Official Countdown: 36 days

Well it's Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!! In London!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes it's still weird to wake up and think, "Wow, I'm in England."

Last week we saw Caroline, or Change Monday night--a musical about a black maid in 1960s Louisiana. It was great. Particularly entertaining was hearing British actors try to approximate a Southern American accent.

Tuesday I had to do my last presentation (well, except for the big final one), on City of the Mind. I talked about the fluidity of time in the novel--aren't you impressed? It's a good book though, despite the fact that it was required. Wednesday we took a walking tour, including Westminster Abbey, which was amazing, particularly Poets' Corner, where literary and other artistic greats are buries or otherwise commemorated, including Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. Thursday we took an all day excursion to Windsor and Eton. Neither Windsor Castle nor Eton (the private boys' school) was particularly thrilling, except of course for the illegal walk through a restricted part of the Eton campus, led by the fearless and now imprisoned Dr. Leavell.

I've also had a bit of an insomnia issue this past week. By Wednesday night I was practically dead, completely unable to concentrate on anything. Which was rather inconvenient since I had to go see Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll that night. That play was horrible--not well written, too complex for the average (or even above-average) viewer, extremely slow paced, and to top it all off the main actor forgot his lines about 3 times and had to get the stage manager to feed his lines to him. We were wondering if maybe he was drunk. Chandler and I hugged each other when the final curtain fell, we were so glad it was over.

Guaranteed to be much more fun is Spamalot, the musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which I am going to see Monday night from the 7th row. Oh yes, and TIM CURRY is playing King Arthur! You know, Tim Curry from Clue and about a million other cult comedies? Very exciting.

Then Thursday night we're seeing Phantom of the Opera. Isn't the London theatre scene just spectacular? We're also hoping to get tickets to Wicked while we're here.

Well, daylight savings time starts tonight, which means starting tomorrow it will be dark here by 5:00 pm, if not before. Actually, it's only about 5:15 here now, and it's already well on the way to night.

I'm hoping to have a go-take-pictures day Sunday or Monday, so hopefully I will soon have some more fun pictures to post. But to satiate you for now, here's a fun one of Big Ben as seen from a statue of Bodicea (sp?), a Celtic (female) warrior who helped save England from the Roman Empire. Whoohoo!


Yesterday I went to the grocery store, and the cashier actually smiled and chatted with me. It made me realize how much I miss smiling friendly people. No one here smiles or talks to people they don't know. In fact they pretty much try to avoid eye contact entirely. I can't wait to get me some more of that good ole' Southern hospitality!

Grits, sirens, and hot chocolate

Good news: at least part of my Southern food craving has been satiated. I got my MARVELOUS care package from the parents yesterday, perhaps the most exciting item contained in which was authentic American Quaker Instant Grits--the cheddar cheese variety!!!!! I was so excited I immediately ran to the water boiler and prepared a bowl of that classic Southern delicacy, which was probably the greatest food-moment I've had in this country.

Speaking of which, I'm going to miss Indian food when we get home. I've been told there is only one Indian restaurant in Greenville, how sad. We also need to work on getting some good fish-n-chips in America, because that has become my favorite English meal.

Thursday night we saw the Life of Galileo by Brecht, but it was a shockingly un-Brechtian production. Brecht had interesting theories of theatre that basically oppose the Aristotelian theories of theatre, but the play, in spite of its playwright, followed Aristotle except for one memorable scene involving a singing goth priest with Chicago-style dancers, one of whom had "Galileo" printed in rhinestones on the back of her very short shorts.

Random thoughts on my life in London...

My hotel is in a great location, except for there being an ambulance station right beside the hotel, resulting in British siren noises randomly bursting through my window every 10 minutes or so, causing me to throw my cup of tea into the air in surprise.

I think the maids are getting tired of changing my soup and chocolate stained sheets, as I have a habit of eating in bed, and as we all know, I also have a habit of spilling things on myself.

I have re-discovered the joy of the hot bath. I have been limited to showers until this point, but this morning I took a real, long bubble bath--thanks to my parents for sending the fun bath products. And I drank Cadbury hot chocolate too, which is pretty much heaven in a mug.

