“The man (or woman) who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world.”- Oscar Wilde

London: The epic beings

A huge group of us from Harlaxton went to London, those who signed up for the trip got transportation and lodging.  They also had the coaches take the others on a tour of London but I opted out since I had been there before, and I had a show to catch.  We got to The Royal National Hotel at about 12:30 and I had tickets for a 2pm show of Timon of Athens.  So the main group left on a coach tour and I got to the hotel, stored my luggage and by luggage I mean backpack and headed off to remember what I could of the London Underground.  It wasn't too bad, and I soon found myself on the Southbank looking across at St. Paul's and the beautiful London skyline ... which now a days could also be called the London "crane"line... the entire city looks like it is under construction by the amount of cranes, street closures, etc... I mentioned this to a cab driver and he said it is all in preparation for the 2012 olympics, well they certainly are getting an early and serious start.  I got to The Globe, also known as my future place of employment, and it was raining, not very exciting for London but i was maybe a tad concerned... but the tickets do say that the show goes on dispite weather... and yes it did, groundlings (in ponchos)  and all...

And now let me take a moment to say this is WHY i love love LOVE theatre.  Here I was at the Globe theatre on a friday afternoon.  Seeing Timon of Athens.  If you asked a majority of the population they wouldn't even know Shakespeare wrote Timon of Athens... non the less here i was and there were people willing to stand for 3 HOURS IN THE RAIN TO SEE A SHOW NO ONE DOES OR HEARS ABOUT.   This is why I want to do theatre, shakespeare in particular, this my friends is why I do what i do....

To continue, I however did not stand, I sat in the middle gallery next to a very nice British Couple who asked if I came to the Globe a lot.  I laughed and said that since I was from California I did not although I would like to.  They thought this was very funny and asked what I was doing here.  I explained I was studying here for the semester and they asked what I was "reading" aka majoring in... and I of course answered theatre.  They were very into this and at intermission proceeded to grill me as to how I liked the play.  grilll me in a nice was of course, they were just very interested and that was nice.  They mentioned some critics have not liked it because it is not done in the overdramatacized british classical shakespeare way.  And it wasn't but it was entertaining, artistic and more then anything relevant to present time.  So as i told the couple, Shakespeare wrote to entertain to common people I'm pretty sure he would still want the common people to be able to understand and be entertained by his plays.  They absolutely loved me for saying this and I quite possibly have new grandparents, no offense to my actual ones.  So to sum up Timon of Athens was brillent, the globe was brillent, shakespeare is brillent, and according to one old british couple I am brillent as well.

Then after a walk along the Thames and some more underground adventures I found myself back at the hotel at 6 pm... Why not see another show... and so i did.  I took the tube to Covent Garden...

ok another side note... when getting off the tube and you see everyone head for the lifts but you see a much less crowded starcase with a HUGE sign reading "190 STAIRS"... and you think, I am young, I do need to wait in this line.. how far can 190 steps be..... DO NOT BE DECEIVED.... it is very very very long indeed.  Narrow, spiral stairs, so you cannot see where you came from nor how much further you have to go.  And people pass you on their way down and look at you like you are crazy, and you really have to agree with them because you think you stopped breathing 60 steps ago... and you pause to get your breath back but keep walking when you hear more people coming down because you will NOT look stupid in front of the British.  Then you contimplate going back down instead and taking the lift but you have no idea how far along you are and that would just be stupid so you trudge on.  And so finally you make it to the top, minus your lungs and you legs are quite cross with you, but you made it and will NEVER make that mistake again.

Once at covent garden I buy myself a cheap nosebleed seat for "The Lady in Black" a play with two male parts (ironic yes I thought so).  Then I decide to wander and find someplace to eat.  I find "Sarastro" a little resturant on Drury Lane (obviously they purchased the establichment from the Muffin Man) that has an opera theme.  It is cute, colorful, with little opera booths that you can dine in, ballet slippers handing from the ceiling, velvet cloth as table cloths and napkins, it is wonderful and I recomend it.  So I ask for a table for one (a monumentous event in my life) I get seated right away and order a glass of the house white wine, the fettucini, and creme brulee for desert.  I am an expense date even when by myself.. although it actually wasn't too outragious and well worth it.  Then I proceeded to take out my moleskin note book and jot down some thoughts of the day, which like this blog entry, expanded to many pages.  I believe they thought I was a food critic and they were very very nice to me.  So after my excellent dinner I went to my theatre around the block and saw "the woman in black" which was creepy and excellent.  About a ghost in an old english manor house of course just to keep things interesting.  Then I took a cab home and ran into my friend Robb in the lobby.  We met up with some other people. (life without cell phones is wonderful you just happen to meet up with people and if you don't , you don't .. how freeing) and went to a pub in Camden.  We had a pint and walked home, in a very large and safe group with many guys (father).

And that was my Friday.

Then Saturday, I slept in a bit and found out the tube stop next to my hotel was closed so I walked to the British Museum (it's free and so cool) .  I went to an exhibit on Hadrian and then saw the Rosetta stone, mummies, mummy cats and other animals, Hindu statues, and jewelry throughout the ages.  Some favorties were a five piece (necklace, bracelet, earings, broach, and tiara) pink coral victorian jewelry set, solid goad celtic jewelry, and a labradorite perfume bottle.  Then I had a cup of coffee in Russell Square and remembered that parks are the reason I want to live in London.  Then I walked to the British Library.  I am starting a new religion and it's Rome is the British Library, shakespeare is our god, the end.  I saw original copies of the magna carta, a first folio of shakespeare, beatles lyrics scrawled on the backs of greeting cards (rockstars can't afford real paper), and journals from Lewis Carrol, Jane Austen, and other great writers, it was all rather inspiring to me and I stayed there quite a while.  They also had an exhibit on the Hindu story The Ramayana which was beautiful and so cool.  The British Library is also free and so worth it if anyone is intersted.  Then I decided that since I was a walking feind. I could walk to the west end show "The Mousetrap" that has been running longer then I have been alive, much longer.  Now this was a good plan and I had it all mapped out but still managed to get horribly lost.  

My last side note... did you know that the British only ask me for directions when I myself am horribly lost.  I suppose I should take this as a compliment since I must look like I blend in but it is also terribly funny because I usually can't help these poor souls.  I do try though and usually direct them to the nearest main street and this hopefully helps.  

So I am lost, and feilding questions from the likewise lost British, and I find myself again near the british museum, the complete oppostie way I was supposed to be going, so as I only have about an hour till the show I break down and hail a cab, who askes me where in England I'm from.  Horray for looking British I suppose.

So I get to the show, this time a murder mystery that takes place in an old english manor house, I will not sleep for days now since I fail at picking shows that won't give me nightmares while living in an old english manor. 

Then I get a cab home, and sleep.  Earlier today they took us all the Hampton Court on the way back to Harlaxton which was very great.  I dominated the maze challenge and beat both Robb and Jon to the middle.  Brains beats abilty to Run!  hahahaha.  

I marveled at the old tudor palace and the newer sections of William and Mary.  I wondered why all male monarchs likes young men and what the hell their wives did, except henry VIII we can all agree he might have liked women a bit too much.  Then back on the coach and home.  And now for some reason they expect me to get up and go to classes tomorrow.  The nerve I tell you.

sorry for the novel a lot happened

Cheers

-teresa