As this episode opens, K and her friends have just taken the train from Canterbury to London after a busy day trip.
We arrived back at the hotel about 4:30—time enough for a bath—a “meat” tea for our evening meal—and to dress for My Fair Lady. All of us had seen it but thought it would be fun to see it done by an English company. It was good fun—very well done. It helped to have seats in the third row center! Three theaters in one week! Life will not be the same once I am home!
I have K’s program from her visit to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, for this production of My Fair Lady, a musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion and its 1938 film adaptation. The show opened on April 30, 1958 and ran for 5½ years. Although Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews were in the show when it opened, they had both departed in 1959. The character of Mrs. Higgins was played—to great acclaim—by Zena Dare, who had first appeared on stage in 1899 and was famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy. She retired from the stage at the conclusion of the show’s run in 1965.
I forgot to say that the cab driver in Canterbury that took us to the station was a good tour director. He drove us about until the last—and I mean the last—minute. We have had some very good and interesting drivers.
The train we took back came a different route than going—this was at the suggestion of the man who sold us the tickets. Canterbury is in Kent—and the countryside very beautiful and productive. There were many, many orchards. We saw many silo-shaped buildings, though not so tall as ours. On top they seemed to have a ventilator. We thought perhaps they were fruit storage buildings. We had not seen them any other place.
Kent is known as the Garden of England for its lush orchards and vineyards. The silo-shaped buildings with conical roofs are oast houses, designed for drying hops as part of the brewing process.
It is time to sleep. Tomorrow’s list is long—we couldn’t possibly get in all the things we would still like to do—but we have done and seen a lot. Among other things there is packing. Dirty clothes seem to take more room. I do not have many purchases with me but they seem to fill up.
Sat. a.m.
I am packed. In a few minutes we’ll start out for the last day. Our plan is to go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham, lunch at Simpson’s on the Strand, a trip up the Thames to the Tower. I didn’t get out to Kensington Park to see the statue of Peter Pan that I wanted, but I didn’t the other time. Guess it’s good to leave a few things until the next time—and I have left many.
Here’s K’s photo of the Changing of the Guard.
Simpsons-in-the-Strand is one of London’s oldest traditional English restaurants. Here’s a 1962 menu from their Grand Divan Tavern.
Here’s a short 1960-era video of a boat trip up the Thames on the way to the Tower of London.
Your letter came this morning. There is fast mail service it seems—though not for packages. I have not heard from any I have sent. And I have nothing much in the way of take-home gifts with me. You may all get them for Christmas.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all. I’m glad I’ll get to see Bobbie and her family for a bit. Marjorie hasn’t said when she was going to Cleveland. I hope at least she will take my big bag.
I love you all— Katharine
I don’t have any written account of her trip home, but I am guessing they took the boat train to Le Havre and boarded for the return voyage on the S.S. United States. Here’s the entry about how the trip started:
During the time I’ve been putting together these posts, the last chapter of this ocean liner’s story has unfolded. The S.S. United States left Philadelphia on February 19, 2025 and was towed to Alabama, entering Mobile Bay on March 3. She will be stripped of hazardous materials and sunk off the coast of Destin, FL to become the world’s largest artificial reef.
I’ll end this story with several pictures that K took as they were coming into New York at the end of the journey.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first journey as we travel the world with K. The next series starts in a week!
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