Colleen the roommate is gone to Wales this weekend, so I am All Alone in the room at night, which means I am locking the deadbolt and propping a chair up under the doorknob. Ok not quite that extreme, but it is a little creepy in this huge hotel in this huge city that has a nasty history of violence and crime (anyone remember that good ol' bloke Jack the Ripper?). See Peter Ackroyd's London: A Biography for several detailed chapters on the patterns of crime in London, and by the way thanks to the Professors-at-large for making it required reading.

I got a nifty going-out sleevless shirt that makes me resemble a polar bear. How hot is that? I think I'll wear it to the Ice Bar next week. (The Ice Bar is, appropriately, a bar made entirely of ice. Wow.)

We're planning a trip to Paris next weekend, whoohoo! Isn't it great that two of the biggest culture-rich cities in the world are just a short Chunnel ride apart?

Hopefully I will be going to see either Spamalot (the musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail) or Phantom of the Opera this week. And boo on the theatre elitists who consider musical theatre base.

According to the Official Keepers of the Countdown (aka my parents), there are now 43 days until my return, for anyone else who desperately misses me and wants to keep track. Or for anyone who is just that bored and looking for something to do other than homework, you can make yourself a Post-It notepad tear-off countdown calendar. That should take up a good 18 minutes or so.

This has been another transmission by your favorite Girl-in-London. Cheers, and have a fabulous fun-filled Saturday!

I GOT KEVIN SPACEY'S AUTOGRAPH!!!

Well, I sucessfully completed two presentations today before collapsing on my bed for a solid three hours this afternoon. I'm sick. Not majorly, but enough that I didn't feel that it was a good idea to go with the group on a 2.5 hour walking tour of London this afternoon. Thankfully, the kind and magnanimous professors-at-large agreed, and tonight I'm feeling somewhat better.

So, as the title says, I GOT KEVIN SPACEY'S AUTOGRAPH!!!!!!!!!!!!! (13 exclamation points Lauren.) He was performing in A Moon for the Misbegotten, which was stunningly good, the most compelling play I've seen since we've been in England. And not became of Kevin Spacey. He did an excellent job of course, but the standout performance was from an actress named Eve (insert last name here) as Josie, the rough-n-ready farmgirl daughter of Phil Hogan (played by Colm Meaney), and unacknowledged love of Jim Tyrone (Kevin Spacey). Really, I didn't look at my watch a single time, and that's a first. Oh, and I also got Colm Meaney's autograph, best known to me as Chief O'Brien on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But that's probably just me. At any rate, this makes my first piece of authentic signed-in-person celebrity memorabilia! Whoohoo!

In other news, Monday night we saw Tom and Viv, otherwise known as The Excessively Depressing Play that Put the Entire Group in a Foul Mood. It's about the relationship between the poet T.S. Eliot and his wife, and between them and her family. As explanation: Tom puts Viv away in a sanitorium because she's gone completely crazy. It's later implied in the play (I don't know if this is true of the real woman also) that her insanity was caused by a hormonal imbalance that ended at menopause, which is particularly sad. The play caused a lot of controversy in group discussion because of the debate over whether Tom was wrong to put Viv away and whether his motives for doing so were entirely self-centered. Very interesting though.

Trying to think if there's anything else interesting going on...

And I'm coming up with nothing. So on that note, I'm retreating to my room again. I think I'll have some Frosties (Frosted Flakes, and also the only American food I've found here that actually tastes like it does at home).

Can you believe this trip isn't even halfway over??? (But don't worry, it will be Friday :)

Cheers!

Sunday night in the Nasty

So, since last Tuesday…

We’ve had a lot of classes, involving lectures and presentations. Wednesday we went to the Tower of London (see pictures from last post), and Thursday we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where frustratingly you are not allowed to take pictures (grrrrr).

Classes ended at 12:30 Friday, and we had the whole weekend free. In fact, we don’t have to be anywhere specific until Monday night, when we see a play.

I slept a ridiculous amount Saturday and today as well. It seems I’m sleep-deprived and needed to recuperate. But I swear I’m setting an alarm for tomorrow.

Yesterday I went dress-shopping. (I know, Kristen??? In a DRESS??? Feel free to pass out now.) I didn’t actually buy anything, but I found a lovely purple dress I liked a lot and might get if I don’t stumble upon anything better in the next week or so. The depressing thing about buying clothing here is that the sizes are bigger. As in, you have to go up 2 sizes to find clothes that fit.

As a side note, Starbucks Caramel Hot Chocolate is AMAZING—you should go get one. With whipped cream, of course.

