30 Miles Across Suffolk

For the Dickinson Humanities 210 class, there was an optional trip to hike across Suffolk for 3 days and for some reason, unknown to me, I decided to sign up. In the end, it was an incredible experience! We had wonderful weather, walked through beautiful landscapes, and saw classic “English” towns. The first day, we were dropped off at what seemed to be an “undisclosed location” and were told to start walking! At first as we were walking though field, after field, after field, I was a little concerned that this trip was going to get really old really quickly. But in a way, it was quite relaxing just walking through the English countryside. I also had some great company and got to know people on the program a lot more. That day, we stopped at the cutest pub in a random town (I don’t even remember seeing a sign for the town’s name) and had some lunch. Todd and Jimmy played some darts and then we were off again towards Clare. The first day was also a little rough as we did 8 miles in the morning and then 14 after lunch but we finally made it to the small town of Clare.

The group on top of probably the highest "hill" we climbed. Suffolk is pretty flat. 

Todd and Jimmy playing darts at a Pub.

Again, we were excited to have finally reached our destination.

The next day, we continued our journey to Long Melford. This was personally my favorite town. For a small English town, there was quite a bit to see. First, we stumbled upon Kentwell Hall, which was stunning! We stopped here for a bit to feed some ducks (and greedy fish) and walk around the grounds. We then continued to walk into town and while most of the group went to look at a church, a friend and I decided to tour Long Melford Hall, which was a beautiful estate! That night, we stayed at another cute Pub/Inn and sat in the Pub all night talking!

Kentwell Hall

 On Sunday, we were to finish our trip with a shorter day, with about 8 miles but things started getting iffy. We got lost a couple of times, figured out that we were walking on private land, and almost got shot. But in was worth it because we ended up in THE CUTEST ENGLISH TOWN EVER for lunch. Lavenham is a small town in Suffolk that has the most original Tudor structures of any town in England. The Guildhall was the most famous but just walking around, they were everywhere! We ate at a cute tea shop and then finished up our journey. We got really lucky with the weather and just as we reached the bus, it started raining! I can speak for the whole group that we were glad to get on that bus after an enriching but EXHAUSTING weekend.

The "Crooked House Gallery" that was indeed, very crooked. 

The Guildhall

We encountered a lot of wildlife on our journey.

It always made our day when we ran into some friendly faces!

 Cheers!

Weekend in Bath

Living in Europe for a year gives you the opportunity to travel all over on weekend trips and such! In attempts to travel not only Europe, but also England, a friend and I decided to travel to Bath for a weekend. We looked into what there was to do in Bath and made a pretty long list that we ended up We had researched things to do in Bath and came back with a plethora of places to go!

We left Saturday morning from Norwich and unfortunately, they were working on the railroads so getting to London was a little more difficult than usual. We finally got to London Liverpool station but then they were working on the Tube as well so we were a little worried we were going to miss our train from London to Bath. Luckily, we got to London Paddington just in time and got on the train to Bath, which is only about an hour and a half. When we rolled up to Bath, both Marissa and I got so excited because it looked so beautiful even from the train station! We walked to our Hostel, dropped our bags off, and then hit the town to explore!

We ran into a Wedding Reception! 

Our first stop was the Roman Baths, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Bath, but we were there to be tourists! The Baths were amazing and I couldn’t believe how warm the water was and how beautiful all the architecture was. It was also amazing how close Bath Abbey was placed to the Baths and how elaborate the structures were. It took about 3 hours to do the Baths so after we found a cute Italian restaurant with amazing food!

Standing on the Terrace of the Bath with Bath Abbey in the background!

The main bath.

On Sunday we woke up super early and made our first stop the Jane Austen Center. We did some shopping and had tea at the Regency Tea Rooms! The tea was amazing and we felt that Mr. Darcy was going to walk in at any moment! We then walked to Bath Abbey and attended their choral service, which was beautiful! For lunch, we went to Sally Lunn’s Bakery and tried her famous buns, which lived up to their expectations! We then made our way over to the Holburne Museum and Sydney Gardens and crossed the Pulteney Bridge, which is a “twin sister” of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

On Monday, our last day in Bath, we did some shopping and went to the Fashion Museum. The museum was quite interesting and their collection was impressive. We then caught our train home and didn’t have any travel problems on the way back!

