Okay... I love Berlin.

Paris was... okay. Whitney and I were ready to just sit down and chill. We got to our hostel at around 7:00. It was really cute on the outside. Our room was so tiny that Whitney couldn't get into her bed without climbing over my bed. And the website claims linens included. Linens = one sheet on the bottom of a smelly mattress that is pulled over to serve both as a sheet and a pillowcase + never-washed top blankets. And hot.

The up-side to our hostel was that we had a kitchen with some hot plates. Whitney and I were tired of eating out - and especially tired of eating cheese and bread/pasta. So we bought some microwaveable quiches from the grocery store and canned carrots, peas, green beans, and corn and had ourselves a little feast. Yummy yummy yummy.

Okay - so Monday night we did our dinner thing and then wandered around to find the Eiffel Tower at night. A special moment. For some reason I wanted one of those really cheap and tacky light-up Eiffel Towers that the sketchy night-sellers try to get you to buy. My biggest regret from Paris is probably that I didn't buy one. Darn.

So Tuesday was a kind of full day. Whitney and I walked everywhere. It was a really pretty day in Paris yesterday... so we didn't realize how long we had walked until we crashed in for dinner at like 6:00. We started the morning with a quick walk through Notre Dame before walking along the Siene to the Eiffel Tower. A long but pleasant walk. We bought some clementines. They were yummy.

We bought baguettes and ate them under the Eiffel Tower before we decided to go up - oh... and we bought chocolate crepes. Since it started raining while we were in line we decided only to go up to the first level (plus it's cheaper... know what I'm saying?). I had a pushy-shovey obnoxious smoking Italian couple in line pressed all up on me for half an hour - but hey... big surprise, right? We some how ended up in the middle of some large French elementary-school field trip to Eiffel Tower, which means that we stood heads above everyone else in the elevator while all the little kids in their little poofy jackets with hoods hooped and hollered when the lift started moving - it was kind of cute... a little crazy... but cute. We had hot chocolate on the first floor and waited for it to stop raining.

And then we went to the Catacombs. Creepy and puzzling. Five to six thousand bodies are buried under there from the late-17th/early-18th centuries. And all the arm and leg bones are stacked up on each other like Lincoln logs with skulls all rowed up within these walls of bone. Creepy. We got there just as it was closing... and the man in charge so amiable admitted us... and then gave us a private tour (which means he showed us some cool stuff... and hit on us at the same time...).

We were early to bed last night. We hit up the airport in good time today. I found ten Euro laying on the ground at the bus stop - the first good thing of a pretty wonderful day.

* * *

Our hostel here in Berlin is adorable. It is clean and cute and cheap! The guy who owns the place is from New Zealand - and he has pretty much done everything here himself... including building the bunk beds. I think he also owns the New Zealand Cafe/Bar next door, which is where Whitney and I had dinner (a huge... I am not playing... enormous cheeseburger with chili peppers and pineapples... with homemade french fries and a salad... for only 5.20... disgustingly delicious).

We're staying in an eight-bed mixed dorm room... with what looks like a family of four trying to find an apartment here in Berlin. Odd... but it could definitely be much worse. The beds are nice, and everything is clean.

The New Zealand Cafe/Bar serves a really really cheap breakfast, so Whitney and I are thinking about hitting that up tomorrow morning. Then we're going on some sort of free tour of the city of Berlin.

This city is going to be fun. Everyone has been so nice. I hope to come back.

* * *

Goodnight!

Whitney and I are about to check out of our hostel in Naples. We're going to grab some pizza and then fly to Paris on a 3:15 flight.

I am so done with Italy. Whitney and I went for a little walk along a cute shopping street yesterday. We had a long lunch of pizza and wine at a cute little pizzeria that was so busy the tables were overflowing from the little alleyway into the street. And then we came back to the hostel at like 4:45 and watched tv and sat on the internet for the next... five or six hours. It was a much-needed break.

Hopefully Paris will be much better.

