Indy Travel Pictures!

Ok! Here are some long overdue pictures!



Randomly, here's Ned and I in front of my favorite Chinese restaurant in London...
















Now the Indy Travel Pics...

Here's Hayley on the Train to Stratford...













And me, looking zoned out, on the Train..


















And Chandler and Kristen making a perfect picture on the train.













Later, when Hayley and I arrived in Cork, we decided to spruce up out room with a lovely carpet scrap we picked up at a store near the hostel...


Comfy...













Cork had a "Vision Center" that was to show the future of Cork City. They had a scale model which I rampaged through and destroyed. They were terrified of me, and gave me all the butter in Cork to stop destroying their city. True story.















This is the lovely inside of St. Finbarre's Cathedral in Cork.




















And its haunting Neo-French-Gothic Exterior. Scary.




















And here is the inside of St. Francis church. Not especially historical, but pretty!




















That's all for now. Maybe some new ones later!

In Glasgow... and thinking about the future.

So here I am in the lobby of the Eurohostel in Glasgow using free wifi. Very nice.

I said goodbye to Ireland for a very long time today, and didn't have a pleasant goodbye (read: I hate Ryanair)- but I won't go into that. It was wonderful in Dublin and I'm glad I went there again.

I am very excited to be coming home soon, however. Only 5 days. I love it here, and have had a wonderful time, but stability is something I'm missing. I also feel the coming onslaught of academics and preparing for the work world.

I'm also soon going to be in a curious position with this blog. I started it expressly for this study abroad trip, and that is now coming to a close. What now? I refuse to deviate from my original standards, i suppose you'd call them, for this blog. As you may remember:

I hate (and I mean hate) really boring online journal junk about how nikki broke up with jimmy and is screwing around on timmy who is so good at Diablo 6 it blows my mind.

But I love blogging technology. And I love my family, friends, and hangers on (not so much the Creepy Online Peeping Toms). And I want to keep up with all you great people while I'm abroad, and show you what I'm doing, and tell you all about it. And I don't want to harrass all you guys with e-mails you won't really read.

So, my solution[was] this.

A blog.

Now the trip will be over soon. I've enjoyed keeping this up, and some of you have told me you liked reading it. The time will come soon where I won't get to write about Europe, but instead perhaps about the Graphic Design, Scenic Design, Theatre, Marketing and whatever work I'm up to.

I do promise that I'll try my best avoid being "emo" or rambling about boring personal dramas- if I keep this blog going.

But beyond that, I'm not sure what will happen. Thoughts?

I do still have plenty to say/write/show you about my trip. But I'll also back in the USA soon, so that will have less immediate appeal :) So, drop me a line. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody again. Keep an eye on this website, and/or tell me what you think.

Dublin

This is a quick post to let anybody who needs to know that I'm in Dublin (have been since friday!) and I'm having a wonderful time. On the advice of a dear friend (you know who you are) I saw the play Festen yesterday and was blown away. More about that later. Weather here in Dublin is lovely. Tuesday, I depart lovely Ireland for the final time and arrive in Glasgow, Scotland. More posting as time and funds permit.

[edit]
Oh yeah, and check out my friend's new blog

Travel madness...

I'm writing this post at 11.00pm on the 21rst, but I'm not sure when I will get to post it. Here goes:

What a day! Today was the most involved, i think is the best way to put it, travel day I've had yet on this trip- perhaps in my whole life.

I awoke early this morning at 6.00 to pack and prepare for the day. After a quick but delicious breakfast and a farewell to Sue of Quilt and Croissants, Hayley and I went to the Stratford-upon-Avon train station to catch out 7.45 train (having picked up the ticket on the day we first arrived there). Train Number 1 caught, we walked through Birmingham to the next station, which was some ways away (when you are schlepping heavy bags) and then onto Train Number 2, after struggling with lines/confusion to get Ticket Number 2. Train Number 2 finished taking us to London. Next stage.

We arrive at the London Euston Train Station/Tube Stop, and catch the Northern Line going south to King's Cross St. Pancras, then switch to the Piccadilly line heading North to Caledonian station. I leave Hayley with the bags while I make yet another sojourn to pick up my (FINALLY) repaired (COMPLETLY) laptop. Then, a brisk walk both ways (each past the Pentonville Prison...) and we are back on the Piccadilly Line south to Greene Park. Switch to Victoria Line at Greene Park, and take that to Victoria Station.

Now, we catch the Gatwick Express train (ticket purchased en route to London) to the Airport, go and check in, check our bags in, pick up our tickets and get lunch in the airport while waiting to leave.

The plane leaves on schedule at 2.45 and arrives about an hour later. We are in Ireland! Cork is beautiful, if overcast (typically Irish). Then, we get our bags, go through customs, and go wait to catch another bus.

This bus takes us to the central station in Cork. After all this, we are exhausted, and it's only 6.30.

We could technically walk to the hostel we are staying, but we are so exhausted we hire a cab for the short drive. The cabbie is a character. My oh my. Crazy about Soccer. Hates Dublin, loves Cork. Thinks the States are of no account. The other cabbies are all jealous of him (or so he says) because he just put out his own book on soccer (which he has!). Talks about how friendly the Irish in Cork are, but spends most of his time bad-mouthing the Dubliners and people who demean Soccer. Wow.

The hostel itself, is quite serviceable. I'll post about that later though, and the rest of the night's events. And perhaps even on the previous night's events of note. I'm going to bed!

Arrived Safely...