An Alexander McQueen Wedding Dress

Trying on a corset at the Fashion Museum!

Cheers!

Last of London.

Yet again, I know I haven’t posted on my blog in what feels like years! I felt like I never had free time to write while we were in London and then once we got to Norwich, things have been quite overwhelming! So, first I will catch up on what I did for the last couple of weeks in London.

In front of Big Ben

Journey’s End: This was a great play that I saw in the West End. I was supposed to see it a couple of years ago in New York (with Hugh Dancy…) but it closed before we could get up there so I was excited to see it! I had heard good things about the production and it lived up to the hype! It was extremely well done and I loved the production! 

Fela!: This was one of the first shows that we saw in London and I wasn’t that big of a fan. The National Theatre brought the production from New York and then moved it to the Sadler Wells Theatre. Personally, I just thought that the production was trying to do too much and lost the plot line.

Hampton Court: A short train ride from central London is Hampton Court, which was built for Cardinal Wolsey and later given to Henry VIII. It was a beautiful palace that was restored to its original state. The palace was filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, etc…

The whole group in front of Hampton Court

Much Ado About Nothing (Globe): This was the second production of Much Ado About Nothing that I saw in London and was surprisingly just as good as the West End Production! With the Eve Best as Beatrice, the production had so much energy while keeping to the simple production!

Holst’s Planets (BBC Proms): This was the second time I went to the proms and it was such a classic London experience. When I went before we “prom-ed” and stood at the bottom for only 5 pounds! However, this time we went on a class trip and they paid for us to sit! We sat in the choir section, which was amazing since you could see the entire orchestra and conductor. Not to mention, the acoustics were amazing!

Kensington Palace: This was one of the best things that I did in London! The palace is currently undergoing renovations so they brought in a design team to “transform” the palace into a wonderland. It was an interactive experience as the guests were asked to “find” the seven princesses that were trapped in the palace. Reminded me a little of my favorite show, Sleep No More!

Queen Victoria's Bedroom

Queen Victoria's "Playroom"

Tower of London: Pretty much the only reason why I went to the Tower of London was to see the Crown Jewels. I did tour the entire Tower but the highlight was defiantly the Crown Jewels! The funniest part was viewing the exhibit on a moving sidewalk so it keeps the crowds moving! I can’t even begin to describe the gift shop…

Bedroom in the Tower of London

Doctor Faustus: This was the 6^th show I had seen at the Globe Theatre and one of my favorites!  The staging was incredible while keeping with the dark content. It was also amazing to see Arthur Darvill (Rory in the current Doctor Who) in a play was fantastic. We even got to meet him afterwards at the Swan Bar!

Arthur Darvill (Rory)

Anna Christie: One morning I woke up at 7:30 to get to Donmar Warehouse by 8:00 to stand in line for day tickets for Anna Christie. Due to Jude Law, the production has been sold out for months! However, it was worth the wait! The production was amazing and Jude Law was fantastic! One of the best productions I saw in London!

BBC Tour: Not far from our hotel is the BBC Broadcasting House and a couple of us decided to take a tour of the facilities!  It was an extremely interesting tour especially since BBC radio is still so popular in the UK while radio has somewhat died out in the States. We were able to see the “Radio Theatre” and a studio where they record Radio Shows. The tour ended on the roof of the Broadcasting House with a beautiful view of Regent Street!

View of Regent Street from the top of the BBC Broadcasting House

Last Night of the Proms in Hyde Park: As I've mentioned before, the Proms are a big deal in London! Therefore, it's tradition to have a party or go to a big event on the last night of the Proms. Our group was able to get tickets to the celebration in Hyde Park. It was a huge event! I don't think I've ever stood in such a long queue! Once we got inside we set up our blankets, food, and drinks! By the end of the night everyone was waving Union Jacks and singing the national anthem! 

The "Pimm's Guy" walking around screaming "PIMM'S!"

Harold Pinter's Grave: On one of the group's walking tours, we visited a famous graveyard in Northern London, Kensel Green! The highlight of my day, SEEING HAROLD PINTER'S GRAVE! I had to "pause" for a picture...

Cheers!

Just some casual weeks in London...