* * *

Casey and Jodi called to say they got back to Furman. Jodi said my new little red suitcase was left. Poor Jodi - doesn't have much luck with suitcases. But whatever... it's fine.

* * *

OIff to try anchovie pizza.

In Naples.

Casey and Jodi met up with Whitney and me in Venice with relatively little problems. Whitney and I were close to burnt out since we left the Royal National at 3:00 in the morning. Jodi's luggage had been left in Milan - but no worries she got it back (highly damaged). Our bed and breakfast in Venice was so cute. And Fabrezio was awesome.

In Venice we shopped, visited the Accademia, saw San Marco's Basilica, went on a gondola ride, and pretty much just loved Italy.

Our Florence hostel was up a bajillion stairs and had four little beds (cots?) in the room. Oh - and a bathroom that was so tiny that I could literally sit and use the toilet while I was in the shower. The toilet was pretty much in the shower... and there was no curtain. I also bought another suitcase that Whitney and I put a bunch of our extra stuff into, and Jodi took that suitcase home with her (sweetheart).

In Florence we visited Greve in Chianti for dinner and wine tasting. We went to the Accademia and admired Michaelangelo's David (definitely a favorite of mine), the Duomo, and walked through the city to get to the Piazza Michaelangelo for a view of all of Florence (pretty gorgeous).

Our Rome hostel was not too shabby. It was more like a little flat with three rooms rented out (except that there was no stove). Cute. We had bunk beds and a little table in our room.

In Rome we toured the Colosseum, Paletine Hill, (kind of) the Forum, and the Vatican City. We also caught a glimpse of the Mouth of Truth (from Roman Holiday), went through Campo di Fiori and Piazza Navonna, saw the Pantheon, threw coins into the Trevi Fountain, and watched the sun set from ontop of the Spanish Steps. Oh - and we had Thanksgiving dinner at the Roadhouse Grill in the train station. I think we were all hungering for a piece of America.

Rome was the first day that it never rained.

We arrived to Naples by train yesterday. We left almost immediately for Pompei (really cool). And after Pompei we visited Sorrento for a little evening shopping and dinner. Sorrento is adorable. We went to the pier(?) and watched the kind of twilight hours over the water. We had our last gelato together. My dinner was delicious.

Whitney and I don't leave Naples until tomorrow. But let me tell you... it is a dirty and sketchy little city. Casey and Jodi left the hostel at about 4:00 this morning for the airport. It's been a good trip. I'm proud of how well we've gotten around - we've seen most of the biggie sites and had a lot of fun.

Tomorrow Whitney and I fly to Paris and stay there for two days before flying to Berlin for two days. And then it's back to London. I think we're both ready to be back home.

I don't really ever plan to come back to Italy again. Ever again. We've had fun... but the people here have treated us like garbage. Because we are young. Because we are girls. Because we are American. And me (particularly) because I am Asian. I could rant about this for forever - about how old men shove past us on the trains while we're struggling to lift our luggage onto the upper luggage racks, about the racism, about how people in stores talk to us like we're incompetant, and on and on and on and on. I am just ready to be home.

* * *

I need a shower. I love Whitney.

My final group presentation was this morning. I think it went okay. The exciting part about being done with the presentation is that I have NO MORE WORK.

Using the lobby computer. It sucks and is expensive.

About to buy Spamalot tickets for tonight with Sims and Whitney. Maybe w'll get them. Maybe not. Should be fun.

Wow - so much to recap. Hmm... let me see....

Last Sunday (October 29th) Whitney, Heather, Kristen, and I had tea at Harrod's. For £20 you get tea and one of those cute little three-tiered treat trays. What nobody tells you is that you can have as much food and tea as you want. The four of us went to Harrod's and explored Christmas World for a bit before heading to the fourth floor Georgian Restaurant for tea at 3:45. We had four pots of tea, a tray of desserts and two extra tarts, a tray of eight scones, and three plates of sandwiches. We were in the restaurant until it closed. And oh - it was delicious. The desserts included fruit tarts, fruitcake, chocolate mousse, and a rasberry eclair. The scones were raisin scones and came with clotted cream, orange marmalade, and rasberry jam. The sandwich plate had cucumber, smoked salmon, ham, egg salad, and tomato & pesto sandwiches. Yummy.

