{"id":22997,"date":"2025-05-28T18:55:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T18:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=22997"},"modified":"2025-06-12T14:00:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T14:00:32","slug":"on-london-liverpool-and-stratford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=22997","title":{"rendered":"On “London, Liverpool and Stratford…”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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“Yours truly,” with a view of <\/em>Shakespeare\u2019s Church<\/em><\/a> after a Sunday service back on May 11.<\/em>
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May 28, 2025 – Incidentally, that title could be sung to the tune “Hartford, Hereford and Hampton.” (From My Fair Lady<\/em><\/a>,* with the English Her-e-ford<\/em> in three syllables, and yes, “showing my age;” 74 in July.) But all that serves as segue<\/a> to the fact that I just flew back from London, “and, boy, are my arms tired<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em>” But seriously, it’s been over three weeks since my last post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s because on May 7 I flew over to<\/strong><\/em> London, for two weeks “dress rehearsal<\/a>.” That is, to get a feel for flying back next August and hiking the 130 miles of the Pilgrims’ Way<\/a>, Winchester to Canterbury. (Plus do some additional sightseeing I won’t be able to do in August, like taking that “ferry ‘cross the Mersey” in Liverpool or visiting Stratford-on-Avon.) So after the last three apocalyptic<\/a> posts, it’s time to get on with some fun in life. Like going over to visit London, Liverpool and Stratford, then getting to write up a scintillating travelogue<\/a> about it. (A term “supposedly a blend of travel<\/a> +\u200e monologue<\/a>,” something I didn’t realize before writing up this post.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting off, the May 7 red-eye flight<\/a> to London was scheduled to leave Atlanta at 9:50 p.m., but didn’t actually take off until 45 minutes or an hour later. And this time the Delta movie options didn’t include either “My Fair Lady” or “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” (I like them both for the great music.) So I watched a bunch of “Everybody Loves Raymond” reruns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Heathrow airport the trip through security was amazingly smooth, possibly because of the ETIAS<\/a> clearance I got months ago. Then came a ride on the Elizabeth Line (the London Tube<\/a>) to the ABC Hyde Park Hotel<\/a>, 121 Sussex Gardens. One of the first things I noticed was a lot of “look right” signs, painted on the pavement at London intersections. We in America are used to looking left <\/em><\/strong>first (mostly because we drive on the correct side of the road). But Britain is different, and I almost got my “self” run over twice before I caught on; once by a huge bus and once by a speeding bicycle which showed no sign of slowing down for unaware American touristas<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we settled in, my travel companion and I walked the half-mile to Kensington Gardens, with its Italian<\/em> Garden, along with the Serpentine<\/a> (“recreational lake”), and the 1912 statue of Peter Pan<\/a> by J. M. Barrie<\/a>. (Bringing up the song, “I Won’t Grow Up<\/a>,” which you might say applies to a 74-year-old man who keeps flying overseas to hike 130 to 150 miles just to burn off beer calories.*) Meanwhile, for those interested in such things, for a quick lunch we split a fish-and-chips order at Sussex Fish Bar, London – Paddington<\/a>, about four minutes southwest. Then later on we dined at the Mughal’s Indian Restaurant, London – Paddington<\/a>, also close by our digs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, as noted in the last post, after the day off in London – to recuperate from jet lag – the trip would go on to Liverpool<\/a> and Stratford-on-Avon<\/a>, then back to London. We got eight-day Britrail passes, so once we used that up – with the trips to Liverpool and Stratford, plus day trips out of London – we’d stay in London and travel around the city on the Tube<\/a>, or by bus, using our (Visitor) Oyster cards<\/a>. (Which came in very <\/em>handy.) But here I run into a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Liverpool and Stratford we ran up against reservation problems. Those problems were pithily<\/a> described in an English expression I remembered vaguely from long ago, but it “hit the nail on the head<\/a>.” That happened in Stratford, so I’ll take that episode out of order. In the next post I’ll describe the Liverpool visit, then revisit Stratford, then go on to the rest of the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We have a friend in Stratford, Jane, which is why we stopped off there. (That and the Shakespeare stuff.) She went with us to where we had a reservation, an apartment in a small gated complex right across the street from Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-on-Avon<\/a>. (Which would have been very<\/strong><\/em> convenient for getting to the 10:00 service next morning.) We went through the gate, looked around for someone to check us in, but no one could be found. There followed long attempts at phone calls and texts, all to no avail, very frustrating. Time passed by, we knocked on doors, but got no answer until one young gent finally answered. He had no clue but did his best to contact someone, anyone, to get maybe a code to enter into a lock-box into whatever