The Week of October 1st

The Globe Theater!

On Tuesday (the 2nd) we got to see "Twelfth Night" and on Saturday (the 5th) we got to see "Richard III" at the Globe Theater! Both were done by an amazing all-male cast, with special effort to make it as close to the way it would have been performed in Shakespeare's day as possible. We were groundlings, which meant that we stood in a mob in front of the stage for the entire play (around 3 hours), and since there is no roof we experienced both the sun and rain. To most people this sounds like a terribly uncomfortable way to spend your afternoon or evening, but it was surprisingly much more entertaining because the actors could make a better connection with the crowd. We attended a Q&A session with some of the cast members afterwards too, which was also very informative and funny.

 

The Millennium Bridge with St. Paul's Cathedral in the background...watch out for dementors!

 

As a part of the "Biography of a City" class, we visited the Clink prison and torture museum during our walk around the South Bank. The Clink was attached to a church, and is all set up to display the horrible things that could happen to you if you broke the law in England hundreds of years ago.

 

On a happier note, afterwards we got to go see a performance by the Russian National Orchestra! It was excellent, but it made me miss my violin. Hopefully I will be able to find cheap tickets to some more concerts!

 

 

I'm back! I know that I haven't posted anything for almost 2 weeks (oops), but time is flying by so quickly that I haven't had time. So here is the speedy recap! There are more photos on facebook, but here are some of the highlights:

Weekend of September 28-29

Fishbourne Roman Palace

The remains of an ancient Roman palace have been excavated and preserved here-we took a train out of London, and got to see some lovely countryside. A bit drizzle-y and lots of sheep, but still nice. This palace was supposedly the largest one north of the Alps in it's time, and is known for the layers of intricate mosaics that have been found. This picture shows the remains of a hypocaust, or heating system for the floors in the guest suites.

 

Weald and Downland Museum

 

This giant outdoor 'museum' is supported by a non-profit organization that rescues historic buildings from being torn down and reassembles them on their large piece of property. The top picture shows a building that is being put back together-everything is done in the traditional way, so there are no metal nails or large pieces of machinery (such as cranes) used to rebuild it.

 

 

Brighton!

 

We were lucky to have a beautiful day in Brighton-it is definitely a very quirky, magical place. It was the perfect day to go to the beach, as you can see from my video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey25tpflGRk&feature=plcp We also toured the Royal Pavilion (commonly known as the Pleasure Dome), which was built as a lavish, oriental-inspired getaway for the Regent/King George IV. Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos inside, but it was very overwhelming. It was also used as a hospital for injured Indian soldiers during World War I. The Lanes (bottom picture) were also very fun to explore-lots of fun little shops and street market stalls.

 

Hello again! So much has happened in the past week, I may need to break it up into a couple of posts.

Tuesday, September 25

Chelsea FC vs. Wolves! I am so glad that I had the chance to go to a match while I'm here, I loved the energy of the 32,000-person crowd. Luckily we were supporting the home team, because the bouncers at all of the pubs surrounding the stadium refused to admit Wolves fans before the game. PLUS Chelsea squashed the Wolves 6-0, so it was very eventful.

Singing was also a big part of the game, especially for the man sitting behind me...if I passed him on the street, I would have judged that he was a snobby guy going to the opera. Instead, he seemed to enjoy yelling every Chelsea cheer or song he knew. The classic Chelsea song can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mmhNiWiJxQ

 

 

My camera died mid-game, but on the way out there was a very popular stand selling Arsenal FC toilet paper...needless to say, fans seem to enjoy carrying the team rivalry into all aspects of their lives. If we can find more cheap tickets I would love to go to another match before I leave!

 

Wednesday, September 26

 

One way that I make the most of living in London is to pack a lunch and get off at a random tube stop on my way to class. I get to wander around, explore new areas and find somewhere interesting to eat lunch. Last week I was wandering up a street near St. Paul's cathedral when I saw a sign on another church for an intriguing looking lecture, titled "Business, Poverty and Belief Systems". I scribbled some cryptic notes to myself, and continued on my way.

 

I found my notes later, and decided to give it a try. So after class I found my way to the church and followed some arrows around to the back of the grimy courtyard, behind a cafe and a sad looking flower seller. It was getting dark as the sign directed me down some very steep, very old steps into the crypt below the church. At this point I didn't know what I was getting in to, and found myself in a small chapel with a few rows of uncomfortable wooden chairs, low vaulted ceiling and iron wall sconces. Two other people were already there, but they sat on opposite ends of the room in silence. I quietly and uncomfortably took my seat in the back row. I felt like I was waiting for a top-secret Knights Templar AA meeting.