Wednesday (November 1st) night we saw The Seafarer at the Royal National Theatre. I was a bit bored. In fact... it is the only show in which I have actually fallen asleep. Oh well.

On October 19th we saw The Life of Galileo. Eh.
On October 23rd we saw Caroline, or Change. One of the best things we've seen so far. An excellent production.

We have also been to the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, the National Portrait Gallery, Windsor Castle (very cute shops all around it), and Highgate Cemetery.

On Thursday (November 2nd) Whitney, Lindsay, Heather, and I went and saw Les Miserables at the Queen's. It is not the world's longest running musical (of 21 years). Our seats were front row in the balcony on the far right of the house... pretty much ontop of stage left. And yes, the show was fantastic. The other three girls all loved it. Oh - and we had dinner in Chinatown before the show.

Thursday was also the day of the hated scavenger hunt. It was a horrible experience.

Saturday (November 4th) night Whitney, Lindsay, Kevin, Murdock, and I saw a production of Bent in Trafalgar Studios (starring Alan Cumming). The show is the story of a gay man in a concentration camp who finds love with another prisoner. It was very powerful and intense. The whole thing was blow-your-mind incredible. We had great seats. In about the sixth or seventh row left-to-center (student tickets).

Last night we had Ladies' Night. We had snacky-poos in Meg and Lindsay's room. And then we went to the roof of the hotel (for Guy Fawkes Night) and saw the fireworks that were being shot off all over the city. Really neat. Then eleven of us went out to eat at an Italian restaurant called Verdi before coming to the London Pub for a bit. It was a great night.

Whitney's birthday is today.

Tuesday night we are seeing Faust. Wednesday we are seeing Teresa Raquin.
And Thursday Whitney and I are going to see Wicked. With Idina Menzel. Freaking nuts - it's going to be great.

Okay - we've been in this internet cafe a while. Need to go. Bye bye.

Amsterdam this weekend.

Monday we saw Tom and Viv at the Almeida Theatre. Minimalist set. Excellent acting. I really enjoyed it.

Tuesday we saw A Moon for the Misbegotten at the Old Vic. The set was so... oddly beautiful. A working water pump. A crazy slanted shack of a house. A torn up recliner. A gorgeous blue background that angled back. Everything was angled and crooked - like it was about to collapse and fall over. Kevin Spacey is the artistic director for the Old Vic, and he is the male lead in Moon - I say male because the character of Josie is... killer.

Oh yes - I got my haircut on Tuesday as well. About four inches cut off at a place called Mr. Toppers.

Wednesday we went to Buckingham Palace to start a walking tour to Trafalgar Square guided by Dr. Leavell. Sounds interesting right? Two and a half hours of boredom. I finally just put my camera away. We went down these little side streets to see these statues that were all tucked away and sheltered by trees. I wonder why they are tucked away.. hmm... because typical tourists aren't interested in the hundred years of history surrounding them. And yes, we got those hundred years of history from Dr. Leavell. BAH!

Thursday Whitney and I did laundry, bought groceries, and I got a few pictures developed. And then we saw The Life of Galileo at the Royal National Theatre. Some great great acting. But... I thought it was just okay. And not because of the Brechtian devices, etc.

Yesterday I paid six pounds to see a performance of The Miser just down the street from our hotel. It was an adaptation. And it wasn't the best production we've seen by any means. But I was never bored. I really liked it.

And then last night Whitney, Sims, Lindsay, Meg, Amy, and I went to Leicester Square for dinner. I had miso ramen noodles at wagamama - very yummy. We bought tickets to see The Queen. Interesting fact: movie theatres here have assigned seating.

