So this morning I woke up, skyped Ian and Robyn and got a few things done on my iPad. At about 12.30 I decided to head out and walk to Lord's for a tour. So I left the flat, shut the door behind me (which locked) and went downstairs. But then I discovered the front door had been locked by the tenant downstairs. So I was locked in...in about a 5m x 1m room, with no food, no water and no toilet. I'm not claustrophobic but I started to panic a little! No one was going to be home for 5-6 hours.
So after a little while assessing the room and speaking to Brendon (thank you again for your help!) I was able to open a window, climb out using a ladder onto a landing about 10-15m up. Luckily after a while I spotted a man in his backyard hanging out some washing. He found a huge ladder and came over to help me. Luckily for me he was a policeman who had just got home from the gym and he was able to place the ladder on a brick wall and reach it up to me! I climbed down the ladder (bit scary!) and he helped me down. At the time it was very stressful but hey, another good story! Can't believe I had to partly scale the outside of a building and climb down a stranger's ladder hahaha.
After my daring escape I ran to the train station, caught the train to Camden and then jogged to Lord's. Camden looks nice, might consider living there. I made it just in time to Lord's for the 2pm tour, with four minutes to spare!!
The tour was really interesting. I was somehow the only Aussie of about 15 people! The tour guide loved me once I told him I was a Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) member and kept asking me heaps of questions about the MCG, MCC etc. On our tour we saw the pavilion which made me miss the old MCC one at home, the committee room, the dressing rooms for England and visitors, the stands, the media centre and the practice ground.
The museum here is the 2nd largest sporting museum in the world housing over 50,000 items. One of the first stops on our tour was to see the ashes urn. Here the guide told us the story of the ashes. In 1882 Australia played England in the cricket. England were 2/50 and only needed 85 to win but lost the plot and were all out for 77. The media here said English cricket was dead and for this reason when the English came to Melbourne to play later that year and played a practice match and won, at a dinner two women burned the bales from that match and put them in the best container they could find - a perfume bottle! - and gave it to the English team. Ever since then every time England play Australia in a series we are said to be playing for the ashes! The guide was most impressed that I had been to the Boxing Day test! Little did he know I'm not actually a huuuuge cricket fan hehe..
The MCC here stands for the Marylebone Cricket Club. They have 18,000 members and you can only apply once you're 16, with a 28 year wait period at present. The pavilion was built in 1890. There is a slope that causes a difference in height of 8.5 feet (2.5m ish) from one side of the pitch to the other. Which you think would favour England, but between 1900-2000 they only beat us once in 1934 here!! The ground has a capacity of 29,500 (hah! 95,000+ at the G anyone?!). You can bring your own alcohol into the ground, and Lord's is the only cricket venue in the world where the players have to walk from the dressing rooms through the members area to play!
I was once again lucky with the weather and treated to some sun, which capped off an already enjoyable tour! I then walked to nearby Abbey Road, where the Beatles famously took a photo crossing the road for their album cover. Here there were heaps of tourists annoying passing motorists haha. I took photos for some people and then three Americans took one for me. I look a bit silly because I'm alone though so that's why I'm laughing in the photo!! Mum and I missed this last time though because we didn't realise how close we were to it, so I'm glad I got to go!
I plugged in my iPod and listened to some Beatles music, crossing one last time! Then I walked to Primrose Hill to meet Rhi. Here I sat and waited and enjoyed the view of the city! I did get very cold though.
We got the train back and picked up some fish and chips with mushy pea sauce for dinner! Then Rhi, her housemates and I watched a movie.
Possibly no blog tomorrow because in out having an Asia tour reunion and then getting the train to the country to stay with my friend Jo! If no blog tomorrow, definitely the next day.
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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