room where we were supposed to stay? Until finally Jane said, “What a cock-up!” <\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that I couldn’t help but laugh, despite the frustration, and my wondering “where, oh where will I lay my weary head tonight?” In such situations I always opt for a beer at a local bar, which usually includes the WiFi necessary to solve today’s travel problems. So, on Jane’s recommendation we hiked up what became Waterside Lane to The Dirty Duck<\/a>, a “historic pub with two names <\/strong>and a royal connection.” Meanwhile, Booking.com<\/a> tried to find an alternate place to lay our weary heads later that night. But unfortunately the “Duck” was packed… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back it’s all kind of fuzzy, but there was an English gent sitting at a table on the streetside patio, with three empty chairs. Somehow I ended up in line with him, waiting patiently, while the ladies kept watch at the patio table. I found out his name was Chris, and asked him what he was drinking. He said an Abbot Ale<\/a> – which I’d never tried, or heard of – so I ordered two, one for each of us. From there, hopefully, things would start to sort themselves out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, we had expensive reservations at the Royal Shakespeare Theater. (With still no idea of where to find a bed for the night.) In due course we left “the Duck” and Chris, then got to the theater and were able to check our bags and my pack. Then we sat through a unique version of \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing.\u201d (See the Notes for a review link.) All the time, watching and listening, I kept wondering, \u201cWhere, oh where am I going to lay my weary head tonight?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The updated play was a unique blend of Shakespeare’s original Elizabethan dialog, combined with a “football club” setting. “We open at the final of the Euro League, as Messina FC takes the cup. Shakespeare\u2019s lines are interspersed with football chants; \u2018vaping\u2019, \u2018signed\u2019 and \u2018manager\u2019 replace the Bard\u2019s original words.” (The updated play frames the story “within sports to explore toxic masculinity,” and later gets into “slut-shaming, revenge porn and deepfakes, using the setting to their advantage to really explore these themes through a modern lens.”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all the while, trying to process all that hubbub while sitting in the way-up-high balcony I kept wondering, \u201cWhere, oh where am I going to lay my weary head tonight?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the play and the hubbub finally ended, and after that we got our checked bags and my pack, then trundled off into the late-night unknown. “Booking” said they’d found us a place, “but who the heck knew?” Which makes this a good place to end this post, with the Faithful Reader all on tenterhooks<\/a>. (“Very nervous or excited [and] keen to know what it going to happen.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll describe what happened in the next post, along with my fulfilling a life-long dream in Liverpool. (Or at least a dream I’ve had since 1964, when I was 13.) That and yet another “cock-up,” this one involving our Liverpool hotel reservation. And I’ll do that even though my writing may “go all over the place!” You know, like Leviticus, Isaiah and Tristram Shandy<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As its title suggests, the book is ostensibly Tristram<\/a>‘s narration of his life story. But it is one of the central jokes of the novel that he cannot explain anything simply, that he must make explanatory diversions to add context and colour to his tale…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

On that note it seems that I too cannot explain anything simply – like tell a travel story – but feel compelled to add in “explanatory diversions to add context and color.” Which is another way of saying that I get a lot of grief because my writing ostensibly “goes all over the place.” But to me that’s the fun of both travel and writing about<\/em> your travels. In my writing I explain those off-on-a-tangents<\/a> as rabbit trails<\/em>. To me they’re the fun part of blogging, as for example the rabbit trail that led me to Robert Burns<\/a> and his expression, “cock up your beaver.” (A derivative of the “cock-up” expression, and relax, neither term means what many people think.*)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As John Steinbeck once said, you don\u2019t take a trip, a trip takes you.<\/strong><\/em> So maybe the same thing applies when you start writing about <\/em>your travels. You know (or should know) that the cock-ups are going to happen, so it’s better to just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. And maybe learn something new? Or experience something never expected? In the meantime, the next post will continue the story with an account of coming into Lime Street Station in Liverpool, though perhaps not as “majestically” as Brian Epstein<\/a>, as described by Paul McCartney<\/a>. Stay tuned… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Liverpool\u2019s Lime Street station<\/a> \u2013 where Brian Epstein \u201cbrought back a contract<\/em>…\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The upper image is courtesy of my traveling companion. See also Church of the Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/em> On this trip we visited three other churches \u2013 Winchester Cathedral<\/a>, Canterbury Cathedral<\/a>, and St Paul\u2019s Cathedral<\/a> in London.