Last Days in Stratford-upon-Avon

Hello everyone!

Due to being slightly under the weather, I haven't been able to post the last couple days. However, they have been interesting nonetheless. On Wednesday, we participated in a stage combat class, which was something that I've never done before. We partnered up and essentially played with swords for about three hours. It takes a ridiculously long time to learn a routine, much less perform it on stage. Additionally, the swords that McKinley and I bravely volunteered for, were extremely heavy. We learned a few techniques and the fight sequence from Macbeth between Macduff and Macbeth. It was a very nice afternoon doing something that I've never done before.

Last night, we saw our final production of the program at the Royal Swan Theatre. Sadly, it was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger's The City Madam. The story is set in the early 1600s in London and is mainly about social climbing. The main character, Luke Frugal, is a poor merchant who gains control of his brother's land. Once becoming rich, he creates havoc among the other characters in the play and claims that "those with money, have no conscience". The play involved quite a few interesting characters and I think the majority of the group liked it overall. However, watching a different play other than Shakespeare, reminds me of how good Shakespeare is with language. Shakespeare's characters, plots and lines are all more intense than a lot of the other plays I've seen. He often has many plots going on at once with many themes to be applied at the end. After this program, I can safely declare that Shakespeare is the greatest playwright that ever lived. He may also be the best overall writer as well.

After completing the play part of the program, we all talked about which plays were our favorites. Mine are as follows:

1.       Richard III-Kevin Spacey's performance was unmatched

2.       The Merchant of Venice

3.       Much Ado About Nothing-Loved David Tennant

4.       The City Madam

5.       All's Well That Ends Well

6.       Macbeth

Tomorrow, we have our final project where we will act out the wedding scene from Much Ado About Nothing. I'm playing Hero in this particular assignment. Tomorrow is unfortunately, our last day in Stratford-upon-Avon and the United Kingdom in general.

AL

The Merchant of Venice

Hello everyone!

Ok, so last night we saw The Merchant of Venice at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre here in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I have to say that I was VERY impressed by it! Professor Collins saw it last week and said that we would probably think it was quite interesting. For one thing, they relocated from Venice to Las Vegas for the setting. It worked quite well because the characters in the play are all forced to be something that they are not-much like Las Vegas. There were quite a few changes that are worthy of note. Portia was transformed into a Southern Belle stuck in Las Vegas to do a reality TV show. This was her way of eventually selecting Basantio, who is not entirely into her. In fact, I quite thought that he was reluctant in choosing her as his wife. This is partly due to the fact that the director suggested that there was some type of sexual relationship going on between Antonio and Basantio. For one thing, if Basantio chooses Portia, he will have the money to help Antonio pay his debt to Shylock and if he doesn't, then he doesn't get married.

Patrick Stewart played Shylock in a magnificent performance. He was frightful when need be, yet gained sympathy as a Jew. The anti-Semitism in this play is astounding, but there were other stereotypes that were played up as well. The Prince of Morocco was portrayed as a black boxer and had bananas thrown at him. Additionally, the Prince of Aragon, was portrayed first as a janitor, which was quite offensive. However, none are persecuted more than Shylock who is eventually forced to convert to Christianity. In short, the play is much nastier than it is when it is read. However, that was what the director was hoping for. I quite thought it worked well.

This morning, we spoke with Scott Handy, who played Antonio. He gave us a lot of insights from the director , who really was going for a shock factor. He did tell us that he thinks that Basantio and Antonio do have some type of sexual feelings for one another. All that is up for interpretation, but he does think that Basantio's sexuality affects Portia's opinion of him as a husband. It was all quite interesting. This post is a bit all over the place, but I must run to class now! We are having a class on stage combat in about twenty minutes!!

AL

Macbeth

Hello everyone!