* * *

I almost met Emma Thompson last night. One of the movie theatres in Leicester Square was hosting the premier of Stranger than Fiction (starring, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Will Ferrell). Thompson, Hoffman, and Ferrell were at the premier!

Well the red carpet was just being rolled out as we walked past, and since we had some time to kill before our movie we decided to wait around and see if we could get a glimpse of these three biggies. They rolled up in white cadillacs. Emma Thompson got there first. And she was taking pictures with people and signing autographs. And she was making her way down the people lining the red carpet. And she was coming closer closer closer to me - she got three people away from me before some lady (her agent?) pulled her away by the waist! Emma reached out and signed a few more autographs for people while she was being rushed inside. It was horrible!

Whitney got away from us and got an autograph from her. Haha - she told her she looked "sparkly" - like a disco ball. She's crazy. And I love her.

I got close to Dustin Hoffman. But not really that close. Plus I was standing next to a big fat gay man who had an entire folder of pictures of Dustin Hoffman. He was screaming "Dustin! PLEEEASE!" Yes, I was embarassed for him. Although I was going a bit crazy for Emma Thompson. I tried to rally the people around me to scream "Emma!" on the count of three. But our cries of love went unheard. Terrible.

Will Ferrell pretty much just stepped out of his car, signed a couple autographs, and went inside. Disappointed me.

* * *

Not much else. Today is going to be chill. We see Caroline or Change on Monday night. But we don't have class until Tuesday. So I've got a few days to relax. Ahhhh.

I may try to post pictures in a second.

A few people have asked for my mailing address. Mail takes... I think about a week to get here if it's just a letter or a postcard or something. I leave here for my independent travel on November 17th, but I come back November 31st and December 1st.

L.A. Jacobs
Royal National Hotel
38-51 Bedford Way
London, England
UK WC1HODG

* * *

So my first week in London is over. I have class Tuesday to Friday from about 10:00 am to noon-ish. So from noon on Fridays for most all of Mondays I have complete free time. It's pretty nice.

On Friday Whitney and I just went back to the room and crashed for a few hours. And on Saturday we went with Allison to get her hair done (she looks like a rock star now) in Notting Hill with Maryanne, Sarah, and Meredith. The hair studio was only a few blocks from the Portobello Street Market - which is apparently this really famous market that stretches for over a mile with goods ranging from cheap clothes to antiques to fresh fruits and vegetables... oh it was amazing. I spent about thirty pounds, but I got a lot of really cool stuff. Yesterday we tried to go to service at St. Paul's, but the tube station at St. Paul's was closed for the weekend. So we took some roundabout way and got there about ten minutes late. But in the afternoon Whitney and I met up with her friend Tara (studying abroad in a school just outside of London) for lunch and wandering. Today was pretty chill. We went to Harrod's because their food section is freaking huge and amazing. They've got a section for fresh fruit and dried fruit and trail mix and then a deli and a place that sells sushi and a place for all kinds of salads and then a whole area for cakes and truffles and oh it all looks delicious.

Last week we visited St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. We've got other sight-seeing things spread out over the weeks we've got left here.

Hmm... oh - and we saw The Alchemist. It was okay - the pacing was a bit slow for me. And they had done a lot of adaptations that just made me wonder why they hadn't just gone ahead and adapted the script as well. And we were in the third balcony or some such. I miss Stratford and being so close to the actors that we were getting spit on and having the productions and acting be blow-your-mind incredible. I love Stratford.

Have I mentioned Much Ado About Nothing? The last night in Stratford. Oh my goodness - I loved it. It's worth every penny I paid and every second that I spent sitting in the rain in the middle of the night. Hilarious and brilliant. And afterwards we met up with Shane at the Dirty Duck - it was so much fun! A perfect end to a great two weeks.

I'll have to come back when I get the time and do a recap on my last week in Stratford.