 

Everything got better when more people, including the speaker, showed up. Paul Szkiler is a very successful businessman who become involved in micro-loan finance investments in Third World countries, co-founded Children in Crisis International and is Chairman of Truestone Asset Management. Based on his experiences, he emphasized the efficacy of these small, local loans over traditional aid in providing real and sustainable benefits to developing communities. I found it especially interesting to hear his perspective as a professional business person, since these sorts of programs are usually promoted by NGOs that emphasize the moral or emotional motivations that people in developed countries have to become involved in providing micro-loans. For example, Szkiler's organization begins by investing in small loans to individuals, but prefers to get their investees all the way to the mid-sized business level, where they are actually helping to jump start the local economy by employing other workers in the community.

 

I also found his anecdotes of high-achieving, professional Londoners especially interesting; specifically, the belief that success (and therefore respect from peers) can be substituted for love. The self worth of many of the people that Szkiler knows has dropped along with the economic recession, and subsequently caused an increased interest in investment schemes that align with their personal interests. He argues that connection to a greater purpose (such as philanthropy) can be very empowering, and fill some of the emotional gaps left by the failing economy. Whether for personal gain or altruistic outreach, there have been some modest gains in micro-finance investment worldwide, with an estimated net investment of $10 billion.

 

Despite the rising interest in "impact investments" (see the JP Morgan report here:http://tinyurl.com/9rjgsgz), there has not been very much real change in investment practices. I think that this is a very exciting trend in international aid and domestic investment patterns, and I hope to stay updated on them. This lecture is part of a series, if I am not busy I would be very interested in attending the next one.  

 

Thursday, September 27

 

Westminster Abbey! We got to take the tour as a part of my London: Biography of a City class, and it was spectacular. We weren't allowed to take any photos inside, but it was amazing how many old, ornate things could possibly be fit under one roof. I looked down at one point and realized that I was standing on top of Charles Darwin (oops, sorry), but there was just too much to take in all at once.

 

 

 

 



This is the oldest door in Britain! I didn't know that people kept track of such things.

 

 

The monk's chapter house! This is where they would go to meet and pray together. For my full video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-IuXJBBoCY&feature=plcp

 

Close-up of the wall paintings that are slowly being recovered. They were covered up by another layer of paint.

 

 

 For some reason I can't upload any more photos, more to come!

 

It's been a busy week!

Tuesday the 18th:

 

Went to the Courtauld Institute Gallery with my modern and contemporary art class and got to see many famous pieces by Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Seurat, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Including the "Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Easel and Japanese Print"(above)!

 

 

Naturally, on my way home I stumbled upon the epicenter of London Fashion Week. We couldn't get inside to see the actual show, but there was a screen to watch on and the music was definitely loud enough to hear from inside the tent.

There was quite the range of styles to be seen when the show ended...we probably saw lots of famous models and designers, but I had no idea who they were.

 

Wednesday the 19th:

 

 Maggie and I went on an adventure to find a free concert at Rough Trade East, the perfect hipster record store/coffee shop/concert venue in East London. In fact, it was so obscure that we couldn't find it for a long time.

 

 

We saw The Helio Sequence, who I believe has performed at Willamette before. They were really good, even though they didn't play too many songs. The store itself had a really great selection of music and an eclectic collection of books.

 

The walls and ceiling are covered in the signatures of bands who have played there, because being a hipster concert venue they found some pretty great bands before they became mainstream.

 

Thursday the 20th

 

For my London: Biography of a City class, we went on a walking tour (led by our hilarious professor) of Eastern London.

 

This is the oldest standing church in London, with the very modern Gherkin in the background! The juxtaposition of very old and very new buildings in this area is quite striking.

This is "The Monument", built in recognition of the great fire that destroyed much of London. There is a little tiny spiral staircase that goes up the center, with 311 steps to the top!

 

Though the climb was long, the views were worth it!

This is the Tower Bridge (not London Bridge)...they took the Olympic rings down already though :(

 

 Friday the 21st

 

Buckingham Palace Tours!

