2018-04 - Rick Steves Tour of Edinburgh

We arrived in Edinburgh this afternoon. After settling into our AirBnB in an old stone building in a close on the Royal Mile (check out the start of the Around Edinburgh album for some interior photos), we made our way up toward Edinburgh Castle for lunch. Afterward, we started on the Rick Steves audio tour.

Looking down the Royal Mile from the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle

Rick Steves has a tour company with almost exclusively European tours. However, he also has an app with several walking tours of London and one of Edinburgh. It downloads offline, so, no need to have WiFi or data plan when you're listening to it. We had all downloaded the app and tour to our phones. We weren't the only ones along this path of sites listening to our phones! Plus, while the tour points out different buildings, it doesn't require going into any that charge any type of entrance fee.

Witches' Fountain

The tour begins on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle at one end of the Royal Mile. There were beautiful blue skies above us as we slowly walked down the hill to the first stop, a fountain commemorating all the witches that Edinburgh had killed (300). \

Camera Obscura

The next stop is a building with a Camera Obscura that is still in use today, although it looks more like a fun house amusement house. Just down the street at a roundabout is the Tollbooth Church. It's a beautiful building that continues in use today as an information center.

Along the Royal Mile there are all these little pedestrian paths between the buildings that lead into courtyards of more buildings. We entered one called the Lady Stair's Close to a courtyard that houses a building from the 1600s that is now the Writers' Museum (more photos here).

Continuing along the Royal Mile, we come to a pub named after the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Deacon Brodie. He paraded as an upstanding citizen but burglarized people at night. The pub signs are two sided - one showing him as an honorable member of society and the other side as a burglar.

Bank of Scotland

As we look left at this intersection, we see the green dome of the Bank of Scotland. It was the world headquarters since 1695 but now houses a museum. Crossing the street, we see a famous person from Edinburgh: David Hume. I'm still at a loss at exactly what he contributed to philosophy and science. However, you can rub his toe for good luck.

St. Giles church

We cross the street to the site of the lost public execution in Edinburgh. It wasn't Deacon Brodie for all of his breaking and entering, although he was also executed on this spot, on a gallows that he designed! We pass an old well, the old parliament building (from the 1300s) and the Heart of Midlothian in the pavement before entering St. Giles church. (While there's no entrance fee, there is a 2 pound fee if you'd like to take photos within the church.)

St. Giles church

The entire church is very ornate with stain glassed windows and side chapels. Inside, you'll find a statue of John Knox, looking quite fearsome. In the far back corner is a small chapel of the only chivalrous order in Scotland: the Knights of the Thistle. There's a fee if you'd like to enter that section. However, staying within the main church provides plenty for the eye to see and enjoy.

Mercat Cross

Continuing down the Royal Mile, we see the "Mercat Cross", which marks the former main market in Edinburgh. Atop it is a unicorn, the animal symbolizing Scotland. It is also the place for royal proclamations since the 14th century up to at least 1952. We took a ghost tour later in the evening and ended at this cross, as do several other tours.

The next item of interest along the Royal Mile is the statue of Adam Smith, credited with the economics of free market capitalism. Just down the street are some more recent historical artifacts: telephone boxes!

John Knox's house

Now, there is more walking between items of interest. The next is John Knox's house. While it may not be his actual house, it is now a museum set up with furniture of the same time period. Then, we are at the World's End, which signifies the end of the city walls of Edinburgh. Today, it contains a pub, which we stopped at after hiking up Arthur's Seat.

Robert Fergusson in front of Cannongate Church

We continue done the Royal Mile, crossing over the street to Cannongate Church. Just in front of the church is a statue of Robert Fergusson, an author credited to be one of the first to write in Scottish. He looks quite young! Beside the church is a cemetery that includes the grave of the economist that we saw earlier: Adam Smith.

Scotland's Parliament

 From here, it's another long walk to the new Parliament building. At least the walk is downhill! Scotland formed a union with England in 1707, at which time it gave up its old parliament in Edinburgh (the building by St. Giles cathedral). However, it gained the right to hold it's parliament back in Edinburgh at the very beginning of the 21st century. At that time, it built this new parliament building and held it's first parliament here in 2004. The building is free to enter. The exterior of it is quite fun to look at.

