And Now Adieu

So I ended up not posting once more from the UK.. whoops! I'm back in the states now, laying in bed on this very rainy day in Northwest Arkansas. We had a bit of delay in our flights due to weather systems yesterday, but everyone is now home safe and sound!

We stayed at a nice bed and breakfast in Stratford upon Avon that was walking distance to the city center and all the events/activities we planned on doing.  The river area is especially beautiful, and you can find cute dogs in kayaks there. On our first day, we saw Henry IV Part 1 and then explored for the rest of the day.

The next day we took a coach to Oxford to explore the city and university, then visited Blenheim Palace on the way back (boyhood home of Winston Churchill and current home of the Duke of Marlborough).

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford had a nice room with historical musical instruments, including a panel on how to build a violin.

This is the gate to Bleinheim Palace.  It's big.

For sure reason (car show?) there were lots of Crossfires at the Palace.

Churchill was an avid painter and pretty good at it.

The whole room was green--my favorite color!

We returned to Stratford to explore the Shakespeare properties the next day and see Henry IV Part 2.  This was our last full day in the UK--the next would consist of a bus to Heathrow and flying back home. 

Shakespeare's parents' bed, where supposedly he was birthed

The house's exterior

Anne Hathaway's cottage had perhaps the most beautiful grounds of all the properties.  Although these sleepy animals were in an adjacent property and park, the cottage land had a great garden and several nice walking paths.

This is the church where Shakespeare was buried.

And this is just a fat cat I found in an alley.

After Henry IV Part Two, the group went out to a final dinner at the Dirty Duck Pub, where Royal Shakespeare Company actors have been hanging out for years.  Memorabilia lines the walls and an actor from the production that evening came to join us for a drink.  Here we all are, looking all happy and probably a bit tired.

I'm still kind of tired and foggy from all the traveling, so I don't know if I want to make much of a final statement. Maybe I'll post once more with a short essay about my experience and what I learned, or perhaps not; that would seem so final, and I really didn't want this trip to end.

RK

Trials and Tribulation

We're leaving for Stratford-upon-Avon tomorrow morning at the strike of 8:00.

Packing must be completed today.

Packing is not fun. The vast collection of my purchases (mainly clothes) has made it a struggle to get everything managed in bags with appropriate weight for the flight, but I think I've succeeded with a 48-pound suitcase to be checked and an over-stuffed duffle and backpack to carry on the plane. But now that the packing tribulation is over, let's continue with an update on the last few days!

On Tuesday the 17th we went to a play titled This May Hurt A Bit. It hurt more than a bit. I chose to review this play and class and could say much, but I'll be brief. To me, it felt like a lecture about the upcoming demise of the British National Health Service and why we should prevent its death. There was plenty of story and character (with great acting), but any heart was overshadowed by the political browbeating. I love political theatre, but the point is subtlety, which this show lacked.

Wednesday brought a tour of Victoria and Albert Museum and a quick jog into the Science Museum. The V&A has large collections of stuff. And by stuff I mean anything. Theatre paraphernalia, wedding dresses, statues, jewelry, paintings... Stuff. Here's some of the theatre stuff I found intriguing.

Chihuly (?) or some kind of blown glass sculpture at the entrance

Joey from the production War Horse

Hand-written orchestral score for Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Weber

Score for a work called Nadia

Chris Martin's (of Coldplay) costume from the Viva La Vida tour

I happened upon the Royal College of Music's website and noticed that the school's saxophone ensemble was having their concert that evening and knew I had to go. The hall, organ, and acoustics were all beautiful and the music was very, very well-performed.

On Thursday morning I took a daybreak walk around parts of the city. Everything was still in the sleepy city and the sun was just peaking out from the horizon, setting buildings old and new ablaze.

(I've yet to post a phone booth pic, so here we are)

Our play on Thursday evening surprised me. I wasn't expecting much from Hobson's Choice, but it turned out to be an endearing comedy that touched on topics of feminism and social mobility in a tactful and believable manner. The venue, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, was beautiful and the set even had a revolve--outdoors!

So now we're back to today, my final day in the city. We had class this morning and gave our oral reports on a production we've seen during the trip, and then I visited the Cortauld Gallery, which had an Impressionist exhibit as well as a neat look into printmaking in addition to its usual collection.

Off to Stratford-upon-Avon tomorrow! Expect at least one more post from the UK, then I'll be back home. Cheers! RK