Last night, we saw Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. I was quite looking forward to it because Macbeth is one of my favorite plays. However, this particular version of the production was quite interesting, and not in a good way. The first thing I noticed, was that the play began with the written version of Act I, Scene II where the audience finds out that the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor. Instead of the traditional opening scene with the Three Weird Sisters, they opted for that twist. Once the Weird Sisters appeared, we realized that the witches had been traded for children. I was quite disappointed to see that because, I think that removing the weird sisters, also removes the supernatural aspect. The play then becomes more of a psychological battle for Macbeth than a prophecy that will determine his actions. Additionally, the actor that the director chose for Macbeth, came off as a very weak character. It was difficult to believe that he had been a strong and devoted warrior, and as such, it was difficult to recognize the transformation from man to tyrant. Macbeth's friend Banquo, however, comes off as a very strong character that haunts Macbeth throughout the entire play.

The director was obviously attempting to create a very sinister atmosphere. The decision to murder MacDuff's children on stage was a particularly interesting decision. The murderers even took it a step further by killing two of the children and their mother, and escorting the young girl off stage. To our group, this suggested that the young girl must have been raped before being killed, which, is nowhere to be found in written version of the play. The feeling of doom for Macbeth and his characters heightened as the play went on. After each character was killed, the Porter (who also combined to play Satan as well) would open a door at the back of the stage for the character to walk through. This suggested that the doorway was some type of doorway to hell or damnation. Certainly, it led nowhere good. The play ended with Macbeth going through that door as a symbol that his tyranny had ended. Overall, I think the play was taken a bit too far and missed certain lines such as the all-time famous "Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble". The switch of the Weird Sisters for children was ultimately what disappointed me the most. However, Macbeth is not an easy show to direct or act, so that factor should be accounted for. Nonetheless, it was a nice evening with the group.

This morning, we spoke with the actor who plays the doctor in Macbeth. He examines Lady Macbeth when she develops sleep walking. He essentially confirmed our ideas on the sinister nature of the play and didn't really give us anything we hadn't already figured out but it was quite nice to speak with him. We have class in about an hour on The Merchant of Venice, which we see tonight at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Looking forward to it!!!

AL

Stratford-upon-Avon

Hello from Stratford-upon-Avon!

The bed and breakfast we are staying at has no Internet so my posts may be a bit sporadic. Do not fear though because I will continue posting as often as possible! We arrived in Stratford yesterday and had little trouble finding our bed and breakfast. Sadly, McKinley and I are not rooming together on this portion of the trip because we both got stuck with the two singles. This morning, we had class on Macbeth, which is one of my favorite plays. Macbeth is regarded as one of the greatest plays ever written, but it is also one of the bloodiest. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see the transformation of Macbeth from a faithful soldier, to a person bound for the crown. I recognize a distinct comparison between Macbeth and Othello because they are both regarded as strong figures, yet they are both manipulated and influenced. Would Macbeth have actually gone on with his horrible deed if his wife had not influenced him? If Iago had remained silent, would Othello have killed Desdemona? It really forces the reader to ponder how evil these characters truly are. It should be interesting to see how the witches are portrayed because they, obviously, are supposed to be of the supernatural. I will have to wait and see tonight when we see Macbeth!

After class, we took a bit to walk around and observe Stratford. Shakespeare is everywhere here! The names of his plays can be seen in the hotels and cafes surrounding the town. After that, we visited Shakespeare's birthplace which holds the copies of some of the original play documents. It also shows where he lived and what his day-to-day life might have looked like. Needless to say, life in the late 1500s-early 1600s was very difficult, but Shakespeare's family was relatively wealthy, so it probably wasn't as bad for them. We also saw the place where Shakespeare is buried in the Holy Trinity Church, which is just up the street from our bed-and-breakfast. Here is a rundown of the program in Stratford-upon-Avon:

