Week 4

May 24 – 30

Since we are seeing a matinee on Wednesday, we had another round of classes TUESDAY. Though cramming homework yesterday was awful, I now don’t have class again until Monday. We visited the Banqueting Hall that used to be part of King James I’s castle. It’s the only building to survive a huge fire. It’s important 1) because it was designed by Inigo Jones who was the most famous designer of the Elizabethan Renaissance, and 2) Shakespeare’s plays were performed there for the king. Then we walked up the street to Trafalgar Square where the National Gallery is. We decided to walk down to Big Ben instead of going into the Gallery. Houses of Parliament were really busy, so we just walked around the outside instead of sitting in on a session. Then, to Westminster Abbey which is across the street. I will have to go to evensong some Sunday to be able to see the inside for free, otherwise its 7 pounds that I could spend on a show.
Lastly, we headed to the National Theater to see the History Boys platform. Author Allan Bennett talked about the inspiration for and motivations of the play we saw at the beginning of the program. The run is now sold out and the show has had amazing reviews. I decided to buy the script, and because I attended the platform I will get a signed copy.

WEDNESDAY, we saw Gone to Earth at the Lyric Hammersmith. It’s the story of a naïve girl who lives close to the earth and has to try to understand love without any explanation from those around her. It was very affecting. It’s based on a novel by Mary Webb, so I will probably buy it if I can find it.
Then we went back to the National for Measure for Measure. This is my least favorite Shakespeare play, maybe one of my least favorite ever, and the production did nothing to help me. It was very contrived with the director’s influence much too apparent.

THURSDAY was the day at Cambridge: The colleges are beautiful, at least on the outside. We couldn't go in because exams were in session. King's College has an impressive Church of England chapel. The ceiling is carved with images of people and the stained glass depicts bible stories. We attended evensong with a lovely boy's choir. After touring a few colleges, we walked around an outdoor market. England is full of them. I will miss markets when I get back home. The fruit is always fresh and there are always little handicrafts that can't be found elsewhere.
After that, and after a stint of being lost, we made our way to the river for punting. Punting involves directing a boat down the river with a long pole that pushes off the river bottom (much like a gondola). I got in boat number 3, titled Ménage, with Emily Maryann and Matt. Matt was the first to. We then traded in round Me, Maryann and Emily. It is really hard to keep the boat going straight. While we weren't punting we were using the emergency paddle to push us off the bank or moored boats. I have a great picture of Emily saving us.
After an hour, we made our way back to the town, thankfully dry (I very nearly fell in once). Next, we shopped in the stores around town. Emily and I bought pedometers to track how far we walk. We've found that we walk upwards of five miles daily. I'll have to work hard to keep that up when I'm back in the States. Then we went to evensong, as mentioned above, and on to dinner.
While trying to find a restaurant that we could all agree on, I crossed the street without looking back to the right to see over the bridge. All of a sudden, I could see from the corner of my eye a girl on a bike pedaling towards me. I sped up and she ploughed into my backpack. Thankfully no one got hurt - I startled her a lot - but I was scared to cross the street for a long time.
Lastly, we saw a production of Othello performed by Cheek by Jowl. It was unlike anything else I've ever seen. Othello, though a distrusting murderer, was so compelling and sympathetic. Emilia was a fully developed, strong woman who could stand up against Iago. The staging kept all the characters onstage throughout the play; those who were not involved in the scene stood silently with their backs to the action. It kept the energy of the production so high you could almost see it.

FRIDAY, Emily and I tried out the Shakespeare walking tour with our class, but tired of group travel quickly. The group shuffle is the worst, and we‘ve seen enough locations that are only famous because it is likely that Shakespeare was once there. We went over to the National to place my History Boys order then headed to Southwark to get tickets to Americana Absurdum. We got a little lost and walked around for a while trying to find a tube stop. The neighborhood was a bit sketchy, but we made it home in one piece.

