Tying Loose Ends

12-12-2008

For my last day in London, today was rather uneventful. Partly because I forgot what wine hangovers do to me. Slept in till about 10am and still had a pulsating headache.

My boss reminded me last night at the party of my final task to perform for Bang Radio, one final blog. That’s what the remainder of my morning entailed. I thought it was quite sentimental if I do say so myself. I’ll spare you the link:

It’s my 99th day in London. Tomorrow, I fly back to the land of beer and cheese, my home state, Wisconsin. The past one hundred days have been an absolutely incredible experience. Much of that has to do with this amazing city.

Taking daily jogs in Regent’s Park, hopping on a bus down to the West End for a show, shopping for things I’d never find at home in Camden, seeing bands that I’d have to travel all over the states to see, taking in history and art at the many London museums, and of course the tourist sites of Big Ben, London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and the list goes on. This city has made my experience unforgettable.

As time went on, I got to know the city better than the average tourist. I was fortunate enough to discover Brent, specifically Harlesden. There’s an almost small town atmosphere in this neighborhood, even though it lies within this monster of a city. An atmosphere where people seem to care for each other and help out one another. The diversity in this area also makes it extremely special to London and to me. Where I’m from, there are a lot of the same people. But here, there’s a wide variety from all over the world sharing themselves with Brent, making it all the better. Brent has made my experience unforgettable.

Every weekday (well except for my touristy Friday’s off), I got off the Bakerloo Line at Willesden Junction or got off the 18 bus at Park Parade and walked down Harlesden High Street to BANG Radio. Here, I not only volunteered to assist the station in going where it needed to go, but I also took a lot from it as well. Not that I robbed the place when no one was looking, but I took away professional experiences from a community station that is making leaps and bounds in London. Being a part of a station as it goes through the many changes Life/BANG has over the past couple of months definitely taught me a thing or two… or 22. As much as I gained professional work experience, I also learned many “Life lessons” (pun intended). BANG Radio has made my experience unforgettable.

Most importantly though, I’ve come to know some wonderful people at BANG Radio. In the short 90 some days that I’ve worked with them, they’ve helped me develop as a professional audio engineer and also as a person. In their own unique way, every person at BANG Radio has taught me something. There’s no way I could every properly thank the whole team for the experience I’ve had there. So I guess this blog will have to do. Thank you all. The people at BANG Radio have made this experience unforgettable.

I hope this is only a short hiatus with London and not a final goodbye. Only time will tell. So until that time, cheers!

After the blog writing, I packed the remainder of what I had to pack. Then to ISH where I spent my last £2.30 on my lunch staple of a turkey and cranberry baguette and Sweet Chili Kettle chips (I’ve gotten complete hooked on these by the way). I said my goodbyes to Issac and Zorra, two of the café workers who brightened up my breakfast every morning.

I took my lunch to go and walked up to Camdentown where I told Chad and Kim I’d meeting them for one last hookah, or shisha as it is known here. With my bonus from work, I figured I’d treat mis amigos, but they were picky. Kim wanted strawberry shisha, Chad wanted mint. Being the amazing facilitator that I am, I compromised: strawberry shisha and mint tea to warm our souls on this typically damp London afternoon.

We walked about Camden for a while. This is definitely one part of London I’ll miss the most. Free spirits uniquely expressing themselves through art, clothing, and music, I can only imagine what this area of London must have been like during the swinging 60’s.

From Camden, I stopped by Harlesden to drop off some luggage at Gabriella’s place, as I’m storing it there while I’m in the Canary Island of Tenerife for the next week.

Upon returning to Westminster, I stopped by ISH bar to see who was around. Surprisingly, Issac, who is not a big drinker, was there and we had a chat and an email exchange over my last pint of ISH Carlsburg, which had become my beer of choice in London.

That one beer was enough for me since it was already 11:00pm and I had to be awake in 4 hours.

Out with a Bang

12-11-08

It was my last day at work. No tears fell really, but it was sad, and surprisingly not filled with much work, yet it was a long day. Following which, we had a long night ahead of us as well. Because tonight was the Bang Staff Christmas Party.

Perhaps it is coincidence that my last day just so happen to fall on the day of the staff Christmas party. I just think they wanted to send me off in style. They had a nice spread of a hors d’oeuvre’s style buffet and 30 free bottles of wine all compliments of the Holiday Inn. All of this supplied simply for displaying a banner on Bang Radio’s website.