For those following, I am so sorry that I have not posted more about my time in London sooner! If you can believe it, we have been going and going almost every hour of everyday and it’s so difficult to find time to sit down and write everything that I’ve been doing. Alas, my roommate Julie and I are doing laundry now and I finally have time to sit and write while I watch my clothes go round and round in these weird English machines.

I’m not going to really go through everything in chronological order but rather try and talk about everything we have done individually. Here it goes!

In front of the Houses of Parliament

London Eye: A couple of us decided to do the London eye on one of our first nights in London! We went around 8:00 PM as it was just starting to get dark. This was perfect because we were still able to see a lot of the city on the way up and then on the way down it was completely dark and we could see the city lights! London was absolutely beautiful at night from the eye and made me realize that this indeed my favorite city!

On the London Eye in front of the National Theatre

Greenwich: This is an area east of London that was once home of the Royal Navy and Royal Observatory. The Prime Meridian goes right through Greenwich (thus, Greenwich Mean Time) and there are several museums such as the Greenwich Naval Museum, Royal Observatory, and Queen’s House. Needless to say, it was a long day there. The highlight:  a tour of the Naval Museum led by the one and only Neptune. This was probably the best and most entertaining tour of my life.

Eucharist at St. Paul’s: Second Presbyterian would be proud (maybe?). On Sunday we all woke up and attended the Sung Eucharist at St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a beautiful service in a beautiful building. It was a little odd however how tourists (some louder than others) were coming and going during the service. It wasn’t as “sacred” as I thought it would be.

Hyde Park, Green Park, and Speaker’s Corner: One of our assignments was to pick a park and explore a little bit. We first went to Speaker’s Corner where we had an “interesting” conversation with one of the speakers about women’s role in society and feminist theory. Needless to say, he thought that women belonged and were safest in the kitchen. As we left Speaker’s Corner, we walked around more of Hyde Park but of course (do to the size of the park) were not able to explore everything. We then moved to Green Park (the park next door) and walked through. We compared the differences between the two parks and saw Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, we were locked out of the palace and had to call DPS…

Speaker's Corner

Much Ado About Nothing: On one of our nights off, I decided to wait in the returns line for Much Ado About Nothing at the Whyndam’s Theatre with DAVID TENNANT and CATHERINE TATE!!! I really wanted to see this production (as a huge Doctor Who fan) but knew that tickets were hard to get. I waited, and waited, and waited and finally got a ticket! I had great seats and the show was incredible. It was set in the 80’s and David Tennant wore the shortest jean skirt I’ve ever seen. Sounds like success to me!

David Tennant!!!

David Tennant and Catherine Tate coming out of the stage door!

More later, I hope…

Richard III: A Comedy

So, I feel that due to the production value of Richard III, I need to write an entire blog post about the show. Those who know me well know that lately, I have seen some pretty incredible shows (Jerusalem, La Bête, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson to name a few) and when I leave the theatre, I have immediately said, “That is by far the best show I have ever seen”. Aware of this fact, I am hesitant to say that Richard III was the best show I have ever seen. But it was.

 First, I’m pretty sure that the title of the show was actually Richard III: A Farce. The show was hilarious and the set had at least 8 doors at all times (the perfect equation for a farce). This was mainly because of Kevin Spacey and the way that he was able to make the most serious and tragic moment, comedic. Kevin Spacey would make the smallest change in facial expression, and it would create this wonderful moment. I also enjoyed how Spacey’s Richard was very creative and unique compared to traditional ones I’ve seen. The bottom line is that Kevin Spacey was incredible and was not just selling the show because of his name, but rather his talent for acting. The entire cast was extremely talented and I had actually seen a couple of them last summer in other productions.

Another reason why I loved the show was the direction, lighting design, scenic design, and projection design. I will have to say (even though I’ve heard that Sam Mendes is not the nicest guy on the block…), he is an amazingly talented director. He is able to bring so much out of a production while still keeping every aspect coherent. There is nothing I hate more than a show is that is trying to do too much and ends up looking like something mod-podged together at the last minute. The set was made up of nothing but doors and almost each door was used all through the play. There was a great moment in which Margaret comes out and starts marking a black “x” on specific doors that are then used by those murdered by Richard III. Projections were not used in every scene but when they were it completed the look for many scenes.

All in all, Richard III was the best production that I have seen thus far and for anyone in New York, run, don’t walk to see this last bridge production! 

