Waterloo

Ist Waterloo einen Footprint wert? Nun, als ich mit meiner Mutter 1972 zum ersten Mal in London war, wollte sie unbedingt auf die Waterloo Bridge. Grund: Ihr Lieblingsschauspieler Robert Taylor spielte die Hauptrolle in ihrem Lieblingsfilm Waterloo Bridge (1940), auf der die Liebesbeziehung zwischen dem englischen Army Captain, Roy Cronin (Robert Taylor), und der Ballett-Tänzerin Myra Lester (Vivian Leigh) ein tragisches Ende nimmt. Also machte ich einen kurzen Gedenkstopp auf der Brücke.
Zudem ist Waterloo das Stichwort einer meiner Lieblingsanekdoten:

Waterloo
Some years after the death of his first wife Lord Burton married again. Only by chance had he met his second wife – on a lonely stretch of road when his car had run out of petrol. Never before had anything like that happened to him. But no sooner had some minutes passed than a car stopped behind his, and out jumped a young lady, a petrol can in her hand. Hardly ever had he seen such beautiful woman, so deeply did she impress him that he proposed to her on the spot.
On their wedding day Lord Burton showed his wife round Burton Manor. In the end they came to the picture gallery where portraits of his ancestors hung on the wall in splendid frames. «Here is the first Earl of Burton,» the newly married Lord began, «he was made a peer for his conduct in the War of the Spanish Succession. In the hottest moment of the Battle of Blenheim, down went the colonel and my ancestor was the next in rank. Scarcely had he taken over the command when he ordered a charge over the hill nearby an defeated the enemy.» - «Oh, did he?» was the only comment Lady Buron could make.
«Then comes the second Earl,» he went on. «In the Seven Years’ War he was the first to climb the cliffs of the Heights of Abraham.» - «Oh, was he?» Lady Burton said, who had never heard anything about the wars and battles her husband was talking about.
«That man with the black beard over there was my great-great-grandfather.» Burton told her. «He was killed at Waterloo.» Hardly had she heard the name when her eyes brightened. «Waterloo», she asked, «on which platform?»
As his second wife died some years later Lord Burton married a third time. On the wedding day he showed his wife round Burton Manor and the picture gallery. When he told her about his great-great-grandfather, he added, «Can you imagine what my second wife asked me when I mentioned he was killed at Waterloo?» - «No, I can’t.» answered Lady Burton. – «She asked on which platform he died.» - «How silly!» the reply was, «as if that matters.»Read more