Much Ado Abouth Nothing

I was thirteen the first time I saw a Shakespeare play. A university near our house is home to the Georgia Shakespeare Festival and wonderful company of talented Shakespeare actors.  I'm not sure how we found out about them, I'm sure it was through something to do with homeschooling, but for whatever reason, I'm glad we did.

From that year on, I saw a Shakespeare play almost every year. The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream (three times over the years), Macbeth, and A Comedy of Errors at The Shakespeare Tavern.  There is nothing quite like seeing Shakespeare performed. Sure you can read Shakespere and even watch a few movies trying to capture the essance of the Bard, but nothing quite lives up to a live performance. Shakespeare was meant to be performed.

I learned over the years that whether set in the eighties, modern day, or Renissance England, or if Prospero was instead Prospera, Shakespeare was timeless. As is clearly evident by the many places you can see his plays todays and the many films that have been done over the years. I say all this because I want the reader to understand that seeing this play wasn't just about who was in it, but who wrote it as well.

And so, as I made my preperations for my trip to England, I couldn't be more thrilled to know that I would be able to see not only two of my favorite actors perform, but that they would be performing Shakespeare.

I'm sure that had they been in some play that no one had ever heard of before I probably still would have gone. But I love Shakespeare. No I don't like sitting down and reading his plays or sonnets, but invite out to an evening at the theater, and I'm there. So Saturday night was not just about who was performing, it was what they were performing.

I was first introduced to David Tennant and Catherine Tate together through a small sketch they did together for a charity in England called Red Nose Day. Catherine Tate is a well known sketch artist in England and Tennant was rising to popularity playing Doctor Who, a long running British scifi show. It was a sketch that I could watch over and over again and always laugh at. You can see it here: http://youtu.be/WxB1gB6K-2A

Then it was announced that David and Catherine would be together on Doctor Who. I was skeptical at first as Catherine Tate is known more for her comedy and I wasn't sure she would work well in the Doctor Who environment. I had no idea how wrong I was. Season four of Doctor Who remains my favorite season because of her. She was brilliant. She brought humor and seriousness to the show. When her character left, it was like loosing a friend. A year later, Tennant also left Doctor Who.

After that, I never thought I'd get to seem them together again, much less live. So when it was announced that they would be starring together in 'Much Ado About Nothing', I was thrilled. David had performed a year or so earlier in 'Hamelt', proving once again his true talent for Shakespearen acting, and the most I thought I could hope for was the BBC would record the performance and air it like they had done with 'Hamlet'.

So when I realized that I'd be able to come to England at the same time that 'Much Ado' would be playing, I knew that there was no way I could miss it.

Last night, as I settled into my seat at the Wyndam Theater, I had no doubt that they would both live up to the expectations I had for their performances. And sure enough, they did.

'Much Ado About Nothing' is a comedy. Something both David Tennant and Catherine Tate are brilliant at. They, along with the rest of the cast, shone brilliantly. The blocking, the acting, every single moment, was well timed and perfect. Even if I had not known who David and Catherine were, I would have loved it. Because the play wasn't just David and Catherine, there was still the rest of the cast. And they should not be forgotten because without them, there would have been no play.

If there is one thing that is always fun about a good Shakespeare comedy, it's how the director interprets the scene. Often in his comedys, a character will over hear a conversation they weren't supposed to. And for 'Much Ado About Nothing', it's Beatrice (Tate) and Benedict (Tennant) who at different times over hear their friends talking about them. But instead of staying off to the side to listen, they both perform a great amount of physical reactions as they try and avoid being seen by those talking about them. The director made the best use of the entire stage as well as the great skills of his performers. David also kept his Scottish accent which I loved!!

The play ended to a standing ovation and the cast returned three times to bow to the crowd.

Though I was sneezing and sniffiling through the whole performance, I am so thankful for the opportunity to see such an amazing, wonderful and brilliant performance. It's not often one gets to see such talented and amazing actors in Shakespeare and it is a night that I'll remember for years to come.

