Thursday, June 22, 1989

Last Full Day in London/England/Britain/Europe ...

Well, I woke up early again in the flat, gathered my things, and met up with my parents. Dad and I then took three of my suitcases to the Tube station, while Mom and Angie did some shopping. Shelly helped us along the way.

While we were walking, traffic was halted for a Royal vehicle, though we couldn't quite make out who it was. Caught the train to Heathrow, where we dropped my luggage off at Left Luggage, so as to lighten the load for tomorrow when we leave.

We returned to London after some donuts and coffee, and met Mom and Angie outside of Harrod's at 2 p.m. (Picture #1) Walked about Harrod's for roughly an hour, then we made our way via Underground to Piccadilly Circus. (Picture #2) From there we walked up Regent Street so we could explore Hamley's. It's still an amazing toy store, and my parents were impressed.

Made our way to Oxford Street, where we went to the Virgin Megastore for a bit. I bought Mom a tape for her Wedding anniversary (on June 27th... I won't divulge what I bought her, in case this journal happens to fall upon her eyes before that date.) and did some browsing. From there we stopped for dinner at Garfunkel's, where I had chicken kiev and Dad stole one of their beer glasses (It was funny watching my parents attempt to be covert.)

After dinner we walked back down Charing Cross Road, stopping in a few book shops and taking some photos, mainly of theatres. Eventually we made our way through Leicester Square, where I bought the tackiest gifts I could find for a few of my friends. (Picture #3 shows the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, where the premiere of the new James Bond film, "Licence to Kill," was shown. This was the same theatre where I saw "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" back in December.)

At Leicester Square, we also watched the Swiss Clock go around, telling us it was now 8 o'clock. (Picture #4. This building was torn down a few years ago.)

Continued down Piccadilly until we arrived at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was too crowded, so we didn't stay long... just long enough to buy souvenirs. My family all bought shirts and I bought a baseball cap. Next we continued walking towards the flat, and when we got there we had coffee with Rosemary and her roommate Shelly.

I was going to go back outside and take some nighttime shots of London... one last night before heading back to America. But I was so tired at this point that after my parents left and returned to their hotel, I went to sleep.

(Picture #5 shows my parents and sister in the Underground station waiting for the next train. As you can see, they have done a bit of shopping on this day, our final day in London.)

Wednesday, June 21, 1989

Taking a Tour Inside Parliament ...

A hectic and fun day today. Dad and I awoke early this morning to walk to Victoria Station this morning, in order to buy my plane ticket. We arrived at around 7.30 a.m. and had no problems. So that detail has now been taken care of.

Dad said the family all enjoyed seeing "Starlight Express" immensely last night, which was good news. He and I had coffee and apple danish at the train station, which was empty because of a rail strike that is going to go on for one day. So as a result, we had to rely on our feet or on taxis for transportation today.

We walked back to the hotel (after buying a Daily Telegraph newspaper) and had a proper breakfast. I showered, packed, and we were out of the room at a little past 10. I dropped my bags off at Rosemary's flat, and then set off to find a room for Mom and Dad (Angela's flat did not work out for them.) In short time we found one for them, which was basic but nice, and they checked in.

Next, we took a walk to the House of Parliament, though we then decided to catch a taxi in order to save time. During the ride, I realized that I had forgotten to bring my copy of the Daily Telegraph. I was supposed to have a copy in hand and use it to flag down Sally Hallam, a friend of Dr. Morrison's who works as a secretary for the Daily Telegraph's political correspondent in the Parliament building. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem that I didn't have the newspaper and we met up with Sally without difficulty. (Picture #2 is the permit that gave us access to Parliament.)

At this point, Mom, Dad and Angela left to take a boat trip down the Thames River, and Dr. Morrison and I joined Sally to begin our exclusive tour of Parliament.

It was yet another memorable experience, as we walked around the floor of the House of Commons, which is much smaller than we expected, as well as other vital parts of the building. It was a great tour, and it was really nice of Sally to to take time out of her schedule to show us around.

Next we had an opportunity to see the House of Commons in action, which was quite remarkable. Although Mrs. Thatcher and Neil Kinnock were not there today, we still got to see some action. They were debating trade and industry, which was difficult to follow because of the style and mannerisms of their debate... frequent cat-calls and "here-heres" when one person spoke. We stayed there for 45 minutes, but left during the questions and answers. The reason? They were on question 10 after 45 minutes, with 91 to go. (Picture #3 is a magazine produced for Parliament; Picture #4 is the agenda for the business of the day for the House of Commons.)

So we then headed over to the House of Lords to see them in action, though here I am using the term "action" quite loosely. They were discussing what to do about Hong Kong, which is an interesting topic. The British are planning on turning it over to China in 1997. Unfortunately, it was presented in a far less exciting manner than the style of the House of Commons. In fact, we noticed that several of the Lords were actually asleep during the proceedings! If only we could've gotten to see this debate in the House of Commons.

