Sabbatical, Day 42

Wow, how to catch up on the last several days?

After Edinburgh, Scotland, we took the train to Stratford-Upon-Avon, to stay overnight in one of the oldest inns: the White Swan. They have a neat painting preserved on the wall of their dining room that dates to the mid-1500's and illustrates the Apocryphal story of Tobit. That evening we watched the Royal Shakespeare Company perform the Merchant of Venice. So cool! The costuming suggested early 1900's. The stage and props were minimal, but so well-used and exact. Like the three chests of gold, silver and lead from the story, they were made with what looked like ice blocks, which all shattered at an appropriate dramatic moment. They used the rims of crystal glasses for some of the music, and in ways that added to the stage art and affects in several neat ways. The actor that played the difficult role of Shylock was very good; you could almost understand his anger and desire for revenge.

Anyway, we also visited Shakespeare's birthplace, and Holy Trinity Church where he is buried with his wife and several family members up in front of the east altar.

We returned by train and underground to our London hotel. Before flying back to the States, we visited the National Gallery of London, Trafalger Square, St. Martin's in the Fields, Speakers' Corner, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and walked by Buckingham Palace during the changing of the guard.

Yesterday, it was so nice to see the boys at the airport. They have been having a great time with their godparents in D.C.--the zoo, a waterpark, visiting their godfather's workplace, and many other activities. We will visit the National Cathedral tomorrow, and on Monday we will drive up to visit Pauline's godparents near Baltimore.