A LONDON MARKET AND A BIG OL' SHIP

Holy crap, guys, I completely forgot I had this post already drafted!  Well, that is to say I had the photos uploaded but nothing written.  So I suppose I ought to write a bit about Greenwich now - better late than never, eh?  (Aaaaaaand I just said "eh"... I'm not Canadian, but apparently all I needed was a few days in Canada to become an honorary one.)

THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT AND I DONT KNOW WHY

As I write this, I'm sitting on a train, nearly at Glasgow, having just left London a few hours ago.  Tomorrow I go back to the States.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDING IN LONDON (or one of...)

 A little while back I had a day off from work and was having one of those restless sort of days, where I stayed in my pyjamas until about two in the afternoon, really wanting to go do something but not really knowing what or where.  Then I thought, hey, wait a second, I've not actually been inside the Natural History Museum in London!  So there I went.  I got actual socially acceptable clothes on and hopped on the tube straight to South Kensington for a mosey round the museum.

WINDSOR & ETON

On Monday last, since it was a bank holiday, my friend Jessie and I took a day trip out to Windsor and Eton - the second exciting thing I did last weekend which I meant to post about much earlier than this but oh well I'm going to stop trying to keep a semblance of a timely manner because let's face it I still have photos from June when my sister visited which I'll get to one day probably next year and.... what was I saying?  Windsor.  Right. 

THE STANDARD FOR DEDICATION HAS BEEN SET

I just got back to jolly old England today from four days in Florida.  Long story, but basically I did a lot of awesome stuff last weekend that I was all ready and excited to share this week when on Tuesday I had to book a last minute trip to Florida.  Less than 24 hours later I was on a plane, and I only just got back this afternoon.  And unfortunately the internet at my mom's house in Florida sucks (read: it's nonexistent), so here I am with one of two awesome things I did last weekend pre-jetsetting.

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (msmelaniemarie), you will already know that I spent all of Saturday the 24th in Barnet watching all three Henry VI plays put on by the Globe's touring company.  You will also know that it rained.  All.. day.. long.  Thank goodness for ponchos because I had my Hunter wellies on (lifesavers and possibly one of the best investments I've ever made) and a nice rain jacket I borrowed, but in the rain watching three full length plays from about noon to near 11pm, even they wouldn't have sufficed by themselves.  I was fortunate enough to snag a poncho (one of those clear ridiculous things that my toddler cousin apparently said made me look like an astronaut) and it saved me because I could just cross my legs under it like a nice little person tent and all the rain just sloughed right off.  Brilliant.  I still won't ever be seen wearing a poncho like that around in public if it rains because please, I'm from Seattle and also it looks really ridiculous.  But I will use it for any other future outdoor shows in the rain.  Or festivals.  Brilliant for festivals.

I digress a bit.  The focus obviously is the Henry VI plays - parts 1, 2, and 3.  They were bloody brilliant.  And I do mean bloody.  There was quite a bit of stage gore - beheadings, stabbings, etc.  But brilliant as well because not only did the company do a fabulous job of performing through wind, rain, and a power outage after dark, but they did it with such enthusiasm and talent.  The performances were all live-streamed online as well.  I don't know if a copy exists, but hey, go take a look around because all I can say is that the shows had to have been excellent for nearly 200 people of all ages (teens to grannies, no joke) to stay through the entire thing from start to finish.  In the rain.  On a Saturday.  When they could have been watching live-stream from indoors.  If you ask me, the standard has been set.

CAMBRIDGE

Nearly a week and a half ago now (I know, I'm a slacker... I prefer the term "procrastinator" though, because hey, I'm getting it done aren't I?), I went to Cambridge.  The Globe actually has a few touring companies, one of which is King Lear, and they were doing their last outdoor performances in the Master's Garden of the Corpus Christi College at Cambridge.  So, of course, with the weather being so nice in England as of late, I booked myself a train ticket and spent the day in Cambridge.

WHITSTABLE

At this exact moment, I'm curled up on the sofa in the living room of a beachfront house in Whitstable, England, with a cup of coffee and my book to my right, the front door open, and the sounds of seagulls carrying in from the beach out the backyard.  Not a half hour ago, I was sitting with said book and coffee in the backyard, watching the waves, and with the salty sea breeze around me.  Alas, the breeze was a bit too much for the pages of my book and the bits of hair that wouldn't stay in place and kept tickling my face.  So now I'm indoors, but no less content.

