What Time Is It?

I'm home now--back in Tennessee after what feels like the longest day of travel ever in some ways and in others, a relatively short one. Coming home on a day flight from Europe is just hell, in my opinion. It's daylight all the way, there are loud children who refuse to sleep, people don't close the window shades, sleeping messes up your nap schedule...I hate it. Right now it's almost 1 a.m. in London. I got up at 5:15 a.m. London time, which was 11 p.m. local time yesterday. I'm so screwed up right now that my brain hurts--numbers have that effect on me.

The flights were both some of the most painless I've had coming home, though. I was able to sleep and I had good books. I didn't even try to watch the movie and Delta has plenty of leg room and head room in coach. On the Atlanta to Nashville leg I splurged and spent $50 and upgraded to first class. It was nice to have a little bit more room, although I sure wouldn't pay the first class prices for those seats. It wasn't THAT much nicer for such a short flight. The biggest perk was getting off the plane in such short order.

I was greeted at the airport with flowers, which was lovely. We stopped off at the farm to see the new piglets--six of them and are now home. I've had a shower and I feel truly clean for the first time in a long time. I don't know if it was the hard water or the soap or a combination of things, but I've never felt more ookey in my life. Next time I'm packing a bar of Dial.

The little boys will be home in a bit, so I'm going to go dig out their gifts because I'm sure they'll be asking for them very shortly. We'll do dinner and then BED! Tomorrow I must unpack. Egads.

RenAYsance Dance

Today we spent a couple of hours learning a pavane and a pastoral dance from one of the dance masters here. I'd explain exactly what those are, but you could just go google instead and save me the time and effort.

It was funny to see us trying to be graceful and wearing capris and tennies as we listened to music from the period. I was quite proud of us by the end, though, becauase we really had it together AND there was a small group of tourists walking by the open door who stopped to watch us and they clapped and clapped for us when we were done.

The title of this post is in reference to the English pronunciation of the word Renaissance. I just love to hear them say it. It's so much prettier.

Thanks, Friends.

Who was it that told me it was a good idea to bring all these clothes? ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH! Now I have to find a place to put them.

I do love to pack for the trip OVER, but I hate, hate, hate packing for the trip going home. My room is awash in trash, tags, shopping bags, empty water bottles, wrappers and all sorts of flotsam here and there that I've been dropping in a vain effort to try and make 25 days worth of expenditures fit into one extra carry-on bag. Okay, so I didn't purchase something EVERY day, but when I did, i seemed to buy the most bulky, space-eating things in Great Britain so I am having to be very creative in my approach to loading it all up for the return trip.

Oh, FYI, the detergent isn't going to make it back. I'm going to consider it some sort of nice charitable contribution to the college students of London. There is no way on earth I can make room for it. The bathroom cleaner, paper towels and unused soap are staying, too.

I can't believe tomorrow morning. It doesn't seem possible that this is all over. I'm ready to come home, but I'm also not ready to leave....and I can't wait to come back again. We're already hoping for TSTP II.

I'll have to put some more details about various activities on here when I get home and can process things more clearly and figure out what is what and what I've left out, but for now....

Cheers.

Bravo!

The lon-awaited debut of Kim on the Globe stage has now passed. It was every bit as momentous as you might imagine. It was loads of fun and noce to seee the long hours of work pay off.

The task that we had was to present act 1 scene i of The Tempest with only props and text, no sound effects or vocal effects or instruments. There were three other groups and they had limitations as well: one was only text, one could only use vocal effects and text, and one could only use musical effects and props. If you've never seen or read the play, then this might not seem that difficult, but trust me, it is. The scene takes place on a ship in a storm. It's important that you create the sense of the stgorm building on the stage.

Our scene was a lot of fun. We had a phenomonal director, who also took her time to teach us things to use in the classroom, which was most helpful because that is what the essence of this experience is. Our little group really group really bonded during the process and we learned to trust each other and feel completely at ease in our exercises--it will be hard to say good bye tomorrow night.

Seeing the four interpretations was amazing. It's so incredible to see the four very different ways that the same scene can be played. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get a copy of a video to use in class to demonstrate that and to show how there is no one "right" way to do anything.

It was very envigorating to be on that stage. Acting is such hard work, though. I realize that as I sit here and I'm dead tired. We've run ourselves to death for this scene and it was only seven minutes long--an entire play of The Tempest here is two hours or more. I can't even imagine the toll those rehearsals must take.
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We start late tomorrow, so I'm hoping to sleep in. I have the most arduous of all tasks still before me--packing. It's going to be a challenge. I fear I am not up to it.

Bomb Scare Closer to Home

Evidently there was some sort of bomb threat at my tube station tonight. bAs I was coming home from the Globe in a cab tnight, we drove past the Southwark tube station. there was a huge crowd of people forming outside of it and naturally, being me, my first though wasn't, "A bomb!", it was, "Wonder why there would be a LINE at the tube?" Duh.

I don't think it was anything serious because we're not hearing sirens constantly, but you never know. I'm not there, though, and shouldn't be on the tub again for my stay unless there is some unexpected event tomorrow. I am officially taking a cab to Victoria station on Saturday--not out of fear, but out of sheer volume of luggage.

I'm behind on updates and I'll try to catch them up later. We've been very busy the past two days and I'm off to nap and then rehearse again for now.

Typcially London

And suddenly there was rain. And lots of it. We went from the heat wave to rain and cloud. Last night I wore a sweater and a jacket to the theater and I was still chilly in the a/c. This is the way the weather here works. You never know what you're going to get.

Greenwich was lovely yesterday. No rain while we were there. It was much larger than I had expected and much more spread out. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked, but I saw the Cutty Sark and popped into the Naval Observatory to see the Prime Meridian (it was an utter madhouse) and wandered through a couple of exhibitions in the Maritime Museum. We had a delicious lunch at a pub, too. All in all a nice afternoon.

Our mode of transport was the DLR or the Docklands Light Railroad. It's a train that feels basically like the tube only not underground and a bit slower. It has the advantage of allowing you to see the city, but the majority of what you see is rather depressing because the area of London that it takes you through is the very epitome of blighted. That it is until you get to Canary Warf and then suddenly it's as if you're on a movie set and then VOILA! It's a city! Very hip, urban, and smart. I got off there on the way back to change to the underground to go back to Southwark and wandered around a bit. Some people had said it wasn't wort seeing because it's nothing special, but I disagree. It's gorgeous, for one, and it also shows you a totally different side of London where masses of people live and work. I wouldn't go there for a day or anything, but it was interesting. Nice shops and restaurants, too.

And now I must ready myself for a morning of shopping and walking in the rain. We have late rehearsals tonight--11-2 again--so today and tomorrow are the last days to do any touristy things before we go home. I'm anxious to get the last few things done so I can then worry about packing all of this stuff somehow...and then there will the monumental task of getting to the airport, but I'll worry about that on Saturday.

It's Pricey to be a Brit

FYI, it costs nothing short of a boatload of money to live and work in London--even the modest borough of Southwark (which, by the way is pronounced Suthuk, not South Wark in case you're interested). Considering the horrendous exchange rate, it makes me fairly ill to think about how much money I spend on something as simple as lunch, but there really isn't much choice, so I've just had to suck it up and do it.