Well, after only about 10 minutes of this, we left the very posh House of Lords chamber. I mailed two post cards, to Viv and to Sam, from inside Parliament to get the special cancellation from it's post office. And then we left.

Outside I took a few pictures (Pictured #1 is a compilation photo of several angles of Parliament that I shot, with Dr. Morrison standing in the foreground.), and then we walked along the Thames River until we reached the National Film Theater, where after a coffee we entered the Museum of Moving Images (MOMI). It was a fabulous place that I could've easily spent all day exploring. (Pictures #5 and #6 are brochures from the MOMI.)

It chronicled the history of film, and presented it very well... and since Dr. Morrison and I are film buffs, we had a wonderful time. The highlight of the experience was a section of the museum where we saw how a television production is done. There, they had a freeze-frame camera, a television interview area, a television news report display where you read from the cue TV and appear on camera, and something where it makes you appear like you are flying over the Thames.

They also had a Charlie Chaplin exhibit in honor of his 100th birthday, which was great, since he is one of my film heroes. I bought a badge and a book on Charlie Chaplin. (Picture #7 is the book cover.)

When we left the MOMI, it was a bit later than we had anticipated it would be, so we grabbed a taxi and dashed back to my parent's hotel, where they had been waiting for awhile. We then went to dinner at the Lime Tree Hotel, located across the street from my parent's hotel. It proved to be a very interesting meal.

First, our table was outside, and had a waitress that later told us she had a Yugoslav/Italian accent. She was very nice, but it was difficult to understand what she was saying at times. Then there was the gardener: A bizarre man who thought Angela was my daughter and that Mom was my wife. This was funny, but this guy was not playing with a full deck. (Picture #8 is Dr. Morrison, Mom and Angie at the Lime Tree Hotel.)

Well after that experience, we grabbed a taxi and went back to the Royal College building, grabbed some bags, and Mom & Dad returned to their hotel while Dr. Morrison, Angie and I took a taxi to Rosemary's flat. I think I have taken more taxi rides today than I have the entire previous nine months.

The rail strikes chaotic effect seems to have been ill judged. The traffic surprisingly ran smoother today. Great! I love seeing strikes get shattered.

At Rosemary's we all talked for a bit, but I was in bed by 12.30 - earliest in awhile!

Tuesday, June 20, 1989

A Rare View of the Changing of the Guard ...

The weather remained excessively hot today, but it could hardly dampen what we did today. After breakfast, we walked down to Buckingham Palace and St. James Park, with our intentions of watching the ceremonial changing of the guard.

At 11 a.m., we ENTERED the gates at Buckingham Palace, and were given a very rare opportunity - we watched the changing of the guard from the inside of the gate, actually leaning against the walls of Buckingham Palace while the ceremony took place. There was a certain self-satisfaction we felt from seeing all of the people on the outside of the fence clamoring for a glimpse of the guards, while we were on the opposite side, with a clear, unobstructed view. Thanks go to Dr. Morrison for having friends in all the right places!

When we left the palace, Mom, Dad and Angie returned to the room while Dr. Morrison and I took the Underground to Piccadilly to do some shopping. We went into a Specialty record shop of nothing but Film and Show soundtracks, where I found the record that my friend Scott has been searching for unsuccessfully for many years: "Meatballs," his favourite film. Hope he still wants it. If not, I'll gladly keep it.

In another shop, I bought a few postcards, and then browsed around Tower Records until 5.30, when I returned to get ready for tonight's West End show. Dr. Morrison and I left for "Les Miserables," while my parents and Angie went to see "Starlight Express" (which I had already gone to see during my high school class trip to England in 1987.)

We met Dr. Morrison's niece Rosemary and her sister Angela outside the theatre, having a drink before the show began. Then Dr. Morrison, Angela and I parted with Rosemary and took our seats up in the peanut gallery. I mean, they were way up there. It unfortunately took away from the show experience for us, not too mention the unbearable heat. Although the music and acting and the story were all excellent, because of our partially-obstructed position, and because of the projection of the voices, it was often too difficult to follow what was going on exactly. If I see it again, I want good seats or I'll pass. (Pictured at top is the Palace Theatre. See those windows at the top? That's about where we were in relation to the stage at ground level.)

So in the same day... awesome seats for the Changing of the Guard, horrible seats for "Les Miserables."

We met up with Rosemary at the show's end around 11 p.m., and then ate at a French restaurant nearby (very continental cuisine this week). The food was excellent, although the portions were small. But they were just the right size for me tonight.

We talked and concluded that after Dr. Morrison returned home, Angie and I could stay with Rosemary, while Mom and Dad might possibly stay at Angela's house. We'll see how that works out.

Wow! Yet another full day gone by!

Monday, June 19, 1989

A Stroll Down Abbey Road ...

I woke up bright and early at 6.30 a.m. to begin packing the car with Dr. Morrison. After breakfast, and after bidding farewell to Fiona, Dr. M and I drove off at about half 9, while my parents and sister prepared to leave shortly thereafter by train.

