One night about six years ago I went on a Google search to see if I could unearth any information about my family still living in Holland. I knew that we had cousins there and my Grandparents visited them many years, but nothing else. All I had to go on was that my Great-grandfather had a brother named John van der Wel that he left behind when he came to America in the late 1800s. A Google search revealed one possible lead. A man with the name matching my Great-grandfather’s brother was posted on a forum along with an email address. I took a shot in the dark and emailed him. Miraculously, he turned out to be my third cousin.

Since that time, John and I have been corresponding through email and John has been working on the family tree in Holland. When John read on my blog that Wendy and I were going to be in London, he made arrangements to fly to London from Amsterdam and meet us.

It was another beautiful day in London as Wendy and I made our way down to the Starbucks across from Embankment station where I’d instructed John to meet us. The sun was bright and warm and we enjoyed sitting out in the sun drinking our respective coffee and chai. There is another Starbucks about a block up the street and somehow John managed to sneak past us and was waiting for us there. Eventually I suspected we may have missed him and I found him waiting for us there.

It was a gorgeous day to walk, so we walked over to the London Eye, which John had hoped to see. The weekends are huge for tourism in London and the lines were already very long. John decided he didn’t want to wait in line, so we walked back to Trafalgar Square and then down through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace. John and I enjoyed talking and Wendy was enjoying herself snapping pictures.

We eventually made our way back to Trafalgar Square and had a quick bite of lunch before hooking up with a walking tour that went to famous rock and roll sites in the Soho district. We saw Paul McCartney’s music publishing company, Trident studios, the mural that inspired the cover of the Beatle’s St. Pepper album and the place where the Beatles started Apple records and held their famous rooftop rock concert.

We were tired and thirsty from all the walking and we headed back to The Sherlock Holmes pub where we enjoyed a few pints and a bite before John had to catch the train back to Heathrow for his flight home. John brought us a gift of some Dutch bitters and a pint of a Dutch beer. We really enjoyed the day with John and are looking forward to paying a visit to the Netherlands and hosting John somedahy when he  decides to come to the states.

Wendy and I headed back to the apartment and realized that we were really, really tired. There’s not much happening in London on Sundays, so that gave us a good excuse to stay in, get some rest, and go to bed at a decent time. We called the girls and were able to Skype with Taylor, which was wonderful.

It’s our last day in London. Harrod’s, Kensington Gardens, and the National Theatre are on the agenda today!

Pictures:

1. Wendy at Starbuck’s outside of Embankment Station.
2. The famous lions of Trafalgar Square.
3. Tom & John van der Wel on the Trafalgar Lion.
4. St. James Park (photo by Wendy).
5. Tom & Wendy in front of Buckingham Palace.
6. Tom & John in front of Buckingham Palage.
7. Tom & John at the Buckingham fountain.
8. Lion at Buckingham palace (photo by Wendy).
9. Buckingham fountain (photo by Wendy).
10. John & Wendy at The Sherlock Holmes.

Our fourth day in London, once again, dawned sunny and warm. We’ve certainly had a nice stretch of weather for our visit. Since our initial trip to the National Gallery was made on our sleepless first day, we decided to stop back and see a couple of the works we’d missed on our initial stop. Afterwards, it was back to Embankment station to catch the Tube (a.k.a underground or subway) to Wimbledon.

When planning your visit to London, you read that the Tube is the fastest and easiest way to get around town. Wendy and I prepared with maps and iPod apps to plan our underground commutes. What they don’t prepare you for is the fact that certain stretches of the Tube can be closed with little or no warning for repair, forcing you to find a bus route instead. Bus routes in London are a bit more complicated. Those famous red London buses bustle around like an army of red ants and finding the right one can be a bit dizzying.

Nevertheless, we made it to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (otherwise known as Wimbledon) just before they were going to give away our reserved spots on the tour. That would have been a shame because the tour of Wimbledon was one of our favorite stops on our trip. Wendy and I love watching the annual summer tennis tournament with all it’s pomp and tradition. Being on those famous grounds and learning about the tournament was really fascinating. The tour takes you to many of the places that only players get to experience during the tournament, including the players entrance, the television studios, the interview room, the underground tunnels, etc. We even got to see the Wimbledon trophies. Unfortunately, Center Court was under construction, having a retractable roof put on, but we were able to see Court No. 1.

