London, Day 5
I woke up this morning determined to find a rental car. I was out of the house by 7, and caught the early train to the airport, hoping for better success there. It's a pretty long ride, so I finished Mere Christianity on thee way. What a good book! Besides its apologetic aim, it presents an explanation of the virtues that I find very personally challenging.
I made it to the airport, spent a few minutes brushing up on the differences between British and American driving (besides the signage, there are fewer than I thought), then took the shuttle to the Hertz rental. The rental agent called me up and asked me what I wanted: a Ferrari? I aid yes, of course :)
Turns out the cheapest thing they would rent me would cost over $350 for the day. The other company, Europcar, was even worse. There was no way I was going to spend that much on a one-day rental, so I headed back into the city. My Stonehenge plans were dead.
I was a bit relieved that I didn't have to try to learn to drive here, honestly. I was confident that I could have figured it out, but it would have been harrowing. I've struggled enough just trying to cross the road on foot, much less manage a car. However, I got my chance to drive on London streets later in the day anyway.
I got back in London and went to Leicester Square to go to some bookshops. The bookshops turned out to be a disappointment, but while there I found a tiny little coffee shop nestled in a corner that was jam-packed with people. I figured it must be worth checking out, so I went in and ordered a hot chocolate. In going through the Churchill War Museum I had seen hot chocolate mentioned a lot in such a way that it seemed like quite a big deal. Apparently hot chocolate was part of their rations and national diet in much the same way tea was. Anyway, the hot chocolate arrived, and it was very different than I was expecting. Instead of hot milk with chocolate and maybe some marshmallows, this was just melted chocolate: no milk, pure black, and very thick. It was a bit rich, but I got through it, and I think I could get used to it if I had it more often.
The other reason I went to Leicester Square is to see the Postal Museum. They didn't have a lot there, but it was impressive to see how they kept the mail running through the wars.
Leaving there, I finally got my chance to drive in London, as I realized I could rent a bike for next to nothing, and then go anywhere! As my feet were very tired by then, I was quite excited about this idea. The benefit of a bike is that it' so low-stakes. If I get confused or lost, I can just pull onto the sidewalk to get my bearings (which I had to do several times). But London is very bike-friendly, and the other drivers were considerate, and soon I felt very comfortable with the whole left-hand-side thing.
For my last evening here, I decided to go back to the Globe. I liked it so much the first time that I'd gladly go see the same play twice. However, tonight they were showing a different play: "As You Like It," which I was not familiar with, but has the famous line "All the world's a stage\ And all the men and women merely players etc etc". It wasn't quite as good as the "Much Ado" performance, but was still excellent.