We had a good run on the road from Neston to London, stopping twice along the way: once to eat a very mediocre hamburger at a stop along the motorway, and another stop once we arrived in London to (finally) see the Abbey Road studio.

So between Liverpool and London, I've now seen just about everything I needed to see with regards to The Beatles. Snapped a shot of the street where the Abbey Road album cover was shot (pictured above). Had to move quickly between traffic, and I didn't get a chance to get a photo of myself walking across. Yeah, I'm sure I'd be the first person that thought to do that! (Second photo is the main entrance to Abbey Road Studios. I wonder how many times did John, Paul, George and Ringo pass through that portal?)

We had no traffic problems until we hit London, but we managed OK. Checked into the Royal Society of General Practitioners (thanks to Dr. M, of course), where we plan to stay for two nights. Just as we were all unpacked, Mom, Dad and Angie all showed up.

Once we were all squared away, Dr. Morrison and I took off for Leicester Square, where we came away with five tickets to see the West End musical "Blood Brothers"- at half price, no less! We returned to the room, picked up my parents and sister, then headed for the show. It was marvelous. We enjoyed it tremendously... good music, good story, good acting, and even pretty good seats. (Third picture: The family outside the theatre after the show, sporting a souvenir programme. Next picture is my ticket stub.)

Following the show, we went to Chi-Chis in Leicester Square for dinner, and enjoyed a delicious Mexican meal. We then walked around Piccadilly Circus before grabbing a taxi back to the room, which is located just off of Knightsbridge, across from Hyde Park. It is also right next to the former Iranian Embassy, which was gutted by fire after a bomb exploded following a terrorist overthrow in 1980. For more details, check out the entry in the "Chronicles of the 20th Century" book.

We zonked out shortly after returning to the room.

Sunday, June 18, 1989

Two Wongs Don't Make a Reitz ...

I had a very good, relaxing day following my recent marathon of activity. I woke up late in the morning, ate breakfast, and took the afternoon easy at Dr. Morrison's house.

We went for a walk down the road to Ness Gardens, which is a very nice botanical garden. Although it was very hot, I had a great time with my parents, catching up on the events of the past nine months.

Soon we walked back to Dr. Morrison's house, where after another rest, during which time I listened to a few of my records, we got ready to go out to dinner at the Jasmine Eating House - a Chinese restaurant. Before we made it to the restaurant, we stopped at Mike and Eunice Unger's house for some drinks (cool, refreshing Pimm's, a classic summer British spirit.)

We gathered at the restaurant at around 8 p.m., and around half 8, the feasting commenced... and boy, was it good! Every course was delicious, from the soup to the roast duck and to the main course - sweet and sour chicken, steak and several other delicious dishes. We all had an excellent time, eating and drinking until close to midnight.

It was great to see everyone one last time before jetting off, and what a way to celebrate! Dr. Morrison knows the owners of the restaurant, the Wongs, and I convinced Dr. Morrison to take a picture of me with them. I call it, "Two Wongs Don't Make a Reitz." (Pictured above is the classic photo, with me, Mrs. and Mr. Wong at their restaurant. Nice hair, world traveler!)

Upon returning to Dr. Morrison's house, I still had another task... to repack my gear as best I could for the next journey. I didn't get to bed until it started to get light outside, which is still pretty early in these parts.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Sealed with a Kiss" - Jason Donovan
  
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Satisfied" - Richard Marx
  

Saturday, June 17, 1989

It's My 20th Birthday... and a Farewell to Hull ...

Well, today is my birthday. And also Viv's father's birthday. And my friend Molly Sherman's birthday. And my friend Ted's brother Chip Schaeffer's birthday. And the Queen's birthday (observed.)

So on this, obviously one of the most important days of the year, I turned 20, and had only 2 1/2 hours of sleep at the same time. All the same, it was going to be a "big day" today (as Greg always says.)

I ate breakfast with my parents at the Beck House Hotel (which is conveniently only about a block away from The Grange.), and we dined at a leisurely pace as we chatted and got caught up on a number of things.

Afterward we packed up all of my gear, gave Sam my Social-Political Structures paper to hand in for me so that I could leave a bit early, along with a few other things I gave to him, and also bid farewell to Shannon the Hamster (Lorna, another hamster owner, agreed to care for her). Walked around the residence and bid farewell to J.P., Neil, and other people that I saw walking about.

Next we took a walk up to the Cottingham Road site so that my parents could see the area a bit, and also to return my library books. (Pictured above is a photo I snapped of my parents and sister along that walk.)

At noon, we hopped on the train and I said farewell to Hull for the last time, as we departed for a stop in York. While on the train, we met up with Dave Hart and his parents, who were going to York as well, so we traveled with them for a bit. It was a slow train and we didn't get to York until nearly 4 p.m., but it was another beautiful day and we still were able to see a lot.

