Friday, July 25, 2008
Sorry, Not A Real Update
Hey, I know I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry! I've been crazy busy cramming stuff in before I go back home on Tuesday! I will try really hard to update before I go home... maybe Monday? If not, I will update as soon as I can.
Monday, July 14, 2008
I Only Have Two Weeks Left?!
So, what have I been doing since my last update?
I went with a friend to see "De Profundis" at the National Theatre performed by Corin Redgrave. "De Profundis" is Oscar Wilde's letter to his lover, Bosie, that he wrote while he was in prison. It was very good, and very well performed (obviously).
We had a tour of the Victoria & Albert Museum... wow, that place is huge!! The tour lasted a couple of hours and we probably only saw about 1/12 of the whole thing. Or less. They have a lot of artifacts and various items from different times. It's mostly British stuff, but they have areas for other places around the world. There's a really cool fashion exhibit with outfits on display from the 18th century (ish) until the present. One of Princess Diana's dresses is in there, and they had a special exhibit on the Supremes with some of their dresses.
I told myself I wasn't going to do this because I've seen it so many times, but I did anyway. I saw Wicked. And it was SO worth it. The Elphaba we had was incredible, and so were Fiyero and Nessarose for that matter. We were in the front row, too. The three of us who went sat by a mother and her daughter who were in London looking at Universities. They were from Wales. We talked to them for a bit before the show (they heard our accents and wondered where we were from) and they really reminded me of mom and I. You know, in the big city to "look at schools" and see an amazing musical since they're there anyway. :)
My British Victorian Lit class went to this tea place called the Orangery, and it was so delicious that Jake and I went back this past weekend while he was visiting. They have the best tea. It's a little expensive, but definitely worth it. It's at Kensington Palace, and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits London.
The weekend before this past one, I went with two girls (Emily and Nicole) to Ireland. Dublin was a little disappointing. There was stuff to do, but it was very spread out and the transportation system wasn't great. We went to the James Joyce center, which was interesting. We also went to the Guinness Factory. I decided I don't really like Guinness, but the factory was cool to see. There was a wall where people could post little notes saying "So and so was here on such and such date." I read a few, and was quite excited to find one that said "Rock chalk jayhawks, go KU!" The 4th was Emily's 2 year anniversary with her boyfriend, and apparently he had been working something out with Nicole, who got us to go to a hotel where Emily's boyfriend had hired a string quartet to play an arrangement he had done of "their song." It was adorable. We also went to the National Gallery, but it wasn't nearly as good as London's, and it closed too early! We spent about a day and a half in Galway (on the other side of the country from Dublin), and it was beautiful even if it was rainy. We did a lot of wandering around the city, and it was great because it was less tourist-y than Dublin and more what you would think of when you think "Ireland." There was a great little market too. That evening we met up with a girl and her roommates that Nicole knew from home. They were studying for the summer there. The next morning Emily and I took a cab to Salt Hill, where there is a great view of the coast. I took a ton of pictures there, it was so beautiful. The water was freezing, but we saw a couple people swimming in it! In regular swimming trunks, no wet suits or anything!
Last week I went to the free Evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral. The music was beautiful. I could have sat there listening for hours. Unfortunately, there was a stage set up for some event they were having right in the middle of the Cathedral, so I couldn't see anything. I also went back to the National Portrait Gallery and finished going through it. A lot of the modern stuff there is really cool. We had a class field trip to the Greenwich Observatory. It was a bit rushed though, because we took a boat down the river to get there and it took a while. But it was really cool, and Greenwich is beautiful. That night I went with my intern friends to see 39 Steps, which is based on the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. I don't get to see those friends very often since they work all day and when they're free on weekends, I'm traveling. So that was fun, and the show was really funny.
On Friday morning we had a program field trip to tour the Globe. It wasn't really much of a tour, but our guide was very knowledgeable. He told us about how the modern Globe came about - all private funds, and the main guy behind it was American. I thought that was interesting. He also told us how shows would have worked in Shakespeare's day. They try to keep this Globe close to the way it was in Shakespeare's time, while still being safe (mostly from fire hazards) and while still being able to sell tickets. That means there aren't light or sound cues. So after the tour, I asked our guide what the stage manager does during the show since there aren't really cues to call. He chuckled and said, "Not much." But they do have one. I suppose there is still plenty to do in rehearsals, though. That afternoon I sat in Kensington Gardens and read Mrs. Dalloway. It was nice.
And this past weekend, Jake came to visit! Saturday and Sunday flew by faster than any other two days I've had here, and that's saying something. Two days is not enough time in London, but we fit in a lot. Saturday we went to the National Gallery, then wandered around the Westminster area (Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey) and took a boat down the Thames to go past The London Eye, St. Paul's, The Globe, and The Tower of London. Then we got some fish & chips at a pub restaurant and went to see Chicago. Jake hasn't been to Broadway, so it was his first time seeing a musical on that level, which was exciting. On Sunday we went to the Orangery for brunch, then walked from there to Hyde Park. There was something going on I guess, because a bunch of artists were displaying and selling their work outside the park. There was a lot of really great stuff. I think I'm appreciating art a lot more since I've been here. At Hyde Park we rented a pedal boat on the lake, just like the one in 10 Things I Hate About You, if you've seen that movie. I've wanted to do that ever since I saw that movie, so there's a life goal completed! Then it was time to head to the airport. :( That was sad, but it was such a great weekend!