* * *

Oh - and last week Whitney and I went with Harrison to get his eyebrow pierced. It actually looks pretty cute on him - and I didn't expect it to. At all. But I like it a lot. And now I'm planning on going back to get second holes in my ears and a big tattoo of Whitney's face over my heart. I'm just kidding about the tattoo... but I do plan on getting my ears pierced again. So think on that.

* * *

London is pretty great. Whitney and I have been getting around pretty easily on the tube. Sometimes we just hit up random sites because they're so easy for us to get to. Pretty cool to have the freedom to do that at our leisure. I want to see as much of London as I can while I'm here!

If Casey and Jodi are reading this - Whitney and I cannot wait to meet up with you in Venice!

* * *

I need to go. Whitney and I are going to the grocery store, and then we're going to see Tom & Viv tonight. And I need to read The Wasteland and Mrs. Dalloway. The professors have actually assigned a lot more work than I thought they were going to... as in more than they told us before we came - but that's okay I guess.

Hmm... I need to add some more pictures - but that'll have to wait until I can grab a friend's computer to load them. But hopefully now there will be more posts on this now that I know how close the internet cafe is to the hotel.

Bye!

Heated discussion this morning on King John. People were literally screaming over other people.

For lunch I bought a delicious pastie, and it was delicious.

Maryanne, Allison, and I went to the box office to check on tickets for Friday's performance of Much Ado About Nothing. The tickets have been sold out for months because the show is supposed to be killer. Lucky lucky us. Two seats were available in the second row, center section, on the end. Marvelous seats. Thirty pounds - a bit high... but not really... seeing as how it would be at least that much in the states. And because this is supposed to be a freaking amazing prouction. And because I am obsessed with Much Ado About Nothing.

The thing with tickets (for the Swan Theatre) is that they reserve five tickets for 16-25 year olds the morning of the show. They're really cheap... but usually just standing room in the back. But in order to get those tickets, you have to queue outside the box office at about 5:00 in the morning. Allison, Sims, Lindsay, and Kristen all still want tickets. So we plan on camping out. I'm way excited about it - if they're still for real about wanting their tickets. We don't want to leave them out there by themselves. Plus - it'll be really cool just to do. I'm excited - and looking forward to seeing how tomorrow night goes.

Today we saw Henry VI, Parts 2 and 3 - and they were unbelievably amazing. The entire Henry VI Trilogy was just... ah... incredible. In fact, tonight it even got a standing ovation.

Oh - and Shane was in the seats right next to our group for Part I. And he gave me a t-shirt. The kind that they don't sell in the gift shop. Then he walked back with Allison, Maryanne, and me - since he lives only a block or two away.

So that was a very brief summary of a very good day. But I'm tired (and I've packed a good bit of my stuff). So goodnight.

I'm getting pictures onto facebook. I'll link them to livejournal soon - it's just taking me forever.

An entire free day! We slept in really late, got up and had a bowl of cereal, came back and laid in the bed, and now we're about to grab a bunch of food!

It's raining.

* * *

Henry VI, Part 1 yesterday morning. Awkward-ish seats - but an excellent performance. Can't wait to see Parts 2 and 3 on Wednesday.

Wonderful. I love Stratford. Love it.

I am so incredibly relieved to be in one place for more than two days. Let's see... in three weeks we toured Galway, Sligo, Donnegal, Letterkenny, Belfast, Dublin, Conwy, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Oxford, York, and Bath.

Okay - so here I'm staying at this wonderful bed & breakfast called Quilts and Croissants. I'm rooming with Maryanne - and also kind of Meredith (she's in a single right next door, and the three of us spend all of our time together). Also here are the professors, Kristen, Wink, Murdock, and Nort - everyone else in this group is in the other b&b just around the corner.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and walked to the downtown-ish area for a bit. It's really not far at all, which is good - especially since we have to walk there for discussions and lecture. Sunday also happened to be Hayley's birthday, so the entire group went to a pub just a block or two down the street (The Lamplighter) for a little lighthearted celebration.