WANDERLUST

I just want to travel all over the UK.  I can't get enough!  I love London, really, I do.  So much.  And I don't ever want to leave in the sense that I want London to be my permanent place of residence.  But I do want to leave in that I want to go to Ireland.  Scotland.  Wales.  Even the small little towns nestled into the English countryside.  I want to go EVERYWHERE.  And I love the names of some of these places.  Like in Ireland - Dún Laoghaire.  That's just so fun to say.  Dún Laoghaire.  I've just been to Dún Laoghaire.  (I wish.  I don't even know what's there, but I still wish I've just been there.)

GABRIEL

(All photos from the Shakespeare's Globe Facebook album)

Last night was Press Night for Gabriel at the Globe - the big night!  Gabriel has been the show that we've been working primarily on while I've been here, and the sheer size of the project and all that entails was the main reason I was invited to come intern.  But before that leads to some news I have, I just want to try to put into writing how incredibly proud I am of this production.

BY THE SEA [MR. TODD]

 After our magical night turned morning on Friday/Saturday, I had to hit the ground running on Saturday, and boy that was a bit rough after 2.5 hours of sleep.  But then, I had Sunday off, and Kelly and I decided to bookend our amazing weekend with more awesomeness and head down to Brighton.  Now, I'd already been there once a couple weeks previously with my sister (which is a post I still have yet to create... whoops), but it had been on the chilly side then, and rather cloudy/drizzly weather.  This time, it was sunny and hot!  The train down there was packed full of people all heading to the beach, and Kelly and I ended up sitting on the floor of the train car aisle where we had been standing.  But we got to Brighton raring to go and headed straight for that beautiful, albeit rocky, beach.

lucky

This semester has been incredible - a huge chunk of and contributor to what has been the best year of my life.  I'm so incredibly blessed to have lived on this gorgeous campus in the middle of this incredible city.  I love everything about it here.  I'm leaving for the airport in just under two hours, and I can't even express the heartache that accompanies the concept of leaving London.

I've been able to experience such wonderful things here, both inside the city and out.  I've had the immense fortune to travel to Norway, Scotland, Paris, and Wales.  I've seen such incredible things, from the Eiffel Tower sparkling in lights to the huge expanse of the Welsh moorlands from horseback to the vibrant colors of autumn in Norway to the sun setting spectacularly behind Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

I've been blessed to have met and gotten to know some truly wonderful people, each of whom have affected my life to some degree or another, and who I can't fathom not being able to see again for whatever length of time.  The people here, both the people I've met and the general population of London, have made my time here something I will never forget and absolutely never take for granted.  The experiences will stay with me, as I hope the people will, too.

 You best believe I'll be back.

 Goodbye, London.

For now.

packing, party of one

It's currently almost 1:30 in the morning and this is what my room looks like.  I started "packing" at around 5:30 or so, and by "packing" I mean I took a few things off my shelves and piled them on the floor.  I really didn't start actual packing like a normal person until a couple hours ago.  I had some things get in the way of that - their names are Procrastination, Denial, Sobbing, Paralyzation, and Pain.

Wow, that got depressing real fast.

I really don't think I've ever cried so intensely for so long before.  When you combine the amount of sobbing from goodbyes and all-consuming hurt that has happened over the past day and a half, I'm surprised I'm not shriveled up from dehydration.  Seriously.  I can't think of a time where I have cried this much, except for when we put my dog to sleep two years ago.  Every time I think of this situation and the ramifications of it, I break into a sloppy semblance of a human being.  I literally had to collapse myself onto the floor and curl up in a ball while I sobbed uncontrollably earlier, it was so bad.

Goodbye really is one of the hardest things.  It sucks.  Like, it really really sucks.  I knew it was coming, and I knew I'd have to deal with the effects of it, but I honestly had no idea it would hurt this badly, that it would be this painful.  I've had to say goodbye to this wonderful city, this beautiful school, and some truly amazing people.  And what hurts the most is knowing I won't see any of these again, at least not for a little while.  Life gets in the way, and by the time I come back here, which I will do, things will be different.  Things change, and it causes pain in my chest to know things won't be like this again.  Some things will be different.

