One of the first things we did in London was visit the Churchill War Rooms and Museum. It wasn't the most exciting place we visited, but Churchill has some pretty great quotes, especially about literature. It was also cool to see the actual place where he and his cabinet took cover during the London Bombing Raids. It wasn't my favorite museum, but it did have a lot of important history there. Then we visited the Tate Museum of Modern Art. I really wasn't looking forward to all the modern art museums we were going to visit, but I think the Tate might of been my favorite art museum of the entire trip. I actually kinda really like modern art because I get it & it's relevant to me in a way that Renaissance art & all isn't. Because of my American Lit class I took a few semesters ago, I have a decent grasp of modernism and post-modernism (at least in literature) and so I can translate that knowledge into understanding modern art. And--plot twist--I really like modern art! Anyway, for our tour journals we had to write about two pieces from each museum we visited, and for the Tate I my two favorites were Before the Storm & Shooting Picture (pictured below). Instead of boring you with all my opinions and reactions, I just included the museum plaque's info by the pictures.
That night, we went to see Titus Andronicus at the Globe. It was...amazing. First of all, it's *The Globe Theatre*!! You know seeing a Shakespeare play where Shakespeare had most of his plays performed?! It's kind of a big deal. I was doing all kinds of English major nerding out. Anyway, it was also awesome because we were in the standing section and we were at the most like 3ft away from the stage; there was only one row of people in front of us. Additionally, a lot of the action took place within the audience. We were constantly moving out of the way to let actors, set pieces, and props go by. Also, there was fire! The play itself was incredibly violent...like one of the most violent pieces of entertainment I've ever seen in my life...and it was live action too. I'm not going to go into detail here because it really is that graphic, so if you want to know more, read the play. Let's just say I that two members of the audience passed out and I will never be teaching Titus Andronicus in my high school classroom. Ever. But my goodness it was such a great play. There was a great balance of comic relief and the story line was dramatic and engaging. I wasn't able to read it before we left (finals then only one week to pack) but I'm hopefully going to find time to read it this summer. It was such an awesome experience and it was only £5, so it was a freaking great deal for the experience of a lifetime.
The next day began with a guided bus tour (shocking, right?!). We saw Buckingham Palace, which is gorgeous, by the way. Westminster Abbey though was incredible. It's breathtakingly beautiful, the gilded paint, vibrant colors, intricate sculpture, detailed woodwork...and of lot of it is so incomprehensibly ancient. SO many notable people are buried or memorialized there--Darwin, Newton, royalty, musicians, and authors. I also loved the Poet's Corner. I've been wanting to visit since I was 17, so it was really exciting. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Coleridge and so many others are buried or memorialized there and it's just incredible. I bought a book in the Abbey shop about the Poet's Corner, I loved it so much.
In the evening, we went to see...Wicked!!! And yeah, it really is as good as everyone says it is. Maybe even better. It's kind of one of those "you just have to experience it" things, but the music, acting, staging, lighting, everything was incredible. The next day we basically just went to the British Museum. It was cool I guess, but history museums aren't really my thing. I did get to see some interesting things though like a Tiffany & Co. cash register (of course I got a picture!). Oh and the Rosetta Stone, no big deal (but no good picture, bad glare). Yeah, okay, seeing the Rosetta Stone was kinda really awesome. So yeah, that was London. London was really great. I don't know if it was my favorite, and it wasn't the most beautiful, but the entertainment scene there was pretty rad and I really really liked the Tate.
That night, we went to see Titus Andronicus at the Globe. It was...amazing. First of all, it's *The Globe Theatre*!! You know seeing a Shakespeare play where Shakespeare had most of his plays performed?! It's kind of a big deal. I was doing all kinds of English major nerding out. Anyway, it was also awesome because we were in the standing section and we were at the most like 3ft away from the stage; there was only one row of people in front of us. Additionally, a lot of the action took place within the audience. We were constantly moving out of the way to let actors, set pieces, and props go by. Also, there was fire! The play itself was incredibly violent...like one of the most violent pieces of entertainment I've ever seen in my life...and it was live action too. I'm not going to go into detail here because it really is that graphic, so if you want to know more, read the play. Let's just say I that two members of the audience passed out and I will never be teaching Titus Andronicus in my high school classroom. Ever. But my goodness it was such a great play. There was a great balance of comic relief and the story line was dramatic and engaging. I wasn't able to read it before we left (finals then only one week to pack) but I'm hopefully going to find time to read it this summer. It was such an awesome experience and it was only £5, so it was a freaking great deal for the experience of a lifetime.
The next day began with a guided bus tour (shocking, right?!). We saw Buckingham Palace, which is gorgeous, by the way. Westminster Abbey though was incredible. It's breathtakingly beautiful, the gilded paint, vibrant colors, intricate sculpture, detailed woodwork...and of lot of it is so incomprehensibly ancient. SO many notable people are buried or memorialized there--Darwin, Newton, royalty, musicians, and authors. I also loved the Poet's Corner. I've been wanting to visit since I was 17, so it was really exciting. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Coleridge and so many others are buried or memorialized there and it's just incredible. I bought a book in the Abbey shop about the Poet's Corner, I loved it so much.
In the evening, we went to see...Wicked!!! And yeah, it really is as good as everyone says it is. Maybe even better. It's kind of one of those "you just have to experience it" things, but the music, acting, staging, lighting, everything was incredible. The next day we basically just went to the British Museum. It was cool I guess, but history museums aren't really my thing. I did get to see some interesting things though like a Tiffany & Co. cash register (of course I got a picture!). Oh and the Rosetta Stone, no big deal (but no good picture, bad glare). Yeah, okay, seeing the Rosetta Stone was kinda really awesome. So yeah, that was London. London was really great. I don't know if it was my favorite, and it wasn't the most beautiful, but the entertainment scene there was pretty rad and I really really liked the Tate.