Monday

Class on Macbeth

Visit to Shakespeare's Birthplace and grave

Performance of Macbeth

Tuesday

Post-performance discussion of Macbeth

Q&A on Macbeth with the actors

Class on The Merchant of Venice

Performance of The Merchant of Venice

Wednesday

Post-performance discussion on The Merchant of Venice

Q&A on The Merchant of Venice with the actors

Shakespeare Stage Combat Class

Thursday

Class on The City Madam

Visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery

Performance of The City Madam

Friday

Post-performance discussion on The City Madam

Group session led by Professor Barnett

Saturday

Group session led by Professor Barnett

Sunday

Unfortunately, it is time to return to the United States with fond memories of the United Kingdom

I shall leave you with one of Macbeth's most famous soliloquy

"There would have been a time for such a word.

   Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

   Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

   To the last syllable of recorded time;

   And all our yesterdays have light fools the way to dusty death

   Out, out brief candle!

  Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

  And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

  Signifying nothing"

AL

All's Well That Ends Well

Hello Everyone!

Ok, so yesterday, we saw All's Well That Ends Well at the Globe Theatre. For those of you that read my previous post about the Globe, you know that the theatre tries to keep everything as original as possible. Even though the seating was uncomfortable, the acting was quite good. All's Well That Ends Well is generally classified as one of Shakespeare's problems plays and for good reason. Is it a comedy or a tragedy? The play is the story of a young girl named Helena, who is hopelessly in love with a man who is considered to be above her. Her infatuation with young Bertram, motivates her to travel to Paris where he resides after being called by the King. After curing the King of an illness, she is given the option of marrying anyone in the Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, she chooses Bertram, who is horrified at the choice. He declares that he will not recognize her as a wife until she gets the ring from his finger and has a child by him. Through a series of hilarious twists and turns, Helena tricks Bertram and fulfills his challenge to her. In the end, he recognizes her as his wife. All is well that ends well, but is it? To me, it seems that the entire audience misses the fact that the play ends badly. Helena has to convince her husband to be with her and Bertram is successfully cowardly throughout the whole play. It also goes against the natural order of marriage where the man convinces the woman to be with him. Instead, Helena comes off as a pathetic, desperate woman. However, if you compare it to real life, I suppose people do crazy things when they are in love. If you go by that theme, the message of the play works quite well.

After the play, we got a chance to talk with some of the actors from the production. The actress who played Helena and the actor who played Lavatch (Countess' Clown) came to give us their take on the play. This version of All's Well That Ends Well was very different from the one that I saw in November. For one thing, the director obviously instructed the actor who played Bertram to portray him in a sympathetic way. Bertram is played as though he is a mixed up individual who partly wants to be with Helena. The director accomplished this by having Helena and Bertram kiss before he goes off to war, halfway through the play instead of at the end. Additionally, Helena is played more as a pathetic individual instead of a strong woman on a mission. Regardless, she accomplishes her goal and eventually wins Bertram. However, it is a play that will keep me thinking for years to come. All's Well That Ends Well joins the Merry Wives of Windsor as the only two plays where it seems that the women have won which makes it especially unique.

After the play, we said goodbye to Professor Collins and Professor Booth , who unfortunately will not be joining us in Stratford-upon-Avon. Later that night, we all went out for a night on the town in Leister Square and mingled with the British folk. It was a lot of fun and a night that I will remember for awhile. Today, me and McKinley Cooper (my roommate) went shopping in Notting Hill at the Portobello Road Market. I found a few little things and got something for the youngest member of the family (Meredith). It was a very nice way to end my time in London ,which is unfortunately over. Hopefully, I will be able to return here many times because this city is incredible. The rhythm is awesome and it is the perfect place for someone my age. Tomorrow, we go to Stratford-upon-Avon for the final week of the program. We will see Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, and The City Madam. More details to come!!!