When you come to a foriegn country and deal in another currency, I firmly believe that it's in your best interest to just adjust your thinking to that currency, so that's what I've done this month. I cannot let myself worry to much about the exchange rate everytime I buy something or I'd go mad. things in the gift shops, bottles of water, etc.--it's not like I can get them back home or anywhere else at this time anyway, so I just take the money that I have in pounds and budget accordingly (yes, I used the word budget with a straight face).

Some examples of prices, for the record, all prices in British currency--p=pence which is like cents back home.

bottled water--1 liter from Marks and Spencer, still, not bubbly 66p
bottled water--1 liter from a market, still, anywhere from 1.79 on up
bottled water-16 oz or so from EAT or Pret or a cafe 70p-90p
muffin from Starbucks--1.30
ham and cheddar sandwich from EAT--2.60
lemon cheesecake from Pret a Mange--1.70
crisps--60p
croissant w/jam from cafe--1.00
Coke-equivalent to 16 oz-anywhere from 1.00-1.20
Pizza at Pizza Express for one person, VAT included, no tip--7.35
glass of house wine-3.00
pint of Fosters at most pubs-2.70-3.00
pint of Kronenberg--4.00
candy bar--60p-80p
shampoo-1.99
lotion from superdrug--on sale! .99p
curling iron from Boots-11.99
hair dryer from Boots 4.99
theatre program for West End show 3.00
ticket for West End Show-12.00-50.00
ticket for "groundling" at The Globe--5.00
ticket for restricted view at The Globe--13.00
one day travelcard for London transit-4.70
one trip bus fare-1.20, day time, .80p night
taxi from Manna Ash to the Globe 4.00
cheesecake from Marks and Spencer--2 slices--1.79p
chicken and bacon sandwich from M & S--2.50
London Eye--12.50
admission to Queen's Gallery-7.50
a postcard at most tourist attractions-.50p
a postcard stamp to the US 37p
mobile phone call to US on Virgin-2op per minute
mobile phone call in UK on Virgin--15p for first 2 minutes, then 5p after that
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince--11.99 at Waterstones, 7.99 at Tesco
full English breakfast at The Founder's Arms--4.95
A tour with The Original London Walks-5.50
souvenir magnet-2.99
poster from museum-7.99-15.99


Now, multiply any of those by 1.73 and you'll see what it costs in dollars. I end up spending at least five pounds on lunch every day, even when I don't mean to, it happens. I've had to use the bus and taxis more than I thought due to my knee and I've not been able to cook much here because the kitchen has very few dishes and we're never here at meal times. I keep telling myself that this is why I have a job and I'll just enjoy the trip for what it is and worry about the money later---that sounds reasonable, right?

I'm starting to worry about packing. Must jettison some junk or else I'm not sure how on earth I'll get myself to the airport without breaking my back. I've got a stack of newspapers a mile high--probably don't need every one of them from the bombings and all. I need to cull some and take out the pages that have nothing to do with the events. It's just too much to think about right now. It also irks me to think that I'm going to have to leave behind my box of detergent that I forked over 3.99 for and it's still over half full. That's the most expensive detergent I've ever owned, but I can't see how in the world I'll get it in the suitcase without spilling. Grrrrrrrr.

In short

as of today, I'm being paid to be here, sort of. That's nice. School started today--inservice (I'm taking personal days for now). When we were at dinner tonight, it dawned on me that if I were back home, I'd be getting ready to go to lunch. Methinks I'm getting the best end of that bargain.

I'm skipping Mousetrap tonight because my knee is really, really, really sore. Not sure if it is the weather or the weekend or a combination, but I'm not doing very well, so I decided to be as imobile as possible in order to be able to participate for the rest of the week.

Today's class was mostly spent at Tate Britain which wasn't as good as I had hoped. Lots of Turners, Reynolds and the like, but I was so tired and in so much pain that I couldn't really concentrate. I also think that by this point I'm pretty much museumed out. I did get some nice posters, though. We also took the boat to and from Bankside to the Tate up the Thames, so that was nice.

Tomorrow we see Greenwich, so I'm going to go ice my knee a bit and do laundry. I am totally out of clean clothes and even sort of clean clothes. This is the last load of outrageously expensive laundry I'll have to do (1.80 pounds for washing and at least 40 pence to dry). I have to start thinking about packing, too. Yikes.

More later. Laundry is beckoning me.

To Market, To Market...

to buy a pashmina? Well, I never claimed to be Shakespeare, now did I?

I ventured north to Camden Town today and experienced a totally different kind of market--Camden Market. Basically, it's a flea market. If it was back in the states, I don't think I would have even crossed the street to go there, but since it's London, I lugged myself up the Northern line into Zone 2 in the freaking rain to see what they had to offer. I went with Andy, a lovely gentleman who is from Louisville and teaches drama to middle schoolers blesshisheart. We were the oldest people there, I do believe. Camden Market is skewed for the young hip crowd and I'm not sure that we qualified, although we both did make purchases. I, the aforementioned pashmina in a stunning shade of gold, and he a bag to use to take souvenirs home. I suppose the market experience would have been more pleasant if it hadn't been raining, but it was, so it was fairly nasty. In addition to having to manuever an umbrella, I, for some reason that defies explaining, wore flip flops, so I was trying not to slip and kill myself. Needless to say, I wasn't sorry to leave old Camden Town.

After mulling around with the youngsters for a bit, we headed to Covent Garden which is a tourist trap, but I still love it. I found an adorable purse at a shop called Octopus and I had to purchase it, as well as the matching coin purse, even though I am not really a purse person (and yet, I bought three in NYC?). Then we headed over to the Theater Museum which was interesting for awhile, but got old before we were done, so we left. At that point, my feet were killing me and my knee was sore. I suppose this is where I should mention that I'd actually slipped and nearly fallen flat on my face stepping onto a curb in the Leicester Square due to the incredibly ill-advised footware. By this time, my knee was throbbing as a result of that incident and I was just ready to call it a day.

We trudged back south and I collapsed in my room with a bag of books that I'd purchased up in Camden. I'd stumbled (literally and figuratively--they has some amazingly slipperly terrazzo tile in the entrance that was just like glass when it was wet and one is wearing flip flops in the rain) upon a sale at a shop where they had some good title on sale 3 for 5 pounds. They also had The Da Vinci Code for 3.99 which was a huge bargain since I'd almost paid $16.99 in the states for it in paperback. I was happy to be able to relax in my room and read for a bit.

Dinner, however, has to be eaten, and eventually, I was rousted. Met up with some friends at the local pub and we all shared what we'd done for the weekend. It's fun just to meet up and talk and catch up. Since we're not all in the same hall, we don't see each other on the weekend, so we don't know what's going on. Sitting there it was so nice to see familiar faces walking by and be able to call out to them and talk. Then I went with three others to a lovely little Italian place called Paradiso for dinner. Company was excellent, food was so-so.

Now I'm going to take the longest shower possible and then collapse with my Da Vinci Code (I'm on page 149) until I fall asleep. Late start tomorrow, but I've got to figure out a way to do laundry in the morning because I think I'm out of clean clothes and I'm too tired to mess with it tonight. I'm going to try to go see Mousetrap tomorrow night and it would be nice to have something clean to wear.

Long day.