Save the Best for Last - Oedipus, The Wheel, and Edinburgh Castle

My last day in Edinburgh was by far the best day I had since I arrived. I saw my two final shows which were both amazing. First, I saw Oedipus by Stephen Berkoff (after Sophocles) at Pleasance Courtyard. This performance had some really great direction that changed the way that Greek Tragedies are performed. There were no acts to speak of and the play moved from scene to scene smoothly without large transitions. There were about 8 – 10 men who acted as a traditional Greek Chorus. However, rather than just reinforcing the plot with the text, they used movement to convey their emotion. There was a lot of moving in slow motion (similar to Suzuki) and posing in different positions during speeches. I thought it would get old after a while but it was done so well, it never did.

My next show, The Wheel was by far the weirdest and best show that I saw. The basis of the show is a woman whose home is invaded by soldiers in Spain during World War II. They find a man who they think was trading with the enemy and they banish him from the country. However, his little girl is found and in desperation, Beatriz (the main character) hopes to run after her father and deliver his little girl. However, Beatriz does not particularly like children and she finds herself in a difficult situation trying to comfort the girl. As the war quickly develops and she is left with another child who has been badly burned and has a fever. In attempts to save both of them, she goes finds a doctor who tricks them and the girl bites her in self-defense. The doctor beats her with a stick but she doesn’t flinch and is not visibly hurt. The doctor assumes that she is mystical and begs her to “take back the curse”. As the three characters travel, the girl performs more mystical acts and eventually gets the reputation for being able to conduct miracles. Spoiler alert: the girl begins to perform “evil” actions such as starting fires and killing people. The more violence that she sees during the war, the more evil she becomes. The play begins to focus on her eyes and she eventually scratches them until they bleed (the second show of the day where the main character gouges their eyes out). In the end, Beatriz sees a mirage of the first scene. She exclaims that she is in hell if she has to relieve the journey with the girl. Thus, the wheel.

It was a beautiful day (the best we had in Edinburgh) so I decided to spend the rest of my day at the Edinburgh Castle. Once you get into the castle, the view is AMAZING. (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger). I loved just walking around and taking in my surroundings. I did all the museums inside the Castle and saw the Scottish Crown Jewels! I also ran into David Hasselhoff walking around the castle, no big deal. He is here doing something with the BBC. 

On top of the castle!

View from the top!

More of Edinburgh.

Off to London!

Tattoo-ed

As I am writing this, I am sitting in the Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel relaxing before I leave to see my final two shows (Oedipus and The Wheel). The Hostel is quite lively and very accommodating. It’s a BEAUTIFUL day and I can’t wait to get out and take some pictures and such since it’s been rainy for a couple of days.

Street advertisement for Oedipus

Last night we went to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo as a closing night celebration! The Tattoo is on the grounds of the castle and basically, a performance showing off Scotland’s Military Band along with other performances. I’m also pretty sure that I found the perfect job… wait for it… being on the Lighting Crew for the Tattoo. This idea all started when I saw a girl walking around with a sweatshirt that said “Lighting Crew Edinburgh Military Tattoo”. Before seeing her, I hadn’t really thought about lighting in relationship to the Tattoo but now that I have seen the show, I can’t imagine it without the lighting and projections. I was amazed. The stadium where the Tattoo is held is quite large and holds about 7,000 people but the lights have to be hung BEHIND the audience, a good distance away from the performance space. I was first amazed how detailed the lighting was for a space so large, and then, the projections started. These were not traditional projections projected onto a screen; these projections were projected onto THE CASTLE. The projector(s) were across the stadium and yet, the projections were extremely clear and moved/changed flawlessly.

Lots, and lots, and lots of bagpipes.

The castle literally changed colors.

Drawbridge Projection.

This is the the projector that was located across from the castle and still produced a clear image. 

Every time a group came through the castle, it looked like the Wizard of Oz. 

Pretty gobs!

This projection moved during the "fishing dance". 

Clearly the projections were well aligned. 

Union Jack projection during the finale. 

After all of the performances, there is a big fireworks show and since we went on Saturday night, there were more than ever! It was a beautiful experience (especially from a lighting standpoint) and also gave me an insight into Scottish heritage and the sense of national pride they have. Here's a video from the grand finale with all the performers on stage!

Cheers!