Chapter Four

So this past week, has been very crazy. I have had so much schoolwork (well really I have been catching up on schoolwork because I was off playing here).  So most of the evenings I stayed in and caught up on reading and whatnot. This semester has already been so amazing and I can't believe that I have been here almost a whole month! Ah, its crazy.  I have learned so much about so many different subjects and myself. I love being in a different culture and seeing different people.  You might not think that the British culture is much different but it is.  There are so many different ethnicities and customs here and it is a really great place to be a part of. Anyways that was may have sounded really corny, but it's true. Now for the really cool things I did this week.   

Buckingham Palace

We took a tour of state rooms of the palace. Apparently they only open these rooms up every so often so I was really excited to be able to get to go.  It was so beautiful inside! Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures during the tour so I don't have any on the inside, but in a way that was nice because I could just take in the decoration and architecture of the palace.  The tour was really great and I learned a lot about the history of the palace.  

The Globe Theatre

Since I am a drama nerd I loved The Globe.  We saw a Midsummer Night's Dream here and it was so fun.  We were "groundlings" which means we only had to pay 5 pounds for our tickets but we had to stand for the whole show.  Luckily the show was really funny and engaging so I really didn't notice that my knees were about to collapse (that is an exaggeration).  Other than the standing it was really fun. 

A Stroll Through the Country

On Saturday a man from one of the stakes that we go to took us on a lovely walk through the country.  London is SO beautiful and green.  Since green is my favorite color I love it... among other reasons.  We hiked nine miles through fields, farmland, and quaint country towns.  We ate lunch at a castle... at an actual castle.  One day I would love to buy a country house and visit every summer.... I don't know if that will ever happen though. I was talking to one of the men from London about it and on the lower end of things a small town home could be about 400,000 pounds, or 800,000 dollars.  I better start saving now. 

Other Highlights:

1. Ivanov- an amazing play by Anton Chekhov.  Kenneth Branagh played Ivanov and it was the best play I have ever seen.  I was speechless at the end.

2. St. Bartholomew's Cathedral- the oldest church in London.  It looked old and smelled old and was so cool.

3. Gelato Mio- the BEST gelato I have ever had. They have delicious flavors like pear and plum.  So delicious.