Whew! I kept myself very busy today just like I had planned, which is not normally what happens. I usually make plans and they fall apart, but somehow I slodged on.

I started my day with brunch in Kensington Gardens. This was quite a treat. I had a sandwich and stuff from Pret a Mange that I had picked up in thetube station at High Street Kensington. I wasn't planning on eating first, but I was so frazzled by the time I got there I decided that I deserved it. I'd forgotten that the Circle line isn't running and there simply isn't an easy way to get to HS Kensington from the south side of town, so I had to take a slight detour through Earl's Court. The upside was I was able to see a tube station that I'd never been to. The downside was that it was rather a busy one and it required waiting a bit on exactly the right District line train lest I end up at Tower Hill (I say this because I almost got on said Tower Hill train and went clear across London in the wrong direction. Thankfully, I regrouped before I did).

Anyway, I had a paper with me, so I read and ate and enjoyed people watching for awhile and then toured the Palace. It was very enjoyable. They have a lovely exhibition of Court attire and some of Diana's dresses and the Queen's clothes, so it's not just furniture and the like. I was glad that I went.

From there I had to make my way to Buckingham Palace and that's not as easy as I thought it would be. Since HS Kensington tube is such a pain, I decided to take the bus. I had the good sense to ask which bus to take and that made this leg much more simple than it would have been had I tried it on my own. It's not nearly as close I always imagine it--I am terrible with distances. I took the bus to Victoria Station and then walked up to the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham. This is a spectacular little exhibit of royal art, furniture, jewelry and miscellaneous stuff that has been rounded up from all the palaces and is now open to the public. They were quite strict about security and made me put my bag in the cloakroom--this was the only place I've had to do that. I was also burning up and sweating and the very nice attendant asked me if I needed some water or something. It dawned on me later that he might have thought I was a bomber or something.

This is a fabulous exhibit and I highly suggest people go to it. It's also small enough that you don't get tired looking at it--I was actually a little disappointed that it ended so soon. There was also a nice exhibit of Dutch paintings that was includeded, too. I've suddenly become a fan of Rembrandt, so that was a nice touch for me.

From there I changed my original plan and decided to skip Sir John Soames and do the National Portrait Gallery instead. I didn't feel like trying to go to Holburn all the back way and such. I'm not sure it was the best idea--I was rather pictured out by the end of the museum, but I did see what I went for, which was mainly the Tudor and Jacobean paintings anyway. My feet were killing me by the time I left there, so I found a nice spot to sit and read more of my paper in Leicester Square and wait for Erin who never showed up--she must have gotten detained in Windsor.

I had hoped to see Les Mis, but there weren't any tickets at the half priced booth and I suddenly wasn't in the mood for a crowded musical, so I ended up going to see Some Girl(s) with David Schwimmer. It's a comedy, so it sounded like more of what I was in the mood for and it was. I enjoyed it. Some of the acting was a little stilted and one of the actresses had the WORST accent I've ever heard--I don't know where she was supposed to be from, but once it got rolling, it was very entertaining and I cared how it ended, which is always a good sign, I suppose.

Now I'm back in my cell contemplating tomorrow. I don't think I'm going to go to Canterbury as I had planned (see my plan falling apart?). It's supposed to rain all day and the train tickets are more expensive than I had thought they would be. I also feel yucko and just not in the mood to spend another day out on the run from dawn until dusk, so I may just do laundry, do some shopping and maybe find something free or cheap to go investigate. Not sure. I think I've done almost everything on my "must do" list that is feasible or that I still want to do, so now I've just got to make sure that I don't waste any of my precious free time that I have left. This time next week, I'll be getting back home. Tick tock!

Week Two, Done!

Yikes! Time is flying. I'm not ready to be 2/3 of the way through with this program. I cannot believe that it will be time to leave soon. I've still got so much to do. It's amazing how you never get everything done on vacation no matter how much time you have.

We're deep into our scene rehearsals for our final project and that will continue to be our focus next week, which means we'll have late starts and late, late nights. I'm hoping to get some sight-seeing done in the mornings. I'm going to be dead tired by the time I return to the States, but I suppose it will all be worth it in the end.

We've finished up with all of the Globe's Master Practitioner classes. I am sorry to see that end. The classes with Glynn were my favorites. I can't really explain why, but she really connected with us. If there is any way I can perhaps bring a group back to London, I will do my best to get them into a session or a meeting with her. She is just amazing. Such a presence. there aren't words, really.

Tomorrow I shall be a total tourist and go to the places that are still on my list. I'm abandoning all of my comrades and shooting off around London on my own. I'm taking the Tube, which is the source of some controversy here. Most of them won't now, but I'm not ready to give up on it, plus I simply don't have a choice. I can't walk to the places that I want to go and I'm not going to sit around this godforsaken place all weekend, so I'll just be in and out as quickly as I can. Part of me feels like I'm foolishly courting danger, but on the other hand, I rationalize that if I walked, I am more likely to be caught up in some sort of accident in a crosswalk or something. Muggings are more frequent in London than bombings and we don't worry about walking down the road at night.

So, just for the record, I'll be traveling from Southwark tomorrow on the Jubilee line, changing at Westminster for the District line so I can hop over to to High Street Kensington. Then from there, I'll be on the District Line to St. James Park. the from St. James Park to Embankment change to Northern Line and forge on to Leiceister Square where I'll check on theater tickets and then take a bus over to the Holburn area for awhile, then bus BACK to Leiceister Sq. via Covent Garden to meet up with some people to hopefully go see Les Miserables and after that, take the Tube or a cab home to Southwark. This is the plan. The interesting part will be to see how much of this I actually accomplish. I want to see Kensington Palace and gardens, The Queen's Gallery, and Sir John Soane's Museum as well as get some shopping out of the way. I'm not sure how much my knee will allow me to do, though. It's been rough the past few days.

I'm off to be for now. A busy day awaits me tomorrow. A week from tomorrow I leave!!! So much to do before then.

Ridiculousness

Foolishness on the Tube again as some moron have placed bombs on three trains and a bus again today, just two week after the 7/7 disaster. Thankfully it appears that there is only one injury and no serious damage from this latest act of stupidity. As you can tell, I am fine. We were in a class on Renaissance printing techniques and safely on the south side of the Thames when all this began. It has totally dashed our afternoon plans of a boat trip down to the Tate Britain, though, and I am quite peeved as a result.

Much different scenario this go 'round since I am out of the heart of the city. they've shut down central London again just to keep the swarms of people donw, but buses are still running, at least on this side. I saw one just of Blackfriars road as I made my way back to the apartment. I can hear sirens in the distance--nothing like the ear-splitting screams that were wialing outside my window just two weeks ago. I feel much safer over here--as if the river is giving me a great barrier to the evilness that seeks out the city.

I'd planned to go to the West End for a show tonight, but now I'm not sure where that stands. If the theatre district stays open, I'll probably go. If not, it looks like cards and early zzzzs here in Southwark, London, tonight.

Go See Pericles

If, by chance you are in London this summer, go see Pericles at the Globe. Fantastic production that I would see again in a heartbeat. Incredible use of modern prodcution techniques with original script and new narration that has the audience captivated during the whole of one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays. I was a groundling for this one and it was worth standing for. You MUST be out in front to experience the arielists...yes, as in people who are swinging from ropes. Superb production. Note, though, NOT for children. It's one of the more mature Shakespeare plots and I wouldn't take a child younger than high school age to see it.

