Friday, April 1, 2022

London and William Shakespeare, et al

 The Globe Theater was where William Shakespeare's plays debuted, back in the 1600s. 
It burnt down. It was rebuilt in 1614 but was opened for only 28 years before being closed down by an ordinance. In 1997, it was rebuilt. This is the rebuild. It is about 700 feet away from the site of the original Globe Theater. It was closed the day we were there (March 22nd). 
  We walked over to the Southwark Cathedral,

William Shakespeare was a parishioner, and there is a memorial to him. 


He is not buried here though. 
His bones rest in Westminster Abbey. 

The cathedral was beautiful. 


This is the crypt of John Gower, who is buried in the cathedral. He was a friend of Chaucer, a man who had renounced the secular world, and wrote three books on spirituality. The abbey he lived in was part of the cathedral. 
This is Hodge, the Cathedral cat. You can google him. He has quite a following. 

My daughter knew exactly where to find him. He loves the heating vents. 


Between the Globe Theater and the Southwark Cathedral, we discovered this:
The Golden Hinde, Francis Drake's ship. It is a reproduction, of course, an exact replica, built using traditional shipbuilding methods


Another tenant died last weekend. His death was not unexpected, but sad all the same. 
We've never had a tenant who died. Since November, we've lost three. 

PS: Thanks Ed. Your tip worked! 

Spare some special thoughts and prayers for our Sophie, will you?


14 comments:

  1. Hodge, the cathedral kitty, certainly hasn't missed many meals.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have also walked round that area. Did you have time for The Tate Modern just a bit further along the south bank?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ana - truth!

    YP: We did not hit the Tate in London. We did the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, though.

    AC: I couldn't center my posts, which has never been a problem before. I assumed it was from so many pictures. Ed offered up a helpful tip, and it worked.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hodge looks as well nourished as our Lacey.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hodge is a beauty! I love all the beautiful and historic places you've visited. Have you read, "Hamnet." A fascinating book based on Shakespeare and his family. Your renovations sound exhausting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I’m so sorry for the loss of a longtime tenant. We have a small house we rent out too and it’s not easy to find a good tenant. You guys are so accomplished and have so much energy to do it all yourself. It’s so wonderful that you saw so much and had such fun on your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think you crammed a lot of England in during what seemed like a short visit, even after a rocky start.

    The Bambi head is cute.

    No rent increase in 18 years. Tom was a winner, and you too I suppose with a reliable long time tenant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It looks like you had a great whistle stop tour of England Debby.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry to be so ignorant but what is a drop ceiling?
    Hope you have finished the worst of the renovation now!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh Jaycee...the renovation is just getting under way. A suspended or drop ceiling is the way people avoid fixing a ceiling properly. It is a metal frame work suspended by wires. Decorative panels slip into the framework. It hangs a few inches below the damaged ceiling. Invariably it provides a home for mice and in this case, red squirrels. Droppings. Dirt. No matter how careful you are, this stuff rains down on you. Good news is that that nasty job is done.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is a shame that The Globe was closed when you were there. My now wife but then girlfriend and I attended a performance there around 2002 I think. I don't remember which Shakespearean play we saw, though I could probably look it up in my journals, but I do remember it being a beautiful day and a fun time. At that time, and perhaps still, there were no seats except for the box seats on the outside walls. So we stood the entire time right up next to the stage. I'm not sure I would attempt to do that again.

    I'm not sure if the replica of Drake's ship was there back in 2002 but if it was, I'm sorry I missed it. I love looking at old ships.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. I love a well-established cat - no doubt not the only fat cat that the church has seen through the years...

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love cathedrals, and a cathedral kitty? Now, that's just icing on the cake!

    ReplyDelete
  14. If you lived in Southwark Cathedral, you'd love the heating vents too! As I'm sure you noticed those gigantic stone spaces get pretty darn cold. I saw Southwark Cathedral many years ago and although I remember a cat, I'm not sure it was the SAME cat...

    ReplyDelete

I'm glad you're here!

Weary

I am sure that everyone has seen the video of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I lived in Baltimore for a couple years while my...