SATURDAY, we went with Megan and Maddie to Buckingham Palace. We walked from home near Kensington Gardens over to the Palace. Then we headed to Borough market which has a wide selection of fresh produce. We got there about an hour before it closed and by the time we were ready to leave a lot of vendors were giving great deals to move their fresh produce. I got enough peppers to last a week, a bag of grapes and a pint of strawberries for 1 pound. I also got a loaf of sunflower wheat bread for 50p. I made roasted peppers for the next few days off and on. They’re really good in a sandwich with humus.

SUNDAY we got to know the local college age students at church. The night was fun because I stayed up late talking with roomies. Emily, Caitlin and I are really getting along. I’m so grateful to have good friends here.

Week 3

May 17 – 23

MONDAY was mostly class and homework. We are going to be out of town for three days and I don’t want to do homework in Stratford-Upon-Avon. We went to the store to get snacks for the trip since we only get breakfast at the Bead and Breakfast.
Megan made a lovely dinner with me. Then I went on a walk with Emily in Hyde Park. We wandered around trying to find Kensington Palace. We found the court houses and ran into missionaries. When we asked them where the palace was, they pointed right behind us to a smallish red brick building. Not a huge deal.

TUESDAY, we started at Warwick Castle which is really quite touristy. Caitlin, Emily and I decided to walk the grounds rather than go into the rooms of the castle. It was a beautiful day, and I took lots of pictures. The peacocks were great. We waited around long enough for them to do their dance of love. It was rather funny. One guy started then the rest chimed in as a way of competition. Oh, and there were these awful French children who heckled the historical performers. The archer threatened to shoot them to the pleasure of the crowd.
Then we went to Kenilworth. The castle is ruins now, but it once owned by Robert Dudley, the famed lover of Elizabeth I. She visited the castle for a week to great hurrah. The ruins were quiet and tranquil, a nice break from the last castle.
We then made our way to our Bed and Breakfast. We stayed at the Dylan with Anne and John “the other half”. They learned all our names and made excellent an English breakfast. The rooms were cute and cozy. After the B&B we went out for lunch at Café Uno. We got our food to go since it was a 25% reduction. When we were about to leave we realized we didn’t have utensils. The waiter gave us forks from the table and told us to keep them, so I have a rather ordinary looking souvenir from Stratford-Upon-Avon.
We saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet. It was hard not to compare it to the Globe’s production. All in all I thought the production was weaker because it has less characterization and internalization of the text. Some people thought that was a strong choice since it may the listener focus on the text. I’m glad I got to see a second production to compare interpretations.

WEDNESDAY, we started the five location tour of homes related to Shakespeare. There’s not a lot to say about them because you’d have to see what I was talking about to be even remotely interested in what I say. After the fifth house, a lot of stuff just blended together. First: Anne Hathaway’s childhood home. Second: Mary Arden Farm where Shakespeare’s mother grew up. Here we saw an owl that was filmed in Harry Potter. It probably wasn’t Hedwig since the tour guide wasn’t clear, but we pretended it was.
We returned to the RSC for the Spanish Golden Age series. The matinee was Tamar’s Revenge. It retold the bible story of Amnon raping his sister and Agamemnon killing Amnon for Tamar’s revenge and his own political gain. It alluded to Agamemnon’s later fall and the rise of Solomon, but never got that far in the tale. The rape scene was obscenely graphic with Amnon ripping off her underwear from under her dress and pulling his down under his shirt. The emotion was a little forced throughout. I enjoyed the second show much more. Dog in the Manger was a superbly acted, well-needed comedy. I liked it so much, I bought script. It’s a story of class and love trying to cross that line. The ensemble was remarkable. It was by Lope de Vega, so it was very witty and the comic timing was spot on. I really felt like I wanted to go back a see it again.

