No Whistling Allowed

When last we parted I had finished a tour of Kensington Palace and raved about the production of King Lear that I thought to be the best show yet.  A View From the Bridge, which we saw Friday, June 6, might have taken Lear's place.  More on that...first the British Museum!

As one of the most famous museums in Britain, the British Museum is bound to have some interesting exhibits for everyone: mummies, statues, ancient artifacts, etc, etc.  It's also extremely close to our lodgings.  Unfortunately, nearly everything is in glass cases, making good pictures difficult.  Here are a few.

Communist-themed dinnerware

Modern Art?

Ancient chess

Dolla bills, ya'll (from an interesting exhibit on the evolution of money)

           

Museum exterior

After the museum I took a walk to Oxford and Regent Streets--massive tourist shopping centers.  Here's a picture from an enormous toy store called Hamley's of a nearly life-sized Lego clone trooper:

Now we get to A View From the Bridge.  The production had its flaws, but I think Arthur Miller's work was able to shine through and adequately touch several topics, including immigration, growing up, homosexuality, and honor.  The lead was Mark Strong, famous for roles in tons of Hollywood blockbusters, and he gave the strongest performance by far.  The setting of the stage was most unique; props were absent, as was any visual depiction of locale.  A bare, white rectangle was the only space in which the actors (excepting the chorus-like projection) had to play.  Ledges on the exterior, maybe a foot or so high, became chairs and walls, and the actors were keen on using space between themselves on the brightly-lit floor to create tension.  Most distracting were the accents, or lack of unity thereof, as some players didn't even attempt to give their voice an Italian sheen.

The next day was a rainy Saturday morning and perfect for exploring the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill museum.  The former was simply a series of rooms left or restored to as they were when Winston Churchill took up the underground space during World War II thanks to German bombing.  The latter I found much more interesting, and held several interactive media exhibits chronicling the leader's life.

One of Churchill's quirks--he hated unnecessary noise.

(Another sign said we didn't actually have to turn off the switch)

Found a quaint place called Neal's Yard thanks to another student on the trip!

Aaaaaand here's Chinatown!

Yesterday I explored Camden market.  There's this crazy store called Cyberdog... nothing much to buy, but fun to look at.  Also some great views of a little part of the Thames (I think...)

This is Primrose Hill.  You can't really tell from the picture, but it has a fantastic view of all of London.  Sunday was the nicest day in a while so everyone was out soaking up the sun while they could.

Regent's Park