Holyrood Palace

At the very end of the Royal Mile stands Holyrood Palace. It was used as an abbey before the palace was built. Mary, Queen of Scots, lived here; and, England's royal family today continue to use it. There is an entrance fee if you'd like to tour the palace.

2018-04 - Indulging in the Yorkshire Museum (York, UK)

Ruins of St. Leonard's Hospital

We were walking along, looking for the Yorkshire Museum, when we stumbled upon some ruins located just in front of York's Public Library. A placard listed these as St. Leonard's hospital, originally built in the 1200s AD and used until the 1500s. The arches and one facade still remain.

Multangular Tower

More ruins drew us further from the street to the Multangular Tower, constructed by the Romans in the 200s AD. On the green grass inside of the tower are some stone coffins, some of which are now in use as flower beds.

Ruins of a cathedral

Continuing along the path brings us to the entrance of the Yorkshire Museum. However, we are distracted by something more eye-catching: the remains of three walls of an old church. It's arches frame the sky as a glimpse of the magnificent building that once stood here. More on this church later, when we visit the exhibits in the museum. Just behind the ruins is a small cemetery. After many photos on this partly cloudy day, we finally entered the museum.

Fossils of sea dinosaurs from the Yorkshire coast

Currently at the museum, there is a very interactive exhibit of dinosaurs and their fossils. There's a hands on area where kids (or those young at heart) can search for the "fossils" in the dirt. Posters explain the different time periods that the dinosaurs lived. There are several fossilized remains on display from the coasts of Yorkshire. These are all ocean dinosaurs: pliosaur, ichthyosaur and plesiosaur. However, the very best part of the exhibit is the opportunity to don virtual reality goggles and feed virtual branches to a sauropod!

Roman floor mosaic

The museum is broken up into different immersive experiences. The next one was about the Romans in York, which the Romans called Eboracum. It began with a floor map of the Roman empire during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-122 AD). It covered England, a strip along the entire north of Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and part of Syria.  There are two rooms of artifacts from the Roman time found in and around York, including skeletons of a wealthy young woman from North Africa and a man who was possibly a gladiator due to his stature and how he was brutally killed. In a third room, there is a Roman floor mosaic as well as Roman replica sandals and robes that you can try on.

Escrick Ring

York as a royal capital is the the theme of the next exhibition. It covers the time periods after the Romans, namely the Aglians from Germany (410-866 AD), the Vikings (866-1066 AD), the Normans from France (1066-1154) into medieval (1154-1485) and then Tudor (1485-1603) York. If I've learned anything on this trip, it is that Britain has been conquered and over-ruled by non-Britons since the Romans invaded. The highlight of this room are a few exquisite gold pieces. The Escrick Ring is from the Aglian time period, probably made in Merovingian France.

Star Carr pendant

The upstairs of the Yorkshire Museum is currently dedicated to artifacts from the Mesolithic Era. These have been recovered from the Star Carr site within Yorkshire. The most interesting pieces are deer skulls with antlers that have holes drilled into them that could possibly eye holes (to be worn as masks). There is also a minute shale pendant with engravings on it. My camera couldn't capture the details behind the museum glass.


NOTES:
- the ruins outside are free and open to the public
- the adult admission to the museum is 7.50 pounds

2018-04 -- Walking the City Walls of York

York has a long and fascinating history. It has been around since at least the Roman invasion into England in 43 AD. In fact, while we were here, there was an article in the local newspaper about builders finding several Roman skeletons dating from 60 AD while excavating to renovate a hotel.

Roman East Tower ruins

While the Romans began the York City Walls, the sections that remain to walk upon today started as earthenworks by William the Conqueror. He was a Norman who invaded England in 1066. Today, only 2 miles of walls remain standing. However, the entire loop, including the walking between wall sections is a 5K (3.1 miles).

City Walls of York

Our hotel (Premiere Inn on Blossom Street) was less than a block from Mickelgate Bar. This is a proper gate, with insignia and the sculptures of men standing on the top of the turrets. At this gate, stone steps lead up to the city walls. There's the option to either go toward York Castle or toward York Minster. Let’s check out the sights going counter clockwise, starting toward York Castle.

The first stop along the wall is Baile Hill, a tower built in the “motte and baile” manner of erecting towers from earthworks and timbers in a short 6 days in the time of William the Conqueror. Today, it is a circular, flat stone section at the corner of the wall.

