Week Four

Hey! It’s been a month here in London already! Time flies huh? It’s weird because it feels like I have been here for ages and at the same time, only a day. Each day gets better and better and I love it! Okay, so here’s what has been going on- it’s been a little crazy, so I’m a little behind on updating this. =p

Monday and Tuesday- I don’t really remember- most likely because I slept and did my normal grocery shopping. I tend to forget boring things haha.

Wednesday- Acting in London keeps getting better and it’s teaching me a whole new and interesting way to look at plays. As for the evening, it was chilling and drinking and then off to the Hobgoblin. After a few drinks at the Hob, Daria, Karen, and I went to Karen’s house for a bit, had a chat, and played with her kitten Roland! Fun night. =)

Thursday- LAUNDRY. And then some packing for the weekend in York. That night CEA planned for us to see Wicked. It was great. Two things irked me about the show, but I guess they were minor and the show was still amazing. The Elphaba, I thought, was a bit weak and seemed to childish. She resembled Galinda more but could belt so it wasn’t that bad. Fiyero was awkward. That’s it. He stumbled around trying to dance and he cut his notes too short. Awkward. The only other issue I had was the conductor. He rushed many parts causing the actors to rush and trip over lines and at some parts he was too slow and created an awkward silence. AND One Short Day was incredibly slow which took away from the excitement of the characters and the Emerald City. BUT the show was still phenomenal and I still got chills during the performance(this being my 4th time seeing Wicked), so the little issues didn’t really matter. Another good night!

Friday- Shakespeare- fun and uncomfortable at the same time. No performance analysis today! Instead, our class went to see Mother Courage at the Royal National Theatre. Fiona Shaw is incredible and the show was awesome. It was a version done by Tony Kushner and he really made the play great.

Saturday- Off to York!…at 6am…and on a bus for 4 hours… But we at least had a really cool tour guide- Sean. He is from Scotland. And that makes him awesome. =) We got to York and walked around for a bit and walked on the city wall. We then grabbed lunch and headed to York Minster, which if I remember correctly, is the largest minster in northern Europe. We got greeted by the Canon and got a tour guide named Mary. This place is beautiful and there was a choir singing while we were there. So from the minster we went to our Hostel, which was actually pretty nice. I roomed with Joe and the only Westminster boy, Eric. After settling in and grabbing a drink at the bar, we went back into York and had dinner and a ghost walk. The stories were actually really interesting but the walk itself wasn’t that great. Oh well. When the walk was done, we decided to stop at a pub. Well, half of the group went first while the rest of us figured out what we wanted to do. We wound up picking up some alcohol and drinking it on the way to the pub! Bailey’s! At the pub we met this Scottish guy and his girlfriend, who were both drunk and very friendly. We talked for quite a long while and he gave us the names of pubs to go to in Edinburgh.(I guess that means a trip to Scotland!) A long and tiring, but very fun day!

Sunday- English breakfast at the hostel. Delicious. We went to the Jorvik Viking Centre and saw what York was like when the Vikings were there. There was a “time machine” and this ride took us through a viking village complete with sounds and smells…..yes, smells and parts were horrible. From the Viking Centre we walked around before heading to lunch. Soup and sandwiches were perfect for a chilly day. =) Kate and I bought bagged Vikings while at the Jorvik Centre and they are now joining us on our travels throughout London and the rest of Europe! Kate’s is called Thorvik Odinthor(pe) and mine is Helvitica and Magnum Odinthor(pe), his wife and child. (Yes, I know we are crazy, but anyone reading this should have already known that!) And now it was time to leave York and go back on a bus for 4 more hours back to London. This time, however, our bus driver Ken decided to reveal the TV at the front of the bus. So we watched Blues Brothers on the way home. =)

Whew! Busy week! But it was a lot of fun. I’ll try to get the next week up this Sunday or Monday so I can get back on schedule with you guys!

Cheers,

Chris