AL

Richard III

Ok, so last night, we saw Richard III at the Old Vic Theatre. The star was Kevin Spacey, who starred as Richard and was absolutely phenomenal. The mark of a good actor is his ability to be versatile and Kevin Spacey is all those things and more. Richard III is a tragedy about a man who decides to cause destruction simply because he seems bored. However, he declares his desire for the throne after becoming jealous of his brother's prosperity. Through many moves of political manipulation and murder, Richard is crowned king. However, his victory is short-lived and he is soon overthrown by the Earl of Richmond. The Earl of Richmond is eventually crowned King Henry VII and begins the famous Tudor line. Richard III is most famous for locking his two young nephews in the Tower of London and having them murdered.

Putting history aside, the show itself was awesome. The actors clearly thought about all of their lines, especially the ghost of Queen Margaret. The show was funny when it was supposed to be and serious and terrifying when it was supposed to be. In a moment of political manipulation, the director used a TV screen during the political rally for Richard to highlight his physical strengths. I found this tactic extremely effective and helped the audience engage with the actors. I highly recommend this play to all history majors or fans interested in action plays. Overall, the best play I've seen so far, EVER!

Today, we go to the Globe to see All's Well that Ends Well, which is generally considered one of Shakespeare's "Problem Plays". It is classified this way because no one really can agree on whether or not it is a comedy or a tragedy. More about that later!!!!

Loving this city and theatre life.

AL

All Around London...and the surrounding area!

Ok so the last couple days have been crazy fun! Yesterday, we spent all day touring around London. We first stopped at the Middle Temple, which is a site that is not normally opened to the public. For the purposes of the Shakespeare course, the Great Hall of the Middle Temple was the site of Shakespeare's production of Twelfth Night, in 1602 for Queen Elizabeth I. Now, the Temple serves as a sight for a school that trains the aspiring Barristers of London. These are defined as lawyers who can represent citizens in court. However, there are many famous connections to the Temple. The head of the Temple is Prince William of Wales. He oversees the running of it every now and again. Royal family members come to eat at the Temple every year which has many rooms dedicated to the family. Famous barristers include the novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson who is said to have devised the story of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, at this location. Additionally, the grounds contain a church which was featured in the Da Vinci Code. Former Masters of the Bench before Prince William have been Elizabeth (Queen Mother) and Princess Diana, so it is quite a prestigious position to run this education center.

Following our tour of the Middle Temple, we walked across the Thames River to the Globe Theatre. For those who don't know, the current Globe is a mere copy of the original which was burned down centuries ago. Every detail is supposed to be realistic down to the thatch roof. The prices remain the same as you can still get a top notch seat for around 30 pounds. Tomorrow, we will see Richard III , which I am looking forward to.

Today, we left London for the day to travel to Windsor Castle, which is the Queen's official residence. She spends most of her weekends there and it is quite a lovely town. It is also home to Eton College which is the United Kingdom's most prestigious boy's school. Windsor Castle is the site for many official state dinners and events where the Queen shows off Britain's oldest castle. The grounds also host St. George's Chapel which was the location for the wedding of Charles and Camilla back in 2005. The architecture is Tudor style and absolutely stunning. Among the famous buried there are: King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Edward VI and Elizabeth, George V and Queen Mary. However, for as important as Henry VIII claimed to be, it should be noted that he is buried in the floor. Eton College is just up the hill and one of the oldest schools on the globe. Their most prestigious alumni include Princes William and Harry. Most of the Spencer clan attended Eton as well. After about six hours at Windsor, we traveled back to London. The group wanted to go on the London Eye so we got to see London from a bird's eye view and it was quite spectacular. Quite a tiring day but very enjoyable! Tomorrow, we have class, tour the National Gallery of Art, and attend a show of Richard III. Really looking forward to it! Here are some shots from the last couple days:

AL

Much Ado About Nothing

Hello everyone!