Monday morning we woke up and were introduced to the course by Paul Edmonson. I love him - he's such a spectacular lecturer and discussion leader. Paul has also co-written a book on Shakespeare's sonnets. Oh - and did I mention that he's fantastic?! After the introduction to the course we had a thirty-minute break for tea and coffee - we always have a break for tea and coffee... usually twice a day. Crazy fact: I have stopped drinking coffee. Of course I compensate by drinking cups and cups and cups of tea. After our break, Paul lectured us on Romeo and Juliet. His lecture was pretty flipping amazing. I was really upset that at least half the people in this group were being very "I am so sick of Romeo and Juliet" and "Oh I hate Romeo and Juliet." But Paul's lecture really explored the text, and everyone who had the "We studied Romeo and Juliet when I was a freshman" mentality was surprised to find that there is always more to think about with Shakespeare and always more to discover within his plots, characters, and language. Oh - and we toured Nash's house.

That night we saw a production of Romeo and Juliet in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We had seats in the third row from the front, and I had one of the seats nearest the center (our group sat house right). It was marvelous - we were so close that you could see every burst of spit as the actors spoke. This production included a frame story: two fueding Sicilian families come to an armistice every year or so and perform Romeo and Juliet. Because they have reached this armistice, they surrender their weapons before the production begins. And because they have surrendered their weapons, all of the fighting is done with long wooden staves and flamenco dancing. I loved it. And most everything that other people disliked I thought was just fine.

After the show we went across the street to The Dirty Duck - a pub where the actors go after the show to have a drink and wind down after shows. We were hoping to meet Romeo... but sadly... we never saw him. Instead we met this guy named Shane who is a newbie to the Royal Shakespeare Company (he played Sampson). He was very friendly and answered a lot of our questions.

Tuesday morning Paul led our discussion. I was surprised to find that about half of the group didn't love the show as much as me. Oh well. We had a break and had a Question and Answer session with Sorcha Cusack - she played the nurse. And I thought she was wonderful, although some people were not entirely impressed with her performance. She is delightful.

Our lecture that afternoon was on Cymbeline. That afternoon we toured the birthplace and then did a bit more wandering of the downtown area - poking our heads into shops. The production of Cymbeline (at the Swan Theatre - great seats, first row of the second balcony, and all the seats are good there) was a modern adaptation - very little of Shakespeare's language, but it followed the plot and involved the same characters. The music was fantastic. The acting was (for the most part) excellent. The set was incredible. But... I don't know... I would have liked to have been forewarned about this adaptation before I went to go see it. I was expecting Shakespeare's Cymbeline, which this production was not. Interestingly enough, the members of our group who disliked Romeo and Juliet absolutely loved Cymbeline, finding it "brilliant."

Oh - and on our walk back to our b&b, we bumped into Shane (remember - the guy who we met at The Dirty Duck after Romeo and Juliet) who had likewise just left the show. He offered Maryanne and I a ride back to Evesham Place (our street) since he was driving by on the way back to where he lives (don't worry - everyone else knew we were going with him). He's a nice guy. The company who put on Romeo and Juliet is also putting on King John (which I have heard is one of the best shows we'll see) and Much Ado About Nothing (which, sadly and unfortunately, we will not be seeing). Pretty cool.

Because the group varied so much in its extremities of loving or hating the production, Paul led our Tuesday morning's discussion by having everyone share their favorite aspect/part of the production as well as their least favorite. I found the discussion to be most useful. Everyone shared their thoughts and feelings, agreed or disagreed. No one's feelings were hurt, etc. We've got a really great group for discussions - I've really enjoyed hearing everyone's thought. And the great thing is that even in an hour's time we don't share all that we want. In fact, we usually talk about the show after we see it for at least an hour and then again during discussion and again during a break or two and even after then. It's fantastic.

