The Eagle and Child, nicknamed The Bird and Baby, is a pub in St Giles’ Street, Oxford, England, owned by St. John’s College, Oxford. The pub had been part of an endowment belonging to University College since the 17th century. …
When I stopped in for lunch, neither Tolkien nor Lewis nor any of the Inklings were there. Too bad.
I asked the barkeep for a recommendation. He suggested bangers and mash.
While I was there a library was hosting an exhibit titled Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth.
I’d always wanted to visit Oxford.
Must be the academic elitist in me. And I am a big fan of the Inspector Morse detective novels set in Oxford.
For the tourist it’s well worth the short trip from London.
With an estimated 2016 population of 170,000 Oxford is easily walkable. And runable.
The city is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
The University has been a thing since at least the 12th-century. I took a guided tour with the highlights being all the weird Hogwarts-esque traditions still in effect at the many historic Colleges there. The Tortoise Race is new having been started in 1920. 
Here are a few photos from my wanderings.
Stanfords is an iconic specialist bookshop of maps and travel books in London and was established in 1853 …
Its collection of maps, globes, and maritime charts is considered the world’s largest. …
After visiting, my thinking was to stop in London en route to my next travel adventure to pick up the books and maps I will need.
They’ve been in the same location since 1901.
Anyone visiting London MUST visit.
The British Museum, located in the Bloomsbury area of London, in the United Kingdom, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection numbers some 8 million works …
It first opened to the public on 15 January 1759 …
Its ownership of some of its most famous objects originating in other countries is disputed and remains the subject of international controversy, most notably in the case of the Parthenon Marbles. …
The Tree of Life is a sculpture created by four artists in Mozambique. It was commissioned and then installed in the British Museum in 2005. It was built from the surrender of 600,000 weapons that were converted into art following an initiative started by Bishop Dinis Sengulane. …
Of dozens of possible stage plays to see in London, I chose 5+ hours of Harry Potter. I was keen to see magic stagecraft. And it was pretty cool.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a two-part stage play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by Thorne, J. K. Rowling and John Tiffany.
It premiered on 30 July 2016.
The story begins nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his younger son Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts …
One of the hashtags is #KeepTheSecrets … so I don’t want to reveal any spoilers.
I can say that my favourite character is Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Harry’s former nemesis Draco Malfoy.
Ron Weasley is entertaining, too.
The Palace Theatre, London is an appropriate venue. Very evocative of the Potter look and feel. Chairs are tiny, however.
The plot is dumb. I overheard people saying the action was rushed. Personally I was happy they kept things moving quickly. I did fall asleep at one point.
Bottom line — Harry Potter fanatics will enjoy the stage play.
Regular fans like myself will enjoy a few scenes. Be impressed by the magic. But ultimately find the story too saccharine and predictable.
related review – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, review: A magical experience tailor made for the stage
FREE MUSEUMS (donation recommended) in LONDON are awesome.
Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. …
Its collection belongs to the government on behalf of the British public, and entry to the main collection is free of charge. It is among the most visited art museums in the world, after the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. …
Overwhelmed, I jumped quite quickly to the the Impressionists and Post-impressionists. My favourites.
In fact, one special exhibition convinced me to buy a ticket.
The image they used for the promotion is La Loge (The Theatre Box) by by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. (1874)
Victoria Park London.
A Guy Fawkes celebration set to music inspired by the science-fiction novel Frankenstein, which was first published two centuries ago.
I only found out about it because thousands of people were trooping past my hostel. The street was closed.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
That was only one of many Bonfire Night celebrations in London.
London’s a terrific walking city.
So cosmopolitan, the people watching is fascinating.
Most often I stroll the river. Searching for interesting kiosk food when I get peckish.
Nothing to see here. We don’t celebrate Nov 2nd. 🙂
Today I’m departing World Gymnastics Championships in Qatar. Flying to London, the start of my travels west home for Christmas.
It’s hot in the Middle East. So I’ve been running hotel stairs indoors in Doha.
Stairs have always been a big challenge for me. I do get a far better workout in much less time as compared with jogging.
I did Aspire Park at night too. It’s a superb running area. This would be dry, barren desert if not for Petrotoxins.
I’d read they didn’t allow men to wear shorts in this park. But in 2018 myself and most men — especially those there for fitness — were all wearing shorts.
Rick McCharles 