First off, please excuse my 80’s song reference and art joke. I’m a nerd and have an awful sense of humor…sue me.
Recently we went to London for a double-header at the Globe, however before we embarked on the long journey of two back-to-back Shakespeare plays we had some adventures of our own. The day started with running to get to the bus on time because like any college student, we need our coffee or we are cranky zombies shuffling around this ‘mortal coil’. (HA! Lil’ Shakespeare joke for ya) From there we started off on our trek to London, where many of us almost puked on the bus due to a very rancid smell caused by the bathroom on the bus. When the bus stopped moving we rushed off desperate for some clean, fresh air. We were then set loose on the city of London, with this Sydney and I set off for the National Gallery to see some Monet and Van Gogh. It was a simple walk to get there…or so we thought. We had assumed we could cut in front of Buckingham Palace and run straight up to Trafalgar Square, but when we arrived the changing of the guard was happened so we couldn’t get through. So with Sydney as our London GPS we took off trying to walk as fast as possible around the whole perimeter of the palace just to get to the museum. Once we arrived we ran inside to meet Rachel for a very quick visit through the National Gallery to see Monet and (the amazing) Van Gogh!
After this we ran off to the Globe to see a double header of As You Like It and Hamlet. The first play we saw was As You Like It, while not my favorite play to study, by the end of the performance I had a grin ear to ear and was enthusiastically clapping along to the end-of-performance dance. After this we were let out to get some much needed food; most of us that meant going to Starbucks so we could get in the ‘groundlings’ line for Hamlet. This break was long, but turned into a fun time of talking and laughing with an amazing group of friends. Once the gates open we raced inside and got spots right up front and got comfortable for a long performance of Hamlet. This performance was nothing short of magical and tears were shed for the moving characters who experienced heartbreak, anger, loss, among other emotions. When the play wrapped I was confused what I had just watched because it was so mind-blowing. I recommend taking anyone who says they hate Shakespeare to see a live performance of a play because it will change your viewpoint on the plays all together.
Anyways…London, the Globe, the National Gallery, and all the amazing people on this trip are absolutely stupendous and incredible. Can’t believe there is only ten more days in Oxford with my Oxfam 😦
Shakespeare in Oxford! 