THURSDAY Next on the tour: Shakespeare’s birth place. Then to Nash house, which Shakespeare bought when he was rich and could afford “the second best house in town.” Lastly: Hall’s Croft, the home of Shakespeare’s son-in-law. Afterwards, Emily and I went to Trinity Church where Shakespeare and most of his family are buried.
Most of the group then went to Coventry Cathedral. Coventry is an example of forgiveness. It was bombed out in WWII, but when Dresden was also destroyed, they helped that community rebuild. At Coventry, you can see the ruins and a new, very modern, cathedral. The difference is striking. The trip was very long because of construction. What should have taken fifteen minutes took almost an hour.
We cut the trip short to make it back in time, but the traffic was even worse. We spent most of the trip practically parked. We missed the first hour and a half of Macbeth. We were seated at the end of the third act when Banquo’s ghost appears at the dinner. From what I saw of it, it was a very emotionally charged performance. The back wall could move and closed in on Macbeth as the armies approached. The end added Fleance and a reappearance of the Witches to give the impression that fate will still have a hand in the affairs of the country.
We then grabbed a quick bite and headed home on the coach. We got home at 1 am and promptly fell asleep.

FRIDAY, class was postponed until 10 and homework wasn’t due until 5. We stayed in until five to get all the work done then went grocery shopping to replenish our shelves. I finished out the day by reading the rest of the plays for the semester in preparation for a comprehensive final performance for Shakespeare class.

SATURDAY, I just stayed home all day and worked on my idea for my final. I am condensing the love relationships of the five plays we read into one relationship to emphasize the Elizabethan importance of marriage as the stabilizer of relationships.

SUNDAY, we went to church and met some new people. The rest of the day was dedicated to relaxation. I like feeling like I live here and I don’t have to always be on the go. It’s been a really good summer.

Week 2

May 9 – 16

SUNDAY was an adventure. We tried to get to Blackheath to attend church. To get there, we had to take the tube to Victoria Station where we would catch a train to Blackheath. We had two problems. One, once we got to the station, we had no idea where to go next. We didn’t get that far, though, because of problem number two. The Victoria station will be closed in the Blackheath direction every weekend for the next while. Our only other option to get there would involve a 10 pound trip from train to bus to a lengthy walk. We opted to go to the ward close to the flat which is overpopulated with visitors.
After church, we went to St. Peter’s Cathedral. It is currently under construction, so we couldn’t see it’s fully glory, but it was gorgeous. You can see its spire from almost any point in the city. Pictures aren’t allowed inside, so I only have outside shots (which I will get into email soon). We attended the beginning of evensong which is a daily ceremony involving adult and children’s choir. We sat in the back, behind the partitions, so we could leave without commotion. The boy’s choir was lovely. It was enchanting looking at the vaulted ceilings painted with vivid colors and gold while listening to the boy’s choir. I don’t know what it is about boy choirs that I love so much, but I think it has to do with the childhood silent animated movie The Snowman. An English boy sings as the snowman and the boy fly to the North Pole.
After that, we promptly returned home because my left ankle began to ache. I am giving it a lot of rest and have wrapped it to give more support. I think it only has to do all the walking that I am not used to. I have always has weak ankles.

MONDAY was class. We’re discussing Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Poetics in history, and Macbeth in Shakespeare. As soon as I got home, I napped because I had been working my ankle in class with my Pilates band and had tuckered out.
We saw The History Boys at the National. It was so good; I forked over the 2 pound 50 for a program. There are so many nuances that I loved that it is hard to talk about. The story followed seniors in public school preparing for the entry exams for Cambridge and Oxford. The issues dealt with ranged from historicity, literature, homosexuality, and above all expectations. The acting was exemplary. All of the actors actively listened and honestly interacted. The story came so to life that I could have watched it much longer than the 2 and a half hour running time. The writing was subtle and natural. The comedy came from honesty rather than shtick. This is the first show that I could not point out the weak actor or weak plot point. Everything worked together.
On the way home, my right leg began to hurt because of having to take care of the left leg. I am staying off of it as much as I can with the dependence on mass transit. I’m sure it will get better, so no need to worry, it’s just a complication for all the walking we do here.