Oh - and funny story - Maryanne and I walked back during our break to go and take a nap at the b&b (it's only a ten-minute walk). And while crossing a street downtown we passed this car that looked like Shane's. And it was his! And he waved! So cool - we've got an actor-friend. Well... kind of.

After our break we received a lecture on Shakespeare and Stratford and a post-colonial interpretation of The Tempest. The Tempest lecturer was not my favorite.

That night (Tuesday) we saw a production of The Tempest (again at the RST), with Patrick Stewart as Prospero. It was a concept production in that instead of setting the play on an island in the Mediterranean, the director chose to set it in the Arctic. I thought it was a pretty cool concept... that just didn't work for me. Patrick Stewart was incredible - he's been in the company since it began in 1960. But most everyone else sucked. They chose to portray Miranda as this socially inept/autistic/socially awkward homeschooled girl - and I hated it. Hated Trinculo. There was no tempest scene in the beginning - hugely disappointing. No one particularly enjoyed it - which could be because several people on this trip were involved in the production that we did this past spring, but even still... other people weren't so thrilled by the production either. Oh! I loved Ariel! He was this stiff, chilling, and brittle. Oh! And for the line "You are three men of sin" he erupted out of a walrus that had been dragged on stage. He emerged in a red suit that made him look like the inner organs of the walrus, and when he spread his arms he had bones for wings. It was amazing. I wish I had a better word... because... there was this total moment of "What the hell?! That is freaking incredible!" that just rushed over the audience. Aside from that amazing moment, the beautiful (I mean... beautiful) set, Prospero (Patrick Stewart), and Ariel... I was less than thrilled.

Discussion the on Thursday was a bit of a drag. No one particularly loved the show, and the discussion leader that day seemed to have an agenda of things she wanted us to discuss - so we ended up leaving a lot of ideas unsaid and discussing aspects of the show which not many people cared about. After our break we had a Question and Answer session with Rob Carroll who played a Mariner (not a large part - but he was still extremely knowledgeable about Shakespeare and working with the Royal Shakespeare Company). Oh - and he's the understudy for Trinculo (sounds like I would have preferred his interpretation of the character) and Alonso. I loved hearing him speak - he is so passionate about being here. He said that he wrote to the RSC for five years before they would even let him audition (he's from Australia). Great guy. I'm going to have to remember his name in case he ever makes it big. He seems so grateful to be here and to have this opportunity - it was great to hear him speak. The downer to our Q&A session was that the moderator (same woman who led our discussion, same woman who gave the post-colonial lecture - eh) asked questions for the first half hour. Not a fan of that - but whatever.

We received a lecture from Vivian Thomas on Julius Caesar - he's written a book. Interesting, but the lecture went twenty minutes too long - and the entire class was extremely exhausted. Still a good lecture though.

We had another tea break before having a voice class with one of the RSC's voice coaches! I thought it was really fun. We warmed up and then she had us do exercises where we really exaggerated our faces for the sounds for reading verse. We explored the vowel sounds and consonant sounds and looked into the iambic pentameter. We also did a few exercises where we walked while speaking and stopped at full-stop punctuation and then again while immediately changing direction when coming to other punctuation. Pretty cool - I really enjoyed it.

After the voice class, Maryanne, Meredith, and I just bummed around in the room until dinner (as usual).

And then we went to see Julius Caesar at the RST. I sat on the fourth row this time (ah! delicious!) except all the way house right. Still an unbelievably wonderful production. My favorite of the shows we've seen so far. I love love loved it. Unlike the other three shows, this production had no set - and it had a lot of blood. The same company which produced the not-so-hot production of The Tempest is the same group that performed last night in Julius Caesar and that will also perform in Antony and Cleopatra (with Patrick Stewart as Mark Antony). And let me tell you... (aside from horrible Trinculo) the performances of these actors was so much better. Rob had told us that for The Tempest, the actors never did a read-through and that in rehearsals they split up into groups (Miranda and Ferdinand; the nobles; Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban) and never worked together as a whole. He said that this direction was entirely different - he said that the actors worked with the script alone for two weeks, learning the meaning of every single word and working together to understand and convey the language before they did anything else. And oh - we could tell. Brutus (Caliban) was amazing - amazing. I don't even know what to say - Brutus, Mark Antony, Caesar, and Cassius were all so strong. I was totally wowed by the performance. Other people weren't as impressed - but whoa! I want to try and see it again when we have a night off (like tonight) or when it tours London or somewhere I can get to on a weekend.

