My favorite monument out of all of the many in London, where almost every street seems to hold a historic site, is the Animals in War Memorial on Park Lane, not far from the US Embassy.
I spent a lot of time in this area, on my way to/from filing my taxes; getting documents notarized; procuring passports for my kids; and various other ex-pat tasks. There are not a lot of cross walks on Park Lane, so the traffic island where the Animals in War Memorial lives is an oasis.
The memorial really is touching, with the animals buckling under their burdens. You don’t think about the role they played in wars. It’s hard to read the inscription: “They had no choice” without choking up.
I also loved War Horse, a play I saw in London last month. It was a simple story about a boy who loved his horse, and followed him into battle.
The horse is ingeniously depicted by a six foot tall puppet. But it is not a Disney type puppet, a fact which disappointed the mother of a friend of mine. She dismissed the play as “too grim,” because she had anticipated a Lion Kingesque romp, rather than a depiction of a pet horse in World War One.
So if you’re looking for an animated movie on stage, it’s not the show for you. But if the memorial on Park Lane moves you, then you won’t be disappointed.
Reverse Culture Shock 