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These pages combine a number of independent visits I made to London and surrounding areas between May 2005 and December 2007. Choose a link above, or just read on and click on the links at the bottom of each page to follow all of my adventures in London in no particular order. There also is a link at the bottom of each page to bring you directly back to this page. The "UP" cloud at the top of each of the following pages also brings you back here. TIP: To see the photos at maximum size, press the F11 key London has become my favorite place to visit, having so much to offer in the way of sightseeing, both in the city and in nearby parts of England. I joined local walking tours of various areas of the city, and I also did some bus tours to other interesting places in Southern England. And I took every opportunity to see performances of Elton John's award-winning musical "Billy Elliot." I think, by now, I am a familiar face at the Victoria Palace Theatre, and some of the cast know me by name, as does the director. Let me explain . From the first times I saw "Billy Elliott: The Musical," I was hooked. I am addicted to that production. But I am in good company. The online fan club has hundreds of members from all over the world, and there are other Americans who have made numerous trips to London to get together and see the show again, and again. Every time there is a significant show, such as a major cast change or a special production with celebrities in attendance, those of us who can, make the pilgrimage to London. I have made many new friends in the process, including people from Germany, Hungary and France. There have been two special nights so far, the first anniversary (May 12, 2006) of the opening, and a gala performance of the show for charity on November 22, 2006. Sir Elton John, who wrote the music for the show, was in attendance on both of those occasions. On the gala night, Sharon Osborne and Simon Cowell were among the famous attendees. Both replaced the regular actors for a scene in the play that night, as did Elton. Some other celebrities who have been seen at the show include Sir Ian McKellen and Matt Damon, as well as Michael Jackson. And yes, Her Royal Majesty was in the audience one night. (I missed that one.) Here I am with the three young actors who first played the lead role of Billy. (At least three actors are needed due to Child Labor Law restrictions on how many hours a minor can work in a week.) In March, 2006, they jointly won the highest theatrical award in Britain, The Sir Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and Liam Mower, then age 13, was the youngest actor to ever have that honor. Sadly, they all have outgrown the role now and have moved on. They did get together one last time to jointly perform the May 12, 2006 1st anniversary show, (Liam didn't leave the production until November, 2006.) They took turns doing the scenes on that memorable night. By the way, "Billy" has to be not only a good actor, but he also must sing well and must be a superb dancer. From left to right, yours truly with James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower.
Now here I am with two lovely ladies. Haydn Gwynne played the dance teacher until June, 2006. and Ann Emery (age 75) still plays the part of Billy's grandma. You should see her singing and dancing up a storm on stage!
Sir Elton John entering by the stage door for the charity gala on November 22, 2006. Yes, I took that picture, as well as the others to follow.
The fans gathering at the stage door to say goodbye to the cast members who left the production on June30, 2006, then more fans who braved a chilly evening to spend the night of September 29th outside the theater. Why? They were trying to get the few remaining tickets for Liam Mower's final show. Those tickets are sold at around noon on the day of the show. Talk about dedication. (I'm glad that I already had my ticket.) Finally, the audience starts to arrive to enjoy a performance.
Finally, here is a lovely little ballet girl from the show. I gave her a spare ticket I had for a performance she especially wanted to see, because one of the boys who played the lead was leaving that night. (She wasn't on stage that evening and the tickets were all sold out before she got to the theater.)
I always settled on a hotel in London's West End, where many famous buildings are located. These include Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abby, etc. The 4-star Rubens hotel is very close to Victoria underground station, and is only two blocks from the theater where 'Billy Elliot' is playing, so this is where I stayed on every visit except one. Here are photos of the Rubens and a typical room.
I love the London Underground! The locals call their subway system "The Tube." While not as cheap to ride as the buses, the underground gets you where you need to go quickly and a 3 or 7-day "TravelCard" more than pays for itself if you use the system a lot. It took me a while to familiarize myself with the various lines, but I now feel confidant going just about anywhere within London. Here is a partial map of the London Underground. I about know the District and Circle (green and yellow) lines by heart.
Much of what I did while in London can be found by clicking the "cloud" links at the top of this page, but one "event" doesn't fall into any of those categories, so I am describing it below. I refer to my celebrity encounter. This was the most amazing experience I had in London. I planned to go somewhere by subway one day, but the line I needed to take from Victoria Station was down for maintenance that Saturday. To get to my destination, I would have to walk a considerable distance to the Westminster Underground Station. So I headed up Victoria Street to the station. When I neared Westminster Abby, I saw police cars, barricades, and a large crowd. What was going on? I soon discovered that Ron Howard was shooting a scene for his upcoming film, The Di Vinci Code. And there was Howard, and Tom Hanks, and Ian McKellen! I could not believe my eyes. The best photo I took, sadly out of focus, was of Tom Hanks across the street waving and taking pictures of us! Here are my very special pictures from that morning. (I never did go where I originally intended.)
OK, Harry Potter Fans. You know that Harry and his friends boarded the train to Hogwarts school by running through a wall in the rail station, and exiting where a special train was waiting at ...track 9 3/4. Right? Well, that was not make believe. Here are some photos I took inside London's King's Cross main rail station.
Let's visit the London Aquarium and look at some sea creatures. Some harmless. others you don't want to mess with, including the first three pictured. I didn't bother to write down names, so you'll have to figure them out for yourselves.
Now just a few items on display at The Imperial War Museum. Most of the good stuff can't be photographed.
Finally, from another walking tour of interesting streets in London. We are close to Oxford Street, the biggest fancy shopping street in the city. The mall stores decorated for Christmas are rather expensive to shop.
OK, shall we go out of town for awhile? On to Leeds and Canterbury
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