Today, after I finally dragged myself out of the bed (I feel bad for Colleen the roommate, who is an early riser) and ate a banana and a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast/lunch (because it was, in fact 1:00 pm when I ate), I went with Hayley and Chandler to HARROD’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the couture shopping mecca of the world I think. Huge, HUGE store, with every classy brand name you can think of—Versace, Gucci, Dior, Juicy, Jimmy Choo. It was incredible. And you know what? I actually bought something!

A chocolate iced Krispy Kreme donut! (Yes, they sell those at Harrod’s too. And now I can say I bought something there.)

After that we visited what must be one of The Creepiest Cemetaries Ever. There were ravens and pigeons all over the place, trees, dead leaves, overgrown graves, actual mausoleums, and excessively friendly squirrels, who apparently are accustomed to being fed based on the way they ran up to my shoe and looked at me with big pitiful puppy-eyes. We didn’t get to stay there long though because it closed shortly after we arrived.

Also, it was dark at 6:00 here. According to our professors, who sometimes lie, it will be dark at 4:00 by the time we head home.

And now Kristen must go to her hovel and read, since she has been a slacker and done a whole bunch of anything-but-work since leaving the States.

Cheers!

more pictures!!!!

Some pictures, variously of the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, both of which I visited today...

Mind the Gap

I am now the Tube Master! At first I was completely intimidated by the tube (what Londoners call the subway), but I discovered it is much simpler than I originally thought, mostly thanks to the abundance of signs telling you where to go. But now I am virtually completely comfortable, and that is a good thing.

We have started real classes now. This morning we discussed Ben Jonson's The Alchemist, a play that we saw Monday night at the National Theatre. Unfortunately it wasn't as exciting as we'd hoped, and more confusing due to the characters' shifting dialects. Not the best, but certainly not the worst production I could imagine.

So I am really starting to miss home now. I absolutely love being here, but there are times when I wish I could transport Star Trek-style home to spend the night. Here are ten of the things I miss the most, in some not completely random order:

10. Furman (you like it more when you're not there)
9. the American economy (the exchange rate means everything costs nearly double here)
8. My car
7. American television (all the programmes here are pretty much ridiculously bad)
6. Silence (London is abominably loud, particularly when your window is just above a busy street)
5. Friendly smiling people
4. Air-conditioning (basically unheard of in England)
3. Mr. Bingley, Punk, Ricky, and the rest of the Pitts Animal Farm
2. Southern food!!!!!!!!!!! (No seriously, I would kill for some fried chicken right about now)
1. My family and friends, naturally.

I suppose I should now stop wasting time and go work on that pile of novels I am supposed to be reading. But what I'm actually going to do is eat more houmus (hummus? which I didn't like until yesterday, when I also conveniently discovered how marvelously cheap it is) and work on some more Su Doku, which I find I am surprisingly not horrible at.

Cheers!

P.S. The title of this entry is a reference to the tube, where a little voice reminds you to "Mind the gap" between the train and the platform when you're exiting the train.

London update 1: from the lobby of the Nasty

I am now officially in LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For anyone who is familiar with London, we are in the West End, quite near the Covent Garden area.

Yesterday we left Stratford at 10 am, stopped at Warwick Castle (where there were peacocks!), then headed to the Royal National, affectionately known to Furman students as "the Nasty." However the hotel thankfully does not live up to its nickname. It is absolutely huge and definitely basic, but also clean. To give you some idea of how big it is, they checked in 900 people yesterday alone.

Last night we had Indian cuisine, and then I completely crashed. I was exhausted, having been up late the previous few nights. Today I slept in a bit, unpacked, then went on a rather long walk to the Museum of London, which was pretty neat--I will have to return there. When we returned we discovered that our pilgrimage comrades had arrived, and so there was many a joyful reunion. Ok maybe it wasn't quite that exciting, but it was definitely fun and a little weird to see them all again after 2 weeks.

My first impressions of London: BIG, diverse, smelly, BIG, dirty, fun, and did I mention BIG?

Some of that may have sounded negative, but it's really not, it's just hard to get used to for a girl who lives 25 minutes away from a Wal-Mart.








The sign for our delightful B&B in Stratford--I highly recommend it if you ever happen to be there.


















I just love this picture. :)

last update from Stratford!