I did not go to the stage door to meet them as I had found out earlier that day they would not be signing that night. Though we had arrived at the theater earlier when the afternoon show had been let out and I was able to snap a couple of pictures of the two. I am determined to go back later and be there for their arrival at the stage door. I'm still a fangirl at heart and really want the chance to meet them. :-)

A day of shopping...

On Friday night I began to feel what I thought (hoped) was simply allergies. It was possible that there was something in the air causing me to sneeze and sniffle, because there was no way I was getting sick.

And then I woke up on Saturday morning. And I was sick. Yes, only two days in England and I have a head cold!! Not really the way you want to spend vacation. The Westwoods kindly went out to the drug store and picked up some ibuprofen and decongestant which I quickly accepted and then prayed that I would feel better. Steph and I had planned to spend the day out in London with her friend Emma and then see 'Much Ado About Nothing' that evening. I was feeling a bit better after I had a shower so we decided to head out.

I wish, looking back, that maybe I had stayed in and slept till later in the afternoon. But I think I had really been looking forward to going out, and didn't want to stay in.

We took the Tube to the Portobello Street Market. A huge open air market where you can buy anything and everything. I found it far to crowded for my sick self to enjoy. It was neat too look at though. I took a few pictures which I'll try and get up soon.

From there we went to Westefields which is a HUGE mall. And when I say huge it is bigger even than Lennox. And it was packed with people. It was as busy as an American mall can be on Black Friday. One end of the mall was normal types of shops you might could find any any mall, and the other end was full of designer shops like Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. So it was quite a mix of shops.

We ate lunch there which was an adventure because the food court had no recognizable restaurants. However the were serving all kinds of food, from English pies, to Vietnamese, to Mexican. We finally settled on Chinese and I had some delicious chicken fried rice. (it seems I can't get away from it even when I'm not at work!)

Then we wandered around the mall, Steph and her friend Emma looking in various shops and making a couple purchases. I didn't buy anything as most of it was too expensive or I didn't need it. I did end up however buying a couple of books. I still needed books 1 and 3 from the Harry Potter series in the hardback British Editions and I figured I might as well go ahead and pick those up. So glad I can finally finish out my collection!

We relaxed for awhile and then took the train to Leicester Square where all the theaters are to make sure we had plenty of time before the play.

And that really needs a blog post of it's own...

Shopping, Dectives and Musicians

You know you're tired when you sleep 12 hours.

After spending most of the day yesterday with Stephanie and just enjoying having arrived in Epping, it was all I could do to not to fall asleep after dinner. I didn't want to go to bed too early as I didn't want to wake up too early either. I finally closed my eyes at 9pm, and stayed asleep most of the night and didn't get up till 9:30. Felt much better in the morning.

After breakfast and what ended up being a cold shower, Stephanie and I head out to London town.

We went first to Harrods which is always an adventure. Harrods being very large and full of many expensive things. I was looking for something specific for a friend, but did not find it there. However I enjoyed wandering around with Steph. It is always amazing to see how expensive some of the things in Harrods can be. It's clothing, books, toys, kitchenware, sliverware, bags, cosmetics, it goes on and on...

There are also several small restraunts and places to eat within Harrods. Steph treated herself and I to some amazing gelato from the Harrods Ice Cream shop. She had lemon and I had strawberry. Walking through the food halls is also amazing. The hall with all the chocolate is probably best. Pastry case after pastry case of the most amazing looking chocolates and desserts.

After we were done wandering around Harrods we went to a couple of tourist shops across the street where I picked up a couple of post cards and a tea towel for a friend of mine.

After that, it was time to decide where to go. Taking a look at the Tube map and considering wehre I had and had not been... I decided we should try to find 221b Baker St since there was a Baker Street Tube stop, I was hoping that it wouldn't be too hard to find. And thankfully, it wasn't.

A few short Tube stops from Knightsbridge was Baker Street. Thanks to a map at the station, it wasn't hard to find the Sherlock Holmes House and Museum. I decided not to do the tour, but it was fun to walk around the little shop and I bought a little magnet. Of course I'm sure later I'll here that there was something fascinating at the museum I would have loved to see... but at least I can say I've been and if I decide to go back, I know how to get there.