I had made an appointment in the afternoon to meet up with Jonty Pierce, who publishes an on-line magazine called Call Centre Helper here in the UK. He’d named my blog, qaqna.com, one of the 10 best Call Center related blogs in 2008. We were supposed to meet at the Victoria Terrace Cafe’ in Kew Gardens at 3:30. What was estimated as a 30 minute trip (which would have put us at our destination about five minutes late) turned into a 60 minute bus and taxi fiasco. After waiting around the cafe for a half hour hoping that Jonty hadn’t completely given up on us, we decided to give up and made our way back to the bus station. As we were waiting for what we hoped was the right bus, I saw Jonty and his family walking out of the gardens and head the other direction. So, I ran and caught him. They were on their way back to their hotel, but we were at least able to personally apologize and chat for a few minutes.

We did get back to Richmond and found the Richmond Theatre where we had tickets for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of “The Tempest.” Now we were a few hours early, so we found a place to eat. It was an Irish pub, but as we entered past the two security guards we found things a bit in chaos. We’d been told that there was a huge rugby match between England and Scotland at one of the local stadiums, followed by a rugby match between Ireland and Wales. The Ireland Wales match had just started as we arrived and the pub was packed with rugby fans (you could tell the Scottish fans by their kilts). It was really crazy, but the table furthest from the television was vacant, so we decided to stay and eat.

After ordering our meal, I had to use the restroom, but 1) I couldn’t find it in the crowd and 2) there was no way I could get to it. So, I decided to exit the pub and go to the McDonalds next door to use the facilities. When I made my way back I was stopped by security and told that I couldn’t enter because the pub was too full. They had started to make people line up outside the entrance. I tried to explain that I’d just left, my wife was inside, and I’d already ordered my food – but they didn’t care and refused to listen. So, I found myself standing in line hoping that I’d get in before my food got cold. I did, but it was a bit surreal. By the way, Ireand beat Wales.

The Shakespeare performance was the best performance we’ve seen in London and among the best performances we’ve ever seen in our lives. Royal Shakespeare combined with a South African Theatre to produce the show. “The Tempest” takes place on a deserted island off the coast of Africa, and the production brought rich African tradition and music to the production (think Hamlet meets the Lion King). It was amazing!

After the show, we had to find the right bus to the right Tube staion where we could catch the right line back to our flat. We made it without a hitch, but were really glad to be back at our apartment!

Picutres:

1. The players’ entrance to Wimbledon.
2. Wendy stands on “Henman Hill” outside Court No. 1
3. Wendy looks over the grass courts.
4. Tom sits in the players’ after-match interview chair.
5. Tom & Wendy with Court No. 1 behind.
6. Richmond Theatre where we saw Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “The Tempest.”
7. Wimbledon Court No. 1 [click on picture to enlarge]
8. Wimbledon Complex from “Henman Hill” (Cranes are working on retractable roof over Center Court) [click on picture to enlarge]

After two days that felt frantic with activity, we decided to spend Friday at an easier pace. Our bus tour tickets were good until noon, so we hopped on near Trafalgar Square and took in many of the sites of London we’d missed the previous day including Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. We eventually ended up at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where we hopped off.

The replica of Shakespeare’s London Theatre recreates an Elizabethan stage, constructed just as it would have been built in Shakespeare’s time. As you can imagine, Wendy and I enjoyed seeing it. Their season doesn’t start until late April when it’s warmer. In fact, the chill in the wind and air kept us from enjoying it more. It was a sunny day, but the wind of the Thames reminded me of the wind off Lake Michigan in Chicago.

Since our bus tickets were no longer valid, we decided to hoof it back to the apartment. We crossed to the north side of the river where we’d be out of the wind a bit and walked along the embankment. The distance seemed a bit daunting when we took off, but we were back at our flat in no time, where we decided to rest for a bit.

As evening approached, we walked up to Covent Garden, a large open market near the opera house where we’d seen Swan Lake the night before. We did a little browsing, but the merchants were beginning to pack up for the night. We smelled something wonderful and realized it was the falafel stand, so we picked one up and munched on it as we made our way to the Nag’s Head pub.

It was Friday night and London was bustling with people ready for the weekend. The noise inside the Nag’s head was so great that we opted to step outside onto the street with many of the other patrons who’s overflowed into the open. After a drink we walked a few blocks to Belgo Centraal, a Belgian restaurant our friend Mary Jo Sodd recommended. We had an amazing dinner that was complimented by Belgian chocolate desserts. After dinner we headed back towards our flat, stopping at the Lamb & Flag pub, which is the oldest pub in the area. It was truly and old English pub. Once again, the place was packed with patrons. The streets of London are filled with people in the evenings.

Our tummies were full and our legs were tired, so we headed back to the flat and called it a day.

