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.