4th of July In London (Eternity is a terrible staircase)

How else does a U.S. citizen celebrate the 4th of July abroad in London than by getting a free burrito for lunch, going to see a cathedral and then going to see a play and meeting it's actors? Well, I don't know about the drunk masses of Americans that I did not quite see today, but the aforementioned activities are how I spent my Independence Day. Does that sound suitably patriotic? No? Well, it's not that easy trying to find ways to celebrate in a city that thinks it's an ordinary Monday.

This one Mexican place was giving out free burritos to American citizens to celebrate the occasion, so that is where most of our 30 person class went for lunch today. We got there 5 minutes before the place opened and probably overwhelmed the employees, half of which were from the United States themselves. But we all got our free food in the end. Think about it: the burritos usually cost £5 which is $8 about. So we got $8 burritos (really expensive, by the way) for free.

Then we went to St. Paul's Cathedral, where we took a tour and learned such interesting facts as that the second cathedral on the site (the first having been burnt down in London's Great Fire after taking 200 years to build) was built by a physicist and mathematician. Who made sure the structure was scientifically and mathematically sound. And it worked, because St. Paul's current structure, which took only 35 years to build, is a lot stronger than it's predecessor. It has withstood bombs falling on it, which is usually a good indicator of strength.

After the tour we climbed to the top of the dome, which took a lot of steps. A bit exhausting but not too bad until later when you realize your legs are shaking from the effort put upon them earlier. The view is worth it. You can see London stretching out before you on all sides, and on a clear day like the one we had it is magnificent. It costs less than the Eye (by only a few pounds, but still) for pretty much just as good a view of London, and a whole interesting cathedral (with crypts! and free tours) inside to make your money worthwhile. So I'd say skip the Eye and go with St. Paul's.

Later we went to see Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, this time for free, and it was just as good, if not better, the second time around. Samuel Barnett (Rosencrantz) and Jamie Parker (Guildenstern) really outdo themselves both in being hilarious and working so well off each other. They not only work up the funny moments but make sure the audience knows they're friends. At one point Rosencrantz, scared, runs up to Guildenstern, grabs him and pleads "Don't leave me!" (In another similar scene he grips Guildenstern in a tight hug.) And of course, when either character becomes melancholy the other tries to make him happy. And the two of them working so well together, despite having different personality traits, helps emphasize the fact that they are supposed to be two sides of the same coin, essentially. And any actors playing those two parts need to work extremely well together, as in this production, or else the effect would be lost.

Afterwards a few friends and I met Barnett and Parker, both of whom were very nice, and got our programs signed and some pictures. We even told Parker what other shows we'd seen (he asked what was good on the theatre scene) and about our studies. There weren't a lot of people there so it was nice to be able to meet the actors in a more peaceful environment than, say, Wyndham's Theatre and to really be able to tell them how great and funny they were, and to even make conversation. All and all it was a good way to end the night.



The free burrito, which was SO GOOD.


The geometric staircase at St. Paul's.


View of London from the top of St. Paul's.


Millennium Bridge from above.


Met the actors playing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They were so nice!

Eternity Is a Terrible...Nevermind

London is a wonderful place I've noticed. Last night I met David Tennant and today, well, I had an amazing day. In London you can do anything and I certainly did.

Today we took a trip to Leicester Square to get cheap tickets for one of the West End shows. We wanted Wicked but Wicked didn't want us and remained full price, so instead we got tickets to the Hamlet spin-off Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. If you haven't read it, you should. And if you have read it and want to see it, you should.

The performance was in the ornate Royal Haymarket Theatre, whose interior had intricate decorations along the wall emphasized by gold and a deep, black stage with minimalist set pieces that was perfect for the production. And what a fine production it was. Just hilarious and so well done the whole way through. Jamie Parker and Samuel Barnett in the lead roles of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz worked so well together, playing off of each others' words and actions and emotions effortlessly. Particularly, Barnett as Rosencrantz stood out as not only hilarious, but also a more worrysome and attached character than his counterpart, as well as adorably confused most of the time. Also standing out was Chris Andrew Mellon as the Player, hilarious as a man who takes his profession far too seriously. Everyone had excellent comic timing. And seeing the play performed really emphasized the hilarity of the piece, the genius of the wordplay, and the irony that is the very play itself. All and all, very worth seeing.

In addition to seeing one of my favorite plays produced, we ventured into the British Museum to look at the Islamic, Egyptian, and Greek sections for a bit. I also had a strawberries and cream crepe, which was one of the best things I've had all week. England seems to be lacking in dessert a bit at least where I'm concerned, but this made up for it (and I'm sure it's all my fault for not looking, anyway).

On the way back from the play we also got sidetracked by a HUGE gift shop. Two floor. Ridiculous! I got a bunch of stuff. And will probably regret it. But mostly it's for other people, with one scarf to keep myself warm since I didn't bring any warm clothes. I thought summer meant it would be warm. Apparently 'warm' here is 70 degrees. I still need a raincoat because it rains every time I go out.

Well, tomorrow is looking to be a market shopping day in the morning, followed by trips to St. Paul's and the Tower of London. We shall see if I can climb the over 500 steps to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. Hopefully I'm not weak enough to not be able to.