Photographs:

1. St. Martin in the Fields Church (Royal Family’s Parish)
2. Houses of Parliament
3. Big Ben
4. The Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral (Where Chuck & Di were hitched)
5. Horse Guard on duty at the parade grounds
6. Stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
7. Tom & Wendy at The Globe
8. Wendy & the Sphinx on the Thames (The London Eye is in the background)
9. Street Performers at Covent Garden Market
10. Wendy waits for falafel
11. The Lamb & Flag pub

After two days that felt frantic with activity, we decided to spend Friday at an easier pace. Our bus tour tickets were good until noon, so we hopped on near Trafalgar Square and took in many of the sites of London we’d missed the previous day including Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. We eventually ended up at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where we hopped off.

The replica of Shakespeare’s London Theatre recreates an Elizabethan stage, constructed just as it would have been built in Shakespeare’s time. As you can imagine, Wendy and I enjoyed seeing it. Their season doesn’t start until late April when it’s warmer. In fact, the chill in the wind and air kept us from enjoying it more. It was a sunny day, but the wind of the Thames reminded me of the wind off Lake Michigan in Chicago.

Since our bus tickets were no longer valid, we decided to hoof it back to the apartment. We crossed to the north side of the river where we’d be out of the wind a bit and walked along the embankment. The distance seemed a bit daunting when we took off, but we were back at our flat in no time, where we decided to rest for a bit.

As evening approached, we walked up to Covent Garden, a large open market near the opera house where we’d seen Swan Lake the night before. We did a little browsing, but the merchants were beginning to pack up for the night. We smelled something wonderful and realized it was the falafel stand, so we picked one up and munched on it as we made our way to the Nag’s Head pub.

It was Friday night and London was bustling with people ready for the weekend. The noise inside the Nag’s head was so great that we opted to step outside onto the street with many of the other patrons who’s overflowed into the open. After a drink we walked a few blocks to Belgo Centraal, a Belgian restaurant our friend Mary Jo Sodd recommended. We had an amazing dinner that was complimented by Belgian chocolate desserts. After dinner we headed back towards our flat, stopping at the Lamb & Flag pub, which is the oldest pub in the area. It was truly and old English pub. Once again, the place was packed with patrons. The streets of London are filled with people in the evenings.

Our tummies were full and our legs were tired, so we headed back to the flat and called it a day.

Photographs:

1. St. Martin in the Fields Church (Royal Family’s Parish)
2. Houses of Parliament
3. Big Ben
4. The Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral (Where Chuck & Di were hitched)
5. Horse Guard on duty at the parade grounds
6. Stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
7. Tom & Wendy at The Globe
8. Wendy & the Sphinx on the Thames (The London Eye is in the background)
9. Street Performers at Covent Garden Market
10. Wendy waits for falafel
11. The Lamb & Flag pub

Wendy and I thought we’d spend our second day in London doing the essential touristy stuff. We began with a walking tour from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palance for the changing of the guard. We actually enjoyed the tour more than we expected. This was largely due to our guide, Rebecca, who kept us laughing the whole time. The Queen was actually home, but we didn’t get invited in for tea. Pity.

After the walking tour, we jumped on the double decker bus tour and made our way to the Tower Bridge, where we exited and walked across to the Tower of London. The   Tower was really a surprise for both Wendy and me. We enjoyed the Beefeater guide who made the tour as entertaining as it was educational. We got to see the crown jewels and learned about the Dutch dike engineer who made the moat around the Tower so that it turned into a festering cesspool of stagnant sewage. (The Beefeater guide seemed to think that it was a mistake. I think maybe the Dutch mafia were making the English and offer they couldn’t refuse.)

It was cloudy, windy and cold by the time we left the tower. Back on the bus, we headed to the London Eye, where we made our “flight” around the world’s largest observation wheel. Then, it was a short walk across the Thames back to our own neighborhood. We hadn’t eaten all day, so we ducked into Sherlock Holmes Pub where Wendy got fish and chips and I had a sandwich and a pint.

We were really tired by the time we got back to our flat. Wendy observed that we’d probably walked more in one day than we had in the previous six months. Nonetheless, we had a busy evening ahead so we changed and walked to the Royal Opera House to see the Royal Ballet’s production of Swan Lake. Our seats were located in what I’d call the “Sir Edmund Hillary” section, given that we were sitting in an elevation only slightly lower than Mt. Everest’s summit. Nevertheless, we could actually see pretty well. I felt like I was sitting in a Degas painting.

As for the ballet itself, I can say that I’m gald that I experienced it once in my lifetime. I won’t be running a-tip-toe to see it again. The main story line of Swan Lake could have been told in about 90 minutes, but Tchaikovsky decided to make it three hours long so that every dancer and their extended family members could have their moment dancing in the spotlight. It was a bit like baseball in that there were breathtaking moments in the midst of long periods of tedious action – but there was no beer, no hot dogs and you couldn’t talk to you neighbors and occasionaly scream at the conductor.

