Walk the streets that Shakespeare, Dickens, Churchill, Whistler and Lennon trod.

Tuesday, September 26, 2000

Walk the streets that Shakespeare, Dickens, Churchill, Whistler and Lennon trod. See where Lady Diana married her prince, where Henry VIII bedded six wives, where England planned its next move in the second World War. Have high tea at the Ritz or fish and chips at a corner shop. Get out of Minnesota when you most need to – during the wet and dreary days of March – and pick up a few college credits while you’re at it.

It’s time to start thinking about the London Dash, a door-to-door, 11-day trip from Austin to central London.

This year will mark the 13th annual London Dash, this one to be led by four fearless Riverland Community College faculty members: theater director Jerry Girton, philosophy teacher Terry Dilley, English and humanities teacher Rich Campbell and music teacher Scott Blankenbaker.

Like a superhero team, each will use his own special talents to enrich the voyage: there is Girton, the man who can go to more theatrical productions in a single week than most will see in a decade; Blankenbaker, whose ear for fine music is equally likely to lead followers to the Opera House, an underground club or a church; Campbell, a teacher of culture, who likes museums and galleries as much as a good pint of lager; and Dilley, philosophy teacher and Renaissance man, who will fill your head with knowledge and walk the soles off your shoes in the process. Every day – more than a week in London plus two days in Paris – Dilley will lead a walk to a different area of the city.

"I typically highlight historical, literary and/or cultural figures," Dilley said. "And we usually have an ultimate destination, where we can spend some time, like the British Museum or the National Library."

Girton said an annual favorite is Warwick Castle, one of two castles in England that fit the romantic ideal of a castle. There’s also Big Ben to listen to, the tour of the new Globe Theater, a trip to Stratford Upon Avon, Westminster Abbey, the Tate Gallery, Covent Garden, lots of pubs and a possible side trip to Paris.

And, while the four have some wonderful destinations in mind, the beauty of the Dash is that tours and trips are optional, although the class before departure isn’t. The traveler is free to chose among the options offered by the four, or to hightail it for a solo adventure.

For now, all the four trip leaders ask is that interested people who will be over the age of 18 before the departure date of March 15 attend either of the informational meetings. The trip is from March 15 to 26. Informational meetings are coming up fast: the first is 5 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9; the second 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17. Both meetings take place in Room C-100 in the East Building at Austin’s Riverland Community College campus. Interested travelers also may call Girton at 433-0595 for more information.