stone’s throw from Stratford-upon-Avon. You see paintings and photographs of this picture-book cottage all over the world.

Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of the greatest poet in the English language, William Shakespeare. Stratford-upon-Avon is always impossibly crowded with visitors—if crowds are not to your liking, give it a miss. William Shakespeare was born in a half-timbered house on Henley Street (Shakespeare’s Birthplace, now a museum alive with the bright colors and patterns of late 16^th century furniture), educated at the King’s New Grammar School and, in 1597, six years before his death, retired to New Place one of the finest and largest houses in Stratford.  New Place was demolished in 1759 but its foundations can still be seen. To give you an idea of what New Place might have looked like visit the adjacent Nash’s House in Chapel Street which is furnished as New Place might have been.

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Downtown Stratford

The playwright would have known the carved timber frontage of Harvard House in the High Street. It was built in 1596 by Thomas Rogers grandfather of the founder of Harvard University.

Simply engraved stones in front of the altar of the Holy Trinity Church mark the burial spot of Shakespeare and some other members of his family. It is a fairly large town, with beautifully renovated timbered buildings and lovely shops. The town’s glory, however, is brought expertly to the stage at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and at its associate theatre, The Other Place

Stratford, Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Stratford along the river

Just outside Stratford, though technically in the town, you find Cross O Th Hills Farmhouse, a very handy place to stay just a 15 minute walk across the fields to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Burford

Little Barrington

Burford’s broad High Street sweeps down the hillside to the River Windrush bordered by numerous antique and gift shops. Branching off are delightful, narrow residential streets with flower-filled cottage gardens. In the days when the horse-drawn coach was the main form of transport, Burford was a way station. The coaches are long gone but the lovely inns remain: two with the most atmosphere are The Bay Tree and the adjacent Lamb Inn which along with Burford House are splendid places to stay.

Leave town following the road over the River Windrush. Go left at the mini-roundabout, directing yourself down country lanes to Taynton with its adorable thatched and golden-stone cottages and on up the valley to Great Barrington and Little Barrington, a village of quaint cottages. Turn right along the A40 towards Cheltenham and first right to Windrush where you pick up signs for the drive down country lanes through Sherbourne to Bourton-on-the-Water. (When you come to the A429 turn right and then right into Bourton-on-the-Water.)

Bourton on the Water

Bourton-on-the-Water is a lovely village with a number of riverside greens and low bridges spanning the River Windrush. Go early in the morning, just before sunset, or in the winter to avoid the crowds that overrun this peaceful (albeit somewhat over-commercialized) spot. One of my favorite places to stay lies just up the road: Clapton Manor in Clapton on the Hill.

Lower Slaughter

Leave Bourton-on-the-Water by going down the main street and turning right for a very short distance on the A429 (in the direction of Cheltenham) to a left-hand turn that directs you down country lanes to the more peaceful side of the Cotswolds. This is typified by the outstandingly lovely villages of Lower and Upper Slaughter with their honey-colored stone cottages beside peaceful streams—just the names on the signposts are enough to lure you down their lanes. From Upper Slaughter follow signs for Stow-on-the-Wold down country lanes through “the Swells,” Lower and Upper Swell, further picturesque examples of villages with whimsical names. In Lower Swell consider staying at Rectory Farmhouse.

Stow on the Wold

Stow-on-the-Wold, its market square lined by mellow, old, gray-stone buildings, was one of the most prosperous wool towns in England. Most of the 17th-century buildings around the square now house interesting shops. Two of Stow’s main thoroughfares—Sheep Street and Shepherds Way—are reminders that selling sheep was once the town’s main livelihood. Cromwell converted the 12th-century church into a prison and used it to hold 1,000 Royalists captive after a Civil War battle in 1646.

Nearby Moreton in Marsh’s broad main street, once part of the Roman road known as the Fosse Way, is lined with interesting shops. At the crossroads take the A44 towards Evesham to Bourton-on-the-Hill, an appropriately named village whose houses climb a steep hillside. At the top of the hill turn right for Blockley (consider staying at the lovely Lower Brook House) and follow signs for the village center until you pick up signs for Broad Campden where there is no more splendid place to stay than The Malt House and on to nearby Chipping Campden whose High Street is lined with gabled cottages and shops topped by steep tile roofs.

