First, I did my laundry in the tub. I really didn't want to pay to do laundry (it costs the equivalent of $6 for one load washed and dried) so I decided to just get some detergent and scrub away here at the flats. It was actually kind of fun...I dumped a bunch of my clothes into the dub, rolled up my pants, and squished them around (all the while laughing because I kept picturing Lucy in the grape-press...). I only got about halfway through before I had to leave for the Globe tour though, so I think I'll finish tonight, after I post this and do some homework.
The Globe tour actually covered a lot more than the Globe: we walked around the area and saw the currently-being-excavated remains of the original Rose theatre, the site of the original Globe, and or course, the Globe itself. Here's an interesting did-you-know: the new Globe was built out of the same materials the old Globe would have been built with - mostly English Oak and plaster. The plaster in Shakespeare's time was made out of limestone, cow hair, and something else. However, for the new Globe, they couldn't use cow hair - instead, they used cashmere. Ummm...designer theatre? I thought that was funny.
After the tour, I went to Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. Usually, there's an entrance fee to see the cathedral, but they don't charge if you come worship with them. You also don't get to see the whole cathedral if you just do a worship service, but you can see a decent portion of it. As I walked in for evensong, I was handed a program that contained the words to all the prayers and songs, including the things the congregation is supposed to say in bold. I was grateful to have it written out, because otherwise I would have felt really lost... It's a complicated service! Stand here, sit here, sing along here, say amen here but not here, etc. Anyway, it was really beautiful, and I'm glad that I was able to go. The choir was all male, with young boys and grown men. The little boys sang the soprano part gloriously! It was so fun to listen to! The reverb underneath that dome is stunning - it must be really fun to sing under as a choir. The choir director had his work cut out for him though, to keep them all in time with such a lengthy reverb. He used a lot of very choppy, definitive movements rather than flowery, expressive stuff.
Aside from the beauty of the music and ceremony, I really appreciated one thing about going to evensong: I was able to draw closer to my Heavenly Father by a witness from his Holy Spirit that my religion has the full truth. I am so blessed! I wanted to stand and shout my testimony a couple of times during the brief sermon about the ascension of Christ, because I couldn't stand that I knew what Christ's plan for His church was for after He left this earth, and these good people didn't know. All they could say was that the day of ascension was (and is, as it is remembered every year) a day of sadness and mystery.
After evensong, it was time for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Globe (with the study abroad group). Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. The actors were all playing for laughs (which never works - when you think/know you're funny, you never are). Part of this "look at me, I'm so funny" attitude translated into awful over-acting, especially (and sadly) for Puck. There was also an unnecessary amount of awkward innuendo. :P Anyway, we were all really disappointed with it, and left much more soberly than we left "Taking Steps" the night before.
*phew* Done with yesterday! Now, on to today:
Today was an entirely free day - we had nothing planned as a group. Not even a show, or any homework due...crazy! So I got to choose-my-own-adventure today.
I got out of bed at about 9, showered, and got ready for the day. At about 10, I left for the day armed with my trusty map, a waterbottle, some snacks, and my tube pass. First stop: Borough Market. It's an entirely food market, open Th-Sat. Wow! It was really impressive. Very artesian. I saw buckets of more varieties of olives than I ever imagined existed, piles of artesian breads, rows of exotic spices, counters of organic meats, and iced piles of fresh seafood; tasted some delicious sugar/gluten-free granola and $20-25/lb cheeses(hooray free samples); smelled ostrich burgers cooking; and drooled over gourmet cheesecakes and handmade chocolates. Unfortunately, it was all really expensive...but it was fun to look at and taste-test!
I bought a cup of soup from Pret on my way to the Tate Modern - the next stop on my itinerary. Pret is one of London's most common fast-food restaurants. It's everywhere! It's a sandwich/salad/soup place. Let me tell you - this beats McDonalds or Taco Bell ANY day! I only wish we could catch on in the states and replace our nasty greasy fast food with stuff like this. They pride themselves in being free from all artificial additives, and advertise it everywhere. The pre-made sandwiches included spicy prawn, houmus and tabouleh, and chicken tikka; the salads were just as yummy-sounding. Anyway. For fast food chains, London definitely takes the cake in my experience. :)
After lunch and people-watching, I went to the modern art museum Tate Modern: another one of London's fabulous government subsidized museums. (Government subsidized = free entry!) I tend to prefer modern art to classical art, and this museum was no exception. Granted, there are some modern art movements that I don't understand (like cubism) but I love impressionism, geometric art, and whatever Kandinsky's art is called.
While I wandered through the exhibits, I encountered the best-ever surprise highlight of the day entirely by accident. Ready? The Tate Modern currently houses Monet's "Water-Lilies" which is only my FAVORITE EVER IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING!!!! I had NO idea it was here - I just walked into another room on my way through the floor, and there it was. I almost fell over in shock! It's even more beautiful in real life.
I discovered a new artist to add to my list of favorites: his name is Victor Pasmore. This particular exhibit held five or six of his ink-and-paper prints. His particular style of abstraction just speaks to me more than most abstract art. I loved the energy in his works, and the way he used imperfect repetition to create a sense of unity.
After the Tate Modern, I walked back across the Thames (on the Millennium Bridge) and began heading home. I took one more detour on my way to the tube, though. Fleet Street! Come on, does anyone else start singing Sweeney Todd? Honestly, it's not my favorite musical, but I had to visit so I could get a picture next to a street sign and send it to a certain someone. :) Back story: out of all the shows he's been in, Sweeney Todd is Andy's favorite. So, I figured I better visit Fleet Street just for him. Unfortunately, all of the street signs were attached high up on the buildings (remember, the street signs here aren't on poles, they're metal plaques attached to the sides of buildings or fences). So, I had to settle for an address plaque on the outside of a building on the street. Sigh.
Well, that's all for today. Cheers, everyone! Love you all!
OK, so, I look like a retard...but here's me on Fleet Street
Oh, Andy Warhol, we love you. Yes, that is definitely pink cow wallpaper. It covered the whole room dedicated to his artwork. Combined with the camo, it's pretty eye-shocking, to say the least.
Every one of those buckets has a different kind of olive (stuffed, plain, or in an antipasti-type blend) in it. Not even kidding. HOLY COW!
Ummm...loo of the year? OK. Random.
At the Globe for "Midsummer" last night. This time we weren't groundlings. It's kind of a trade: if you're a groundling, you can see everything even though you have to stand. If you sit, there's invariably something in your way, like that big fat pillar that's unfortunately hard to see through. You can see all the groundlings standing in the yard, and people sitting on the outside edge. The lucky groundlings get to lean against the stage - everyone else just gets to stand. Mwahahahahaha!
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