Next door is the London Beatles Shop. Full of, whate else, Beatles merchandise. It was quite amazing. T-shirts, posters, magnets, postcards, bags... on and on. It was quite amazing.

The people in the shop told us how to get from there to Abbey Road, so after making a small purchase there, we went back to the Tube, one stop up and off to Abbey Road. It took a couple of tries to find the right way to go, but it wasn't long before we found it.

I did not get my picture crossing the road as it was very busy and the cars were impatient. The recording studio was also being remodled so I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but I did get pictures of the grafitti on the walls around it and the Abbey Road street sights.

It's funny how such a little spot in the middle of nowhere has become such a major sightseeing location. And even then it isn't much. You can't get a tour of the recording studio, there are no shops, no signs, only the grafitti along the walls outside the studio. The main Beatles shop being the one on Baker Street. A much more commercial section.

By this time Stephanie and I were both hungry, but there were not any places that we could see to eat around Abbey Road. So we went back to the Tube and went up to Bond Street to find a bite to eat. Enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at Spagetti House. However they were rather busy and it took some time to get our food and bill. Which apparently you are supposed to ask for since they won't automatically bring it to you.

From there we went into a Disney Store that was located on a Bond Street which is apparently a big shopping area. There were people everywhere!! The Disney Store was one of the largest I had ever been in, and had a collection of Mickey and London related items. I picked up a cute little magnet with Mickey and some London images in the background.

Then it was finally time to come home!

It was a fun day out and I got to see some things I had not seen before in my travels to England. Tomorrow Steph, her friends and I are heading out to a market in London, possibly a scavenger hunt taking place in London and ending the day with 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Which I am very very exccited about.

Arrived!!

You know you're a seasoned traveller when someone stops and asks you for directions...

 

But I'm getting ahead of myself!

 

Arrived safely at the Westwood's home about 12pm London time. I had a good flight from Atlanta to Miami arrvied in plenty of time to make my gate and and board.

 

The plane for my flight from Miami to London seemed not to be as full as I was used to, but I didn't think much about it till it got closer and closer for the plane to take off and no one had taken the seat next to me yet. I tried really hard not to get too excited about the possiblity that I might actually have space during the almost nine hour flight, but as the plane began to taxi down the runway with still no one sitting next to me, I was thrilled! It was a blessing in disguise as I was able to stretch out as much as I wanted and actually even sleep a bit!

 

I watched a movie as the served before dinner drinks, dinner, dinner drinks, and after dinner drinks and then settled in to try and sleep for the next 6 hours. Though it wasn't the best sleep I have ever had, it was definitely the best I've had on a plane. Having that open seat really spoiled me!

 

We landed about 8:45am London time. It was an easy walk from our gate to the border check in and I didn't have to wait too long in line to get my passport checked. For some reason, every time I'm at border control I always get nervous that somehow I've missed something or that I'll give the wrong answer. When really there is nothing to be nervous about. The border agent was very friendly and I've got another London Heathrow stamp in my passport.

 

It was in the baggage claim area that someone came up to me and asked how to get out (despite the large exit signs). I guess I looked very confident in where I was going. Which, I guess I was.

 

From baggage claim (it arrived safely!!) I exited and went straight to get a cup of coffee. Thank goodness for the good tastes of Europeans and good coffee. Had a medium latte from Costa and a blueberry muffing. Just what I needed to wake me up for the train ride to Epping!

 

This is the first time I have taken the Tube from the airport to my destination. It was actually rather fun. Being very familiar with the train system it was a bit of an adventure to take the Tube so far. I figured it out with no problems at all. Thankfully I only had to switch trains once, from the Picadilly line to the Central line.

 

While I was on the train I listened to 'Still Got Legs' the newest album from Chameleon Circut, a band whose music is all about Doctor Who. Just felt right listening to music about Doctor Who in England...  Check them out - http://dftba.com/artist/9/Chameleon-Circuit

 

Once I arrived in Epping it was just a short walk from the train station to the Westwoods. Thankfully!

