Day 10 of a 12-Day Exploration of the British Isles
May 5, 2005 – Sunny
After a leisurely breakfast and packing up, we headed to catch the train back to London. Though we said “rush,” it was actually quite relaxed because the station was very close, just a 10-minute walk away. Back in London around 2:00 PM, we first looked for our booked hotel, Holiday Inn. Holiday Inn has many branches in China as well; two years ago, when I was in Xinjiang for the China News Awards, I stayed at one and had a great impression of it, especially the freshly brewed coffee at the breakfast buffet and the fresh salmon available at lunch and dinner. However, this four-star hotel in London was no better than a three-star in China—everything felt scaled down. Still, it was much better than the “three-star” hotel we had stayed at in previous days.
After settling in, we took the subway to Madame Tussauds. After a few days of practice, we finally got the hang of the London Underground, but it was a pity we would soon be leaving. The entrance fee was very expensive, about $40 per person, the priciest attraction of our trip. Luckily, we could use a “Two For One” offer with our train tickets, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been willing to spend it. Later, what we saw proved that it was indeed “expensive for a reason.”
At the entrance, a group of “reporters” flashed their cameras at you, so lifelike that you felt like a big star. Entering the exhibition hall, you were completely stunned—not just by the countless celebrity wax figures, familiar or not, but by how these incredibly realistic figures were placed around the hall without any barriers, ropes, or guards to maintain order. You could lean on them, touch them, or put your arm around them for photos without worrying about being scolded—something that would never be possible in China. Bush, Blair, Putin, Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Washington, Lincoln, Arafat, Saddam, the Queen, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Einstein, Beckham and the Spice Girls, the Beatles, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Harrison Ford, Monroe, Owen, Zidane—these national leaders, political figures, scientists, celebrities, and sports stars we had only seen on TV or in books were all before us in various poses. We hurriedly struck different poses to take photos with these “celebrities.” Among so many figures, we finally found one Chinese person: Comrade Jiang Zemin, though in our opinion, it was the least lifelike one—perhaps because we were too familiar with him.
Leaving that hall, we entered a room like a haunted house, boarded a small train, and began an adventure. There were ghosts, monsters, and beasts, but because they were made of wax, they seemed more real, adding to the horror. After exiting, we passed through a hall displaying British historical events and figures and arrived at another large room to watch a dome-screen movie. I had seen such a movie once at the Beijing Science and Technology Museum. It was filmed with a special 360-degree camera, making you feel more immersed than in a 3D movie. The film was much larger than ordinary ones and required a special projector. We watched a science film about the nine planets of the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. The entire image was above our heads, and lying on the lounge chairs, I felt like a child again, on a summer night, lying on a makeshift bed made of door planks in front of my old home in the countryside, chatting with siblings and counting stars. When hungry, we would pick two cucumbers or two tomatoes from the field; when thirsty, we would bring back a watermelon. But those carefree days are gone forever.
Near the exit was a souvenir shop, where many people gathered around a stall making holographic images. It was truly high-tech: first, they took a photo of you, then created a 3D head image on a computer, and then engraved the outline into a crystal. It looked very tempting. When I asked the price, it was about 40 quid, which is over 600 RMB—almost as expensive as the ticket. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to buy it and left.
After leaving Madame Tussauds, it was still early, so we took the subway to Buckingham Palace. When we first arrived in London, to save money, we bought a “carnet ticket” for Zone 1 of the Underground. In simple terms, it was a bulk discount: 10 tickets that normally cost 2 quid each were sold for 17 quid. We had been using them until today, but the magnetic strip on two tickets had gone bad, so they wouldn’t swipe at the gates, and we had to ask staff to help with their cards. They forgot to collect the tickets, giving us two “free” rides.
After getting off the subway, we soon arrived at Victoria Square in front of Buckingham Palace. The gilded statue of Queen Victoria glowed faintly red in the setting sun. The fountain at the base was spraying continuously, and the pool was full of coins bearing the best wishes and hopes of devout tourists, just like what you often see in temple wishing wells. Buckingham Palace was already closed, so we could only take a distant look through the beautifully carved iron gates. The guards were dressed similarly to those at Windsor Castle. I heard there is also a changing of the guard ceremony at 11:00 AM every day, but we planned to visit the British Museum tomorrow morning, so we had no time to see it. I suppose it would be similar to the one at Windsor Castle.
Leaving Buckingham Palace, my wife still longed for the musical *The Phantom of the Opera*, so we rushed to the opera house near Piccadilly Circus. Along the way, we bought a Japanese sushi set meal. We arrived at the theater entrance five minutes before the show started, but only two seats were left, and they had two large pillars in front that would block the view, affecting the experience. The tickets weren’t discounted either—still 50 quid each—and the ticket sellers told us all this without any hesitation. After much deliberation, considering the poor view and the high price, we finally gave up.
We thought about going to nearby Chinatown, but after walking for a while, we still hadn’t arrived. The May evening in London was a bit chilly, and we were only lightly dressed, so we found a bench in a square, sat down, finished our dinner—the sushi—and then returned to the hotel to rest.