An awesome pair of street musicians in Dublin:
Market in Galway:
Pretty view in Galway:
Hey, look! I made a new friend:
The coast:
More coast:
Jake and I being tourists:
I went with a friend to see "De Profundis" at the National Theatre performed by Corin Redgrave. "De Profundis" is Oscar Wilde's letter to his lover, Bosie, that he wrote while he was in prison. It was very good, and very well performed (obviously).
We had a tour of the Victoria & Albert Museum... wow, that place is huge!! The tour lasted a couple of hours and we probably only saw about 1/12 of the whole thing. Or less. They have a lot of artifacts and various items from different times. It's mostly British stuff, but they have areas for other places around the world. There's a really cool fashion exhibit with outfits on display from the 18th century (ish) until the present. One of Princess Diana's dresses is in there, and they had a special exhibit on the Supremes with some of their dresses.
I told myself I wasn't going to do this because I've seen it so many times, but I did anyway. I saw Wicked. And it was SO worth it. The Elphaba we had was incredible, and so were Fiyero and Nessarose for that matter. We were in the front row, too. The three of us who went sat by a mother and her daughter who were in London looking at Universities. They were from Wales. We talked to them for a bit before the show (they heard our accents and wondered where we were from) and they really reminded me of mom and I. You know, in the big city to "look at schools" and see an amazing musical since they're there anyway. :)
My British Victorian Lit class went to this tea place called the Orangery, and it was so delicious that Jake and I went back this past weekend while he was visiting. They have the best tea. It's a little expensive, but definitely worth it. It's at Kensington Palace, and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits London.
The weekend before this past one, I went with two girls (Emily and Nicole) to Ireland. Dublin was a little disappointing. There was stuff to do, but it was very spread out and the transportation system wasn't great. We went to the James Joyce center, which was interesting. We also went to the Guinness Factory. I decided I don't really like Guinness, but the factory was cool to see. There was a wall where people could post little notes saying "So and so was here on such and such date." I read a few, and was quite excited to find one that said "Rock chalk jayhawks, go KU!" The 4th was Emily's 2 year anniversary with her boyfriend, and apparently he had been working something out with Nicole, who got us to go to a hotel where Emily's boyfriend had hired a string quartet to play an arrangement he had done of "their song." It was adorable. We also went to the National Gallery, but it wasn't nearly as good as London's, and it closed too early! We spent about a day and a half in Galway (on the other side of the country from Dublin), and it was beautiful even if it was rainy. We did a lot of wandering around the city, and it was great because it was less tourist-y than Dublin and more what you would think of when you think "Ireland." There was a great little market too. That evening we met up with a girl and her roommates that Nicole knew from home. They were studying for the summer there. The next morning Emily and I took a cab to Salt Hill, where there is a great view of the coast. I took a ton of pictures there, it was so beautiful. The water was freezing, but we saw a couple people swimming in it! In regular swimming trunks, no wet suits or anything!
Last week I went to the free Evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral. The music was beautiful. I could have sat there listening for hours. Unfortunately, there was a stage set up for some event they were having right in the middle of the Cathedral, so I couldn't see anything. I also went back to the National Portrait Gallery and finished going through it. A lot of the modern stuff there is really cool. We had a class field trip to the Greenwich Observatory. It was a bit rushed though, because we took a boat down the river to get there and it took a while. But it was really cool, and Greenwich is beautiful. That night I went with my intern friends to see 39 Steps, which is based on the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. I don't get to see those friends very often since they work all day and when they're free on weekends, I'm traveling. So that was fun, and the show was really funny.
On Friday morning we had a program field trip to tour the Globe. It wasn't really much of a tour, but our guide was very knowledgeable. He told us about how the modern Globe came about - all private funds, and the main guy behind it was American. I thought that was interesting. He also told us how shows would have worked in Shakespeare's day. They try to keep this Globe close to the way it was in Shakespeare's time, while still being safe (mostly from fire hazards) and while still being able to sell tickets. That means there aren't light or sound cues. So after the tour, I asked our guide what the stage manager does during the show since there aren't really cues to call. He chuckled and said, "Not much." But they do have one. I suppose there is still plenty to do in rehearsals, though. That afternoon I sat in Kensington Gardens and read Mrs. Dalloway. It was nice.
And this past weekend, Jake came to visit! Saturday and Sunday flew by faster than any other two days I've had here, and that's saying something. Two days is not enough time in London, but we fit in a lot. Saturday we went to the National Gallery, then wandered around the Westminster area (Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey) and took a boat down the Thames to go past The London Eye, St. Paul's, The Globe, and The Tower of London. Then we got some fish & chips at a pub restaurant and went to see Chicago. Jake hasn't been to Broadway, so it was his first time seeing a musical on that level, which was exciting. On Sunday we went to the Orangery for brunch, then walked from there to Hyde Park. There was something going on I guess, because a bunch of artists were displaying and selling their work outside the park. There was a lot of really great stuff. I think I'm appreciating art a lot more since I've been here. At Hyde Park we rented a pedal boat on the lake, just like the one in 10 Things I Hate About You, if you've seen that movie. I've wanted to do that ever since I saw that movie, so there's a life goal completed! Then it was time to head to the airport. :( That was sad, but it was such a great weekend!
An awesome pair of street musicians in Dublin:
Market in Galway:
Pretty view in Galway:
Hey, look! I made a new friend:
The coast:
More coast:
Jake and I being tourists:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)