Moreton in Marsh

Cotswold Cottage

Leave Chipping Campden in the direction of Evesham (a small side road off the High Street that takes you past chocolate-box cottages to the A44, which you cross for the short drive through lavender-lined lanes past Snowshill Lavender to Snowshill and Snowshill Manor (NT), a Tudor manor packed with collections of musical instruments, clocks, toys, and bicycles, and surrounded by lovely cottage gardens. tel: 01386-852410.

Snowshill

Snowshill Manor

Broadway

Just down the lane, flowers dress the picturesque weathered-stone houses of Broadway, a town that is often described as the perfection of Cotswold beauty. The Lygon Arms is as famous as the town, a magnificent 14th- to 16th-century hostelry well worth a peek into its bar and lounges. Just steps from the Lygon Arms is Russell’s a splendid restaurant with lovely rooms.  Just up the street in a quiet cul de sac you find The Olive Branch B&B.

Know that you deserve the best and if you can afford the best Buckland Manor in Buckland lies two miles from Broadway.

Bath, Pump Room

Bath, tour bus

The elegant city of Bath with its graceful, honey-colored buildings, interesting museums, and delightful shopping area is best explored on foot over a period of several days. Bath, founded by the Romans in the 1st century around the gushing mineral hot springs, reached its peak of popularity in the early 1700s with the arrival of Beau Nash, who opened the first Pump Room where people could take the water and socialize. Architects John Wood, father and son, used the local honey-colored stone to build the elegant streets and crescents in neoclassical Palladian style.

Maps are available from the Tourist Information Centre near the abbey on York Street. Entry into the Roman Baths is via the Pump Room which was the place to gather in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Great Bath, a large warm swimming pool built around a natural hot spring, now open to the sky, was once covered. Mosaics, monuments, and many interesting artifacts from the town can be seen in the adjacent museum.

Bath, Sally Lunn's House

Nearby, tucked into a narrow passageway between Abbey Green and North Parade, is Sally Lunn’s House, a museum and a teashop. The museum, in the cellar, has the kitchen preserved much as it was in the 1680s when Sally’s buns and other baked goods were the favorites of Bath society. Upstairs you can try a freshly baked Sally Lunn bun.

Eighteenth-century society came to be seen at balls and gatherings at the Assembly Rooms and authors such as Austen, Smolett, and Fielding captured the social importance of these events. The Museum of Costume, in the Assembly Rooms basement, should not be missed.

From the Museum of Costume it is an easy walk via The Circus, a tight circle lined with splendid houses designed by John Wood I, and Brock Street to the Royal Crescent, a great arc of 30 terraced houses that epitomize the Georgian elegance of Bath. One Royal Crescent has been authentically restored to the 18th-century style and contains an interesting kitchen museum and a gift shop.

Bath has some wonderful restaurants and delightful shops and boutiques: whether you are in the market for antiques or high fashion, you will find shopping here a real joy.

When in Bath consider staying at Dukes Hotel just a couple of minutes walk from Pulteney Bridge. We like to stay a short train ride away in Bradford on Avon a delightful town with lots of antique shops at Priory Steps.

Bath, Royal Crescent

Bath, Royal Crescent

Mousehole

Mousehole

As the road rounds the peninsula from Land’s End, it is exposed to the calmer Channel waters, far different from the Atlantic rollers. Mount’s Bay is just around the bend from Land’s End with the pretty village of Mousehole (pronounced “mowzle”) tucked into a niche on its shores. With color-washed cottages crowded into a steep valley and multicolored fishing boats moored at its feet, this adorable village is crowded in summer but worth the aggravation endured in finding a parking spot.

Penzance

Penzance

Pirates from France and the Barbary Coast used to raid the flourishing port town of Penzance until the mid-18th century. Now it is quite a large town, a real mishmash of styles from quaint fishermen’s cottages to ’60s housing estates, where long, peaceful, sandy beaches contrast with the clamor and activity of dry-dock harbors.

