London
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Around St Paul's Cathedral
Taking the tube, exit St. Paul's, lets one see two emblematic places in London, altough not the top ones in tourist lists. One is St paul's Cathedral, a religious monument, and the second could not be more the opposite: a theatre, the new Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and none other.
St Paul's Cathedral
For three hundred years St Paul's Cathedral has served as one of the enduring symbols of London, a role it richly deserves. Completed in 1708, Sir Christopher Wren's masterwork is recognized the world over by its large dome and classical architecture.
The fame of the dome is particularly ironic since the plans, third in succession after two rejected models, didn't call for one. Wren took advantage of a clause in the commission permitting him to make 'ornamental' changes.
And, in effect, the large dome - visible from several parts of London far away - is just an ornament. In the interior is a much smaller dome directly underneath and between the two a large cone-shaped structure supporting the 850-ton lantern.
Outside, astride the large dome are two towers and an extraordinary classical facade. Though it forms the entrance, the view is less familiar since photographs typically concentrate on the famous dome, which lies on the other side. The west side offers an especially good view. From here, visitors can take in the columns and the clock tower.
Whether viewing from outside or in, though, there are several outstanding features and dozens of smaller ones of interest.
One of the more popular interior features is the Whispering Gallery. The result of the way sound waves move within an arched structure, a person can stand at one corner and whisper and be heard far away. It can be reached by a muscular climb up 259 spiral steps. Most find the effort well repaid.
Someone standing far away beneath the opposite side of an arch can still hear plainly what was said. There are often several pairs trying this at once, though. The sound is clearest if you can find a time when no one else is testing the effect.
But the main interest lies less with physics and more with art. One example is the 20-foot oak model representing Wren's second major attempt at gaining approval for a design. Another is the large pipe organ, commissioned in 1694 and still functional.
Several other functional, yet artistic, elements are around the cathedral. One, Wren's memorial, contains an epitaph from his son. It reads, translated from the Latin: 'Reader, if you seek his monument, look around.'
Many other plaques, carvings, statues and other memorials to the powerful and famous of London's past are within the cathedral: in the south transept Admiral Nelson, in the north aisle the Duke of Wellington.
There's also a memorial in the south choir aisle of the poet John Donne, Dean of St. Paul's before the current building was erected. The disastrous London fire of 1666, destroyed the original. Almost ten years elapsed before construction was begun, followed by more than another 30 until completion. That gives some idea of how construction projects were carried out 300 years ago.
Undergoing a £40 million ($71 million) restoration to celebrate it's 300-year anniversary, many of the building's surfaces have been cleaned and restored. Now is an especially good time to pay a visit.
The Cathedral is easy to spot and also easy to reach via the London Underground. Exit at St Paul's station.
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is in fact long gone - closed by Puritans in 1642 and taken down 2 years later. Fortunately for fans of the bard, there's a faithful reproduction housed only a few hundred meters from the original site.
The consuming passion of too-little known American actor Sam Wanamaker, the Globe offers performances of Shakespeare's plays during the summer along with tours of the facility. Wanamaker died shortly after construction began.
Though no drawings of the interior of the original are known to exist, every care has been taken to faithfully recreate the theatre. Scholarly studies from the intervening 400 years have allowed designers to make the reconstruction close to the original. A sketch made in 1596 of the presumed-similar Swan Theatre is just one example.
Some modern concessions to safety, such as the installation of overhead sprinklers, have been made. But the visitor will find both the exterior and the interior very much what he or she would expect from the time Elizabethan actors trod the boards. The round, white background with dark trim, the thatched roof (the first allowed in London since the Great Fire of 1666) and hundreds of details make seeing the site a journey back in time.
Though destroyed in 1644, the exact location was rediscovered in 1989 when remnants of the original foundations were discovered beneath Anchor Terrace on Southwark Bridge Road. Legal and other restrictions prevented rebuilding on the original site. But the new site is close enough by and the recreation accurate enough to allow the original to be easily imagined.
That imagination can be aided by taking one of the offered tours of the building. Knowledgeable guides direct groups around the nearly circular building showing the high balconies and the low wooden benches near the front.
At favorable times, when no rehearsals are being held, tours also take in parts of the 40ft (12m) wide by 30ft (9m) deep stage. Guides explain how special effects of the time were created, including use of the trap door and the large, open area under the stage. With luck, you'll catch a sword-fighting exhibition.
It continues into exhibition rooms showing artifacts and facsimiles of the period. A table with writing implements of the type Shakespeare used is evident along with several other 'scene setting' chairs and decorative items.
There's also a gift store adjoining the modern lobby where recordings, photos and cards, and (of course) the plays can be purchased.
Visitors can purchase tickets to the professionally staged plays and enjoy being a groundling or an aristocrat. 'Groundlings' were theatre goers who sat or stood near the front. By contrast to today, the area provided cheaper admission. Well-to-do merchants and royalty, or simply the well connected, sat further back and higher.
On these wooden benches, under the open sky visitors can turn around before the play begins -there is no curtain to raise- and see the 1,500 souls assembled to watch the performance. The original theatre held 3,000 souls.
Then, at the first trumpet, turn your attention to the stage and be held rapt by a dramatic and faithful rendering of one literature's greatest plays.
The Globe is easy to reach via the London Underground. Exit at St Paul's Cathedral station. The theatre is opposite.
Where to go from here? There are many options: Explore British food, get familiar with British pubs, travel to another city of the world, taste food in Europe, discover wine in Europe, or return to World Food and Wine home page and seek a new adventure.
