Well this week was crazy busy! We
started off with some Tower of London action! We got to see the torture chamber
and call me inhumane, but it wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be, and
it turns out there wasn’t even very many people that got “tortured” there.
Nevertheless there was a stretch rack, and a compressor type of thing, and a
thing where you got hung by your wrists. I just wanted a little more blood ya
know? Haha ANYWAY we also got to see the Crown Jewels which were beautiful. It
was hard to believe how many real gems were on them and I could only imagine
the price. One of the girls in our group tried to take a picture, even though
there were no pictures allowed, and one of the security guards somehow came
from around the corner out of nowhere and demanded to see the last picture
taken, and made her delete it. It was kind of intimidating. There was also an
armory there where I found the armor of my knight in shining armor and that was
actually probably my favorite part. There were also gargantuan ravens there and
they would bite people! Another one of the girls in my group kept following one
of them around and apparently the raven didn’t appreciate it and turned around
and bit her. I may or may not have felt bad for her.
That same day we had the privilege
of going to Royal Albert Hall and seeing Verdi’s Requiem and it was absolutely
wonderful. Our seats were for way up high in the cheapest seats, but we got
separated from the main group so when we handed the lady our ticket she asked
if we wanted a reseat and we figured why not, so we got fifth row tickets right
next to the performance and so we definitely lucked out! The performance was
beautiful and the opera soloists were incredible. I just can’t even explain how
incredible it was. I even teared up a little bit and I couldn’t even understand
what they were saying because it was in a different language! There were two
cute British ladies who had a sister in the choir and they were telling us all
about the area and sites to see in London and just making small talk. They were
so nice!
On Tuesday we had class at the
National Film Institute and we got a tour around some of the main parts, then
we got to go into the Mediatheque where we could choose from a collection of
old school British films. Mallory and I couldn’t decide on one so we just
randomly chose and it ended up being an old TV show called Dark Season starring
Kate Winslet in her pre-fame days and it was SO funny. Truly bizarre, but I
encourage everyone to partake in the delightfulness of it if they ever get the
chance! Tuesday night everyone went to theater performance, but a small group
of us decided to go to the concert of the group we saw at Portobello Road, the
Robbie Boyd Band. The concert was AWESOME! I haven’t been to very many
concerts, but this one took the cake. I love the group and we got to chat with
them afterwards and they were so nice! The concert was at a little pub/bar type
place, but they didn’t allow smoking so I wasn’t choking/coughing the whole
time. We also shoved our way to front row which was even more fun. We were
probably the wildest ones there; apparently the British just don’t get super
into certain concerts?
On Wednesday we got to go to the
National Gallery, which I also really loved. It was where a lot of the famous
paintings were stored. I got to see artists like Van Gough, Rembrandt, Raphael,
Vermeer, and so many others! Again, my humanities knowledge was brought back
into play, helping me to appreciate a lot of the art work. I plan on going back
again and taking the audio tour, because apparently you get a lot more out of
it and they tell you lots more than what is on the little descriptions! That
day we found the first inexpensive restaurant in existence that the Stake
President told us about. It is called Byron’s and we got the world’s best
milkshakes. Mine was an Oreo one and it was so so good and refreshing! That
night we went to a movie called Reds that was a whopping 3.5 hour long, which
was a little bit of a struggle. It was about a communist guy in America and his
lady of choice and it was well…interesting. Can’t say I loved it, but it was
enlightening I guess. Everyone else seemed to love it, but sometimes in life
you just don’t appreciate the same things as other people.
On Thursday
night we got to go to another great concert, although it wasn’t nearly as
powerful as Verdi’s Requiem. We got to go to a church called St Martin’s-in-the-Field
where we saw a chamber orchestra play some pieces by Bach and Vivaldi. Our
seats were horrible, but part way through we snuck into better/more comfortable
seats, which helped the situation. The musicians were really talented and
passionate, and it was a lovely performance to go to!
Today was another interesting
activity. We went to the Barbican Art Gallery at the Bauhaus, which was a
gallery of modern art. Well, we lasted a grand total of 40 minutes before we
peaced on outta there. Some people were able to stay for 2-3 hours and I have
no idea how. I think part of the problem is I just don’t get it, no matter how
hard I try. I think the other problem is, I don’t see the talent of it other
than a semi-delusional mind. We did decide to give them credit for being able
to create an entire alternate world, but really I just don’t enjoy modern art,
so I’ll stop with the snide comments. After that we did something I am
extremely excited for… got our Les Miserables tickets for next Thursday! For
the next week we know what jams will be playing from my itunes in preparation!