I arrived safely in Stratford-Upon-Avon yesterday from London via train. It was a lovely trip- the leaves have finally started to change in England and the air is distinctly cold and crisp. I'm in Stratford for the next few days, then off to Cork. Travelling to Cork will be quite hairy- two trains, the London Underground, a bus and a plane! Oy vey.


I saw Richard II performed by the Berliner Ensemble last night at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford (38!). Very nice production. It was my first experience seeing a play in another language (German, of course) but I still enjoyed it. The setting was a white room made up of squares that opened, closed, moved ect. to fit the changing scenes. It was a dynamic design that fit the overall monochrome feel of the play. The The sound design was interesting too- lots of on stage sound; a scene in particular has RII being bombarded with clods of dirt/feces and the impact of the clods on the white walls make an interesting visual as well as audio contrast. The sound design also included the sounds of a steadily growing swarm of bees or hornets that blends with the sounds of hordes of armed men calling out. Very Nice. There was a nice moment too when two clown characters (gardeners) had a bit of schtick involving a hosepipe on stage, and some slapstick that worked quite well. They also had a nice stage convention (?) of props that worked like darts: gloves thrown down in a duelling challenge that stuck, like knives, straight into the floor, flower bouquets with a sharp knife at the base that stuck in the ground when thrown from above, and more. The acting was good- as far as I could tell- it's harder when it's not your language they are acting in! RII, Bolingbroke, York, and the clowns did particularly well. (Link to the production here.)

It's beautiful here and it reminds me of home. That's all for now.

Pericles Monday night (39!) Link to the production here.

Indy travel!

Tomorrow morning I leave for independent travel to Stratford-upon-Avon, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow and parts betwixt! I'll try to stay in touch as best I can but things will be hairy.

 

Done with classes (as of yesterday) for SIX weeks. You know that feels good.

 

Oh, play total topped 37 yesterday when I saw Stones in His Pockets. :)

 

More to come!

Plays, Scripts, Sites and Pictures

Well.

My laptop isn't fixed yet. I do have it back, though. I'm currently working around the problem and hope still to have it fixed before I leave London the final time. It will be much easier to have it fixed here still than start the whole process again back in the US.

Now I've added two more (Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? And Avenue Q) to the thirty-two shows I've seen, and I've got a ticket to one more. That will put the total at thirty-five. The new musical adaptation of Porgy and Bess is my next show, tonight at the Royal National Theatre. Its getting rave reviews.

I'm still trying to find the time and tickets to A Voyage Round My Father,The Mousetrap,Stones in His Pockets, and Summer and Smoke. We'll see if I can get those in.

I've also got tickets to go see the RSC's production of Pericles, and the Berliner Ensemble perform Richard II in Stratford-upon-Avon, I'm very excited about seeing those.

But, aside from theatre- I'm having a great time in London. I've been to the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tower of London, Museum of London, the British Museum (six plus times), the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Highgate Cemetery, the Design Museum, the Royal Observatory (saw the ball drop for the hour!), the Queen's House, the Inns of Court, Eton, Westminster Abbey, the Old Operating Theatre Museum, the Millennium Dome (from a distance), Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace (those from the outside only), and much more. Listing only goes a tiny bit of the way in describing the total impact of everything I've experienced. It can't even scratch the surface of the stuff I've seen, done, and internalized here in London.

But since listing is one way we grok experiences, where do I have left to go? Well, loads of places of course. Specifically, I want to go the Theatre Museum, Sir John Soan's Home, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, the Hunterium Museum, the Science Museum, the Cutty Sark and loads still undiscovered.

Since there is still more stuff to do, I'm probably going to work more time in London into my schedule for independent travel. There's way too much to do here to ever say that you've seen everything- but I can try :)

What else?

I'm anxious to come home, in a way, as well. And I keep buying postcards to mail to people and never end up writing them. Totally my fault. I will at least bring home blank postcards for people, even if I can't get my act together for that.

Oh yeah, and the Royal Court Theatre has a bookshop with a huge selection of scripts and a special section of scripts that are only 2 pounds. I bought a lot of those. Some of which are very hard to find at home.

I purchased:

Portia Coughlin by Marina Carr
Dublin Carol by Conor McPherson
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonaugh
Woman and Scarecrow by Marina Carr
On Raftery's Hill by Marina Carr
Scenes from the Back of Beyond by Meredith Oakes (which I saw at the RCT)
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You by Caryl Churchill (which I saw at the RCT)
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks (which I can get at home, but not for the equivalent of 2 US dollars, and I have seen this at the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville)

Those were all two pounds, except for Portia Coughlin. Amazing! I'm a reading fool now.

I've got some pictures (finally) for those who like pictures:

This is a shot of a class performing a movement workshop at the New Globe Theatre in London.























This is the ball that drops at the top of the Royal observatory in Greenwhich to set the time worldwide.























This is me standing at the Prime Meridian. How cool is that?


















A lovely view of Greenwhich/the Docklands of London.
















The Cutty Sark.

















That's all for now! Stay tuned.

Addendum
Oh yeah, I thought this was funny.
Check out the Beard Theorum

32 and 23.

Current count of plays I have seen? 32. Thirty-two. That's two times sixteen. And I have tickets for 3 more in London alone. And I'm planning on more. This is wonderful.

 

Current of days till I get home? Twenty three days.

 

I may be going to pick up a repaired laptop today. Be happy for me.

Quick Note

Hey all!
I'm pressed for time, (going to see The Seafarer tonight!) just wanted to let all of you know I'm still alive. My laptop will be out of comission AT LEAST 10 more days. Argh. More updates when I can. Take care!