London

I had about three nights in London before I flew to Orlando. I really didn't do too much, just a lot of walking, taking in the city, one last time. I went back to Covent Garden one day to see the street performers and enjoy the neighborhood again. Visited all the eclectic boutiques I could find.
On a whim, I went back to the shop that sells discount theatre and musical tickets and decided to go see "Thriller Live" at the Lyric Theatre that night. It was fantastic! It's actually more of a concert that follows MJ's career from the Jackson Five hits, up to Bad. There were about six talented vocalists both male and female in the show, including a very young boy singing Michael's J5 era songs. The vocalists all had varying dancing abilities and were backed up by fantastic dancers. The song selection was inspired and kept the crowd up and clapping their hands at times, other times the mood was very sentimental, especially during "I"ll Be There" and "Man in the Mirror". Because they had so many vocalists, some of the songs we performed with a twist: for example "The Way You Make Me Feel" was sung by the very attractive high heeled female vocalist, and she was followed around on stage by a group of male dancers that are all dressed as Michael from the video, trying to win her affections in vain. During "Smooth Criminal", the most talented dancing vocalist only dances while another sings from the side of the stage. Once or twice, the young Michael came back on stage to duet with his older self, maybe to emphasize the hopeful, somewhat child-like message of a song like "Heal the World". The band was spot on, no updated interpretations of the songs, and the dancing was incredible! Every once in a while, like during the numbers "Beat It" and "Thriller", the dancers would incorporate some of the classic choreography (do you remember the knife fight dance?). The live performances also gave me a better appreciation of some of the songs - I was surprised how much I liked "Dirty Diana" live, as it's not really a favorite of mine. Anyhow, the show really put me back in touch with the days when I had not one, but two! Thriller albums and wore leg warmers because I was so sure I was going to be Michael's back up dancer some day (if I could just figure out the Moonwalk). Haha
The last day, I visited a couple of exhibits that had just opened, "Watteau: The Drawings" at the Royal Academy of Arts and later "The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900" at the Victoria and Albert Museum (which was partially organized by the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco).
That night, I met up with Phil (who had been nice enough to show me around the last time I had been here) for a couple of pints at a hidden pub in the middle of a commercial district. The entrance to the alley it is located in is practically invisible until you are in front of it. As Phil says, very Harry Potter. We had dinner at a restaurant called 'Smiths' of Smithfield. It was the best meal I'd had in London, thanks again Phil!
The next day, I took the metro to Heathrow. Sad to be going, happy to be heading home. Hopefully, I'll be able to get "Wanna Be Starting Something" out of my head soon :).

Just walking around...



Piccadilly Circus






The Lyric Theatre, sooooo excited!



Dinner before the show, yes, Italian again :)






The Royal Academy of Arts






Sir Joshua Reynolds, an 18th century painter. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy.



Lord Wellington, one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. He defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.



The Wellington Arch



Apsley House, location of the Wellington Museum




Back at the Victoria and Albert Museum



The "hidden" pub



Passing on the love; "Let's Go Western Europe" was an invaluable guide during the last couple of months. I hope it's just as useful for the next traveler!



Hmm good time to go, I guess



My last breakfast in London, I went all out!



Luckily, I flew through Iceland just a few days before the last volcanic eruption in Grimsvotn. This was the second time I had flown IcelandAir and I have to say it is one of the most customer service oriented carriers I have ever flown. The onboard catalogue has a lot of very cool local artisan items (a big departure from Sky Mall) from as well as videos promoting tourism in Iceland.

I had a layover in Iceland for a couple of hours.



The very serious man below is DJ Margeir. He makes the playlists for IcelandAir. A band, Gus Gus, was premiering their new album for the first time on IA's flights. You even can buy and download playlists you like.



This looks cool in a catalogue, but would I wear it in SF?



Getting back to the States was a long trip. I arrived in Florida around 9pm... exhausted but happy to be home, and ready for some sun!



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