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London: Royalty and Rebellions, London Walks, Beheadings, and all that Cultural Loot
King George III stole the show. British royals also stole a few countries, an entire Greek temple, Padre’s Irish ancestral homelands, and India’s massive Koh-i-Noor diamond, inset on one of the crowns displayed with the Crown Jewels. So plenty of thievery here on the Sceptered Isle, but King George’s heist was a masterpiece of musical theater. I’ll never forget how the mad King pouted his way onstage, commanding us to sing along as he snapped, “NO don’t change the subject…’cuz you’re my favorite subject….forever, and ever and ever….” Well maybe not forever. In addition to our cheap third row (oh wow!) seats to Hamilton, we ran from a clown brandishing a…
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London: Tube Travel Adventures, Must-See Attractions, and The Play’s the Thing
Departure Day finally arrived, and it all started in the hot tub, where I met a tall, handsome man who knew a lot about airplanes. We talked about destinations (London, Amsterdam), and reasons for our trips (fun, work). I tapped his travel knowledge, as I am wont to do when chatting with globe-trotting people, which he most definitely was. Lots of useful advice, especially this: Watch out for well-dressed thieves when you put down your bag. They might place a different bag right next to yours, then casually stroll off with the goods. Excellent advice I’d heard before, but now it was fresh in my mind and led to a…
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Ireland Road Journeys and a Marriage, the Second Time Around
We were at a crossroads. A literal crossroads, halted on a bramble-hedged rural lane, Gaelic signposts pointed in five bewildering directions. We’d learned the hard way that sometimes a wrong choice might send us veering off down red-dirt cowpaths, into private farmyards, or to the edge of towering cliffs. Which way do I go? he asked, and I raised my finger from the map to point: “Go that way!” My new groom had been white-knuckling the Irish driving for the last two weeks. We first met at the facility where my grandparents lived and where, as chaplain, he befriended my cantankerous granddad, Charlie, famous for his daring nursing home escapes.…
