So it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've been running around like a crazy person trying to do everything I want to do before I have to leave (less than a week left!) and also getting things done for my classes (finals on friday, ack!). So I've had a hard time finding a moment to post anything. But even though I haven't been writing, I still have been enjoying England immensly and as such have a plethora of additions for my Loving London list:
* The old WWII posters promoting discretion that say things like, "Be like dad, keep mum." I do so approve of wittiness! The world could do with more of it!
* The way that pigeons puff up when it rains so that they look almost entirely round. Just a tiny little marble of a head on top of a bowling ball of feathers. Round Robin does not just apply to robins anymore!
* Babies' laughter in the park. Quite possibly my favorite sound ever. Well, that and train whistles in the distance and the sound of walking on gravel and the buzz of a lot of women talking.
* The beauty of St. Paul's cathedral. It's incredible.
* The Somerset House! It's a small collection and I think a lot less well-known than some of the others but it's such a gem. They have some amazing Gauguin paintings that are just so emotional and some beautiful pieces by Monet and Degas. And they have pretty much my favorite painting of all time which is Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergere." I spent a good ten minutes just sitting there taking it in, It seems like the more I look at it, the more I see. I love the girl's expression, the marble of the countertop, the ambiguities... It's brilliant. The collection also had some exquisite Renoir paintings and a really cool piano that looked kind of like a patchwork quilt made of wood and ivory and stone and stuff. Probably the most interesting-looking instrument ever. Too bad they probably would have freaked out if I had tried to play it. But yeah, so Somerset House is a must-see if you go to London!
* Playing poker with T. and E. late at night. Our currency: jam and butter packets. So, so fun!
* The Phantom's voice and acting in Phantom of the Opera. They did a really excellent job of actually making him seem crazy. In the movie production you just kind of relate to him and feel sorry for him, but when we went to see this production of it, he was actually creepy. I really liked it this way. And the man had an incredible voice too!.
* Standing on the Prime Meridian! That's just cool even if it is just a line we arbitrarily drew a couple hundered years ago.
* Going to the Royal Observatory and Astronomy center and getting to touch the 4 billion year old meteor. I can now say with pride that I have touched one of the oldest things on this planet.
* Seeing General Nelson's uniform that he wore at the Battle of Trafalgar. I know it's just cotten but Nelson is so talked up here you can't help but get excited to see it.
* Sitting under a tree in the park during a rainstorm with the sun breaking through the clouds and illuminating each raindrop like a little star of light hurtling toward the ground.
* Chun Yi. I think possibly my favorite show I've seen in London so far! Think uber graceful ballet meets sweet kung-fu skills merged with some crazy acrobatics. It was all energy and artistry and it was awesome.
* Primark: every girl here's favorite store ever! Oh man, best prices for the cutest clothes. Only you have to go really early in the morning if you want to get through without battle wounds from the super-thick crowds of materialistic girls!
* Making "cultural observations" with E., I., and T. on the train :)
* Getting postcards and letters from friends. Ok so I love that anytime but it gets to go on the list anyway.
* The insult mug we found at Stratford on Avon. One of my favorites: Flap-ear'd Knave! They're so quality!
* A Winter's Tale performed by the Royal Shakespeare company. It was probably the most talented acting I have ever seen! It was great. And the play itself is so fun! One minute its a tragedy and the next its a romantic comedy! You go from a super intense monologue with the king doubting his wife's faithfulness to just a little while later seeing the most random dance of sheep-men ever!
* The aromas of the produce stalls at Portabello market. I would so shop there every saturday if I lived here.
* The Imperial War Museum, especially the exhibit about children during WWII. There's just so much there and its really moving. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have to send your children away for their safety and not really knowing when you would see them again. I almost started crying when I learned about this one "Kindertransport" ship carrying refugee children from Germany that sank. The parents just got this letter that said, "Your child/children were not among the survivors from the sinking of the ship --. No more rescue attempts are likely." Its incredible what women lost during the war and what they sacrificed for their families and their countries.
So that's my list tonight. I hope I get to add a lot to it with these last few days I have here! I love every moment (well except maybe the ones spent wrestling with my cell bio homework) and I'm so grateful as always that I could come to London! Peace till next time folks!
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