Ducks and ducklings on the path between Skeldergate Bridge and Clifford's tower

Walking on, the walls end just before Skeldergate Bridge. You’ll need to cross over this bridge, with plaques listing that it was erected in the mid 1800s and another from the 1940s abolishing the toll to cross the bridge. There was a four-person skulling team in the water as I walked down the stairs on the other side. Their coach was riding his bike along the paved bike path and shouting encouragement while checking his watch for their splits.

Clifford's Tower

A short walk through a park with a couple of duck familes and their ducklings leads to the back of a city wall that is now just the edge of the backyard for a few homes. Crossing Tower Street, look straight up the hill to see Clifford’s Tower, originally a baile and motte structure that was updated in the mid-1200s to the current stone structure still standing today.

Fishergate Tower placard

To continue to the walls, follow the sidewalk around to the right around York Castle and enter the City Walls at the next gate, Fishergate. Fishergate Tower is the latest instantiation on this site, built in 1505. It has a more modern convenience, the “garderobe”, or toilet for the guards to use. There is a little section built out from the tower with a hole opening for a drop to the ground below. From here, you can walk the stairs up to get on the walls again.

The next stop is Fishergate Bar. “Bar” in these instances means a gateway. It also means stairs to go up and down. The runners who passed us on the way down on the steps barely missed being hit by two cycles that zoomed through this gate.

The next stop was Walmgate Bar. Before there were stone walls running around the city, the ramparts were made of earth. There is still part of an arch here from the 12th century, although today’s gate has had additions from the 14th and 15th centuries. In this gateway, there is a tiny coffeeshop. A very interesting place to have a cup of tea. It also meant that we had to take the stairs down on one side of the street, cross over the street and then take the stairs back up to continue along the walls.

Red Tower

Our final stop on this section of the walls was the Red Tower. “Tower” seems to be a bit of a misnomer. It looks more like a small square house. However, the ground level now is higher than when it was built in 1490.  This is the end of the city walls because William of Normandy dammed up the Ouse River so that a lake could be formed. That lake, the King’s Fishpool, provided a defense of the city from Red Tower to Layerthorpe Bridge.

Layerthorpe Tower

We walked along Foss Islands Road until we arrived at Layerthrope Bridge, then climbed back onto the city walls. Layerthorpe was built in the 13th century. Just before the next “bar”, there is scaffolding and construction. However, the metal grated scaffolding stairs might be even safer to walk down with the constant driizzle and rain in York!

The door and stairway up to Monkgate bar

Monkgate Bar

The next stop is Monkgate Bar. This gate hosts the Richard III Experience. It was built in the early 14th century but has had expansions in the 15th century. In the 17th century, stone figures appearing to throw down boulders were added to the very top of the gate. It is the tallest bar in York. To get back on the wall in the gate, we had to squeeze past an old wooden door with metal buttons on it and walk up a narrow wooden stairway. It is defintely only one person wide!

York Minster from the city walls

The next section of the wall highlights a tower (the east tower) of the original Roman Wall. It is such an interesting experience to look down at the remains of a tower from almost 2000 years ago on the edge of a residential neighborhood. This section of wall also has the best views of York Minster.

Portcullis in Bootham bar

It ends at Bootham Bar, just across from the York Art Gallery. Inside the bar, you can see the wooden portcullis. We descended the street here and continued walking along St. Leonard’s Street until we came to some interesting ruins just outside the York Library. This is the old St. Leonard’s hospital, built in the 1200s AD.

Lendal Tower

Continue along Museum Street, and, you’ll see Lendal Tower on this side of the river. It is from the 13th century and was used to as one of two towers to anchor a chain across the River Ouse at night to prevent people from boating into York without paying a toll.

Barker Tower

Crossing over the river, we stopped at Barker Tower, the tower that the chain was stretched to. This tower is from the 14th century. It is also the start of the city walls on the south side of the river. From here, we walked all the way back to Micklegate Bar.

Hope that you enjoyed the tour of the York City Walls!