We also saw another film at the NFI
called Lucky Dragon No. 5. This time I actually did enjoy it, although it was
all in Japanese. It was about some fisherman who got affected by the radiation
of an atomic bomb in a nearby island that travelled to where they were. It was
a sad movie, but actually very touching. Afterwards we were going to go to a
pub for a karaoke night, but it was a little pricey so instead we decided to go
to an Indian restaurant for some grub! We somehow ended up in a rather sketchy
part of town, but there was about 15 of us so I wasn’t thinking too much of it,
other than to never come alone. Then we got to an area where it was just a long
line of Indian Restaurant with Indian men outside trying to convince you their
restaurant was the best and that you should come in and buy their food. Well, I
decided to try my hand at bargaining and was able to get our group a large meal
for 10 pounds, which is cheap for London. The meal was delicious! I got a mango
Lassi, which is kind of like a smoothie, a lamb samosa, a bow of chicken tikka
marsali, AND some garlic Nan bread. They had a nice beat of Indian music going
and the atmosphere was a lot of fun. I left much satisfied with both my
bargaining and the food. On the way home the group split up and I ended up with
just three other girls and it was semi scary. There were lots of people around,
majority intoxicated, but also a rather large amount of cops for a small area.
We were walking down the street and I was just focusing on where we were going.
Suddenly I felt someone grab my arm, and it startled me so bad I jumped and let
out a gasp. It was a drunk black guy mumbling something (I guess he asked what time
it was but I couldn’t understand him). I just kind of said, “I dunno,” and kept
walking. After that our pace got a little faster and I was a little more alert.
Quite the night if I do say so myself!
On Sunday we had two great
experiences. First, we got to be at the rededication of the Hyde Park Church
chapel. Recently a new visitor’s center was added, especially since during the
Olympics it is going to be a lot busier. The second event was that we got to go
to Evensong at Westminster Abbey. The church is beyond beautiful. When you walk
in, your eyes get huge and your jaw drops because the ceilings are so high and
beautiful and it really is a breathtaking sight to take in. I would love to go
back and take a tour because we didn’t get to see everywhere, although I did
catch a glimpse of Winston Churchill and Isaac Newton’s grave. The detail in it
was so intricate it is incredible to think about how in the world they did it
so long ago. The choir that sang was amazing, and there was great acoustics for
such a small group. It was a wonderful feeling and I was glad I got to go.
Definitely need to go back and get the tour!
On Monday we went to the Imperial
War Museum and that was a powerful, but rather bleak experience. There was a part where you could go through a
simulated trench and it was actually rather realistic and eye opening into what
war was like because they had nasty smells and the conditions of what it was
like during World War I. The other part that was quite bleak was the Holocaust
Exhibit. It was really heavy and left me feeling emotionally drained, however
it was powerful. I’ve learned about the Holocaust so many times, and it always
shocks me how something so terrible could happen, and how any person could live
with themselves after treating another person in that way. That evening we went
to a French movie called The Discreet
Charm of the Bourgeoisie and it was truly bizarre, but I loved it. It was a
surrealist film which explains the obscurity of it. I think everyone left a
little confused, but it was truly hilarious. 
On Tuesday we went to another awesome children's store called Hamley's and it was awesome! Yet again my childhood dreams were fuIfilled! At the top level they had lego people of all the royalty. They had EVERYTHING and a bunch of workers doing demos. I loved it, and basically took a photo shoot! I also had to finally had to do
laundry, and well I never have a dull moment doing laundry…this one was no
different. We had to lug our laundry over a few blocks to where us students get
the privilege of getting discounted washing. Well once there we started the
wash and everything went smoothly, minus the nasty wet floor. Drying, however
was a different stories. Only half of them worked so we were there for three
hours sitting on a nasty floor waiting for our clothes to dry. One of the
machines didn’t take our money, so Mallory and I sat there banging on it and
ended getting a bunch of money that had been stuck in there out, so we made
money off that machine! Haha
On Thursday my life was changed. I SAW LES MISERABLES. It was SO SO good.
Words cannot describe how much I loved it. It was such a powerful story, very
serious, even made me cry! The singers were all so good. Not to give anything
away, but almost everyone you like dies. After the major battle they have a
really beautiful scene, which sounds weird because it shows when the main
leader of the revolution dies. The stage turns and you see him sprawled out
with his flag and it makes everyone tear up because it is such an incredible
view. It truly was the most incredible musical I have ever seen! Afterwards we walked around Piccadilly Circus
which has quite the night life! It is so much fun walking around and seeing all
the lights! We went to a cute little Italian Restaurant and since it was kind
of late there weren’t a lot of people there, so the waiters were quite
talkative and so funny to chat with. I had the best pizza I think I’ve ever
eaten, even though it had blue cheese. Overall, such a fantastic night!
Today we went to Hampton Court, where King Henry VIII lived and it was so
cool! We did an audio tour which was interesting. The kitchens were crazy; I
can’t even imagine the organization it took to feed so many guests, sometimes
around 600, at once and still stay sane and not burn down the whole place. Some
of the areas were quite extraordinary and lavish. Those royals lived quite the
high life! The gardens were beautiful and they had the funky shaped trees which
were pretty nifty! We were there for 4 or 5 hours, and didn’t even get to
everything. We had to leave so that we wouldn’t miss our train home, but it was
quite the site to see. We also saw the section of the castle where William and
Mary lived, and all I can say is that William had to have slept like a rock for
two reasons. First, he had two stinking beds, one of which where the public was
allowed to watch. Only semi uncomfortable. Second, they were big and comfy
looking. I was jealous, especially since the pillow I got in our flat is about
at thick as a piece of paper. It was definitely a cool site though!
