The pictures above shall be explained below.
After the nothing of Tuesday (we went shopping for a bit and then headed back, most of us really tired from staying up to write reviews; though I tried my first Vietnamese dish--Pho) Wednesday came with a lot of surprise activities. Originally we were going to go to St. Paul's Cathedral--we've actually planned this several times but put it off because it involves climbing over 500 steps to the top, and doing anything else involves plenty of walking as well. Our legs have gotten a lot of work. A LOT.
As I predicted, during class I heard my professor read a line from my review on War Horse, though luckily this was because he liked what I wrote rather than in a fit of criticism. Then he suggested that as our play for that night, Comedy of Errors, would take place a bit further from the center of London than we were used to, in the region of Hampstead, that we should go early to explore what the area, apparently home to some of the most expensive living in London, had to offer.
We took the tube to Hampstead and climbed out of the underground onto a pretty looking street with cool shops and cafes. We made the mistake of pausing outside of a bakery and had to go in to have chocolate croissants, which were very good, and thus it is no longer considered a mistake that we went there. Then we found a tea shop with adorable mugs, an assortment of wonderful smelling teas, and a variety of 'luxury' hot chocolate including the wonderful white hot chocolate I bought and have already taken to drinking.
We then walked to poet John Keat's house, through a neighborhood of lovely houses with excellent gardens. The actual house was nothing special, just rather cute and with some fun facts. Then we had a fifteen minute walk through Hampstead through some of the most beautiful houses we have seen--mansions in the style of brownstones but so much more, all made of brick or, in some cases, entirely white. Even the schools looked like old mansions of rusted red brick. Trees lined the streets and the CARS. There were many nice cars. And probably many rich people to go with them. The cars were also nicer, letting us cross the street rather than speeding up upon seeing us in the road.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant near the Hampstead Theatre, which was really good. Now, whether this was exceptional Chinese food or we were just starving, or both, we cannot tell. But it worked for what we needed. And well fed we went to the theatre.
Comedy of Errors was...well...trippy. I walked out of the theatre feeling like I'd been put on acid and made to watch Shakespeare. As I wrote on Facebook (a condensed version of my 9 page review for class written last night): "First of all it was set in Mexico. When the script calls for it to be set in Ephesus (and this play mentions that place a LOT). And then there was a LOT of slapstick to the point where it got tiring, and a lot of over-the-topness. And the icing on the cake was the man who ran into the audience naked with, I kid you not, a sparkler up his ass."
Today was a bit more calm. I'm tired from staying up till sunrise to write the review (a lot of people pull all-nighters though). I personally needed that 4 hours of sleep I got. I'm feeling it today. Most of my flatmates went to a concert in Hyde Park for Mumford and Sons, Beirut, and Arcade Fire, which sounded awesome but cost $90 and I wanted to save money for travel.
I went to the Doctor Who store instead, in Upton Park, which is in East London. Which is more run down than central/west London. The area was full of vibrant culture--a lot of Asian ethnicity in particular, with Indian and Chinese food places lining the streets. There was also a cool looking outdoor market. The area is also home to the West Ham Football Team's stadium. However, the area did have a run-down, slightly sketchy look. So I didn't stay long and didn't wander off since I don't know the area as well as central London and was alone. So I went back.
I've been in the flat ever since, pondering why I can't get Parmesan cheese from any grocery store, eating some cookies I got and drinking hot chocolate. And trying to figure out how the washing machine works. It seems to want to beat the dirt out of my clothing and then steam them dry. Hopefully that just means my clothes are damp and not shrunken beyond recognition. But most people have done well with the washer, even if it has taken hours.
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