We were really glad to get back to our flat and get to bed. I slept nine hours, which anyone who knows me well realizes is just this side of a miracle. I found a huge surprise in my email. My Dutch cousin, John, read that we were in London and is flying over from Amsterdam this weekend to meet us. John and I have been been corresponding through email for several years and have worked together on the family tree – but we’ve not met in person.

The itinerary for Day three includes Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, a return to the National Gallery, Covent Garden, and more pubs!

Photos (top to bottom)

1. Horse Guard riding to Buckingham Palace.
2. New Guard marches to relieve the Old Guard.
3. Wendy smiles because it’s sunny!
4. New Guard reads orders at the guard change at Chuck & Camilla’s house.
5. Tower Bridge.
6. Beefeater at the Tower of London.
7. Tom & Wendy on the Eye of London.
8. Big Ben & Houses of Parliment taken from the Eye.
9. Sherlock Holmes’ Pub.
10. Royal Opera House taken from our cheap seats.

Our first exciting day in London was checked by jet lag. Your body is five hours behind and screaming at you to stop and lay down, but your mind keeps telling you to push on because you need to get on London time and you’ll regret it if you don’t. Plus, our arrival in the wee hours of Greenwich Mean Time meant that we had to leave our bags at the “flat” we’d rented and occupy ourselves for five hours while the previous tenant vacated and the place could be cleaned. So, we found ourselves walking, zombie-like, along the Thames river as Londoners woke and made their way to work.

Fortunately, the weather wasn’t half-bad with sunny skies and near 60F temperatures. Our place is about a 90 second walk from Trafalgar Square and we eventually found our way to Britain’s National Gallery, which opened at 10 a.m.(and is free to the public). We enjoyed wandering through the galleries, but I think I’d like to pay another visit before we leave so I can view the artwork without feeling like I’m walking in my own dream. It’s always amazing to see the original works that you’ve seen in countless books.

By now, hunger was setting in, and we needed to eat before we took posession of our apartment, so we stopped at a pub, The Princess of Wales, and ordered lunch. It was at this point that we learned most places in London won’t start serveing lunch until noon. It was 11:45 and we were too tired to argue so we ordered a drink and waited. The food was good, but the service appeared hungover from the previous night’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Our flat is near the top of a small, widing staircase on a dead end street. I described it as “Spartan” in an email to our families yesterday and it still seems the appropriate word after a good night’s sleep. It’s small and not particularly well apointed. I feel like we’re portraying starving artists in a play. At the same time, we have everything we need and we’re not going to be here a lot. We ended up giving in to our wearinessand taking a nap in the afternoon, waking to the feeling that you’d just been hit by a large, red bus (see picture).

The best part of our place is the location. We were only a five minute walk across the Thames to the Royal Festival Hall (where, from the balcony, I snapped the picture of Big Ben) where we witnessed Conductor Daniele Gatti’s farewell performance with the Royal Philharmonic (see clandestine picture, below, which I took from our seats during the ovation). The orchestra performed two symphonies: Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. It was an interesting contrast since these were the final symphonies of each composer’s life.

Wendy preferred Mozart with all of his complex, subtle tension. His symphony was meticulously controlled, but you could feel the major chords constantly threatened by a minor key menace. Knowing a bit about Mozart’s own tumultuous life, you can almost feel the dark cloud surrounding him. It was the shorter of the two pieces and it was one of three symphonies Mozart cranked out in a six week period at the end of his life. Listening to it, you’d have thought it was the crowing acheivement a man had spent his entire life composing – not something he quickly penned while he was in between some other compositions. Amazing.

I preferred Beethoven, who is credited with moving music from a more steady classical form to the unbridled passion of romanticism. With his 9th symphony, Beethoven seems to push the passion to the Nth degree. The 9th symphony is bombastic, as if the composer was laying it all out on the table as he feels his life waning. When the 4th movement (where Beethoven introduces us to “Ode to Joy”) kicked into high gear with both the instruments of the philharmonic and the voices of the full London Symphony Chorus raising the roof, I was in tears. How incredible that Beethoven composed the piece completely deaf. He never heard a single note of his own masterpiece except in his own brilliant imagination.

London night-life was just getting started as we walked back to our flat, but we were too pooped to party. We grabbed a sandwich at Subway and went home to discuss our evening and get a good night’s sleep. Wendy is still sleeping. We had planned to head to the market this morning to get some essentials before catching a double-decker bus tour of London. But, who knows. We have nothing we have to do, and that’s a good feeling.