TUESDAY we went to see Life Game. It is a game show style performance where someone that is somehow related to the National Theater gets interviewed by an improv troupe and sees their life acted out. Our interviewee was a director with little to say. She perked up the most when they enacted a Christmas family dinner and she could ding a bell if what they were doing was right and honk a horn if they were wrong. She liked that so much that she wanted to use the bell and horn throughout. Afterwards, we learned that Amanda got her purse stolen during interval. She kept it with her, but didn’t have bodily contact with it. It was found later that night with her money and books missing. Our teachers told us to deface our book by writing our name largely on the cover so they won’t have a good resale value. We are all a little more aware of our surroundings now.

WEDNESDAY we made out first visit to the Tate Modern. We took two hours to look at one floor. It had two displays - Nude/Action/Body and History/Memory/Society. In History, I was most impressed by Pollok’s painting. I didn’t take down names and we can’t take pictures, so I will just have to go back. In the Nude, I was surprised by a realistic nude painting called The Painter and his Second Wife which had the explanation that the marriage was never consummated. All I could think was, why? It stuck with me and now I want to do research on it. Rodan’s The Kiss was beautiful. I have learned that I appreciate installation art. Instead of just statue, it includes environment. There was one called My Two Lighthouses which showed such slow transition of light that I could not tell the color was changing until it was completely different. I can’t remember most of it, so I will definitely have to go back.
We visited Piccadilly Circus which is like Times Square. I then made a full dinner with Emily, including chicken which may be the first meat I’ve had here.

THURSDAY we saw our first Matinee, Tom Stoppard’s translation of Pirrandello’s Henry IV. In it, a man loses consciousness while impersonating Germany’s Henry IV and wakes up believing he is Henry. This delusion lasts almost two decades with complete castle and costumes. He comes out of his delusion just long enough to kill his ex-fiancé’s husband and must revert to his insanity to avoid prosecution. The acting was superb and it marked the shortest play as of yet at only an hour and a half. Ian McDiarmid, best known as the emperor in Star Wars, played the title role convincingly. The ensemble worked well together.
We then did a little window shopping in Covent Garden where Donmar Theater is located. The rest of the day I was just a home body.

FRIDAY morning was filled with Kew Gardens. We spent six hours and only saw maybe half the garden. Most of the time was spent in the Palm House. Now that I have the whole picture email thing worked out you’ll get pictures which will describe the day better.
We then journeyed back to the National to see Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads. Taking place in a pub, the story revolves around race relations in England. It was so powerful I cried during most of the interval after Act I. The ensemble worked so well together that they really made the set come alive.

SATURDAY we went back to the Tate Modern, though this time to the third floor. Here we had Landscape/Matter/Environment and Still Life/Object/Real Life. I took nearly a half hour to look at one installation entitled Lighting with a Stag in its Glare. The lighting is a huge triangular brass piece suspended from the ceiling. The stag is an ironing board on logs cast in aluminum to show the brightness of the flash. There is a cart to represent a goat and little sausage things to represent primordial creatures. The artist, Joseph Beuys, was the man credited with saying “everyone is an artist.” I was drawn to it without much explanation. After seeing several of Matise’s paintings, I realize that I don’t like them. They are too simple and I can’t really understand their importance. This was yet another time when I will have to come back to get it all in.
We also found the best, cheapest produce at Berwick Market just a ways from Piccadilly Circus. I bought mushrooms, oranges, strawberries and green beans (each a medium-sized baking bowl full) for four and a half pounds.

SUNDAY while on my way out of church, a woman stopped me to be sure I was in fact old enough to be attending college since I didn’t look it. I hadn’t gotten that one in a while. When we got home, we just rested and caught up on journals.