I'm going home tomorrow,

and I just don't feel ready.

there's something about libraries

This morning I woke to the sound of pouring rain outside my window.  A born and raised Seattlite through and through, I love the rain, and I truly believe the steady drumming of pouring rain is the most beautiful sound.  So I was very happy to wake up feeling like I was home in Seattle, but knowing I was actually in London - best of both worlds!  Until now, when the rain is still going strong even though it was supposed to stop nearly two hours ago, and I have things I need to go out and get done.

Being one of my last whole days in London (sob), I wanted to spend today out and about, taking photos as I walked all over the city to Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, and some other places, trying to get a little last minute Christmas shopping done.  Unfortunately, this rain foiled that plan.  So I'm sitting here in our beautiful school library, waiting it out.  I needed a change of scenery from my bedroom, and something about libraries makes me perfectly content to just sit.

Now if only the rain would let up so I can go out.

night bus

So I did this silly thing where I put £20 on my Oyster Card for the tube because I thought I'd need it to cover the costs of travel to/from Hever Castle last weekend. Well, turns out the silly train didn't take Oyster cards, so then I had about £26 on there and just over a week left in London to use it.

So the other night, a friend and I rode the bus for no reason other than I had the money to spend, I'm leaving on Monday {sob}, and we wanted to sit on the top level in the very front because we're actually only about 12 years old.

hever castle

 

Yesterday, a friend and I took the train out into the countryside to the town of Hever in Kent to visit Hever Castle.  Hever Castle was the home of the Boleyn family - Anne Boleyn was Henry VIII's second wife, who he so lovingly had beheaded.  Pleasant man, wasn't he?  Anyway, Hever Castle was where she lived with her sister Mary.

We walked from the train station to the castle, along the roads, admiring the sunset views and adorable English farmhouses.  We made friends with some curious sheep who decided to take a break from their grassy meal to check us out - I don't think we convinced them we were worth it, but boy, those sheep sure knew how to pose for the camera!  Little models.

The castle itself was gorgeous!  It has since been redone by the owners who had it in the early 1900's, but much of the Tudor style remains, and the Boleyn family crest is still present in many parts of the interior.  The castle was filled with many beautiful and very old pieces of ornate furniture, tapestries, and memorabilia, and, not to mention, totally decked out for Christmas!  After touring the castle, we walked through some of the gardens, but it quickly got dark, and we walked back to the train station so we weren't walking along the country roads in complete blackness.

All in all, it was a really fun day, and it was so nice to be out in the countryside.  Sometimes it's nice to have a break from the city.

I just wish I had my dog with me to take for some walks out there.

remembrance day

Today, 11/11, in Britain is known as Remembrance Day.  At 11 am, all public places throughout the country hold an official couple minutes of silence in honor of those who have died in service to the nation.  As a symbol of this tribute, people can contribute even just a few pence to charity in exchange for little red poppies that they wear pinned to their clothing throughout the month of November.  Borrowed from The Londoner, here is a poem to more than adequately sum it all up...

"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,

"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.

"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.

"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.

"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

"Till at last, at last, the war was won -
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"

A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.

Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!"

- Don Crawford

ye olde nottingham

This weekend I was visiting my cousin in Derby, where she's attending uni.  On Sunday, she suggested we go visit Nottingham, the home of Robin Hood and all those stories.  I didn't realize it was so close to where she lived, and in all honesty I'd never even thought about Nottingham, so of course I was all for it!  How could I have forgotten about Nottingham, Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest, etc?!  Shame.

We walked through the castle and the various exhibits, which told not only of Robin Hood, King John, and Richard the Lionheart, but also of the many years of history in Nottingham much before and after that time.  It was really comprehensive, and I learned a lot more than I thought I would.  We also took the guided tour of the caves under the castle, which was really awesome because the guide told us stories throughout history of the caves and the various uses - some quite scandalous ones involving the monarchs!

We finished the day by eating at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, which is a pub that was once an inn, and is the oldest one in England.  Richard the Lionheart and his men stayed and ate there right before leaving on the 3rd Crusade!  It's built into the sides of the caves, so the inside has different levels and some of the walls and ceilings are solid rock.  My cousin and I had the Robin Hood Ale, which was delicious, and some really great food!  I was stuffed for hours.

We paid really minimally and got so much out of it.

Not to mention, it was really fun!

Nottingham - well worth it.