We watched some crew races on the river (pictured is Mom and Dad watching the race), walked the shops, went through the Jorvik Viking Centre (third visit for me... my parents enjoyed it). Dad and I climbed up to the top of, oh, what's the name of that castle on the hill there again? Anyway, we climbed up and took some great photos.

At 6 p.m. we went to Pizza Hut for my birthday dinner, which marked the first time I drank a beer with my parents in public (or anywhere, for that matter). In a few days, it won't be legal for me to do that in public for another year.

While there, Dad committed a humorous faux pas. When the waitress asked him if everything was alright, he replied, "No, that will be all" (not listening to exactly what she had said.) I laughed, anyway.

Walked past the minster, and along the wall for awhile (pictured is Mom, Dad and Angie walking the wall), looking at the city until 8.15, when we returned to the train station. Dad called Dr. Morrison, while Mom and I bought drinks.

Another funny moment: Mom asked for a hot tea with a little milk, and when her order arrived, she received a hot tea and a little milk carton. Again, I saw the funny side of this.

We had a hectic train ride, constantly worrying if we were on the right train or not (the Brit Rail men did their best to confuse us). But in the end, we arrived in Liverpool only slightly late, where Dr. Morrison picked us up and drove us back to his house.

I took my parents through my photo albums over some drinks, and got to bed around 2 a.m. Almost didn't seem like a birthday, but it was a great day. Mom and Dad gave me a Beatles shirt on the train, which was nice, and Dr. Morrison and Fiona gave me a Liverpool F.C. scarf and hat. Love 'em both! (Pictured is me and Mom in Dr. Morrison's dining room, modeling my new winter gear over drinks and looking at my photo albums.)

Sunday, May 28, 1989

My First Trip into Wales ...

What a grand day today, even if I didn't get any studying done (again). I woke up early and ate breakfast with an international crowd, reading the Sunday Times and talking over various topics.

When it was a little past 11 a.m., we all gathered our gear and headed into Wales. Rosemary (pictured right, with me) was traveling with Dr. Morrison and me, and her friends traveled in the other car. It took us awhile to get there, with holiday traffic and all, but it moved steadily.

It was a beautiful day and the scenery was wonderful. It's a shame my parents aren't here to see this... they'd love it!

As our drive progressed, we somehow had lost the other car, and when we finally arrived at our destination, the town of Porthmadog, there was no sign of them. So after eating lunch and a brief look in Cob, a nearby record shop, Dr. Morrison and I took the Ffestiniog Railway trip to Blaenau Ffestiniog, leaving Rosemary behind so that she could meet with her friends.

It was a lovely trip, and I took loads of photos along the way. We returned on board the same train and arrived back in Porthmadog at 5.10... giving us just enough time to look through that record shop again. I bought a cassette tape of Mike Oldfield's "Platinum" (second hand), and Michael Rutherford's album "Smallcreep's Day" for £1.45. Dr. Morrison bought three jazz tapes and a Bob Newhart record album.

When we got into the car, we listened to some of our music along the way, and took a slightly different route home. We stopped at the Theatr Clwyd Cymru to take a look at it. Fabulous place, though not much was going on while we were there. I bought a King Arthur poster while I was there.

We returned to Ness at about half nine, ate some Chinese food, and watched the last bit of "A Handful of Dust" on TV. I'll watch it in full on video tape tomorrow.

After the show I phoned my parents and talked to them about today's trip, as well as about their plans for coming here next month. Everything is still a go. Also, Uncle Larry and Aunt JoAnne were at the house when I called, so I was able to talk to them as well. Hey, they were eating Chinese as well!

Next I listened to "Smallcreep's Day" (I quite like it!) while finishing up reading "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4," which is really good. Chris Mulvihill would like it.

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" - Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson and The Christians (for the Hillsborough Disaster)
  
  
• Number One Song in America This Week: "Rock On" - Michael Damian
  

Wednesday, May 24, 1989

Elvis Costello in Newcastle ...

Well, the day has finally arrived! After three months of waiting, I finally got to see Elvis Costello live in concert, and it was well worth the wait!

The day began by waking up for breakfast at 8 a.m., as usual, followed by a shower and general nothingness unil noon. With my pack of essentials, I headed into downtown Hull. It was quite hot outside at first, nearly unbearable. But the temperature gradually became more comfortable as I went along.

I bought a few things while I was in town: Two Peanuts books that I needed and three 45s, including Cliff Richard and The Young Ones doing "Living Doll." I also bought some food, bateries, a train ticket, and lunch at McDonald's once I reached the city centre.

At 2.50 I met Cat in front of the movie theatre, and then went over to Ferensway where shortly thereafter we were on a bus bound for Newcastle. The journey took three hours, and included a short pit stop, but it went rather quickly as we listened to Elvis Costello over the bus stereo most of the way up.

