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Calgary Herald

London: You know your return to London is off to a good start when you find a French pastry shop with your name on it. I discovered Paul Bakery in the shadow of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and my almond chocolate croissant and latte were tres magnifique. Later I discovered Paul’s Walk. Enough about my namesakes. I had been to London several times but not since 1993, so on this trip I wanted to see a few things that hadn’t existed back then. I headed straight for Millennium Bridge and crossed over the Thames to the reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. A Nell Gwyn-type character led our tour group through the 1,500-seat replica, saucily revealing various details about the construction (first thatch roof in London since the Great Fire of 1666) and day-in-the-life tidbits from a typical performance in 1600 (a bucket was passed around for patrons who couldn’t hold their beer). Next door, I made a quick tour of the somewhat underwhelming Tate Modern, before sitting down for lunch at the Founder’s Arms on the south bank of the Thames. Across the river, I could see the dome of St. Paul’s, but toward the east on both sides were numerous office towers in ultra-modern style with nicknames like the Cheesegrater, the Walkie-Talkie, the Gherkin and the Shard. You can never tire of London.

Calgary Herald

Leeds/Preston: Next up, Canada vs. Italy at Elland Road stadium. There’s not much to say about Leeds, especially around the train station. It’s a modern-looking city of nearly 800,000 that could have passed for Edmonton, with its handful of glass towers. Somehow, though, every Canadian in the city managed to congregate at the Black Prince pub before the game. Dozens and dozens of red jerseys, Mountie costumes and even a Flames sweater filled the place. The city’s residents seemed to tolerate the match rather than revel in it. I asked a security guard as we boarded a shuttle if we were headed to Elland Road. He replied somewhat arrogantly that we were destined for the “mecca of football.” When we got there, it was obvious the nearly 100-year-old shrine had seen better days, as had the local soccer team. Suddenly McMahon Stadium didn’t seem so bad. In any case, we watched Canada nearly upset the much higher-ranked Italy on the Saturday, and I upset an English fan’s meat pie behind me as I jumped for joy when Canada took a short-lived lead at one point. Keep your eyes on the pie, mate. Next day, Scotland pounded the U.S. Aside from the two games, the highlight was visiting Gordy’s old rugby teammate, his wife and their two Rhodesian ridgebacks at their 18th-century country home outside Preston in Lancashire. It was our base for a couple of nights, but it was like staying at the ultimate B&B: fine food and drink, roaring fire, country lane walks, local pub, a pond of geese and unforgettable hospitality. And that was it for our live games: Canada 0-2 and Scotland 2-0. Phase 2 was a trip to the Hebrides and Highlands.