An Actor's Life

Today was rather brutal. I'm back in my room now after a two hour rehearsal that STARTED at 11:15. It was the third one of the day. I am wiped out, but in a good way. So much to do and learn.

We rehearsed on the actual Globe stage tonight for a short while and that was really fun. It's so much smaller than you would think. The entire space is very intimate and when it is dark above, it seemed to shrink the space even more. I was suprised at how much more compact it all felt from that perspective.

We get a late start tomorrow, er, later today, thank goodness. I was going to try to do something with our free morning, but I'm going to be too tired to do much. Today we were free until noon, so I went to the British Library to see the First Folio, Guttenberg Bible, Magna Carta, Beowulf and that sort ofthing. Quite spectacular, of course. Prior to that, though, we stopped at the King's Cross Station memorial area for the bombing victims and that was quite difficult. I couldn't even go into the small fenced in area--it was just too much for me to read the small signs hanging around the perimeter. I signed the book of condolences and I think I'll try to go back there before I leave. I can't put it into words, really.

Must sleep. My knee is screaming at me to find some ice or something. I'm going to be lame for life if I don't do better.

Note

If you're going to have a clock gonging in the distance alerting you that it's 10 p.m., it might as well be from St. Paul's Cathedral.

For the first time tonight, I was sitting in my room and the traffic and other noises were low enough that I could hear the actual chime and I have to admit it was pretty damn cool.

Today's word is Cacophony

Being that I had the entire day all to myself I decided to do some fun stuff (remember I'm an English teacher), so today's activities were The Borough Market, the British Museum and middle eastern cuisine.

First, the market. I have to admit that when I read the description of the Borough Market, I was not that jazzed about going. It's a food market and even though I like to eat, I'm not really a fruit and veg kind of girl, but I went because that's where the group was going and I wanted to at least experience it.

Wow. What a magical place. Stall upon stall of the most incredible foods you can imagine--granted I wouldn't eat most of them, but that's beside the point. Just to see them was a feast. Fish of every species laid out on ice, fruit piled high and smelling sooo heavenly. There was every kind of bread you can imagine. Loaves and loaves of it in baskets and stacks and bundles. Cheese wheels that were bigger than bike wheels formed the base of pyramids that stood three feet tall. There were foods I'd never even heard of and couldn't pronounce. All sorts of scents filled the air--you never knew what was waiting around the next stall. In some there were people cooking, in others there were samples. It was just spectacular.

But the sound was what suprised me the most. I can't even really describe it. The noise was just so unique. It was all voices--there were very few cars in the area--and the voices were all happy. You didn't hear shrieks or yelling or unpleasentness. It was just every day life, but with a total blending of sounds and accents and languages. The volume would rise and fall--like waves. It was absolutely magical. I can't wait to go back.

The British Museum was crowded, too, since it was a summer weekend. It was blisteringly hot by the time we got there, so we took it at a leisurely pace. No big hurry and chose to only see certain exhibits because the place is so massive you'd kill yourself trying to do it all in one day under the best conditions. In the heat, it's like a sauna and with a bad knee, it's almost like a form of torture anyway.

As I sat in the Parthenon Galleries, groups of tourists would come and go and once again I was bombarded with sound. This time it was not as welcomed since I was trying to listen to my audio guide, but it was still fascinating. There was an enormous group of Japanese school children in uniforms--plaid skirts, solid jackets with white shirts and ties for the girls, dark pants, white shirts and coats with ties for the boys. I was dying to know if they were local or if they were on a tour because they looked like traditional English school kids, but spoke in Japanese and sort had that touristy look about them (moving in a huge pack, lots of backpacks, several tired teachers, etc). Then there was a group of what I think were Italians who were also quite loud. What struck me with them was how drop dead gorgeous they all were. The girls were stunning. Then there were other mixed groups that would be standing there that you would think "American?" and they'd speak and it would be some language that I couldn't begin to identify. I think at one point I was probably the only person in the gallery that spoke English as a native language and I found that more fascinating than the Elgin marbles that I was supposed to be admiring.

Dinner was at a yummy place just up the street call TAS. It was very crowded. We had to sit in the lower level because all of the upstairs tables were booked. The din was just at the level before you can't hear yourself think. English accents, more Italian, some Pakistani, an American here and there....it was just a smorgasbord of sound that really accentuated the meal, which was much better than I ever dreamed it would be. I tried hummus for the first time. I'm not going to run out and buy some any time soon, but it was pleasant.

So, tonight, I'm sitting here looking at my postcards that I've stuck to the walls from the day and I realize that I have a sort of mini soundtrack in my head and it's a mix of all the sounds from the day playing over and over in a loop and it's quite soothing. This is what London is all about.

Random Complaints, Musings, Etc.

Just clearing my head since I've got some free time for a change.

1. We're staying in dorm rooms. I thought it wouldn't be too bad and actually, other than the lack of air conditioning and the appallingly horrendous carpet, it's not nearly as bad as it could have been EXCEPT for the incredibly loud people that live in this little "apartment" with me. The nimrods who organized the housing here (not part of The Globe staff whatsoever) didn't put the whole group of 21 into three apartments of 7...oh, nooooo. We're scattered across five different flats and so we're interspersed with colleged-aged people who are either here for summer term or worse, looking for cheap summer digs. My room, 5C7, is right next to the kitchen so when any combination of little dolls from 5C1, 5C4, 5C5, and 5C6 decide that they are hungry, I get to hear pots and pans clattering about right next to my bed. This is generally around 1 a.m. because that's when college people get hungry. And everything they eat has this weird smell that I cannot identify, but it permeates the place.

2. The shower curtain stops a good four inches short of the actual length that it should be so I have a puddle every day, too. That's fun. Thankfully I wrangled an extra towel from them to use a bath mat or I'd have flooded the place out of business by now.

3. English showers amuse me. In the last place the shower was controlled by an entirely separate set of fixtures than the tub. Here we have no tub, thank God, but the shower is still unique. On the right, you have the water control. This turns the water on and off. Rather like a hot or cold faucet at home--it turns front to back, though, not side to side--the knob is perpendicular to you when you're in the shower, you see. Then on the left is the tricky part. There is another knob and this one also has both a series of numbers, a tiny red dot and a small red button. In order to turn the knob you must first press the red button and that can be quite difficult to do. In fact, I didn't even realize it WAS a button until after the first tragic shower which I'll explain shortly. The numbers range from 30-45. Are you with me? If not, read it again or just nod and pretend.

So, you go to the shower for the first time and you expect to be able to turn both knobs because, well, that's what we do back home. TRICK! Nope. Can't do it. Only the plain knob will turn. It controls the flow of the water. After careful consideration it becomes clear that this other knob controls the temperature. Those stupid numbers correspond to that cursed Celcius scale that the British insist on forcing down my throat. I, being totally clueless, have no idea which level between 30-45 I would want. I do assume that 30 would be a bit chilly, though, from what I can remember about mathy things. The shower is set on about 42 (it's actually a big gap from 38-45 for whatever reason). That, my friends is hot. Especially when you've been sweating all day in 80 degrees with no a/c. Miserably hot. So I try to turn the knob. It won't move. Stuck. I turned off the water and tried again. Won't budge. I had to take this shower in painfully hot water, cursing the previous tenant and thinking that this was going to be the longest three weeks of my life. Then, as I was finishing, it hit me. The red button. When I pushed it, nothing had happened--it was stuck due to lime buildup or something, so I turned off the water once more and worked on that stupid button until I finally was able to depress it. Then, with the button down, voila! The knob turned and cold water was suddenly available. Crisis averted.