We arrived in Newcastle at about half 6, so Cat, Nile and I had a few minutes to walk about Newcastle before we could go into City Hall. Nile, incidentally, bought a ticket a few minutes before the bus left for the concert. Talk about a last minute decision!

Anyway, it was noticeably cooler out now, so after a run-in with some photo shoot going on in the street, we stopped at a Kentucky Fried Chicken for some coffee, and then returned to City Hall to get our seats for the show.

I was a decadent individual today. I bought an Elvis Costello tour t-shirt, a tour poster, and a tour program. Good deal, though... I only paid £13 total for everything!

We then grabbed our seats and waited for the show to commence. The concert hall was rather small, about the same size as The Forum in Harrisburg, which gave the show a nice personal feel.

At 8 p.m. the lights dimmed and out came Nick Lowe, who performed quite well. I was impressed with his performance, and especially at his sense of humour (at one point he said, "I will now play a medley of my greatest hit," and then began to perform "Cruel to Be Kind.") I was also impressed by his new songs from his forthcoming album. I will have to check that out.

Lowe played for about a half an hour, and after a short break, Elvis Costello ran onto the stage and jumped right into an acoustic version of "Accidents will Happen." In fact, most of this brilliant show was simply Elvis playing acoustic solo versions of his songs, both from his new album and his classics from the past.

The songs he performed included: "Watching the Detectives," "Alison," a medley of "New Amsterdam/You've Got to Hide Your Love Away/American Without Tears," "My Radio Sweetheart," "Loveable," "Veronica," "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," "Pads, Paws & Claws," "Any King's Shilling" and "Let Him Dangle."

Next was the most brilliant song of the evening, a 15-minute humorous version of "God's Comic." In this song, Elvis talked of his inspiration from being on a Swedish talk show where God was a guest. My favourite part was after the lyric "wondering if I should've given the world to the monkeys," Elvis suddenly stopped, then broke into a few verses of "Last Train to Clarksville."

Even with a lot of his political jokes throughout the concert, I found myself laughing in spite of myself.

Next he brought Nick Lowe out on stage and they performed "Indoor Fireworks" and, of course, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" (which Lowe wrote). Their duet was excellent... certainly a rare treat for an Elvis fan to see live. I thought Lowe's style complimented Elvis very well with these numbers.

As the show wound down, Elvis concluded with three of his politically-themed songs, the last two being among my least favourite songs. He brought out the piano and performed a nice version of "Shipbuilding." But that was followed by a very bad "Pills and Soap," and concluded with "Tramp the Dirt Down." It's alright musically, but I hate the lyrics. In my opinion he should've ended the concert with something more upbeat, as he had now become quite serious in his demeanor. It was a downer of an ending to the show.

Apart from that, the show was brilliant and well worth the journey. As I sat in the audience, I thought to myself, "this is what it's all about." A definite climax to the journey. It was amazing how he could be the most amusing entertainer I've ever seen in a concert, and then the most serious. Will we ever be able to see the real Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus, or have we?

At the end of the day, I would call this the second best concert I've ever experienced (Ol' Neil Young in Hershey still holds that title, with Peter Gabriel a close third).

All told, Elvis played for over two hours, so we did not leave the venue until after 11 a.m. That meant we were going to be getting home very late. We arrived in Hull at about 2.30 a.m., and the bus driver decided to take us all right to our homes, which was very nice.

However...

When the bus arrived at the corner of Cottingham Road and Newland Avenue, we contemplated asking the driver to just let us off there, and we could do the 10 minute walk back to The Grange. But we decided not to.

As a result, he turned another way, and we ended up on the bus for another hour. Then, when he did finally drop us off, it was at the corner of Cottingham Road and Beverley Road... about 200 yards away from the Newland Avenue intersection. Cat and I had a good laugh about this... an hour to travel 200 yards! It was dark and quiet, and we walked back most of the way in the road, while Nile walked swiftly back along the sidewalk.

Tired and approaching 4 a.m. by now, I still managed to hang my new posters up in my room - not only the Elvis Costello tour poster, but I also "liberated" the poster that was on the bus as well.

I let Shannon run around a bit, cleaned up, and then, completely and utterly knackered, I went to bed.

What a brilliant day!

Saturday, April 15, 1989

Tragedy at Hillsborough ...

It was a day of sadness and tragedy today. 93 Liverpool football fans were crushed to death in an overcrowding incident at the F.A. Cup Semi-Final game in Sheffield, which is about an hour's drive from here.

I found out about it after a relatively uneventful day, which had been highlighted by my own little game of soccer with Little Johnny, Andy, Paul, Big Jon, J.P., and some other guy I didn't know beforehand. I played horrible, as usual, but it was good fun. It was also very cold, and we were all quite exhausted and thirsty following the game.

Upon returning, I took a rest, then tried to take a bath, but the water was too cold, so I gave up.

It was then that I went over to St. Hilda's and found out the news. Everyone was in the TV room watching the live footage from the field. The death toll had already been confirmed at 52 fans when I first arrived, but during the next hour it climbed into the 70s. It was hard to comprehend exactly what was happening, but it was truly devastating.