Today was our first official day with our study abroad program. After a nice Welcome dinner last night, we all got up quite early this morning for our first class. Professor Collins also recruited another Shakespeare professor from UC Berkeley to join us on the trip. Between the two, we have two immensely knowledgeable and dedicated Shakespeare geniuses. In class, we talked about the structure of comedy in a way that I had never really thought about it before. The main idea is that all comedies are structured the same! Everyone realizes it but never really thinks about it.
The main components of comedy are:
1. Boy meets girl
2. Boy loses girl
3. Boy gets girl back

Professor Collins alluded this idea to Notting Hill and Pretty Woman as examples of stories that are structurally written the same. Each of the stories end with the two couples coming together, yet they deliver the ending in a hilarious and witty fashion.

Tonight, we saw Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndam Theatre near Covent Garden. The performance was quite enjoyable as the actors delivered a hilarious performance that left the audience guessing throughout the majority of the play. While the acting was first class, I had a couple issues with the delivery. First off, the play was far too sexual for my taste. The scene where Claudio sees what he believes to be Hero's infidelity, was quite awkward to watch on stage and I felt it unnecessary. Additionally, while I bought David Tennant's performance as Benedick, Catherine Tate misses her portrayal of Beatrice, even if ever so slightly. Their witty banter is supposed to bring them together at the end, which it does. However, instead of being funny, she sounded downright rude at times. I had a hard time buying that she falls desperately in love with Benedick. However, her acting remains consistent with the pace of the play. Overall, an enjoyable experience that I will remember. Tomorrow, we tour the Globe!!!!

AL

Back to London for Shakespeare!

Hello from London!

After a whirlwind trip to Paris, I am now back in the United Kingdom. Paris is now the most beautiful city I have ever visited. I hope to go there again very soon. The train ride this morning was quite peaceful and pleasant and I arrived back in London with much time to spare. After checking back into the hotel I had previously stayed at, I decided to wander around Hyde Park. After consulting my guide book, I decided to wander to the Free Speech Corner of Hyde Park, which, on Sundays, becomes a place for argument. Citizens bring stools and posters and shout their wisdom out to the interested listeners. It is interesting because anyone can respond, yet, people respect one another. There were a variety of topics but the main one was religion. There was a man who was arguing that Islam was the true religion and another who was shouting that Palestinians have no right to be in Israel because it was God's land that he gave to the Israelites. The tamest topic was a young girl who was shouting that the world needed to focus more on life and less on technology. Needless to say, it was quite interesting. I highly recommend it for anyone coming to London.

Tonight, we have our Welcome dinner for the program and we start class tomorrow. Here is the tentative schedule.

Monday: Class on Much Ado about Nothing and All's Well That Ends Well.
               Attend a production of Much Ado about Nothing at Wyndham's Theatre

Tuesday: Tour of Shakespeare's London, The Middle Temple and The Globe

Wednesday: Trip to Hampton Court (hopefully) or the National Gallery of Art

Thursday: Class on Much Ado about Nothing and Richard III
                Attend a Production of Richard III at the Old Vic Theatre

Friday: Class on Richard III and Shakespeare's Theatrical Practices
            Attend a production of All's Well that End Well at the Globe
            Post Performance Discussion

Saturday: Free Day in London (Portobello Road!!!!!!!!!)

Sunday: Travel to Stratford-upon-Avon

Here are some shots from the free speech corner and a small video!

This guy was arguing that the Jews deserve Israel

To this guy, there is only Islam

This woman HATES America

This girl hates technology

      AL       

Paris, Je t'aime!

Bonjour!

Ok so today was my last day in Paris, but it was a splendid one! I got up early to see the city wake up as my dad suggested. Paris is stunning, even in the early morning. Around ten, I went to Notre Dame in hopes of being able to tour it. However, the cathedral was closed to the public due to an event. I am not entirely sure, but I think that it was a priest ordination. Regardless, it was awesome to witness the ceremony. The priests came out and walked around as part of the ceremony and the archbishop or archdeacon (not sure which one) came out to give a speech. It was fascinating to see the Catholic religion at its best. Notre Dame is the most stunning cathedral I have ever seen. I expect that it is second only to the Vatican.