St. Michael's Mount

Leave Penzance on the A30 following the graceful sweep of Mount’s Bay and turn right onto a minor road that brings you to St. Michael’s Mount (NT). Its resemblance to the more famous mount in France is not coincidental, for it was founded by monks from Mont St. Michel in 1044. A 19th-century castle and the ruins of the monastery crown the island, which is reached at low tide on foot from the town of Marazion. If you cannot coincide your arrival with low tide, do not worry—small boats ferry you to the island. The steep climb to the top of this fairy-tale mount is well worth the effort.  Wake up to splendid views of St. Michael’s Mount and stay in Endovean Farmhouse B&B in nearby Perranuthnoe or stay “just up the street” in a countryside idyll at Ennys Farmhouse near Goldsithney.

To the east lies Falmouth. Overlooking the holiday resort, yachting center, and ancient port are the ruins of Pendennis Castle. Built in 1540 to guard the harbor entrance, it was held during the Civil War by the Royalists and withstood six months of siege before being the last castle to surrender to Cromwell’s troops in 1646. Falmouth is a bustling town whose narrow, shop-lined streets have a complex one-way system—parking is an additional problem. Unless you have shopping to do, avoid the congestion of the town center and follow signposts for Truro.

Pub near King Harry Ferry

King Harry Ferry

The road from Falmouth to St. Mawes winds around the river estuary by way of Truro. A faster and more scenic route is to take the King Harry Ferry across the river estuary. If you love wandering around gardens, you will enjoy Trelissick Gardens (NT), filled with subtropical plants, located on the Falmouth side of the estuary.

St. Mawes

St. Mawes

St. Mawes is a charming, unspoilt fishing harbor at the head of the Roseland Peninsula. Its castle was built by Henry VIII to defend the estuary. Here you find the splendid Hotel Tresanton one a hotel that has been a favorite of mine for over 30 years.

Mevagissey

Mevagissey

The 20 miles or so of coastline to the east of St. Mawes hide several beautiful villages located down narrow, winding country lanes. Portscatho is a lovely fishing village that has not been overrun with tourists. Veryan is a quaint village where thatched circular houses were built so that “the devil had nowhere to hide.” Portloe is a pretty fishing hamlet. The most easterly village is Mevagissey whose beauty attracts writers, artists, and throngs of tourists.

Overlooking this quaint port lie the expansive estates of the Tremayne family, centered at one time on Heligan House and its vast acres of gardens and woodlands. There used to be 20 staff in the house and 22 in the garden but all this ended in the 1914–18 war when two-thirds of the gardeners died fighting in Flanders. After that the garden went into decline and when the Tremaynes sold the house, in 1970, for conversion to apartments, it simply went to sleep—a sleep from which it emerged in the 1990s when two professional gardeners hacked their way through the undergrowth and were inspired to begin the largest garden restoration project in Europe. Evoking images of The Secret Garden, the Lost Gardens of Heligan have emerged from their slumber. A magnificent complex of walled gardens, vegetable gardens, and melon yards shows how pineapples and melons were grown in Victorian times. To the south of the main garden are vast acres of palms and tree ferns know as The Jungle, which leads to the Lost Valley with its woodland walks.

Eden Project

Eden Project

Drive through St. Austell on the A390 and turn left up into the hills above the town, following signs to The Eden Project, set in a former china clay pit. The aim of this project is to promote the understanding and responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people, and resources. At the bottom of the giant crater are the world’s largest greenhouses clinging onto the cliffs like huge soap bubbles. In the space of a day you can walk from the scented warmth of the Mediterranean to the steaminess of a rainforest. You’ll find plenty of convenient parking and enough hands-on exhibits and restaurants to make this a fun visit rather than an academic experience.

If you are looking for a place to stay just down the road from The Eden Project you can do not better than Nanscawen Manor House, a B&B, on the outskirts of nearby St. Blazey.

Llanhydrock

Llanhydrock

Your next destination, Llanhydrock (NT lies just a short distance away. Follow signs to Bodmin and take the dual carriageway (A30) to the first exit signed Lanhydrock. Set in a vast estate and surrounded by formal gardens, Llanhydrock showcases what was the very latest in contemporary living in 1881—there’s even central heating. It looks as though the family has just stepped out, leaving the dining table laid for an elaborate party, toys in the nursery waiting to be played with, the schoolroom all set for lessons, afternoon tea set up in the mistress’ sitting room, and desserts all ready to be served from the kitchen.