How the Hillsborough disaster happened (BBC.)

Following dinner, Turlough had an evening of watching TV, catching news updates on Hillborough, as well as distracting our thoughts by watching an episode of Bilko, a special on Charlie Chaplin (it's his 100th birthday celebration), then we watched his classic movie "The Kid," among other things. I don't think I moved for about 4 hours.

Next I tried to call home, but there was no answer. I'm sure Mom is worried, and even though she knows I don't really follow football much, or have any money, she's still worried about me because of it.

This was a very maudlin day. I didn't see anyone take it harder than Chris from Liverpool did. He was in tears, and though I didn't ask him, I believe that he may have had friends or family at the game. Rough day for everyone.

Wednesday, April 12, 1989

How to Drink and Be Merry at the Student Union, and Not Pay a Single Pence ...

Following breakfast, I was treated to receiving two more issues of The Snapper in the mail, as well as a few photos of my friends back home - mostly of Michele (who now has long hair!)

I went to an exceptionally dull Geography lecture, then found out part of my final exam schedule (last exam is scheduled for June 13), then returned to waste the rest of the morning.

Later that day, after reading for a bit, writing some more and dinner, I gave Jane some letters that I was requested to give to her from Spain. After that I went to J.P.'s room, where we hung out a bit before heading over to the Student Union to celebrate Big Jon Whalley's birthday.

J.P. and I came up with a way to spend absolutely no money this evening and still have a great time... and it worked!

Step One: We drank a few rum and cokes in J.P.'s room before we left.

Step Two: We made sure to arrive early, before they start collecting admission at the door, so we didn't have to pay to get into the Uni.

Step Three: We loaded up J.P.'s backpack with bottles of the home brew that he made in his room, and snuck that into the Uni. And that's all we drank all evening. It was actually a pretty good batch he made, and after a few rum and cokes, it really didn't taste all that different from the beer we would've purchased.

We had a good time celebrating Jon (and Sharon's) birthday. I took my camera, but it was too dark to get any pictures in here.

The only thing about home brew is that you need to stop drinking before you get to the bottom of the bottle, because there's usually a collection of heavy sediment laying there that will gag you if you drink it. But this provided us with a unique opportunity for laughs and hijinks.

As we neared the end of each bottle, we would pour the undrinkable sediment into an empty pint glass at our table. Eventually, the glass was reasonably full... enough that it looked like a barely touched glass of bitter.

Now the trap was set to teach a lesson to a pint-nicker. We got up, went over to the dance floor, leaving the enticing, unattended brew sitting there, all alone. Sure enough, we returned to the table a short time later, and the glass had vanished. We didn't see who ended up taking it, but whoever it is might not be feeling so well in a little while if they polish the whole thing off!

When we got back to the halls, we caught an episode of the new Twilight Zone on TV, about "The Shadowman," and then I went back to my room and slept very soundly.

Sunday, April 9, 1989

Piccadilly at 3 a.m. (The Journey from Madrid to Hull, Part Two) ...

The train from Longfield to London rolled into Victoria Station at about midnight. However, I told the ticket agent on the train that I had boarded the train at a different station, so I ended up paying about half as much as I should have for the train ride to London. That was necessary, as I now realized that I needed to account for every pence that I had until I returned to Hull tomorrow evening.

At 1.30 a.m. in Victoria Station, after a coffee, rest, and a repacking of my bag into a locker so that I wouldn't have to carry it around all night, I made a decision regarding my fate for this evening. Rather than just sit at the station all night, doggone it, I was going to explore this city and try to salvage potential misery into fortune as best I could.

So I began my trek walking down Buckingham Palace Road to go - where else? - to visit the Queen and the Royal Family. Well they were tired and not accepting foreign visitors at this late hour, so I didn't stick around too long. I walked from the palace down Birdcage Walk on the St. James' Park side, toward Parliament Square to say hello to Mrs. Thatcher.

In the square were your typical landmarks... Big Ben, Parliament. Next I continued down Whitehall past 10 Downing Street, which was heavily guarded. So I assumed there would be no lodging for a wayfaring American here, either.

I continued to walk down Whitehall to The Mall, which brought me back to St. James' Park again. At this point I decided to take a break, sat at a park bench, popped a cassette tape of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Trilogy" album and listened to that here until it was done. I was tired at that point, but I got up and continued to walk, because that was the best way to keep warm, and by now it was quite cold outside. I headed back past Buckingham Palace and along Green Park to the Wellington Arch.

Here, I got a bit confused, and instead of going down Piccadilly, I ended up walking down Park Lane and through Mayfair... indeed, the wealthiest neighborhood in London, and I could clearly see why with the posh homes here. I was feeling rather safe in this neighborhood, though I must admit that throughout the night, I never felt threatened or unsafe... try doing this in New York City!)