4. I love the British one pound coin. It is so convenient. Why don't we use our cute gold dollars more? Is it because they aren't the same size as the Brits' version or what?

5. Taxi cabs are the most brilliant creation ever. I love public transportaion.

6. While I think cobblestones are very quaint and rather attractive to look at, I think that I am thoroughly and completely tired of walking on them. I've spent most of this trip looking at my feet trying not to trip. I can give you a lovely commentary on the streets of Southwark should you need one.

7. It dawned on me today that I don't miss television a bit. I've not watched it a week and I couldn't care less. I don't know if I could carry on like that back home, but here it's much easier just to pick up a book.

8. For a country that thinks we know everything about everything, we are woefully behind the British on the art of sandwich making and desserting. It's fun just to read the names of the sandwiches they have here. And they are everywhere on the most incredible breads imagineable. I wouldn't eat 90% of them due to ickey ingredients, but they just sound so posh and gourmet. I don't, however, understand the English obsession with free range egg. They put it on everything. Oh, and butter. Mayo? No, we haven't got any, but we've got some butter.

Week One--Done

Not the whole week of the workshop, technically, since we've not done a full seven days yet, and I've actually been here well over a week at this point--something like ten days I suppose, but I'm just too tired to think of a catchy title and it's Friday and our first week of coursework is over, so this fits sort of.

We had a Shakespeare Rally today which is absolutely nothing like it sounds--no cheering, no flags or the like. We had to go around London and look at various portraits and statues and likenesses of Shakespeare in public spaces and compare them. Or that was the plan, anyway. Since the bombings, they decided to change it to a walking tour instead of a tube tour and that made my day miserable. My group was all gung ho for the walk which meant we'd start at Southwark and then go to the cathedral, way over to Blackfriars, then all the way to Trafalgar Square, fanny around in there a bit, up to Carnaby Street and then all the way over to Holborn and THEN head back home to Southwark. I think that's about 134 kilometers by foot. It is every bit of seven hours of walking.

There was simply no way my knee was going to make that, so I walked as far as Blackfriars and then my group and I decided that I would meet them at The National Portrait Gallery. They had plotted their walking path and I was taking the underground. I knew their planned cross street, etc. I wasn't worried--how hard could this be? I left them at around 11:15. I arrived at the gallery at 11:40. A 3:00 I finally gave up and went back to Southwark alone. I never saw them. Somehow, and I still don't know how, they went in the National Gallery, came through several wrong doors, yada, yada. Anyway, I just had a leisurely afternoon sitting on a cement stump in the middle of London for three and half hours or so. I went through a full range of emotions, but in the end, I realized that I actually got the good end of the bargain because the rest was the best thing for me knee-wise and I didn't have to trudge around in the heat.

Tonight's event was a performance of The Tempest at the Globe. They performed it with only three actors and I felt gobsmackingly stupid through chunks of it because I hadn't read the play like I was supposed to. I had no clue who was who in parts, which I think would be a problem for the general viewing public. The production was really engaging, though, and I thought the actors were all brilliant--Mark Rylance was the lead. He's one the absolute top classic actors alive and this is his last season with The Globe. We were very lucky to get to see him in this show. The other two actors were also really quite good. Even when I was confused in the show, they kept me engnaged, mostly, which is always good, and I was never totally lost.

Tomorrow is our first free day. I'm heading to the British Museum and I'm not sure where else. I've got to get some stuff straightened up around here and some cleaning done. I'm also tired to the core and sort of discombobulated. I think I'm almost at the breaking point mentally from the tiredness, so it's important that I sleep, but it's sooooo hot. I'm going to have to break down and get a fan. I also realized today that by about Monday I will have been away from home longer than I ever have in my life except for college which doesn't really count since that became home in a sense. I think that's wearing on me a bit, too.

Send me some rain. It's been over a week. I'm melting.

I Wouldn't Teach Them Here or There....

I wouldn't teach them anywhere.
I do not like them, Sam I am,
I do not like middle schoolers, DAMN.

Sheeeeeeeeesh. We observed the Globe Educators in practice today doing one of their Lively Action workshops with the school kids today. It's nice to know that middle school age children are just the living end anywhere you go--not just in the U.S. They like to play in fountains, mess with each other's hair, sit when they're not supposed to, talk when the teacher's talking and generally be obnoxious no matter where they live. It's universal.

The practioner that I was observing, Anne, had a group of Year 8 students--think 12 or 13 year olds evidently--who were totally full of piss and vinegar. I was nearly bonkers watching them, but she was masterful at dealing with them. I later said that she was the best teacher I'd ever witnessed when it came to actually engaging students--ALL students--in the lesson and really making them get the meat of it. I was transfixed watching her work. Then, come to find out later, that she's an actor by trade, not a teacher at all. Never had any educator training other than that offered through the Globe's program for their practioners, which by all I can tell is quite intense. It was quite telling, though. She wouldn't even be able to get a teaching certificate in the States. Dear ol' George W. Bush wouldn't consider her highly qualified in any way, shape or form, yet she handled this group with more skill than I've seen in teacher's twice her age with classes half the size and ten times as discpilined. It was truly a delight to see because it was a REAL scenario, not one of those ideals that so often one witnesses when it's for show.

We were put into our performance groups and met with our director tonight. I'm totally exhausted from that and the grind of the week in general. It has been very grueling--long classes that are incredibly physical, the walking to and from class--our dorm is about a 20 minute walk, the unusually hot London weather--no rain in days on end and over 80 degrees. It's all finally taking it's toll and we're beginning to fray at the seams. Tomorrow is a "rally", which is evidently sort of British for "send the teachers running 'round London looking for Shakespearey photos and statues and get them out of our hair." They've devised an alternate walking plan, but there's no way on God's green earth I am walking from Southwark to Leicester Square, so I'll be tubing it whether my team agrees or not.


We see The Tempest tomorrow night. Supposedly a very dynamic performance. It's being done with only three actors, so that should be interesting to see. We're doing our scene from the opening of it and we've got five in it and we'll be having trouble working out all the mechanics of it since there are well over five roles in it, so I'll be interested to see how they deal with it there.

Val Says Hi

Kilmer that is. He's appearing here in the West End in a production of The Postman Always Rings Twice. I have to say that I only went because they were having a Q and A after the play and I'm all about those type of events as those who know me know. We went to the box office looking abominably scungy in our workshop clothes because we didn't have time to change (we were at least clean) and got excellent center balcony seats. The upper rows weren't crowded so we could stand when we needed to see the bits on the most downstage apron and I could straighten my knee. The technical part of the show was impressive. The female lead was not so much. Kilmer made her look bad, I thought, although she definitely improved in the second half. Lots of violence, quite a bit of sex and some nudity as well, but none of it gratuitous. Very plot driven and well done, I thought. The second act is a bit of a mess, but somehow they save it in the end--and I really don't know how because there is a stretch in there that is just chaotic and weak, I think (the whole trial section if you've seen the show). The second male lead was phenomenal.