Despite the long day at the office, everyone let the spirit of the season fill them with glee. Personally, I think the free wine was responsible for filling people with glee. I know I got drunk. Got drunk and ate more than my share of the amazing buffet complete with breaded shrimp, club sandwiches, buffalo wings, and delicious chocolate dessert balls.

Later in the night the sales director, Peter, called me up to the front of the room and presented me with a gift card of £50 and an ‘audio goodbye’ CD. Plus, Peter has promised me that he could get me a limo ride either out clubbing with my mates or to the airport. Either would be incredible.

Warhorsing

12-10-2008

Wednesdays I normally start my morning a bit later, as I don’t have to be into work till about 12-12:30. This week was a bit different since I had to queue around 8:45am at the National Theatre in order to get tickets to see Warhorse.

I had some lovely company though with Kat. You may remember her from the ISH karaoke and construction building freeze tag. She met me at ISH reception this morning at 8:00am with two coffees in hand. We hoped on a 435, got off at Trafalgar, and walked over the Thames to the National Theatre only to find a queue had already formed with still 45minutes till the box office opened.

The wait was worth it though. We got our tickets. I couldn’t be more pleased since that show was probably the best I’ve seen in London.

 

It’s about the 1914-18 war, except from the perspective of a horse named Joey. It begins with Joey as a foal and how he is bought by a drunken farmer, raised, and subsequently loved, by the farmer’s son.  As the war breaks out, Joey is sold to the army. His strength and good upbringing save his life though, as he is put to use as a general’s escort as opposed to infantry. The farmer’s son eventually misses Joey too much and joins the army in order to search for him. From there it turns into Saving Private Ryan, but with a horse. The show is incredibly moving and extremely unique. Mostly because of the puppets.

Joey is actually a life-sized wooden framed horse that three men operate throughout the show, one on each set of legs and another controlling the head. Their incredible skill in moving that horse makes the audience forget there are even puppeteers. The lifelike way in which they move that puppet is astounding.  Especially when there are two of these life-size horses on stage at once. 

The sets were minimal and interactive with the movements of the cast. There was a torn page from a book flown in at the stage top, which projected scenery and video in sketches, very tasteful and artistic.

And the music. Awesome. Mostly chorus and the small instrumental parts were carried out on stage. There was a narrator / inner monologue of Joey who was in every seen, in the same costume, but yet fitting the scene well as he sang the story in an English folk song style. All around, a brilliant show.

To rewind to earlier in the day, I got my hair cut before work today by a nice Brazilian man who spoke no English. I decided I did not have the patience for dreads as I know that in order to have them look the way I’d like it’d take 3 years…. just not patience enough. And while the Brazilian guy was very meticulous, I still hate the way it looks.

As Cold as Ice

12-9-2008

As mentioned two posts ago, time is running out. So tonight I had to take in a London site I can’t find anywhere else: The Absolute Ice Bar. After visiting it though, I came to find out that these bars exist in large cities all over the world. But I wanted to see the London one.

Basically, the ice bar is just what it sounds like, a bar made entirely of ice. The floor, pillars, walls, sculptures, tables, seats, chandelier, the bar itself, and yes, the glasses were all made of the purest ice imported from Sweden. Apparently, it lasts 6 months before they have to import more ice. In order to keep people comfortable and buying Absolute Vodka mixes for their entire 45 minute time slot, they supply each visitor with a parka / overcoat, making everyone at the bar look like Eskimos.

£12.50 entrée fee and that includes your first drink. Was the price worth it? Well, when am I ever going to be able to drink in a bar made entirely of ice again? Kimberly and I had an icy blast. I snuck my ice glass out and licked it the whole walk home up Regent’s street. The glass even lasted me as long as the ISH bar, where I ordered a shot of Sambukah in it before it completely melted. 

I'll Miss MTH 179

12-8-2008 

A little flat that looks out on to Regent's park in central London. 

It will be hard saying goodbye to this place. 

Even it is a touch small....

Running and Music

12-7-2008

Time is running out. I have a few options. Run around this city like a chicken with my head cut off, stop at the sites and snap a quick picture, and just get completely wiped out. Or I could take the little time I have and fill it with meaningful London experiences that I know I’ll enjoy and cherish. I chose the latter of the two. 