Since the Queen is coming back from Scotland at the beginning of October, almost all tours of Buckingham Palace are booked. However, Maggie, Susan, Anne and I were able to get passes for 'A Royal Day Out'. This included tours of the staterooms, the Royal Mews (stables) and admission to the Queen's Gallery. It was definitely worth it! Unfortunately we were not able to take any pictures inside the Palace, but we were able to take pictures of lots of other things.

 

The exhibition at the gallery right now is 'Leonard DaVinci:Anatomist'. It is the largest display of his anatomical drawings ever, and was absolutely fascinating.

 

Yes, all of his notes are actually written backwards, from right to left. Luckily I had a mirror in my bag, so I was able to actually read some of the writing! This is a diagram of what the human brain ought to look like, according to common knowledge and old philosophers. At this point he had not actually dissected any real brains.

 

This diagram of the muscles in the leg is revolutionary because it is the first to display them in cross-sections, like an MRI or CAT scan. In 1495, DaVinci was definitely ahead of his time.

 

 

The intricate detail of DaVinci's drawings is amazing, but it was obviously too time-consuming to keep re-drawing diagrams in his notes. One way that he coped with this was by poking tiny holes along the outline of some of his diagrams, such as this one of the women's cardiovascular system, so that he would have reference points to trace.

 

 



Even though we weren't able to take pictures of the state rooms or the Diamond Jubilee crown jewels exhibit (diamond encrusted swords! diamond encrusted snuff boxes! diamond encrusted tiaras!), we were able to take pictures on the back lawn.

 

We also toured the Royal Mews, which is basically the stable where the Queen's horses, carriages and Bentleys are kept.

 

 

There are lots of carriages to choose from, but the most opulent is the coronation carriage. Historically it has been so uncomfortable to ride in that many monarchs refused to use it, due to what Queen Victoria called "distressing oscillations".

 

Well, I think that is enough for now! Best of luck to everyone in the midst of midterms!

 

 

 

 

 



First Post...finally!

Hello everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog...I realize that I have been gone from the lovely Pacific Northwest for almost three weeks (it seems like so much longer!), so there is much to cram in. The way I see it, if I haven't had time to blog then it just means that I have been having too many wonderful and exhausting adventures to keep up.

But that all ends now. So I present to you: Pictoral Highlights! Enjoy.

After flying from Phoenix to London Heathrow to Marseille, I found myself in the Marseille train station. The steps behind me have been there since the 1840s, when this station was the main connection to Africa and the Middle East. More importantly, they are ideal for sitting in the sun and eating pain au chocolat.

The nice French couple who took my picture were also kind enough to capture my natural grace and elegance while traveling.

 

After two trains, an autobus mishap and a desperate bus wrangling attempt I made it through the Alps to the lovely town of Embrun.

...where of course I got to see Natalie!

 

 

After picnic-ing, thrift shopping and sightseeing our way though Embrun, we visited the mountaintop fort of Mont-Dauphin. Of course we did not entirely stick to the marmot trail (the marmots are like large, galloping beavers with different tails that like visitors), and instead hiked up the side of the mountain for a while. There is a small village in the fort that people still live in, and it had spectacular views from all sides. However, I was chastised by a waitress for not eating my tomatoes at lunch.

 

 

Though I had a wonderful time in France, I eventually had to make it back to London so that I could start school. I have a great host family! Parents Marie and Brendan are very funny and helpful when we have questions, and the kids (Terrence and Sarah) are fun to have around. We also have a cat named Jack, who LOVES attention. No pictures of them yet, but I have time left.

 

 

And of course I have my roommate Maggie too!

 

 

One of the many amazing things about London is the accessibility of museums-especially since many of them are FREE! This is the British Museum, but I have also had the opportunity to go the the Museum of London, Courtauld Institute Gallery and National Portrait Gallery...I hope to spend more time in all of them, they have so much to offer.

 

 

I also had the opportunity to tag along with the Shakespeare class to see "King Lear" last week. Now if you actually know me then you know that while I respect Shakespeare, I am certainly not a fanatical follower. HOWEVER, the production was absolutely phenomenal-Jonathan Pryce (aka Governor Swan from "Pirates of the Caribbean") played King Lear, and the stage effects were thoroughly gory (as is the case when flinging bloody eyeballs about).

 

 

I'm not sure how many photos I can upload without having blogger implode, so I'll leave it at Platform 9 3/4 for now.

 

Well this has been a broad summary of the past few weeks...I would also like to point out that I am actually going to school while I'm here, and have been in class for a week now:) I hope that everything is going well at home, stay tuned for more updates!