Llanhydrock kitchen

Return to the A30, drive northeast to Lostwithiel, the 13th-century capital of Cornwall. Twenty miles to the east, Liskeard is crowded in summer, but fortunately much of the traffic has been diverted around the town. Between Liskeard and Tavistock you find Cotehele (NT), built between 1485 and 1627, the home of the Edgecumbe family. The house contains original furniture, armor, and needlework. A highlight is the kitchen with all its wonderful old implements. The gardens terrace steeply down to the lovely River Tamar which separates Cornwall from Devon.

Tintagel Post Office

Tintagel Castle

Tintagel Castle clings to a wild headland, exposed to coastal winds, claiming the honor of being King Arthur’s legendary birthplace. The sea has cut deeply into the slate cliffs, isolating the castle. Climb the steep steps to the castle and gaze down at the sea far below. Prince Charles, as Duke of Cornwall, owns the castle whose interior is more attractive than the exterior. The town itself, while it is quite touristy, has charm and the most adorable, and certainly most photographed, Post Office (NT) in Britain.

St. Ives

St. Ives

Leaving Tintagel, follow signs for the A39, in the direction of Truro, to the A30, which takes you around Redruth, Cambourne, and Hayle to the A3074 to St. Ives, about an hour-and-a-half’s journey if the roads are not too busy. Stay on the A3074 until the road is signposted sharp right to the harbor. Go left and follow parking signs to the Recreation Centre. Park your car here and walk down into town. Your destination is Fore Street with its galleries, restaurants, and interesting shops. Fore Street leads you to the quaint harbor while a left on Digbey will bring you to the

St. Ives, The Tate Gallery

Tate Gallery on Porthmeor Beach., tel: 01736-710507 Whistler and Sickert discovered St. Ives while sculptress Barbara Hepworth and painter Ben Nicholson made it famous. Admission to the Tate also includes admission to Barbara Hepworth’s garden filled with her sculptures. If you are not a fan of modern art, just ask for a pass to visit the rooftop café and enjoy the spectacular views. In St. Ives we enjoy the utter tranquility of the Boskerris Hotel.

Leaving St. Ives, follow signposts to St. Just, which brings you the most attractive, windswept stretch of Cornwall’s coastline. Stone farm villages hug the bare expanse of land and are cooled by Atlantic Ocean breezes that waft up over the cliff edges. A splendid place to stay is found just outside St. Ives in the hamlet of Treen: The Gurnard’s Head. As you travel down the cost abandoned old tin mine towers stand in ruins and regularly dot the horizon. On the western outskirts of St. Just lies Cape Cornwall. Rather than visit over-commercialized Land’s End, visit here to enjoy a less crowded, more pastoral western view. Pull into  Sennen Cove with its long, curving crescent of golden sand and the powerful Atlantic surf rolling and pounding.

The expression “from John O’Groats to Land’s End” signifies the length of Britain from its northeasternmost point in Scotland to England’s rocky promontory, Land’s End, in the southwest. Many visitors to Cornwall visit Land’s End, but be prepared to be disappointed—you have to pay to enter a compound of refreshment stands, exhibits, and children’s rides to get to the viewpoint.

Cape Cornwall

Rugged Cornwall Coastline

Cornish Tin Mine

St. Ives

Lands End

St. Ives

Oxford is a beautiful university town graced by spacious lawns, pretty parks, lacy spires, honey-colored Cotswold stones, romantic pathways, and two picturesque rivers—the Cherwell and the Thames (known as the Isis at if flows through Oxford). While we arrived by car it’s also a perfect place to visit if you are traveling by train though do be aware that Burlington House, where we stayed is a bus ride away from the city centre. We have been to Oxford before  but if you are a first time visitor you may want to make your first stop the Oxford Information Centre 15-16 Broad Street, to obtain a map. Walking tours of the town start from here and this is in the shopping part of the city…lots of shopping opportunities!

Blackwell's Bookstore, Oxford

Punts, Oxford

Much of the sightseeing in this the oldest university town centers on its colleges whose open times depend on whether the students are “up” (there) or “down” (not there). They are usually open from 2-5pm. Particularly worth visiting are Christ Church College with its superb quad and tower designed by Christopher Wren to hold the bell Great Tom; Magdalen College, the most beautiful college, with its huge gardens making you feel as if you are in the countryside; and Merton College whose chapel contains 13th- to 14th-century glass. Apart from the colleges we enjoyed visiting Magdalen College,climbing the spire and enjoying a spectacular view of Oxford’s skyline and the adjacent All Souls College.

