St. Paul's, The Globe, and in search of Dickens's childhood

It is impossible to get a good photograph of St. Paul's; it is so hemmed in by other buildings and red buses and black taxis rule the streets.

Perhaps the best shots are to be found on The Millenium Bridge.  See the fellow in the kilt on the left?  He was piping the theme from "Chariots of Fire" when I walked by.  I dropped 50 pence in his bonnet and he played "We're in the Money."

The Globe is overwhelming; can't find the words yet.

I was expecting the exhibition hall next door to be a bit cheesy but it was magnificent and worth the price of a ticket.

Much farther down from The Globe stands the Church of St. George the Martyr, better known to Dickensians as the Little Dorrit Church since it plays such a vital role in that novel.

Just across an alleyway from the chuch is the notorious Marshalsea Prison where Dickens's father, and eventually his whole family, was imprisoned for debt.  Young Charles never stayed there; he was sent to work at Warren's Blacking in London and lived in a garrett in Southwark on Lant Street near the prison.

This is all that is left: two gates and a brick wall; but, I swear, misery and despair still haunt the place.  We didn't stay long; it was all too sad.

Stratford-Upon-Avon tomorrow!

Charles