The first stages

Once we decided that a London Theater Extravaganza was the perfect way to spend our celebration, we were give a gift from our sons and their families. They paid for the trip and told us to "have a good time." So, in fact, it was a family celebration.
We decided to combine the London segment with a professional trip by my wife to Vienna to participate in the 2012 VIS Moot Court Competition. Law schools from all over the world send teams to Vienna to compete in this prestigious event. There are prizes for best team and best orator. The test case this year involves the installation of a specialized computer on a luxury leased yacht. It is a complicated and interesting problem with overtones of bribery and suspicious fires in a computer workshop. The VIS competition lasts for three days.
The plan is that my wife will fly to Vienna early via London and will fly to London after I arrive there.
The calendar is for me to arrive in London on Friday, March 30 and her to arrive the next morning. We will then stay in the city until Sunday, April 8.
One major question was where to stay. Usually, we make hotel bookings, but since we are attending so many plays, we like to stay in the theater district and the hotels there are either very expensive or a bit run-down. I wrote to a friend who lives in London and suggested contacting Airbnb for rooms. We had never heard of Airbnb, but other friends here said that they always use it and recommend it highly. We checked the site and discovered that it is a service that joins travelers with people who rent a room in their house, or the entire house, or a room in an apartment or the entire apartment. It is based loosely on the Bed and Breakfast concept. Airbnb has spaces all over the world, and for very reasonable prices, you can find very good accommodations in almost every city. Truthfully, we were a bit apprehensive to move into somebody's house for 10 days, but checked out the site anyway.
Guess what? We found a PERFECT, fully furnished apartment, right in the middle of the theater district. Incredible! The apartment has a double bed, a single sofa/bed, a washer/dryer, stove, refrigerator, shower, internet AND a lovely view of the city. And the price was half the cost of a hotel. Airbnb is a professional organization and they have strict guidelines for the rentor and user of each place. We got in contact with the owner, a young man from South Africa, and he approved of our application and we signed the papers. Since then, we have received many formal letters from the organizing company and friendly and informative emails from the owner. He sent us his private email address, his cell phone number and the details of the apartment. In his last email he said, "Hi, I hope yo have a safe trip to London. Let me know what time your flight will land so that I have a good idea when to meet you. Warm regards." I can guarantee that you don't get this sort of note from a hotel.
Furthermore, we got a lengthy email from Airbnb including this advice: "Print and pack your itinerary. Contact the host before you leave to confirm arrival time. Contact the host to get directions to their residence from the airport. They should be able to recommend the best form of transportation. If you need assistance at any point during your trip, please contact Airbnb Support. Enjoy your trip! The Airbnb Team."
Take a look at the wonderful apartment we rented. It is located about one block from Piccadilly Circus Underground Station and right in the middle of the Theater District. Another great bonus is that the London Tube Train goes directly from Heathrow Airport on the Piccadilly Line to the Piccadilly Circus Station. This makes it so very easy to travel. I'll arrive on the Friday afternoon, go to the apartment and spend the day waiting for my wife. A former student will meet me for a play that night. We will see MASTERCLASS, a play about Maria Callas, the soprano, as she teaches in an opera class. Let the fun begin.