Week 1 Arriving in London

May 1st – 6th

SATURDAY, I flew from Las Vegas to D.C. to Heathrow Airport. Luckily Shelby was on my second leg and we helped each other get through customs. We met up with another girl and found our way to our group leaders. We got our tube pass and rode into town. We then trudged from Gloucester Road tube stop to our Flat, about 4 blocks. The distance wasn’t so bad, it was the weight of four months worth of stuff that made the travel slow. Once we settled in, we took the day to get our bearings.
We actually went to our first show fully jet-lagged. Micheal Frayn’s The Permanent Way was performed as a living newspaper that informed us of all the underhanded ways in which the rail company shirks its responsibilities to the British people who have been hurt by the rail. Most of us missed most of the performance, but we were all awake for at least one scene which involved a multi-media derailing of a train with the loudest accident sounds I have heard. We then sleepily headed home from the National Theater on a trail which would soon become as familiar as going home.

MONDAY was our first classes. I’m going to like this. The homework won’t be too heavy and we only have class in the morning two days a week. We are reading Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Measure for Measure for the Shakespeare class. We will also see the plays in production (two versions of Romeo and Juliet). We just have a textbook and packet for Theater History that shouldn’t be too hard to get through. I just have to pace myself and not procrastinate. We’ll see how long that lasts.
We saw an interesting version of Cyrano De Bergerac at the National Theater. The set resembled an erector set of pipes with various levels. It was positioned on a revolve stage, so some scenes involved the rotation of the set. The actor playing Cyrano seemed just a little off. Some people thought he looked like he was drunk; he certainly looked addled. I liked the lead female, though her character’s motivations left me wanting. The performance had musical qualities, in the sense that they broke into song a few times, but didn’t really fit the genre. I was not impressed with the show, but I was glad to see more theater.

TUESDAY we saw the London Tower. We were rained on for most of the afternoon, so it really felt like London for the first time. We went in the White Tower first and learned about the various prisoners that were kept there; most of whom were eventually beheaded. The most interesting beheading was Anne Bolin’s. She requested that she be able to kneel and pray, so instead of an axe on the shopping block she got a sharp sword to do the job. She was praying so fervently and the sword was so sharp that when her head came off, her lips were still moving.
Next, we saw the Crown Jewels. The biggest is the Star coming in at a whopping 350 karats. They don’t allow photography in the jewel room so no one can make clear plans to steel anything. Though, I don’t know who would successfully make money off the Star because it is so renowned that no one I can think of would risk buying it. I’m sure England would consider waging war on anyone who tried.
We also walked the Tower Bridge which replaced the London Bridge after it came falling down. There were great photo opportunities, but unfortunately, I forgot my camera. I have been here five days and I still don’t have a picture. I promise to make up for it soon.
After such a cold, wet day, we just hung out at home and worked on homework. Its nice to feel like I really live here and I’m not just a tourist. I’m beginning to recognize the coin money on sight without having to find the amount written on the coin. By the way, pence come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 in addition to 1 and 2 pound coins. The smallest paper money denomination is 5.

WEDNESDAY was class. Not a lot to tell. We went grocery shopping for the second time to get all those things that just make food more enjoyable like lettuce for sandwiches and nutella for, well, anything. I have yet to find a shop that sells wrist watches to replace the one that died on me the first day. I also need replacement sunglasses.
We learned today that we get our rooms vacuumed once a week, on Thursday. We can also have our sheets laundered if we remove them and put them outside the door. I shower before bed, so I won’t do it this week. Besides, I am on the top bunk and they don’t use a fitted sheet here, so the idea of putting my sheets back on by myself after I get a fresh set is a little daunting.

