Globe Theater

OK so i guess the first thing to say about Globe theater, is that its not the real Globe Theater. Its an EXACT replica of the original that is up to today's safety codes. Aside from that fact the theater is amazing to see. The stage itself is somewhat small and there are no side wings. The actors simply would go on stage or off stage. The seating was interesting, because not only could you be standing (cheapest) but you could sit in the wooden bleachers around, or if you had money you could sit in special "boxes" very much like we have today. Those boxes were painted to make them appear more important.

However is you were royalty and if you had an immense amount of money, then you could actually sit up on the balcony with the orchestra which was situated on the 2 floor balcony of the stage. So they didnt actually pay to see a great show because obviously they were looking at the back of the actors head the whole time they paid to be seen at the shows. In some cases you could actually purchase a seat on stage with the actors which really amazed me.


All of it forced the actors and the audience to eliminate that sense of fantasy in a play. Because the actors were completely surrounded by people and because the people could see everything the actors did and they would address the audience it forced everybody to be included. Some other facts that i found out, when we think of Shakespeare's "to be or not to be" monologue we assume that he didnt address anybody and that it is in all of his head or he is talking to himself. When you are at the Globe theater you realize that he couldn't help but not address the audience when he talks, so in fact he is talking to the audience when he did that speech. Also i learned why certain things are called what they are.

When a person says that they have a roll like ( i have the role of Juliet) its because back in the day they printed their lines on actual roles. And not only did the roles have their lines, but also only had their que lines before their own. So each actor only had their parts and no one elses. So every single play was basically improve because they had about 2 weeks to rehearse and about 2 hours a day to do it. These facts amazed me, perhaps its because i'm a theater minor or maybe not but it was still fascinating.

Charleston

So i went on a field trip with my English class to visit the home of Vanessa Bell who is the sister of Virginia Woolf. The house is formally known as Charleston and it is about 2 hours out of London in Sussex. The country side was beautiful and the house was just adorable on the outside. Vanessa Bell and her husband Duncan Grant were both artists and they painted all over there house. It was amazing to be in a home that was very old and once was the home of some very prominent English artist and writers. The garden was also beautiful filled with flowers of all different shades of color and apple trees were ready for the picking if you know what i mean. So here are some of the pics from the trip to Charleston...hope you like them.

First Dessert in London

OK so i had my first dessert at a restaurant called Bella Italia which is just around the corner from me. It was HUGE it had brownies, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, chocolate candy and chocolate cookies. Don't worry i didn't eat the whole thing, i shared it with a girl named Rebecca.

The Area Around Me

I know that i have told a few people, but for those of you who don't know about the are i am around let me tell you. It as of right now is the most expensive and the richest borough in London. I'm in the city of South Kensington. The same city where princess Diana lived, where Madonnas kid goes to school. Where London fashion week was held and where many different stars and celebrities have been spotted. Here are some pictures that i have taken of the surrounding area. So you can better understand where I'm at.

This is the street my flat is on
This is what i see when i walk to school both above and below pictures

Below is my relaxing on the lawn in front of Kensington Palace..see it in the background! and there is a pond that i am facing which look like this

Here are a couple of pictures of Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is about a 5-10 minute bus ride and a 15-20 minute walk from my flat

The next picture will describe what kind of cars are driven around the area I'm in.
The dealership is a 2 minute walk and its just around the corner from me
The typical cars that i have seen are the following: Range Rover, BMW, and Mercedes. However i have seen some Rolls Royce's, Ferrari's, Ashton Martins. Forgive me if i spelled any of those names wrong :)

British Museum

The British Museum is one of most beautiful museums that i have ever seen, not only on the outside but on the inside as well. from the picture above, you can clearly see why i was completely stunned when we approached the museum.As Beautiful as the outside is, the inside is even more stunning.

the British Museum is not filled with British things like one may think, however it is filled with all the things that the British took from people from battles and wars that they won. Basically all the stuff they stole after they won.

This is said to be Athena the Greek goddess.

these artifacts reminded me something out of the movie "the Mummy"
These chess pieces are used in the first harry Potter film

Cambridge

So i went to Cambridge last friday (27, october) for my british life and culture class. To get there we had to take the tube for about 20 minutes to Kings Cross Station, then we took the train for another 20 minutes. The train ride was amazing! It took us right through the country side and it was beautiful!!! So we finaly arrived in Cambridge and to get to the center of the city where our tour was going to start was about a mile and a half. We managed to get there about a half hour early so we all split up and walked around.

I found the Cambridge market center where its this huge almost farmers market place that had clothes and food and jewelery. So i walked around there, bought some postcards. Then went back for the tour to start. The tour was long and had lots of historical facts that i cant remember...lol. anyways we went to King College Chapel, which was sooo beautiful. Back home it would definitely be considered a cathedral and here in Cambridge its only considered a chapel.

the chapel is made out of lime stone. So the entire roof is carved out and its breath-taking. The stain glass windows follow the story of Jesus Christ. Here is a video of the inside of the church and here are some pictures of the school and the chapel from outside and the rest of Cambridge.

Farmers Market

So every Saturday about two blocks from where i am staying there is a small farmers market with extremely fresh things, like seafood (thats in a cooler because it was caught in the morning) and breads and vegetables and fruits, cheeses, plants, sausages. bassically it was amazing and to top it off they had this sandwich that was soooo good it was basically 2 sausages cut in half and put on a roll. here are some of the pictures

Thames Festival... In London

OK so what has gone on in the past few weeks since i have been offline? Well One of the things i did, was attend the THAMES FESTIVAL. Its a huge street festival that ran all along the south bank of the Thames River and at the end of the night there was an AMAZING firework show. No seriously i have never in my life watched such an amazing show! It beat Disneyland and every other show i have seen and what was funny, was that it was just a festival, it wasnt a huge holiday or anything. So i officially now that London knows how to do some mega fireworks! So here is a picture and a video... I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!

Im Back Online!!!

Hi Everyone!!!

I am officially back online, i got everything sorted out with my computer so now i will be able to post some blogs again. So i have been out for about 2 weeks now so i will do my best to catch you guys up...o hey dont forget to become a follower of my blog so you guys can know wheni post new things and dont forget to comment on the blogs. Hope all is well in the States

-- Nicole --