The Many Adventures of the Gray Coat and Orange Purse

   
    Whew. It has been a whirlwind of the last few days. Sunday, after Church, I ventured off to the British Library. This landmark about 7 minutes from my place of living space houses  some treasures, such as original manuscripts of Beowulf, Shakespeare's First Folio, original Chopin scores, and so much more. It also holds two copies of the original (1215) Magna Carta. This brings my total of original Magna Carta viewings to 3 of 4. The fourth is in Lincoln. They are the only four that remain with the original seal. Pretty incredible. Monday it was back to class, with Contemporary British Theatre and London during the Blitz in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to Camden Market with Deanna, Olivia, and Olivia's friend who is currently studying in Spain. It was a frigid Monday afternoon, so the area really wasn't as full of all the stalls the way I had thought. So obviously I will just have to return on a day where I fight the crowds! If anything London has taught me how to walk through congestion. Perks of living next to one of the most frequented Underground stops.

    Tuesday began with a midterm in British Politics followed by a biscuit (cookie) stop with Deanna, Hope, and Monica. For the Art of Walking we went to the British Museum and sketched. My specialty is really bad stick figures so let me tell you my drawings were spot on. Also, if you are in a museum and sketching everyone assumes you have talent and peer over your shoulder constantly. I also had a woman sit down next to me to better see my "masterpiece." That evening half of the group went to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime which was absolutely fantastic. This show began with me having a ticket to a seat that doesn't physically exist so after a little preshow stress the ushers were able to get me into a seat. The show tells the story of a 15 year old autistic boy in a key moment of life. I don't even know how to begin describing how fantastic this show was. I read the book two weeks before seeing it and the director/actors/designers did incredible work in showing the audience the way the main character, Christopher, views the world. If you are going to London go see this show.

Buckingham palace

   On Wednesday the Art of Walking class went to the British Library (twice in a few days for me!) and then headed to Chelsea. We had about 30 minutes in Harrods, all of which I spent in the Food Halls. So. Much. Delicious. Food. By splitting with Warren, I was able to get out of there only spending a little over 3 pounds on a Lebanese lamb pasty thing, a macaroon, and Turkish Delight. We then continued on to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Hope and I wandered around for about an hour. My favorite sections were the fashion as well as stumbling upon a room with Raphael paintings everywhere. They were incredible. That evening, after making potato soup for the group, we went to see Steptoe and Son, a play based off of a British TV show. After the show, a few of us tried to go to a pub to get dessert but got there just as food stopped being served. So naturally we went to McDonald's instead.

Parliament and a phone booth? So British!

   Today was the first free weekday we have had almost the whole trip. Martha Grace and I walked to Trafalgar Square and went to the National Portrait Gallery. This is actually a pretty amazing place because you see the real, huge portraits of all these people who have been in all of your textbooks throughout the years. Shakespeare, the Monarchs, Dickens, Shackleton, and even David Beckham! The portrait of David Beckham is interesting because it is actually a filming of him sleeping after training. But through the lights and angle it is very cool because it almost looks like it was painted. Interesting. We also walked to Downing Street with hopes of seeing 10 Downing Street and maybe even David Cameron. However, without a pass, you can't even walk down the street due to security. However, I have heard that you can get passes from the US Embassy so that might just be something to do one quiet day. We continued to wander through St. James' Park which was gorgeous. It was also nice to see Buckingham Palace in the daylight!

    Tomorrow we gather early to travel to Chetsworth, the home Jane Austen based Pemberly (Darcy's home in Pride and Prejudice) and the castle used in the filming of The Princess Bride. It is sure to be an exciting day!! 

Street of PM's Residence