 

The weather is currently cool and overcast, but thankfully not rainly. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to dig my raincoat out of my suitcase if it started raining!

 

Once I arrived at the Westwoods, I realized the key I had would not open the front door. My only other option was to sit and wait for somone to come home. Thankfully, the neighbors saw me sitting there and invited me in for a cup of tea while I waited in true English fashion.

 

Thankfully it wasn't long before Robert came home to check and see if I arrived and he let me in a set me up with the proper house key and internet.

 

So now I'm just waiting for Steph to arrive home from work and checking up on all the news I've missed since leaving. Currently no big plans except relax!

 

Thanks again for all the prayers for safe travel!

 

 

 

 

About to Go!

Looking forward to a very exciting trip this year!!

And will hopefully keep up the blog again as I travel. Leaving tomorrow and arriving in London early in Thursday morning. Staying with my friends again and looking forward to another visit to Epping and my very first trip to Ireland.

Last Day

So today is my last day in Epping. Tomorrow I will be on my way back home. In some ways, I'm sad to be leaving. I've really enjoyed my time and I love England. But also will be glad to be home in my own bed and to be seeing all my friends and family again! I have missed you all!

 

So let's see, what have we been doing since I last updated?

 

Thursday - Was the day we arrived back in England from France. We had an interesting time since there was a Tube strike, but we managed to come through all right thanks to directions from Stephanie. We even got to come through Kings Cross Station! (I did not however see platform 9 & 3/4) We arrived back in Epping about 7 I believe. We had discussed with Step going out shopping, but didn't happen because we were so tired and she was packing to come to America! (She's currently in Florida!)

 

Friday - This was our catch up day. We slept in, did laundry, did some grocery shopping and just in general relaxed. We also cooked dinner for the Westwoods. (Taco salad!) It was very good, even if I do say so myself! It was a way for Melody and I to say thanks to Janice to cooking so much for us!

 

Saturday - Oxford! The Westwoods offered to take us out to Oxford for the day, for which I was very thankful! We ate lunch at The Eagle and The Child. This time we got to sit in the Rabbit room! I signed the guest book and read all the other notes. It was really special to see all the notes from all the other Tolkien and Lewis fans!

After lunch we did a walking tour of the colleges which we didn't have time to do last time. It was enjoyable. However the tour guide seemed to have a weird thing for Bill Clinton. Or think the rest of us did. And she didn't show us any Harry Potter spots! Oh well. It was still a nice day.

 

Sunday - We went out to a mall called Bluewater near Epping. Did some wandering around and I got another hardback British edition of Harry Potter. One of these days I might just have them all! I wanted the first book, but they only had it hardback in Latin! So I got the second book.

Then we had church that afternoon with the Westwoods, enjoyed our time and then watched Mamma Mia! Which Melody hadn't seen!

 

Monday - London! This was our big London tour day. We were going to Westminister, but it was £15, just a bit too much. So we went to the Tower of London, which was really great! We got there just in time for the start of the tour. Our tour guide was great, very amusing! After the tour we walked around the Tower, and got to see the Crown Jewels! Also saw the armour of King Henry the VIII. That was interesting. They had a lot of great stuff!

 

After that we made our way over to the West End area, picked up Les Mis tickets and then went to dinner. Had some good food! Then we had some tea and coffee and a coffee shop while we waited for the play to start. The play was, of course, amazing! It has such wonderful music! We also had some good seats.

 

Then we made our way home on the train and got back safely!

 

Tuesday - Today. Today is pack up day! Sad. :-( We probably won't be going any where. Both of us are nearly broke, and so we'll be staying around here. Mailing of the last couple of postcards, getting some chocolate to bring home... :-D Charging the iPods for the trip home, and all that good stuff.

 

Our plane flies out tomorrow at 10am. So we have to be at the airport 3 hours early! So we'll be getting up bright and early. I think we get in around 5:30. We fly into Charlotte and then fly home. It will be a long day and I know we'll both be glad to be back in a familiar place!

 

Once I get home I will be uploading pictures and posting them here.