Christ Church College, Oxford

Bodlian Library, Oxford

We love to spend time in Blackwell’s Bookstore with over 20,000 volumes the most famous of Oxford’s bookstores. Visit the nearby  Bodelain Library founded in 1320 and loved the magnificent carved ceiling of the Divinity School added in 1488. The adjacent domed Baroque rotunda, the Radcliffe Camera, was built as a memorial to Dr John Radcliffe in 1784. Rain came on so we retreated to the nearby Ashmolean Museum with its remarkable collection of paintings, tapestries, and sculptures. The next day was spent exploring Britain’s oldest Botanic garden (founded 1621) walking along the river and punting on the River Cherwell beside from punts we hired by Magdalen Bridge.

We loved our stay at Burlington House, just a bus ride away from the heart of the city on Banbury Road.

Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford

Magdalen College, Oxford

Woodstock

Woodstock

Whenever we are in the Oxford area we try to spend a day at Blenheim Palace on the outskirts of the pretty country town of Woodstock. Sir Winston Churchill, the grandson of the 7th Duke, was born here on November 30, 1874, and associations with him have accentuated the historical interest of the palace. (If you are a Churchill fan know that Winston Churchill, his wife, father, Lord Randolph Churchill, and mother, Jenny Jerome, the beautiful daughter of an American newspaper owner, are buried in St. Martin’s churchyard in Bladon, 2 miles away.)

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace

Queen Anne gave John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough the manor of Woodstock and had this “palace” built for him after he direct the victory over the French and Bavarians at Blenheim in 1704. Sir John Vanbrugh’s designed the house. Before its completion Queen Anne’s gratitude had waned and the Marlborough family had to pay to have the house finished.

Of course the hero’s monument had to be surrounded with elaborate parks and gardens and Capability Brown (Britain’s most influential gardener) designed a man made pastoral setting with lakes and splendid monuments in 1764. The more elaborate 17^th century water terrace adjacent to the house was added in the 1920s.

You drive through the grounds to the house, park on the grass, and either tour the sumptuous rooms with a group or wander independently. A narrow-gauge railway takes you through the park to the butterfly farm and children’s adventure playground.

The rooms of the place are of splendid proportions with highlights being: the painted ceiling showing the 1^st Duke  presenting his plan for the Battle of Blenheim; the State Dining Room with its painted scenes of the walls and ceiling and the Long Library – originally designed as a picture gallery.

In contrast to the immense palace and spacious grounds are the compact streets of the little town of Woodstock with its coaching inns and interesting shops.  We usually visit Woodstock as a daytrip from Oxford or stay in Burford, a splendid Cotswold village, at either the Lamb Inn or Burford House.

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, The Grand Bridge

LONDON TIDBITS LONDON THEATRE MAY 2010

London offers an astonishing variety of things to see for those who love the theatre. It is mind-boggling to decide which to choose. Before leaving home, you can begin to do a bit of research by looking on the internet. If you experiment with key words such as theatre London, new plays, musicals, etc you can delve ever deeper into reviews that will help you make your choices. It is also helpful to find what plays are scheduled to begin since it is fun to see a show that is just opening, particularly if it is by one of your favorite producers or features one of your favorite actresses or actors. Tickets can also be purchased online.

Tickets to London’s theatres are expensive, but you are buying much more than just the play; you are buying a memorable experience. Many of the older theatres are opulent masterpieces. It used to be great fun to buy a cup of tea from one of the ladies at intermission, however, now it seems that ice cream is the favorite treat. Also, in the past every one appeared at the theatre splendidly attired with men in three piece suits and ladies in elegant dresses. Nowadays, most everyone arrives in casual attired.