2018-04 - York Minster (York, UK)

On the way to the side chapel

Today, I had the chance to visit the interior of York Minster to attend the 7:50 am Communion service. To be honest, I didn't leave the hotel until after 7:30, spent a little time getting lost within the downtown area as it started sprinkling and then circled the entire York Minster before finally finding the side door to enter. The was a security guard looked through my rain drop covered glasses questioningly but did lead me to the Communion service. Sad to say, there were only seven other attendees at the service (and, one was a priest, dressed in a long, flowing black robe with wide red band around the waist).

Peaking into the altar area

The service was held in a small side chapel of York Minster. The pews were wooden; and, the kneeling benches were wide with what looked like hand cross-stitched covers. The only part of the service that I knew was the Lord's Prayer. I skipped going forward for communion, even though the priest attending kindly asked if I would like to participate. At the very end of the service, I picked up the red and black books in the back of the pew behind of me. Both were books of common prayer. Underneath them was a piece of paper titled "Eucharist in the Easter Season". (Eucharist is another word for Communion.) It was the entire service, word for word! I folded up the piece of paper and stuffed it in my coat pocket. Only now looking at it do I see at the bottom of the sheet, in all caps: "PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE".

Beautiful stained glass window on the side of York Minster

Old churches, while beautiful, are definitely not handicapped accessible. One of the elderly attendees was slowly working his walker up the four stairs to get out of the chapel into the main church. I and two other women waited behind him. Then, the three of us ladies snuck past an open door into the main altar area where I took a quick photo before slowly sauntering back toward the door that I'd entered. Suddenly, the guard walked around the corner. Without many words, he escorted me to the door, unlocked it and locked it behind me. The elderly gentleman had made his way down the stairs to the sidewalk level and asked me where I was visiting from. He told me that he had retired to York from the US because York is the best place to live in England.

View of York Minster from the city walls

The sprinkling had stopped by this point; and, I hopped back on the city walls at the Layerthorpe Bridge. From Layerthorpe Bridge to Monk Bar and then Bootham Bar, there are great views of York Minster.

View of York Minster from the city walls

View of York Minster from the city walls

View of York Minster from the city walls

2018-04 - High tea at Betty's Tea Shop (York, UK)

My friends recommended that we visit Betty's Tea in York for High Tea. We stumbled across the shop while wondering around looking for The Shambles the previous evening. Since they do not take reservations, the cashier suggested that we arrive before 11 am in order to avoid the lines. We happily obliged and made Betty's Tea our morning breakfast at 10 am.

The view from Betty's Tea

Betty's Tea is a big, beautiful shop with stained glass windows on the intersection of two streets. The location that we had stumbled upon is wedged between two pubs on a pedestrian street. We were the second through seventh people in line at 9:55 am waiting for Betty's to open at 10 am. The man in front of us was a local who told us a bit about Betty's tea shop. The original is actually in a different town called Harrogate. The location that we visited sells tea and scones on the first floor and serves high tea on the second. We were seated just in front of a picture window facing the street.

Tea sandwiches, scone and cakes

For 20 pounds each, we received our own personal pots of tea (with one free refill), four sandwiches, a sweet scone and three cakes. The tea came with a side of milk and above average sized sugar cubes made with large sugar crystals. It also arrived with a strainer to remove any loose leaf tea when pouring into the tea cups. The sandwiches included egg salad, chicken salad and salmon. The scone came with generous servings of clotted cream and strawberry jam. The cakes for the day were a mini chocolate extravagance, a mini fruit tart and a lemon macaroon. 

2018-04 - Bath to York (UK)

Looking down on Bath

It was our last morning in Bath; and, we enjoyed it by jogging upward from our AirBnB to try to get photos of the city sprawled below. We caught glimpses of views. However, then, it started to sprinkle and then rain; and, our sight-seeing ended in favor of getting home and dry.

Looking down on Bath

Our two trains from Bath to York only took 4.5 total hours. It was a pretty uneventful time of reading, naps, and light eats (sandwiches, chips, hot chocolate/tea/coffee all sold on the train). We were even able to snag one of the four seats facing a table for a bit to play Bananagrams.

View of the train station from the York city walls

York is further north than Bath and at least 5 degrees cooler. I've been wearing my fleece jacket since we've arrived. Our hotel is only a short distance from the train station. It's just outside the walls. Plus, it's a short walk everywhere. 