I wanted to go to The Dirty Duck afterwards to meet the cast, but everyone else was too tired to stick around for it. Disappointing - but I'm okay with it since we'll have another chance to go after Antony and Cleopatra (oh jolly!).

Today we had a discussion about the production - I felt it was dominated by the same few people (Doug being one of them), but that's okay. I was content just to be totally in love with the production and think of it as the best thing ever.

Oh! And we walked to Anne Hathaway's cottage - about a mile from our b&b. My favorite of the houses we've seen so far, but I was really too exhausted to linger about it.

Maryanne and I hit up Subway for lunch today before taking about an hour-long nap.

Today our lecture was on Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3. I love the Henry VI trilogy - for real - it's my favorite of the plays we were required to read (which was a good many). It's a good thing I took a nap though because our lecture was an hour and half long. Whew.

After the lecture Murdock, Meredith, Kevin, and I did a little improv in one of the rooms at the Shakespeare Institute. Oh it was so much fun! I personally was in a great mood for improv - and we played a couple of games that I hadn't played before (or remember playing before) and loved them all. This is... hmm... the third time we've done improv on this trip. Not bad.

So... afte we got back Murdock let me use his computer, I was interrupted to go down to dinner, I finished up this entry, and now here I am.

Dinner was crazy. Dinner is always crazy.

Lindsay and Sims want Maryanne, Meredith and I to hang out with them at the other b&b tonight since we've all got a bunch of nothing to do. Should be fun to spend time with them.

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Wow. Enough of an update? Hopefully I'll snag some more chances while we're here in Stratford, and then I'll become pretty consistent while in London. I say hopefully... but then I made this livejournal hoping that I would have excellent posts.

Well that's all for now. Hope everyone at home is doing well!

* * *

( Dinner Menu )

Ah... Stratford!

Romeo and Juliet on Monday!
Cymbeline last night!
The Tempest tonight!

This journal sucks. Sorry.

Since I'm horrible at updating, you can check out my friend Kevin's journal at:
kevinmeetseurope.blogspot.com
or Murdock's journal at:
blog.charlesmurdocklucas.com

I'm setting up a snapfish account right now so that I can post some pictures!

Hello from Scotland!

Tonight is our last night in Edinburgh - tomorrow we go to York and from there to Oxford, Cambridge, and then Bath. So far we've seen Galway, Sligo, Letterkenny, Belfast, Dublin (all in Ireland), and Chester (in Wales).

Right now I'm out with Whitney and Maryanne. Whitney is (most likely) going to be my roommate in London, and Maryanne is definitely one of my roommates for Stratford. And we're crazy.

Umm... I don't have a bunch of time left (we visited an internet cafe). I've been keeping a fairly up-to-date written journal with lots of details - and when I finally get some time to sit infront of a computer I just blank out on what to say. Don't worry - I'm sure entries will become more interesting and more detailed once the group settles in Stratford and then in London.

Yes, I'm having fun. Yes, (most) everything that we have seen is amazing. Yes, I have spent an insane amount of money. Yes, the food is yummy. Yes, I've made some new friends. Yes, I like the professors. Yes, I'm tired all the time. Yes, I am so excited about the rest of the trip. Have I left anything out?

Well I've got two minutes of time left, so I'd better wrap this up. Miss you all. E-mail me your home address if I don't have it. I might get a chance to send a postcard!

BYE!

I'm here.