I passed the Roosevelt Monument and soon found my way back to Piccadilly, which brought me shortly thereafter to Piccadilly Circus, where even though it was after 3 a.m., it was quite crowded here. I found myself wandering the streets in this vicinity, walking nostagically passed the Prince Edward Theatre, where Viv and I saw the musical "Chess" last December... and in the nick of time, too. It turned out that the cast performed its final show at the Prince Edward this very evening.

I then decided to make my way back to Piccadilly Circus and grab a donut and some coffee at the Dunkin Donuts there. I warmed myself up a bit here in the eatery, and even chatted a bit with the security guard there, named Dave. I parlayed my saga to him, and he offered to try and find me a place to crash for the rest of the evening after he went off duty at 5 a.m., if I wished, rather than continue wandering around the city. I told him I'd think about it and possibly come back at that time.

I also chatted with a nice fellow from Belgium, who only spoke a little English and was sitting in the booth seat across from me at the Dunkin Donuts. Despite the language difficulties, we had a nice conversation about world travel, before I set off once again on my own late night travels.

Continued walking a ways down Piccadilly, passing several airline offices (Zimbabwe Air, Aeroflot, Iran Air (picture of Khomeni inside), Libyian Arab Airlines (portrait of Khadafi inside), just to name a few that you don't often see in America.

I returned to the Dunkin Donuts at Piccadilly at 5 a.m. to see if Dave was serious about his offer; however I couldn't find him anywhere. So I continued my explorations up Regents Street, where I passed Hamley's toy store and a Lloyd's Bank that had its burglar alarm going off. Well that was splendid timing. I looked at the building with interest and curiosity, and then saw across the road a female cop, who summoned me to come over to her.

The cop asked me a few questions about where I was going and other things, and then said she was just concerned because I looked confused and she was trying to help me out. Not confused, just curious about the blaring alarm, which didn't seem to bother her much. She was very nice and we talked for a minute as I briefly explained my situation, before I continued my streetwalking past the BBC building, and up Portland Place to Regent's Park.

By now, it was starting to get lighter, and it was approaching 6 a.m. The park was closed, so I ventured down Marylbone Road, passing Madame Tussaud's, and then back down Baker Street. Still no sign of Sherlock Holmes' house at 221B. Made my way down Oxford Street, and now, on the brink of daybreak, I found myself in Hyde Park. They had a stack of wooden lawn chairs here, so I unfolded one and relaxed for awhile. Still a bit cold, so I didn't stay here very long.

Next I continued through the Serpentine to Hyde Park Corner. Next I passed by the Wellington Arch, Green Park, and marveled again at the numerous ducks and fowl congregated in St. James' Park (right). Amazing.

I took another stroll past Mrs. Thatcher's home, this time in the daylight, then finally made my way back to Victoria Station... stopping along the way at a small restaurant where I had a very nice English breakfast for only £2.65.

Next I decided to look for a grocery store to find some food that would get me through the return trip to Hull. I ended up walking down King's Road and through Chelsea (the place that Elvis Costello didn't want to go to...), as well as South Kensington, before finding a grocery store. Where do these people shop? I also walked past Harrod's along the way.

Well soon I found myself on Knightsbridge, which brought me back to Hyde Park Corner. Made my way down Grosvenor Place back to Victoria Station. This time I decided to stay close by, since it was finally getting close to the time when I could catch my bus. I went into a little shop and found a Spanish flag that I bought (something I couldn't find while I was in Spain. Odd.) Gathered my gear from the locker at Victoria Station, and I was at the bus station before 2, a half-hour before the bus left.

Finally, a chance for some extended rest!

But it was not to be. I took a few short naps along the way, and had a cup of chicken soup, which was nice. But I spent a good bit of the trip talking to the guy sitting next to me on the bus. Although I never got his name, I know his name must have been Bob. For some reason, he looked like a Bob to me. So he was Bob.

Well, the bus arrived in Hull a bit early (a little before 7 p.m.), and I caught a local bus (the fare had risen to 38p) back to The Grange. On the bus were Abbey and Cat, also returning to the Grange from their travels over Spring Break, so we chatted about where we had been until we arrived at our destination.

Boy, after all of that, I was glad to finally be back in my room! My only real meal of the day was that breakfast I had had back in London. Fortunately it was a filling as it was.

And then I saw Sid and J.P. when they arrived, a full day later than I had initially expected to see them. They were both relieved to see me, and then gave me a full account about what had happened.

It turned out that J.P. did come to the airport to meet me yesterday. Heathrow Airport, instead of Gatwick. The rest of the ordeal was simply us not crossing paths at the same time. Had I stayed at Sid's house, they did eventually return that evening.

It seemed like they were more worried about the situation than I was. At this point, with it all now in the past, I was OK with how things transpired. It turned out to be a much more interesting experience than I had anticipated.