The Q and A was fantastic. We were able to sit in the second row for that and the people I was with took lots of photos (those will follow later, I hope) with the actors' permission. Some really good questions (I even asked one) and interesting answers. Then we even did the ultimate cheese and stood 'round by the stage door and got our little show flyers signed by the Kilmer and the other guy (I cannot remember his name for anything right now).

Not a bad way to end a day that began with a backstage tuour on the Globe stage where we were able to go up in the attic and prowl around a bit around the props and then walk around on the stage and feel the costumes, look into the trap doors and experience the space for ourselves a bit. Then we had a session with the master craftsman who was in charge of the construction of The Globe and many other buildings in England and around the world, Peter McCurdy. I had been tempted to skip the session and nap, but I'm so glad I didn't. It would have been a huge mistake. His information was like gold--to hear the process they went through to come up with the plan to build the Globe was something else. We were shown slides of the constuction from every stage along the way. I'm just amazed at the detail that went into it. Hand carved pegs. Can you imagine? Hand. carved. pegs. Every last one of them.

We start our scene rehearsal tomorrow and that is a bit intimadating, but I suppose I'll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight I must sleep.

Pardon the Interruption

I've been offline due to a myriad of reasons--mainly busy ones. "ive officially started the program, which is the reason I'm here in the first place and we've been going a positively mad pace ever since. I can't possibly catch up on all of the events of the past few days at this point in time because it's almost 1 a.m. and I've got to be in class again at 8:30, so I'll simply say for now that things are brilliant. Stunning. I've been utterly blessed. I cannot even begin to imagine how I've stumbled upon this opportunity and why in the world they are letting ME through those doors to work with the absolute masters of the craft, but they are and I am trying my best to soak it all up. Yesterday we had a movement class with Glynn MacDonald in which I learned more in two hours than I think I've learned in every single inservice I've ever done as a teacher. Today we had voice with Stuart Pearce. It was mesmorizing.

Tonight was the first play and I wasn't even really that excited about it because I was so tired (I fell asleep during the lecture before the play), but once it started, it was electric. It was The Winter's Tale, which I'd actually seen before, but it had been over 10 years and it didn't matter because this was at THE GLOBE and it was stunning. The costumes were just spectacular and the actors playing Paulina and Herminone were absolutely spot-on. I actually had goosebumps at three different points during the show in reaction to their lines and characters, even though I knew what was about to happen. The environment of the theater was just magical. I cannot wait to go again and experience The Tempest on Thursday.

Must go to bed. I have many more tales to tell, but they will have to wait for an earlier evening or the weekend perhaps. I'm too old for this all night stuff despite my youthful appearance.

So Very, Very Busy

It takes a lot of time to get lost, you know, so I can't come be online as much as I would like.

Really, it's hard to believe that I am allowed to have children of my own, let alone bring other people's children to foriegn countries sometimes. I got South Kensington and High Street Kensington mixed up today--this is something that I have done now the the last four times I've come to London, so you would think I would learn, but no. Sort of like me getting lost on Oxford Street every.stinking.time.I.get.on.a.bus. I am glad I'm moving tomorrow. Perhaps the new home away from home will bring me good luck.

I spent the first half of my day, before I got lost, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is called the V&A here. It? is my new favorite place. I will be going back very soon because I didn't get through anywhere near all of it. I was only on the second floor--and there are four--when I had to go. I was just overwhelemed. I'll add more when I can upload some pictures and am not paying for internet by the minute.

After I left, that's when I waddled over the the South Kensington tube only to discover that I was supposed to be at High Street Kensington. In five minutes. Now, they are on the same tube line, but there was no way I was going make this happen. Not even if a train appeared right then, which of course because this was me we were dealing with, it didn't. One had just left as I was stumbling down the stairs. So, I missed my walking tour of Kensington which I had already missed on Thursday. Not to fear, there was another walk that wasn't starting until 2:30 at the Tower Hill Tube Stop and I could make that. It was The London Wall walk. Not one I would have picked as my first choice, but it ties in with what I teach and wasn't about Jack the Ripper or ghosts, so I was game.

I made it to Tower Hill with time to spare...the London Underground is the best transportation system in the world. There is a reason why the people in this city will travel it no matter what the terrorists throw their way. It is absolutely sublime. You can zip across London in nothing flat. It amazes me everytime.

Anyway, I made it to the walk. It was supposed to be about two hours long. THREE hours later, we wrapped up just up from the St. Paul's tube station. I can't tell you how far that is, but I think it's at least 32 miles. Maybe further. I thought I was going to drop dead right there on the remains of an old Roman fort, which I hate to say, looked much less like an old Roman fort and more like the remains of an old junky garden wall, but I wasn't going to burst their bubble. I just hope nobody paid good money for this "fort". Obviously, they've not paid good money for the weed eater to go along with it. The guide was lovely and the story interesting, but really, there's only about 100 yards of the blessed wall left standing, maybe 200 at the most. How in the world we managed to stretch this out to a three hour event, I still haven't figured out. I remember lots of churches and places named Gate. I took notes--I'm a teacher after all--but after we left the Barbican area, I was done. Spent. Ready to go home. I really think there should be some sort of walking tour law that says after 2.5 hours, the guide must automatically stop no matter where he or she is.

I was going to go on a pub walk tonight, but I don't think I've got the energy to try it. I'll pack instead and try to head out to Hampstead Village tomorrow and then move over to Southwark and begin phase two of the great London adventure. I'm rather nervous about that part.





DISCLAIMER:I get sarcastic when I'm tired. I really actually appreciate a good pile of ancient Roman bricks covered with foliage and brush as much as the next person. Honest.

Local Celebrity

Not.

I was interviewed by one of the Nashville television stations yesterday. That was interesting. I came back to the hotel after a shopping and I had a voice mail message. It was James Lewis from Channel 4 in Nashville. Can you say surprised? Then, in my email today, the local newspaper had some questions for me. Amusing. I suddenly feel so important for one who saw absolutely nothing. I was glad to be able to offer up some firs hand observations, though. I would hate for people to get the impression that London is some sort of unsafe war zone because it is not. It is a thriving cosmopolitan center that is sadly just a part of our time.

Went on a walk in Soho today. Then I went on another in central London today. Both were through London Walks (link at right) Soho is very quirky--lots of different little shops and crooked streets. Our guide, Graham, was positively charming. There were only four on the tour which he said was very low. Normal is about 20. I was glad that it was not crowded--made things much easier me and let's be honest. It's all about me. We went through Chinatown which was a first for me. While we were there, the deliveries were being mad for the day and we were treated to a poor worker trying to wrestle some live eels back into their box. Not the most appetizing site, I can assure you. This afternoon's walk was with Kim and we ended up overlapping some of the morning's walk, but none of the information was really duplicated too much, so it worked out all right.

I took the underground to the second walk. I wasn't going to, but I couldn't figure out which bus I would take in order to get to Embankment and I didn't want to be late. It was very empty and just as hassle-free as I remembered, so I was glad that I did. The Central Line station is just a block from my hotel, so I will probably use it again tomorrow. There is a pub walk that I'm considering tonight, but it's on the line that is closed, so I may skip it. I'm not sure the bus is worth the fight.