 

Back in London

So you may or may not have heard that London is currently in the middle of a Tube strike. Meaning that all the Tube trains have not been running for the past 48 hours. At first this had me very worried about how Melody and I would get from St. Pancras station back to Epping, but thankfully there was another rail line that we could take from Kings Cross and get near to the Westwoods home. Hopefully the strike will be over by today, and not hinder our travels about the city any as we enjoy our last few days here.

 

Paris was great, but as I mentioned, rainy. So that greatly affected what we did and when. We were not able to enjoy as much of the city as we hoped because we were always trying to get out of the rain. Because once it started, it got cold very quickly and that was not fun at all.

 

We ended up spending our last evening in the hotel, reading books that had been left by previous guests in the downstairs common area. I read several short stories in Neil Gaiman's book, Fragile Things. He is so weird! But I loved it. :-D It makes me want to go home and read some more of the stories. Though I didn't like 'The Problem of Susuan'. A bit too weird for me.

 

Any way...

 

We had the chance to see the Musee d'Orsay and the Arc de Triumph on Wed. The d'Orsay was very nice. I liked it a lot better than the Louvre. There were a lot of really famous impressionist artist, Degas, Monet, Manet, Cezzane, Pissaro... some really amazing stuff! We then went to the Arc de Triumph, but didn't stay long. Wet and rainy. Eww.

 

So we are now back at the Westwoods and resting. Hopefully will be able to enjoy some touring over the next couple days, Les Mis, London Tower etc.. Oxford on Saturday!

More Paris...

Paris has been wonderful so far! Though a bit rainy, which hasn't been fun. Melody and I have gotten quite wet a couple of times!

So far, we have seen the Louvre (Mona Lisa!), Notre Dame (twice) and the Eiffel tower several times. Melody climbed the Eiffel Tower yesterday, but due to my fear of heights, I stayed down. Which ended up creating a huge confusion and I stayed at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower nearly 6 hours waiting for her. She had come down within about 3 hours and thought I had left (I hadn't) and basically we each thought the other was lost and thought the other would do the exact opposite of what we did. I didn't realize she would come down so quickly, so it wasn't until I was talking to some one about how long she had been gone that it ever occured to me that 5 hours was too long to be gone! She finally came back to the Eiffel Tower to look for me (after checking the hotel a couple times and other places) and we were both so thankful to find each other!

So that was our adventure for the trip!

We went out for her birthday last night and enjoyed a good meal in a French restaurant. Then had some amazing ice cream at this little shop where the guy was really nice to us. I also think he was amused by our mixed French and English. But like I said, everyone so far has been really nice to us.

We also saw Notre Dame again last night. Then we took a boat tour that ended at the Eiffel Tower that was all lit up for the night. Got some really beautiful pictures!

Have bought a few little items here in Paris. Mailed some postcards as well. Which was interesting trying to figure out the mail system! So hopefully they will arrive correctly...

Today we are doing some more exploring, and then back to London tomorrow!

Bonjour from Paris!

Melody and I have successfuly made it to Paris! I cannot believe I am sitting here only 5 minutes from the Eiffel Tower!

 

After we checked into our hotel last night, we had some crepes from a street vendor very near our hotel, and then headed for the Eiffel Tower! It was so amazing. I cannot put into words the thrill of seeing it. I also had no idea how big it was!! Pictures cannot convey scale! We did not go up it or anything last night. Mainly we wandered around to figure out where we were and how to get to places.

 

I figured out the Metro system fairly quickly as well. So once we got of our train, I was able to guide us to the correct metro stop and to the hotel quickly!

 

Everyone in Paris has been very nice. Even in the Dordogne! Only once did we have some one say something to us and we think she had a bit too much to drink!

 

Well I must go. Melody and I are off to the Louvre!

Bonjour!

So I have succesfully made it to France! I have a brief couple of moments to update you all. So far I have been La Roque, Domme, Sarlat and Bergerac which are all in the Dordogne region where I am. Some beautiful scenery. And very beautiful towns. Been taking lots of pictures!

 

Must run.... love to you all!