Barker Tower

After we checked in, we walked the city walls from Mickelgate Bar all the way to Barker Tower, just before the Ouse River. Then, we popped off to walk over the river and get our first glimpse of York Minster.

First glimpse of York Minster

Afterward, we walked over to the Shambles, which seems to be narrow streets with buildings defying gravity. Unfortunately, we were too late to enjoy any of these sites, as everything in York closes at 5 pm. However, we were able to scope out what we wanted to see for tomorrow.

Looking down Shambles

2018-04 - Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock, Castle Combe

Our day started off with a walk back to our new favorite bakery in Bath, the Cornish Bakery, right across from the entrance to the Roman Baths. They sell pasties, a take on empanadas, usually stuffed with some type of meat, as well as delicious croissants and chocolate torsades, a twist of croissant dough with chocolate and sugar and dusted with powdered sugar. Then, we navigated the directions on the Mad Max tour site to get to the front of the Abbey Hotel. Everything that we’ve seen in Bath has been a five minute walk from our AirBnB. It’s been quite convenient!

Can you spot the white horse on the hill in the background?

There was some construction going on at the bridge over the Avon River in Bath; and, our tour driver was delayed 45 minutes getting to us. However, Kevin finally arrived; and, he had us quickly up into the shuttle and on our way to Stonehenge. One of the interesting items that he pointed out along the way were white horses on the sides of hills. These are built out of chalk by the different villages. It's a bit of a competition of who has the best; and, the chalk is replaced in 12-18 month intervals to keep the horses looking bright white.

Stonehenge!

The day was cloudy and overcast, threatening to rain. The benefit was that there were no lines to get on the shuttle from the parking lot to the stones, approximately 1.5 miles from the parking lot. Just like the Roman Baths, the Stonehenge Visitor Center includes an audio guide in multiple languages with the price of the entrance ticket. The shuttle to the stones is also included.

Fields of rapeseed (canola) along the highway that runs by Stonehenge

Our guide explained how Stonehenge actually went up for auction in 1915 as part of several lots of land being auctioned. A local, Sir Cecil Chubb of Shrewton, remembered playing in the ruins as a boy and bought them at the auction for what would be ~700,000 pounds in today’s rate. After three years, he gifted the lot to the English Heritage Organisation to care for, with the stipulation that locals would always be able to enter the park for free, which continues to this day.

Stonehenge!

Once the shuttle dropped us at the top, we started walking around the roped path far from the pyramids. For ~60 extra pounds, you can actually stand inside Stonehenge either before the park opens or after it closes. For the rest of us visiting during park hours, we are restricted to a path far from the stones. Along the path, there are markers letting us know which number to play on the audio guides.

Heel stone

The stones were erected approximately 3500 years ago. There are no written records around Stonehenge. Therefore, everything is speculation about why these stones were erected. The stones do align with the summer and winter solstices. Other than that, they are a mystery, as are the way that the very heavy stones (up to 40 tons) were moved to the site. Scientists hypothesize that the stones could have been moved on barges pulled around the coastline and up the rivers, then rolled up the grassy knoll on logs. You can even attempt moving a stone on timbers set just outside the visitor center.

Rope for visitors to attempt moving this stone slab

From Stonehenge, two parallel covered ditches stretch to the river Avon. These are actual “henges”. A henge is a covered ditch. Stonehenge is a complete misnomer. In addition, there are various mounds around the Stonehenge site. These are ancient burial mounds. Some have been excavated, including a skeleton in the small museum of a man from ~100 km away who stood 5’8”.

The museum itself is a great visit, because it gives you a chance to experience standing inside the stones. There is a round room with the stones in video on the wall; and, the videos play through the seasons, including the summer and winter solstice.

Avebury

Back on the shuttle, our tour guide took us to a site that stretches across an even larger area than Stonehenge. This is Avebury. It is a small village with the stones at the edge of and around it. Our guide Kevin had brought with some copper rods to show us how the stones attract the rods. However, it was just too windy of a day to see the effect of the stones on the rods properly

Avebury

It was more calming, though, to walk through half of the circle of Avebury stones, with hardly anyone else around, just a few tourists and locals on about their daily business. There was a small rise with wooden stairs going up that would have given a good view if it hadn’t been closed due to mud. Have I mentioned the grass yet? It was so lush and green! Our guide said that since it was getting longer, the sheep would probably be brought in to graze.