I'm burned out on buses because I managed to get lost on a bus AGAIN. Somehow I cannot find my way up Oxford Street to save my life. Twice now, in two days, I've gotten totally off course. Yesterday it was Tottenham Court. Today, I left Soho Square, walked onto Oxford Street and managed to get on a bus and end up at Euston Station. This, folks, takes a talent that few people possess. I was playing with my new cell phone, which is part of the reason I didn't realize the error, but it's not enough of the reason, I'm afraid. It took me about 40 minutes to correct that error. All I had to do was get on a bus and ride a few measly blocks and somehow I ended up dozens of blocks and turns away. I amaze myself.

It's getting to be dinne time, so I must go. Early morning tomorrow, I think. I'm going to try to hit the Portobello Road Market if I can get up early enough.

Chaos

It's been wild here as you can imagine. No subways or busses most of the day. Sirens screaming literally every five minutes most of the afternoon. Surreal. My hotel is evidently in a central road beccause there would be four or five police cars or amublances whizzing up and down the road every hour or so. I couldn't go anywhere, so I ended up just shopping on Oxford Street for a bit. It was rainy, which made it even more miserable.

People were walking up and down Oxford St. with their luggage in a panic trying to figure out how they were going to get to the airport. One girl told me that a cabbie said the fare to Stansted was going to be £100 and she was in tears. The railroads were all shut down and she had no idea what to do. People were about to come to blow over what cabs they could hail on the street due to the rain and the need. It was rather bizarre to watch.

The buses are back. I went over to Westminster abbey tonight. Was going to go for church, but I was too late due to the absolute craziness on the busses. They are so crowded due to the commuters and I also got totally lost. Outside of the Houses of Parliament there are policemen patrolling with very large machine guns of some sort. There are barracades and other policemen everywhere. I saw them searching a car as it was entering the gates.

Most of the shops along Oxford St. closed early in order to let their employees figure out a way to get home. I imagine it was the case across London. If you've never been here, it may be hard to imagine, but the Tube is truly the heart of the city and people use it the way we back in the States use our cars. Not having it is like not having the interstate for us. While I was in Selfridge's, there were little clusters of employees gathered here and there and they were all talking about how they were going to get home.

I managed to get lost coming home from Westminster. Stupid bus said it was going to Marble Arch and Orxford St and then terminated at Oxford Circus instead. I don't know HOW I ended up at Tottenham Court Road, but I did. And now I am tired beyond belief, so I'm headed back to my room for the night (it's 18:56 here, whatever time that is) to watch tv, eat dinner and hit the bed.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get out and do something that I'd planned, but who knows. I may just go sit in Hyde Park and be glad that I'm here.

I Am Fine

So today I learn what it is like to live in a big city. I awoke to learn that a bus had been bombed this morning and that four underground stations had experienced problems due to massive power surges. The undergound is shut down, I hear sirens everywhere and the news is going nonstop. I passed a couple of bus queues on my way here and the crowds were ungodly. I can't imagine how horrible it is going to be to try to get anywhere today. I think I may suck it up and cab it to Kensington and just hang out over there today.

It's a scary feeling right now, though, to know that something so random could happen to you. The newscasters discussed the front of the British Medical Association building being spattered with blood from the bus explosion just like the busses I was so happy to be on yesterday. And Russell Square is an area that had come highly suggested to my by the nice cab driver as safe and quiet to stay in.

What a scary world we live in.

Day The First

Am here and am in sort of state of bewilderment and fuge. The flight was so crowded and loud that I didn't get much sleep despite a cocktail of drugs that should have knocked me out cold at takeoff. I think it was combination of the early flght time and the general pre-trip jitters. Whatever, I only go about 2 hours of actual sleep on the plane. I read, ate, chatted with a lovely seatmate named Michelle and watched bits and pieces of Million Dollar Baby (WHY didn't someone tell me how incredibly depressing that movie is????) and Miss Congenialiy 2 (WHY didn't anyone tell me how lame that one is?). I arrived at Gatwick disoriented and frumpy and a bit sore, but ready for the day ahead.

If you've never been overseas, then you've never had the joy of going through passport control. Hordes of foriegners, many of whome are first time travelers, are forced into gated lines to wait to show their passport and landing cards. They're all tired, hot and frumpy. Many of them don't use deodorant. And, for some reason that after five trips overseas I still don't get, some of them think that the flight attendants hand out those landing cards on the plane as just some sort of suggestion. Like they aren't going to have to actually hand one in when they land, so then they are in a panic in line and trying to juggle 3 pieces of luggage and find a pen and write all while they should be moving along.

I do have to say, going through Gatwick was much less Hellish than Heathrow. It was still humid and yucko, but not nearly so much as Heathrow.

Once you've cleared passport control, you go get luggage. This was amazingly easy for me. I actually saw my suitcase coming 'round the carriage as I approached. I was thrilled to say the least. I added it to the pile on my free trolley (European airports are so ahead of the cheapo US ones) and began to make my way through customs.

Customs? A joke. You walk through a hall. That's it. No people, no dogs, no x-rays. Just like Heathrow. My buggy had a bad wheel and I nearly took out one their barriers. I wonder what sort of reaction that would have triggered?

Once I was through customs, I tried to get cash from the ATM, but both of the two just outside in that terminal were down. I had an instant feeling of dread and then was briefly panicky. What a way to start of the trip. Then I decided to wait and look at the South Terminal where I had to go to catch a train and see if the ATMs were working there before I waited on one of the horrid cash lines. I made my way to the South Terminal via the monorail with little incident. The only mishaps were my buggy and a snarky 13 year old girl who tried to reprimand me for sitting down just as her younger brother was sitting down in the same seat. She appeared to think that the old, fat, invalid chick should give her seat up to the small boy who was jumping all over the place and who was the last on the seat. Needless to say, she was mistaken.

Once in the South Terminal, I found an ATM that worked. I did discover that it would only let me withdraw 100 pounds at a time, but that was more than enough money, so that wasn't a problem. I took my cash and made my way to the Gatwick Express train. Here I ran into my first ooopsey of the day. True Kimmah.

The nextr train was leaving at 8:35. It was 8:30. I thought I could make it--and I could have, if the train hadn't been downstairs. I had to take my suitcase, carryon and bag down a lang fligh of stairs. I was about half way down when the train left. I was irked. And hot. And tired. And very sore. Stairs are the one thing that I'm really, really having a problem with when it comes to my knee. But, I'd looked at the schedule and the next train came soon, so I just kept on going down the stairs, even though I knew it was coming on Platform 1 and I was going to Platform 6. In my head I was thinking I'd just walk across down there.

Yes, Kim will just mosey across five rows of TRAIN TRACKS with her luggage. That makes all the sense in the world.

I realized the error of my ways as soon as I hit the platform. There was no way I was going back UP the stairs, so I looked for the lift. It was where you would expect it--the completely opposite end of the platform, but at least it was level. I made my way down. Went up. Through a hall. Found the lift for Platform 1 and 2. Back down. Thank God. When I finally got there, the train was loading. I lugged my things on and was happy to find a seat and just relax.