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: \u201cHurricanes hardly?\u201d People of a certain age will recognize the allusion to 1964\u2019s My Fair Lady<\/a>. It struck me that \u201cLondon, Liverpool and Stratford\u201d has the same rhythm as \u201cHartford, Hereford and Hampton,\u201d where Eliza used three syllables for \u201cHereford.\u201d (In the song The Rain in Spain<\/a>, \u201ca turning point in the plotline of the musical. Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering have been drilling Eliza Doolittle<\/a> incessantly with speech exercises, trying to break her Cockney accent<\/a> speech pattern.\u201d Wikipedia<\/a>.) See two live versions at Hartford, Hereford, Hampshire\u2026 \u2013 YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: “Arms tired.” The link is to What’s the source of the phrase “and, boy, are my arms tired<\/a>,” indicating it’s the punch line of an old joke, variously attributed to Henny Youngman or Bob Hope. Definitely a “rabbit trail” – for more, use the search engine above right – that led me to Did anybody ever really laugh at these? – Cafe Society<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on the Pilgrim’s Way see Pilgrims\u2019 Way Stages: Winchester to Canterbury | One Step<\/a><\/em>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The link travelogue – Wiktionary, the free dictionary<\/a> adds that it describes “someone’s travels<\/a>, given in the form of narrative<\/a>, public lecture<\/a>, slide show<\/a> or motion picture<\/a>.” <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On “not growing up.” I myself did have that 50 or 60-year interim – before my “second childhood?” – but the less said about that the better. Another note, before that interim I didn’t have beer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: The Serpentine<\/a>. “Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, the name refers in the strict sense only to the eastern half of the lake. Serpentine Bridge, which marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens<\/a>, also marks the Serpentine’s western boundary; the long and narrow western half of the lake is known as the Long Water<\/a>.” Wikipedia<\/a>. I walked down below Serpentine Bridge, unaware that I’d crossed from Kensington Park into Hyde Park.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site Cock-up – Meaning & Origin Of The Phrase<\/a> said the phrase “isn\u2019t commonly used in the USA, where it is generally assumed to have a vulgar meaning.” But no, “\u2018<\/strong>Cock up\u2019 sounds rude, but it isn\u2019t:”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What they might make of Robert Burns\u2019 poem, which took the name of the old Scottish rhyme \u2018Cock up your beaver<\/em>\u2018, is best left to the imagination. What Burns was actually referring to was adorning a beaver fur hat by putting a cock\u2019s feather into it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

None of which I knew before writing this post, one big reason I love blogging.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that note see The Dirty Duck, Stratford-upon-Avon – Wikipedia<\/a>: “It has existed as a pub since 1738 and has been known as The Black Swan since 1776… However, the pub is more commonly known as The Dirty Duck. It is unclear where this name originates.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

See a full review at Review: Much Ado About Nothing (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The RSC<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On my writing shortcomings, and for future personal reference, see Rabbit hole Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com<\/a>, Definition of ‘go off on a tangent’ – Collins Online Dictionary<\/a>, Unity and Coherence in Essays | Writing Center<\/a>, and Unity & Coherence \u2013 ENGLISH 087: Academic Advanced Writing<\/a>. (The last two show that at least I’m trying.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: Steinbeck on trips. The actual quote is \u201cpeople don\u2019t take trips. Trips take people.\u201d John Steinbeck \u2013 Travel Quote of the Week \u2013 Authentic Traveling<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upper image is courtesy of Liverpool Lime Street railway station \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>. The caption: \u201cLIME STREET STATION LIVERPOOL JULY 2013.\u201d I used the image to lead off the post, A mid-May \u201cRecon,\u201d then on to Canterbury<\/a>!<\/em> The reference to Brian Epstein riding “majestically” into Lime Street Station – with a record contract, finally<\/strong> – is from England, the 1960s, and the Triumph of the Beatles | Plus<\/a>, a series of lectures by Professor Michael Shelden. As I recall, Shelden described McCartney mentioning the incident during a “cock-up” during the filming of a fairly recent television interview.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*   *   *   * *   *   *   * May 28, 2025 – Incidentally, that title could be sung to the tune “Hartford, Hereford and Hampton.” (From My Fair Lady,* with the English Her-e-ford in three syllables, and yes, “showing my age;” 74 in July.) But all that serves as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22997"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22997"}],"version-history":[{"count":182,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23403,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22997\/revisions\/23403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}