London Study Tour: Day Three

Day Three: Monday, March 25

6:30-7:30am: Breakfast at the hotel
7:45am: Depart for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 
We got to the theatre relatively early. While we waited, we decided to take some pictures.

Becca and me 

L-R: Me, Sharon, Cara, Becca
Photo caption: Cara: "Wait, can we have a countdown because I get a headache if I keep my eyes crossed too long."

On the rocks underneath the millennium bridge 

The Globe Theatre today (though this is a replica. the
original theatre burned down with the city long ago)

9:00-10:30am: Guided Tour of the Globe Theatre
The tour was really, really cool. We learned about the history of both the theatre itself and the controversy of dramatic productions at the time. The most interesting thing for me was that the creators of the theatre wanted anyone and everyone to be able to see performances so the price of tickets was always very cheap (one pence when it was first opened). There was an area in front of the stage where people packed in and stood during the performance (those were the one pence tickets), but for slightly higher fee you could have a seat in one of the balconies.

The stage: There have never been microphones; the acoustics were (and remain) so good that they aren't necessary

Our tour guide describes the stench that would waft up from the area where the peasants stood. Not only did people take 1 or 2 baths a YEAR, but they had taken to eating raw garlic to help fight off the plague. Yuck.

L-R: Hannah, Sharon, Becca, Helen, Christie, Cara, Me

10:30am-12:45pm: Lunch and time on own
After the tour was over, we were given some free time. I went off with Sharon, Becca, and Helen, and we had an absolute great afternoon/late morning. Looking back, our little excursion could probably be considered one of the day's highlights. It was really nice to get time with them in a more intimate setting at which we could move at our own pace and explore freely.

Our first stop was a market. There was a store nearby that was going out of business. They literally were selling the arms, busts, and legs of mannequins (in addition all sorts of other oddities). Becca and I had set up a photo of me with 6 arms, but unfortunately the store owner was NOT amused and asked us to put the camera away. Given that none of us wanted to pay 18 pounds for a limb, we decided to leave... empty-handed (hahaha... I couldn't help myself)

We stopped at a Crepe place for lunch! SO GOOD!

Sharon's crepe: the "I'll Have What She's Having"

On our way back from the market to meet the class

12:45pm: Meet at Tate Modern museum entrance for guided tour. 
1:00-2:30pm: Guided tour of Tate Modern Museum. 
The tour was certainly interesting and was very different from what I am used to. We learned that there is a difference between Modern Art (which is art created between the 1860s and 1970s) and Contemporary Art (which is art created from the 1970s to today), which were both displayed at the Tate Modern. I have to say that the guide definitely helped me to be able to focus on what we were seeing (and to look past the often bizzarre sculpture/painting/object that we were staring at), but it was still all just a little too abstract for me.
The attention of my classmates was also waning, so I tried my hardest to remain engaged. I definitely admit that there is a lot more to (most) modern art than meets the eye, but I wouldn't say it is my artistic calling.

My classmates' facial expressions in this photo are the result of our guide's question:
"Now why do you think that the artist painted a giant pile of bananas in front of the woman?" No answer. He continued, "Do you think that people during this time would have come to a gallery to stare at a pile of penises?" [Look at Cara/Becca/Helen/Ilana's face for the answer]

My group at St. Paul's Cathedral (Stop #1)

2:30-7pm: London Urban Exercise
We were put into groups, armed with a map, and sent to find 13 buildings/locations all over London while taking down notes and answering a packet of questions. Tension and drama were present from the get-go because certain members of my group were not at all interested in doing the activity while others of us were very excited. It didn't help that it was SO SO SO cold (and windy) and that we had started the day at 6am. We struggled to balance the cold, everyone's extreme fatigue, the desire to see the city, and the differences in personality style between our group members. In the end, I think we did a mostly great job!

Stop 1: Back of St. Paul's Cathedral 

 Stop 6: At the base of The Monument (marking the 1666 Fire) 

Stop 3: The Jamaica Wine House (London's first coffee house)

Stop 9: Leadenhall Market 

 At some point we lost all energy (or rather, we lost the feeling in our fingers and toes). We decided to take a break in a department store to warm up and rest. Becca and I looked around together. She started snickering at something and then pointed. I looked up:

Paige looking quite sophisticated in her new hat. She literally just appeared from behind a rack of jewelry with the hat and the PERFECT matching expression. 

Eventually it was time to meet up with our class for dinner (we were very, very hungry and desperate to meet up to eat).
7-9:30pm: Dinner at Bangalore
Dinner was once again delicious. DIS really spoils us with our meals. We were quite hungry by the time that we were served (it took about an hour and a half before we actually got our meals), but the wait was worth it.

Talking while waiting for our appetizers  

Though we'd been having fun before the food came, we were even happier  once we were eating

Delicious and worth the wait

Dinner was followed by many more conversations with friends. We wanted to make it an early night, but in the end, we didn't get to bed until close to 2:30am! :-)