Sid gave me back my bag-o-things that I gave her to watch while I was gone... and then J.P. hit bottom. We walked into his room and discovered that someone had broken into his first-floor room by smashing his window, then taking the stereo that was on the table next to his bed. Quite a bummer, especially since it wasn't insured. So the stereo that Doug bought, then J.P. bought from him, was now gone forever.

On the upside, I had a nice large stack of mail, including another package of Snappers from Millersville. So I reminisced with everyone, gave them some of the highlights from my month in Spain, then returned to my room.

Although you'd think I would've crashed at this point, I pulled out The Snappers and started reading them to get updated on news at Millersville. I finally fell asleep at about 2.30 a.m. - nearly 40 hours after I last had a night's sleep, crushing my old record of not sleeping, Camp Hill High School's "Wizard of Oz" cast party in 1986. Not exactly a record that I will be looking to try and break.

This has certainly been one of the most interesting days of my life, and quite an ending to one of the most interesting month's of my life.

Pictured top is a postcard that most accurately depicts the first half of this particular day!

***

• Number One Song in Britain This Week: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
• Number One Song in America This Week: "The Look" - Roxette

Saturday, April 8, 1989

A Detour Through The Twilight Zone (The Journey from Madrid to Hull, Part One) ...

I didn't think I'd have a more bizarre traveling experience then the one I had when J.P. and I were trapped in Perth back on Dec. 30. I was wrong.

Oh, it started out fine... very sad, but fine. And then it got frustrating. Viv and I woke up a little before noon. Late, true, but long before everyone else in the flat. I packed my bags while Viv made us some food.

At a little before one, I said farewell to Liz (the only other person who woke up before I left). She was very sweet - gave me a hug and tearfully said "Aw, you're my friend, Rick." Very touching. Then Viv and I caught the Metro for my last trip. After that stop, we walked to the area where we caught the bus to the airport, and our timing was quite good.

We got off the bus, found my terminal, and checked in without any problems. I bought a newspaper and sat with Viv awhile, until the last moment when I couldn't stay there any longer.

Viv and I said our tearful goodbye. I hope to God she is able to come to America this summer.

That's when things started going a little... funny.

While in the terminal at Madrid Airport (right), waiting to take the same flight as me were most of the European Business Students (like Viv, only in reverse) from Spain where were actually heading back to Humberside College in Hull. What are the odds on that occurring?

Nothing too thrilling to report about the flight, though I should say something, considering how much I had to pay out of my budget for the trip. It was pleasant, and the food was pretty good as well.

My plan was to meet up with J.P. after our flight arrived at Gatwick Airport south of London. J.P. was staying with his girlfriend Sid in Kent, outside London, and I was going to be staying at her house overnight, since my bus ticket is for Sunday. I had sent J.P. a postcard with my flight time, number, terminal, so he knew where to meet me.

That was the plan, anyway.

Well I arrived at Gatwick (right) and checked through with no problems. However, no sign of J.P. No worries at this point, though. After awhile, I decided to grab the Gatwick Express train back up to Victoria Station. Once I arrived there, I struggled to put my bag into a locker there, and at that point called Sid's house. No one was in. Hmm, that's odd. But no worries, I can try again later.

I went and grabbed some dinner at the nearby McDonald's, then came back to the public phone booth and called Sid's house again. Still not in.

Then I made what turned out to be a mistake. I decided to take a chance and go out to Sid's house on my own. So I purchased a one-way ticket to Longfield, and took the train out with the hopes that they were just out for a little while, and that I would catch them by the time I got there.

So when I arrived at the stop after a 45-minute train ride, I made the walk to Sid's house (click on the map to see where her house is in relation to the train station). No luck. The house was dark, and no one was home. Still, it wasn't terribly late, so I decided to wait a little while to see if they came back home.

But after waiting around for awhile, it started to seem more and more likely like they weren't coming back. Perhaps they forgot, or perhaps J.P. never got the post card. So I had two choices, continue waiting and risk being stuck outside in the country all night, or catch the late train back to London and take my chances there, where I could at least go inside some places if it got too cold.

I wrote a note to J.P. and Sid telling them that I had been there, but that I decided to take the train back into London. So I trekked back to the station, where I waited just under an hour for the 11.18 train to London. During this time I was annoyed by three pestering kids hanging about, who fortunately left fairly soon after. There was one other girl there at the station who for some reason found it difficult to believe that I was telling her the truth that this train goes to London.

By now, as I rode on that train back to Victoria Station, I was starting to feel more and more like Griffin Dunne in "After Hours," wondering where Sid and J.P. were, and where exactly was I going to stay, and what I was going to eat, since I had very little money on me. As I thought more and more about my situation, I resigned myself to realizing that this was going to be a long, long night.

The saga continues tomorrow.

(Editor's note: This was the last time I saw Liz, although we did send letters periodically to one-another for a few years afterward. I have since lost contact with her. The same is true of all of the other students I knew and lived with while I stayed in Spain... except, of course,Viv.)