Well it’s been another whirlwind few days. Tomorrow we leave for London, and I’m supposed to be packing now, but obviously I’m not making much progress.

Points of interest since I last updated:

Monday we went to Blenheim Palace, and I was beating myself for forgetting my camera because although you’re not allowed to take photographs inside the palace, there were gorgeous gardens, including one called the Secret Garden, which you must find if you’re ever visiting this site. It’s also interesting that the Duke of Marlborough still lives there (you don’t get to visit his private wing though). There is also a connection to the USA: The 9th Duchess of Marlborough was Consuelo Vanderbilt, of the Biltmore House family.

We spent several hours in Oxford after we left the palace. We just had lunch and wandered around town. I got an official Oxford hoodie--because I really wished I’d gotten one when we were there before. We also found the Best Bookstore in the World, known as Blackwell’s, where I may or may not have spent way too much money. They had a very large section of French literature—IN FRENCH!!! Which is nice because while one can buy French books online from the States, the shipping costs are quite exorbitant. Of course the overweight fee on my luggage is going to be quite exorbitant as well.

I did manage to sell 4 Shakespeare books today at a used bookstore and got a record-breaking 4 pounds for them. But at least I don’t have to carry them around anymore.

At any rate, Tuesday we saw King John, which was significantly more interesting than I was anticipating. Richard McCabe was probably the best King John I could imagine, and overall it was a well-done production. After the show we had a backstage tour of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (aka the “main house”) and the Swan Theatre, which share a backstage area. I got to walk on The Tempest stage!!! And the King John stage, though I wasn’t so excited about that one. And I stole a pocketful of fake snow off the Tempest set, though I haven’t figured out where exactly to put the snow, since it’s currently zipped up inside the pocket of my heavy coat.

On the coat topic: it’s been much colder here the past few days, which is nice because I’m finally wearing those sweaters I packed.

Wednesday we sat through over 6 hours of history plays. We had a discussion of King John in the morning, then King Henry parts 2 & 3 in the afternoon/evening. It was quite exhausting.

Thursday consisted of discussion and lectures, then seeing Antony & Cleopatra (with PATRICK STEWART!!!). It was an impressive show, surprisingly minimalist, as most productions feel the need to more or less create Egypt on a stage, rather than just implying Egypt. Anyway, it was entirely compelling, I only looked at my watch once before intermission, and that was only because I was in need of the toilet (which is what they call a restroom here). A great show, I stood around at the stage door afterwards in an attempt to get the great Mr. Stewart’s signature, but no luck. I’m going back tonight though—I’m truly an optimist at heart.

At any rate, I direly need to get some packing done—by which I mean I’m about to sit here and try to do a Su Doku puzzle that Wink gave me. Who wants to bet I’ll be a complete failure at a puzzle of numbers?

Looks like another late night ahead! Cheers!

laying on my bed because i ate SOOOO much

Let me introduce you to Kristen in a Curry-Induced Stupor. Seriously, we had dinner at 6:00, and I ate a plate and a half of curry chicken and rice, a significant amount of nan (indian bread) and a slice of chocolate tart (again, read: pie) and now I might die. Conveniently I have noted that the emergency number here is 999, not 911, and have warned my roommate Wink of this, so when my intestines explode in the middle of the night, she'll know what to do. I'm not even kidding, I had to pause halfway up the stairs because I couldn't make it the whole way.

We saw King Henry VI, part 1 Saturday morning, and it was very well put together, very balanced as far as language, visual interest, and sound. A stunning performance, although it was a strict interpretation. Hopefully I will be able to get tickets to see PATRICK STEWART in THE TEMPEST again tomorrow night, but we'll have to see if I am able to beat up the rest of the people in line to make it to the front.

I literally slept over half the day away. I went bed at maybe 12:30-ish last night, got up at 10:30, ate breakfast, went back to bed at 11:30, and got up at 3:45 pm. And I'm ready to go to sleep again. Is that a bad sign?

We had a horrible storm this morning, which is part of the reason I slept so much. It was like, a severe Carolina storm, which I think is unusual for England. So it was nice to not have to go anywhere and be able to stay in bed and, um, SLEEP.

So basically nothing interesting to say today, I just felt like updating. Tomorrow we go to Blenheim Palace and spend the rest of the day in Oxford just doing whatever. Then Tuesday begins the crazy 4 plays in 3 days rush. It's crazy that a week from now I'll be in London.

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!