The Gatwick Express is a nice way in for future reference. Only about 30 minutes, pleasant ride and they even offer drink service. When we arrived at Victoria Station, I hit the cab queue and realized that I had no idea what time it was. I hoped that the hotel would let me check in. Got a great cabbie. We had a lovely chat and he delivered me to my hotel on Oxford St. The cab ride was £7.40. I over-tipped him because I didn't have change and I was too tired to care. I'd planned on spending £10 and I did. Whoops.

The room was ready and I was so glad. I was absolutely dead by now. Starving, hot and tired. My room is nice, although the bed is incredibly hard and uncomfortable. I'm going to have to get another pillow.

Once I had my room and put a few things down, I set out to find food. Pret A Mange, my fave London lunch place, was right down the road (because it is ALWAYS right down the road no matter where you are in London). I only like one of their sandwiches, though. I'm picky and they pre-make all their stuff. Naturally, they were OUT of what I like. I nearly cried. They said it would be 20 minutes, so I said I'd come back. I took off in search of Marks and Spencer instead. Found it and felt like I'd hit the motherload. I went shopping in the food hall and bought the most delicious sandwich--chicken and bacon. I got some chips, some fruit, some cheese, pasteries, desserts, bottled waters, and then some roasted chicken and rolls. Basically groceries for a few meals. It was divine. I came back and tore into the meal like I'd not eaten a week. I still had no idea what time it was. I turned on the television and it was 11 local time, which meant 5 a.m. at home.

After that, I slept. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it. I crashed and burned. I slept until 5. I finally dragged myself up and cleaned up enough to go out. I wanted to go see the National Gallery since it's open late on Wednesdays. I decided to take a bus so I could see the city and get my bearings. Ha! I ended up getting lost because that's what Kim does.

I've been to London four times before this. FOUR. You would think, therefore, that I could find Trafalgar Square when I was on Pall Mall, but nope, I couldn't. I was so lost and turned around that I finally had to ask for help. Then, I was certain that the directions she'd given me were wrong and was was about to just give up in disgust when I stumbled upon the place. How ridiculous. I have no idea where I was or where I thought I was eariler. Obviously, I don't have a map yet. Clearly, I need to purchase one. Will do first thing tomorrow.

The museum was spectacular as it is supposed to be. I wasn't expecting Ruebens to be my favorite artist.

Had a bear of a time finding the right bus to come home on. Am now going to go eat a bite and go to bed early. I'm planning to go to Kensington Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum tomorrow.

have to go

Oh, and BTW?

There are not nearly enough people saying WOO HOO.

1 GBP = 1.76111 USD

I think we can do better. Kim is a poor school teacher who has small children to feed and fake red hair to color. You're letting me down, people, you're letting me down.

Check, check, check

I think I'm ready to go. The new suitcase is packed. All of the kids' clothing is packed. The sleeping bags have been located for their camping trip. The house has been sort of cleaned. I've printed off everything I can think off. I've sent itineraries to various people so if I forget where I'm supposed to be, I can call them...of course, I just realized a few moments ago that I don't have a calling card that I can think of. I'm hoping I can scrounge around and find one from my New York trip. I think I had a free one that I didn't use. If not, I suppose I'll be purchasing something in the airport tomorrow during the generous layover in Hotlanta.

Now I just have to make myself go to sleep. That's going to be the hardest part of all. Eeek!

Shopping? Done.

I think I have now purchased everything that I could possibly need to take on this trip as well outfitted my children for any and all events that might come up while they are vacationing in West Virginia and Alabama (boy, they are certainly getting the short end of the family travel stick, aren't they?). I made my umpteenth trip to Wal Mart today to purchase the last minute things that we couldn't possibly do without and now I'm ready to put the stuff in various suitcases and bags and zip the whole mess up and be done with it. One more load of laundry and we're ready. I think. I hope. I pray.

I watched Live 8 yesterday. The London concert was fantastic and got me even more in the mood. I had originally planned to go to London on July 1 when I learned of this trip, so it was a bit depressing to know that I could have been in London for that had it all worked out, but on the other hand, I would have never been anywhere near all of that madness and that would have probably been even MORE depressing, so perhaps it's all for the best.

In a sort of weird little twist, the very first time I went to London, it was just as the Live Aid concert was about to take place. We only just missed it. I remember being so terribly crushed that we wouldn't be able to see it (as if we'd have gotten tickets). How very strange that here, twenty years later, I'm about to head back over and just miss it again. This, folks, is the story of my life.

In suprisingly good news, the pound is dropping versus the dollar! Please take a moment to say WOO HOO with me. "WOO HOO!" (did you say it--it doesn't count unless you did it outloud). As of this typing, the exchange rate is 1 GBP = 1.76792 USD which is still painful for me to even type, let alone contemplate, but certainly better than 1.83+ that it had been when I was looking a month ago. I can't remember the last time I was this happy about six cents.

Perhaps it will drop down to say, 1.70 by the time I get there? In two short days? Maybe? If everyone who reads this shouts WOO HOO rather like the whole Peter Pan clapping to save Tinkerbell thing---it could happen. Work with me. Oh, well, no one goes to London for the bargains anyway.

Money, Money, Money

I've now taken care of the financial end of things. I went to the bank to purchase some Traveller's Cheques as well as to inform them that I would be travelling to London for the month of July. This was necessary because if I didn't, they would report my debit card as a "hot card" and potentially cut off my funds whilst I was there and that could be a bad thing.

I wasn't going to even bother with the whole Am Ex thing this time around, but it dawned on me that if I lost my debit card, I would be up a creek (or the Thames as it might be). There could also be some sort of horrible nationwide electrical disaster that made it impossible to access any ATM machines. Or, I could just lose the stupid card. So, anyway, I purchased the good old fashioned cheques. I felt safer just having them in my hand.

The new card that American Express offers, by the way, is not nearly as easy as it looks. For one thing, they charge you $14.95 just to get one. This is a rip unless you are getting at least $1500 worth of spendy cash to take with you in that form. If so, that fee is offset because Am Ex charges you $1 per $100 if you don't have it as part of your banking fees. However, here's the kicker. When you use that card to make a purchase, American Express charges you more fees. They do not, however, charge you any more fees when you sign one of those little checks over to a merchant or when you drage your sweaty half-dead self in to one of their many Am Ex locations around the globe where you then wait in line for anywhere from 2 minutes to half an hour to exchange your $200 bucks for about half of that in the local play money. I suppose there is something to be said for a small fee, hmmmmmmmmm.

Anyway, I have cash. I can travel now. I also wore my new travel shoes, even if they do look like old lady shoes. They didn't kill my feet. In fact, despite the very clunky thick soles, they were incredibly comfortable. Once I got used to the whole "walking shoe" thing, I was fine. See, a "walking shoe" is much more firm than a standard athletic shoe or my usual flip flop. It's intended for things like cobblestones or tree roots and the like. I wasn't prepared for this at first and so I didn't pick my foot up quite enough when I was taking my initial step, thus dragging on the carpet and nearly rendering my four weeks of post-knee surgery rehab useless. Thankfully, I caught my balance and got the hang of walking and was able to adapt quickly. Any trouble with the shoe was solely operator error. I highly recommend New Balance and ordering them from Zappos. I ordered them on Wednesday and they arrived on Thursday. You can't beat that.