London Part 2

I visited London again October 12-16. Still a little sick, but so excited to go back. I absolutely love London - in many ways I wish I had chosen a study abroad program there, because I simply cannot get enough of that city. There's always something new, something beautiful, something inspiring.

Oh, and four of my best friends just happen to be there! An added bonus if ever there was one.

I took very few photos this time around, so bear with me through all the writing that is about to follow.

It's about a two hour train ride from Norwich to London Liverpool, and then another 30 minutes on the tube to Marylebone Station. Basically, it's like driving from Veneta to Portland, something I am very familiar with, so it feels like no time at all. Also it's a lot easier to read on trains than in cars, so I was able to get some homework done when I wasn't bothering the poor man next to me with my coughing.

One of the highlights of London this time around was the food. After a few weeks of eating no meat, I spoiled myself rotten with chicken pad Thai, delicious Italian pasta, chicken fajitas...lots of chicken! Also a slice of bacon. There are reasons I'm not a vegetarian, folks. (This has become a trend, which you will hear about in my Oxford post, where I don't eat meat at UEA and then treat myself when I take weekend trips. A lot of this has to do with money/time/food here goes bad so fast and I just don't want to deal with rotten meat, thanks.)

Once again, I saw two plays during my stay: The Woman in Black and Twelfth Night. I was so excited for The Woman in Black - probably too excited. I had very high expectations for the amount of terror I was going to experience. Also, though I hadn't been coughing much all day, the second the lights dimmed for the show to start I had a massive cough attack. Luckily, the man sitting next to me offered me his beer, and luckily, it's legal for me to drink over here. I made sure to have a drink with me after intermission, just in case.

Overall, the show was enjoyable. It made me jump, the acting was very impressive, and they did some amazing things with lighting. BUT, I didn't walk away terrified. Which is what I was hoping for. So maybe not worth £18.

The next day I went to see the final showing of Twelfth Night at the Globe Theatre. It was my first Globe experience, and boy did I pick a great show. HERE'S WHY:

THAT'S RIGHT. YOU ARE LOOKING AT A PICTURE OF STEPHEN FRY. AKA ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE BRITS EVER.

I was not prepared. Everyone kept talking about Mark Rylance, who admittedly had an unbelievable performance, better than Sir Stephen's. But no one bothered to mention Stephen Fry was going to walk out on stage and cause me to basically have a heart attack. Roger Lloyd-Pack, who played Barty Crouch Sr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was part of the cast as well.

I think Twelfth Night was definitely one of the best plays I've seen while abroad, and I've seen a fair few. The comic timing was superb, and I hardly noticed I was standing for over three hours. Plus, because it was the final performance, one of the traditions is for the actors to throw roses into the audience, and for the audience to throw roses on stage in return. A lovely lovely tradition, if I do say so myself. We managed to grab a couple roses after director came out and did his thank-yous. 

Rositsa (Nasko's sister), Nasko and me after the show!

Summary: 2nd trip to London = success.