Around 11:30, I walked to Musee D'orsay for another day of art. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed in the museum so I will not be posting photos from that. I was really looking forward to seeing the paintings and was especially excited to see works from Van Gogh and Monet. The art did not disappoint. Monet's "Water Lillies" were stunning and it took me about ten minutes before I walked away. Monet is one of my favorite artists and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with his work. Not to be outdone, Vincent Van Gogh also created so absolutely stunning works as well. His self-portrait draws the biggest crowd and for good reason. Between the two, I found that I liked Monet better purely because of his use of so many colors. Overall, I found the art gallery to be quite amazing.

The rest of the day was also quite enjoyable. I sat down for a nice lunch at a cafe near the Jardin de Tuleries and had a salad. Afterwords, I walked down the street to Galignani which was the first established English bookstore on the planet. I purchased Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and something for my Dad. Since I was in the area, (relatively speaking), I walked down to the Galerie de Lafayete for some shopping. Due to the crowds, it was difficult to get around the store and I ended up not buying anything. I browsed some of the boutiques on my way back towards the Seine.

I ended the day at the Jardin du Luxembourg which is a very beautiful, romantic area of Paris. I sat down and read my new book for awhile and relaxed. There were plenty of people walking around and kids playing so it was an ideal setting. After a bit, I walked down to the Ile de St. Louis which has a very famous ice cream shop. Berthillion's has the best sorbet I have ever had. I opted for Passion Fruit which turned out to be an excellent choice. It was an ideal way to end my last day in Paris. I have loved every minute in the city of lights. Tomorrow, I head back to London to begin my time with Shakespeare! More about the program will come tomorrow! Here are some shots from today.

Priest Ordination

Musee D'orsay

Jardin du Luxembourg

Rue de Seine

AL

The Louvre...and other various Parisian activities!

Bonjour!

Today was an awesome day! I went to the Louvre and wandered around Paris along the river. For those of you that have not been to the Louvre, it is insanely big. A person literally could spend a week in this grand art museum. The pieces that attract the most attention are the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. I found the Mona Lisa to be less than impressive. It was quite smaller than I had expected and looked quite ordinary. However, I believe that everyone should have a chance to see her because she is one of the most famous works of art. The Venus de Milo, on the other hand, was quite astounding. She is gorgeous and graceful and has such poise. The rest of the museum was spectacular. It took me far longer to explore than I had originally anticipated but was nonetheless an enjoyable experience. Afterwards, I sat for lunch at a small cafe and had a ham and cheese omelet. The rest of day, I walked around and took another bus tour so I could see everything again. All in all, quite a nice day! Here are a few shots from today.

Venus de Milo

AL

First Day in Paris!

Welcome to the City of Lights!

The train ride here this morning was relatively smooth and I arrived at my hotel without too much difficulty. Upon my arrival, I met Emmie Derback for a lovely day in Paris. We opted for taking an open top bus around the city so we could see everything. It was also an advantage for me because I now know how to navigate the city relatively well. Emmie and her parents are such charming company and I always enjoy my time with them. We all had dinner together at small cafe near Notre Dame and then Emmie and I went souvenir shopping. At dinner, I tried Esgargot (snails)! The experience was quite pleasurable. When shopping,  I got my little sister a Sorbonne shirt that I hope she will like. Since I've seen all the main sights now, I'm headed for the Louvre and Musse D'Orsay tomorrow. Seeing the Mona Lisa and Monet will be incredible. Here are some shots from today!

Snails!

The real Moulin Rouge

Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe

Louvre

Lovely Bridge

Third Day in London!