Avebury church

We walked around the little village, entering the very old church with a baptismal fount from ~1100 AD. The church door stands open to all. There are postcards and requests for donations, all on the honor system with an envelope sitting ready. The old fount isn't even roped off. There is simply a handwritten sign asking you to replace the chair next to it if you move the chair to take a photo.

Baptismal fount in Avebury church

While the cafe in town had been closed since the weekend with -6 C temperatures causing burst pipes and flooding, the industrious cafe management had set up a pop-up cafe in a building next door to feed the locals and those tourists visiting the Avebury stones. They were running out of their golden brown quiche and thick tomato soup as we arrived. Instead, I ate my first cheese and chutney sandwich (shredded mozzarella cheeses + what tasted like sweet tamarind sauce) and my first sausage roll (croissant type bread rolled around ground up sausage). The Australian lady on our tour recommended eating the sausage roll with tomato sauce (ketchup) which nicely accentuated
the flavors.

Wooden houses were a sign of wealth in Lacock

Our next stop was to Lacock, another small village that has been made popular by being filmed in various films, including some portions of Harry Potter movies as well as an episode in the last season of Downton Abbey.

Inside the tithe barn. It's built like an upside-down ship

 Our shuttle parked behind the Red Lion pub. Our guide Kevin walked us around the town, showing off the oldest bar, the tithe barn (built by a shipbuilder -- it looks like the upside down hull of a ship) and the home of the richest man in LaCock. His home was made of wood, a sign of affluence, since wood was so much more expensive as a building material back in the day than brick was.

The abbey of Lacock

Interestingly, Lacock Abbey was granted to a family by King Henry VIII with the stipulation that the abbey be decommissioned. The new land owner, happily complied. The land was then in the family for the next 400 years. It included the manor house, the tenant farmers and the village.

A guinea fowl and cat greet us outside the former poorhouse, now a potter's studio

In the 1940s, many men had gone off to WWI and lost their lives and now men were going off to WWII and losing their lives. The inheritance taxes on these lands were in the 60-70%. Generally, the large land owners were going broke. Therefore, the lady of the house at that time made a deal with the National Trust to donate all of Lacock with the stipulation that her family could continue to live in the Manor house.

The benefit of this arrangement is that the National Trust gives first right to rent within Lacock to people who have a family history within the manor and village. It has kept more local businesses continuing within their families. Plus, since none of the properties can be purchased, it prevents developers from coming in and gentrifying the land.

Cream tea and scones at Sign of the Angel

At Lacock, I experienced my first British tea service. At the Sign of the Angel, for only 7.50 pounds, we received a pot of tea, cream, and two scones (either sweet or savory). The sweet scones came with jam and clotted cream, a creamier butter. Per our guide, some people put the clotted cream on before the jam. However, he always puts on the jam before the clotted cream. Either way is a delicious combination on fresh, warm scones. Two of us ordered the same tea, which came out in a teapot so heavy full of tea, that I had to balance it on the table and tip it to fill my cup. Quick reminder to put in the tea screens, since the teas are loose leaf.

Like so many other establishments, even the Sign of the Angel had rooms to rent. Inside, there were rough wooden beams and whitewashed walls. We sat in front of a large fireplace, at least 5’ tall. On the walls were old looking paintings. Our waiter was also the receptionist for the rooms to let and was serving tables and escorting people through a little side door and up stairs to their rooms.

Castle Combe Manor House

Our final stop on our Mad Max tour was Castle Combe, another abby/manor village. This village had not been sold to the National Trust. The old manor house has been turned into a hotel. In the old church lies the remains of a Sir Walter de Dunstanville who died in his second crusade. We know this only because his legs are crossed, a sign that he survived his first crusade. The grave is from 1270. Like the other village church, this one is also just open for anyone to walk in. The stone tomb is not protected in any way.

After returning to Bath, we ate dinner at a Nepalese restaurant near our AirBnB, Yak Yeti Yak. We ate momos, lamb, chicken and lots and lots of rice. The food was fragrant and flavorful, although all of our bodies were not so comfortable sitting on the floor for the entire meal. Afterward, a couple of us went on the Bizarre Bath walking tour. It’s a combination comedy / magical illusions tour.