THURSDAY we visited the London Museum. It chronicles the development of London from the time before the thought of London even existed to modern-day technology. The exhibits were very informational with placards explaining the origin and importance of the artifacts.
I found the money pieces fascinating because they showed the lineage of rulers in the area surrounding London and the rulers of nearby countries involved in trade. The most interesting piece depicted Saint Michael vanquishing the dragon.
There are models of early structures with impressively intricate detail. I love the Crystal Palace model. It was built as a temporary site for a world renowned exhibition and was so large that it was built around trees in the park. I have decided that if time travel becomes possible, I want to see the exhibition at the Crystal Palace.
The walk through took about three hours. I had to take a short sit-down break about half-way through to rest my feet. There was a display on women’s voices from the 1910s to today. Recordings played while photographs showed the people being interviewed. They mostly talked about the extraordinary women in their lives or about their own experiences. It brought home the importance of every-day interactions with family.
We will later visit the Tate Modern museum and the Natural History museum. There are still no pictures yet because you can’t take pictures in the museums.
We saw our third show tonight at the Young Vic. The theater is a black box, so I was not surprised to find the performance to be experimental. The play, Cruel and Tender, is based in the Greek myth of Heracles. He is a war general that brings home a beautiful captive from his conquered country to his wife. Hi wife, having become jealous, gives him a gift that is said to make him faithful to her. The gift has poisonous properties that slowly kill him. When his wife realizes that she has killed her husband, she commits suicide. This modern adaptation makes the husband part of the war on terror. The gift that his wife gives him is a chemical weapon that she naively accepts from an old friend as a last resort to win her husband back. At the end of the play, the husband is taken away to be judged for his war crimes including killing the whole town his mistress lived in.
This was the most captivating piece I’ve seen in a while. The director and the actors made very clear choices that give me a lot to think about. I hope to see more theater of this caliber while I’m here. One of my roommates and I plan to attend another Young Vic show later in the season.

FRIDAY we went to the Roman ruins of an old arena theater to tie in our studies of Ancient Roman Theater in Theater History. It is amazing to think that the Roman Empire once reached this far. Though there was not a lot to see and we couldn’t get close to any of it because the excavation is still ongoing, we spent almost an hour there. It was so nice to be in the country. The land is so green and quiet.
After the ruins, we visited churches. The first was St. Michael’s. It had a pleasant graveyard and played the bells on the hour. Next, we traveled to St. Alban’s Cathedral. It was huge. There was a daily mass going on is a small chapel, so music was playing. Tour guides were showing school children around and dressing them up as monks and bishops to tell the history of the Cathedral. Its origins are steeped in legend. Alban was a good man who helped a priest hide from the Roman government which outlawed Christianity. While protecting the priest, he converted and helped the man escape from soldiers. When he wouldn’t denounce his faith, he was put to death. Pilgrimages were made to the spot of his execution because of its healing powers. The following was so great that the cathedral was built on the spot. It is beautiful. I will be sure to send pictures since I finally remembered to bring my camera.
I took about forty pictures today. I just have to remember that there is a delay between when I press the button and the picture takes. Some of my shots are blurry.
After we got home and rested a little, we went to the Globe to see Romeo and Juliet. We were groundlings, so we stood for all three hours of the show. A pillar was in my way, but I saw most of it. It was great to see a show the way they would have done it in Shakespeare’s day. There was little set to speak of, only a roll-on bed and sepulcher. Otherwise, the actors only had the columns to work with. The acting was mediocre from the title characters, but they worked well together. The director chose to have Juliet clearly play 14, so she giggled a lot and looked out of place in adult activities like dancing at the party and discussions with adults. The best role was that of the nurse played by a burly man. He played dead-pan humor and it worked. The sword fighting was captivating and the dancing was interesting to watch because you don’t tend to see dancing like that anymore. Overall, I enjoyed the performance; even with all the standing.

SATURDAY we slept in until 10:30. Then we got ready and headed to Portobello Road. The street is known for its market place where you can buy most anything. I got a cute red watch to replace the one that died just as I got off the plane. I also got a used copy of Much Ado About Nothing to round out my collection needed to read for class. We then headed to a computer store where a friend had just bought a cheap wireless card. I got it for 30 pounds which is comparable to a good sale price in the US. Now I can email as often as I have time, so expect updates every few days.
Now I am just catching up on homework and trying to figure out how to get to church tomorrow. We have to take the train, so we have to account for travel time.

About My Summer

This summer I kept a daily journal and sent it to friends and family via email. While in London, I learned about blogs and decided this would be a more efficient way to update everyone. I am cataloging my summer journals by the month they were written. Most of the early entries were written as they happened. Several missing points have been written in after the fact, though, so don’t be confused by sudden change in tense.