Ok so due to Internet issues last night, I was unable to post last night. However, my last night in London by myself, was great! I began with an inside tour of Westminster Abbey. This church has a fascinating history as most of England's monarchs have been crowned and buried there. Among the most famous are Elizabeth I, Mary I, Henry VI, and James I. Elizabeth I is famous for restoring Britain to the Anglican religion, while her sister Mary, is famous for burning people who refused to convert to Catholicism. James I was the monarch that sat on the throne when Jamestown was founded by British colonists. Additionally, there are many other famous people including: Jane Austin, Lord Byron, Sir Issac Newton, Charles Dickens, William Wordsworth, George Frederick Handel and Charles Darwin. There is an especially large memorial to William Shakespeare, who is buried in Stratford-upon-Avon. Essentially, you must achieve greatness and die, in order to be buried in the Abbey.

Later that afternoon, I made my way across London, in the pouring rain to the Tate Modern Museum of Art. There are some very interesting including one version of Monet's "Water Lilies". The detail in some of the art was incredible. However, some of it was so interesting, that I didn't quite know what to make of it. You'll have to decide for yourself! That night was followed by an evening in Notting Hill. Most of you may know the name from the movie with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. They actually have a house with a blue door and a travel book shop. I browsed around and bought a couple rings from a booth. I plan on going back to Portobello Road next Saturday for the street market when it is in full swing. Here are few shots from yesterday! Enjoy!

They're kinda famous here

St. Pauls Cathedral

Travel Bookshop

AL

From the Tower of London to Covent Garden!

Hello everyone!!

This city is AWESOME! I am loving every second of being in London. The weather has been less than impressive but that doesn't take away from this magnificent city. Today was just as I said it would be in my previous post. I started the day with the Tower of London which was easy to get to via the London Underground. This is also the location of the Tower Bridge which is more commonly and incorrectly known, as London Bridge. The Tower of London had tons to offer in history and entertainment. After buying my ticket, I opted for the guided tour because I figured I would get the most out of the tour that way. For those of you that have never been and decide to go one day, I highly recommend the guided tour. The guide was hilarious and very informative. He reminded us that the Tower was the first residence of the monarchs of England, but it also served as dungeon and torture chamber for traitors. The Tower is also where King Henry VIII "invented divorce" and had his many wives beheaded. Among those buried there are, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour. The infamous Lady Jane Grey is also buried within the Tower church after Elizabeth I had her beheaded. I walked around the area for about three hours and visited everything from the Bloody Tower to the Crown Jewels. I have seen the Crown Jewels before, but they never cease to amaze me. The crowns that the monarchs wear for state occasions are around five pounds! Indeed, they are stunning.

From there, I got back on the Underground and proceeded to the British Museum. This truly is the greatest collection of artifacts in the world. They have everything from Mesopotamia to 1900 Europe. They also have the famed reading room where writers such as Karl Marx sat and wrote. My favorite exhibit were the Egyptian mummies. The museum even has Cleopatra's mummy! The preservation of these items shows how dedicated the museum is to being the best.  I really enjoyed the various exhibits and highly recommend the Museum to anyone in London.

After the museum, I walked a block away and ate some Thai food for a late lunch. I clearly am becoming skilled at identifying restaurants that are cheap, yet delicious. For an entrée and an appetizer, I spent seven British pounds. Quite a deal, I must say. The restaurant and museum are in the Oxford Circus so I walked around for a bit and browsed the shops. I then proceeded to Covent Garden and browsed the shops there. Tomorrow, I am going back to Westminster Abbey to explore the inside. Additionally, I plan on going to the Tate Modern Art Museum and then Notting Hill. Somewhere in there, I'm going to eat Indian food which is quite good in England because India used to be part of its empire. Perhaps Hugh Grant will be in Notting Hill! Here are some pictures from today:

The Tower

Traitor's Gate

The spot where 3 of Henry's Wives Died

The church where Anne Boleyn is buried

This is how you rip your joints.

Tower Bridge

British Museum

Cleopatra

Ramases II

Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture

Aphrodite, Goddess of Love

AL

PS: I updated my previous blog to include pictures from that day.