You can book London theatre tickets in advance on the internet. Or you can email ahead to the concierge at your hotel and ask if he can pre-book plays for you. London hotels pride themselves on having the finest concierges in the world. Some concierges spent a career discreetly catering to distinguished guests and became quite famous (some retired quite wealthy, one I heard even bought the hotel he had worked in). The concierge where you are staying can likely give you some great tips on where to go and what plays to see. Not only have they usually seen most of the current plays, but also listen to hotel guests’ comments on their favorites. On this trip to London we stayed at the ever wonderful Dukes Hotel on St. James Place. The staff in general could not have been more accommodating and the concierge was  tremendously helpful in securing our theatre tickets. A gold star for the staff and concierge at Dukes Hotel!

Dukes Hotel, London, England

If you want to economize, on Leicester Square in the Clock-Tower Building you can buy tickets at discounted prices. Purchases can be made on the day or the show, or up to a week in advance. The disadvantage is that if you have your heart set on a particular show, you might not be able to secure tickets.

Going to the theatre in London is a far greater event than just seeing a show. Do as the British do and make it a whole evening affair. The majority of the theatres are located within walking distance of Covent Garden, which is especially convenient since the “tube” (London’s subway system) has a stop there. If you go by the tube, as soon as you leave the station, you will be immediately immersed in the London theatre scene. Just a few steps away are colorful pubs bustling with jolly patrons. Many of whom stand outside on the sidewalk in small groups laughing and chatting as they drink beer and perhaps a snack while waiting for the show. The colorful Covent Garden area abounds with every-so-cute, picturesque pubs.

Instead of joining into the partying going on outside of the pubs, we usually opt to arrive on the scene about two hours before the shows begin (most start at 7:30 pm) and have dinner at some small restaurant or at a pub (many pubs squeeze diners into the bar area or have upstairs dining rooms). It is fun to stroll the roads and choose a place that looks especially alluring. Many places have a theatre menu which is a set price 3-course meal that is very reasonable. Another choice for where to eat is at one of the many colorful restaurants within Covent Garden.

IN MAY 2010 WE SAW THE FOLLOWING PLAYS:

OLIVER, Royal Theatre Drury Lane: We previously saw Dickens’s wonderful tale “Oliver” in 2009 and were so enchanted with the performance that we couldn’t resist going again this year. The acting, singing, pacing, lighting, color, costumes, and stage settings are brilliant. The appeal of the cast of adorable, ever-so-talented young boys is irresistible. You will come out of the theatre smiling and singing “Consider yourself at home: Consider yourself part of the family.” This is really a “must see” show. We will probably go back again when we are in London next year.

LOVE NEVER DIES, Adelphi Strand Theatre: We felt lucky to be in London soon after Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to Phantom of the Opera opened in 2010. If our expectations had not been so high, we would probably have liked the show more than we did. But although the singing was extraordinary, overall we were disappointed. The plot seemed disjointed and rather trite. Who would expect the Phantom to end up in Coney Island? Although we were lukewarm about the show, to be fair, most of the audience loved it and demonstrated their enthusiasm with relentless clapping and “bravos.”

LEGALLY BLOND, Savoy Strand Theatre: We had seen the movie “Legally Blond” and thought the stage show might be worth seeing. We really didn’t expect much and were surprised to find this such a wonderful, happy production. There is nothing profound or intellectually inspiring about the show. Rather, it is just plain old fashioned fun with lots of music, talented singing, excellent acting, cute costumes, good staging. Plus, there was a very satisfactory ending where the “god guys” win and the “bad guys” have their comeuppance. You come away happy and smiling.

BILLY ELLIOT, Victoria Palace Theatre: “Billy Elliott” has already established itself as a very popular show in New York and London. However, if you have not yet seen it, the London production is superb. The story of a talented young boy from a poor mining town in Scotland who wants to go into ballet follows an expected storyline. Of course his father and his macho miner friends are totally against dancing classes for a boy. However, Billy’s dancing is remarkable and the audience is soon cheering for him, as the whole town does before the play is over.

WAR HORSE, New London Theatre: We would never have chosen War Horse without the advice our concierge. The reviews sounded rather silly. The theme of a young boy and his horse, battles in World War I, and life-sized metal horse puppets prancing around the stage sounded a bit silly. However, Ian, our concierge, highly recommended it as a show that all the guests came back raving about. He was absolutely right. We too were captivated by the stage settings, the interesting plot, the fine acting, the music, and above all horses. This play is really one you should see. It is a wonderful play, but you should see if for no other reason than to see the remarkable battle scenes performed by astonishing life-size puppets.