I got a little extra sleep this morning in preparation for an intense run up Primrose Hill. Why I waited till the last week in London to see this beauty of a park I’ll never know. It’s wonderful and much closer than I thought. Just on the other side of Regents. Since I was running, I didn’t have my camera and hence didn’t get a picture. But this is one of those moments I’m going to keep with me, locked in the synapses of my mind just like all my Regent’s Park runs.

Primrose hill before me. Scatters of people about the park, but not too many as it was a chilly morning. I took on the hill with full vigor. I passed a young woman jogger on the path up. I know the kind of damage getting passed can do to one’s running ego, so I felt a little like a douche. But that’s the way it is in life, sometimes you just get passed. I made it to the top. A crowd of people were there. I swear many of them were watching me. Made me feel like I’d just crossed a finish-line. It looked like it too, as a woman had flown out about 30 mini kites all on the same string and they were flying along the hilltop. A small dog was doing circles around his owner and came to give me a sniff as I began some stretching. I looked up and there was the city. Littered with construction cranes,  just barely visible through the haze. This is Primrose Hill.

I leisurely ran back to MTH, had a shower, and made my way to Westminster Abbey for my third Evening Sung there. This one was probably the best, as I got my way into the choir loft and truly felt the presence of this boisterous choir. These fine male musicians were only the beginning of the amazing music coming my way that evening.

Months ago, I snagged tickets to see Wisconsin brewed musician Justine Vernon, also known as Bon Iver. From the first time my ear holes were filled with his sound, I was taken away by his soulful, falsetto tones. He was tickled pink as he filled the Apollo Victoria Theatre with his music. According to him, this has been the largest venue he’s played in Europe. This theatre just so happened to also be the home of Wicked, where that show plays every night of the week except Sunday. Hence why Justin had to play beneath a giant metal dragon.

I have a new found respect for his song Wolves. He had the audience sing along to the repetitive chorus-like “what might have been lost” lyric. Once we’d all sung through that plenty of times, he encouraged everyone to scream. Scream with all the anger, hate, love, frustration, whatever they had inside them. Utter release. I bet the Wicked cast never got that kind of response from an audience. 

Portobello Glass Blowing

12-6-2008

I really enjoy the people I travel with. Everyone has their own unique interests and it seems everyone from the UWSP group is getting something different out of their time in London. For instance, Deb has been getting to know the London glass blowers association quite well as she took it upon herself to pursue training with them. I am lucky enough to be friends with Deb, because this friendship led to her taking Kim and I on a tour of their studios today.

 

It was actually their annual open house this entire week, but had it not been for Deb, I’d never known that. But beside the typical open house stuff, Deb also took the time to explain some of the process to us and introduce us to a some members of the team, who just so happen to be some of the most talented glass blowers in the world.

 

Watching them work made me appreciate every wine glass I’ve every drank out of and every vase I’ve ever put flowers into. The skill, speed, and fluidity with which these guys have to work brings awe to anyone watching them work their craft.

Once we had finished watching multiple artists make an ornate bowl, a wine glass, and a pitcher we decided there was plenty of daylight left to take in Portobello Road. This market specializes in antiques from old school binoculars to books and doll houses. My favorite vendor had a wall of antique beer signs which if I had a place in London, I’d purchase way too many of those. They also had the usual t-shirt shops and vendors that you’d find in Camden. From one of these guys, I got the greatest t-shirt known to man. Perhaps you'll see me wearing it around. I could post a picture of it here, but that just wouldn't be as fun.

 

Plus we saw my favorite busker again, puncture kit, only this time he was joined by a...let's say less talented musician, but they still entertained the crowd. 

And like any market, this place had loads of good eating:

 

Once we’d shopped till we were about to drop, we walked back to a bus that’d take us home. But we also came upon a house that Deb and Kim were certain belonged to Elton John. No one was 100% but we’re going to say it was.

Pub Crawl

12-5-2008

Against my better judgment, I went with Kim, Mike, Shannon, and Luke on a pub-crawl this evening. In the past, I’ve been rather disappointed with the amount of fun and free alcohol that one get’s out of a pub-crawl for the monetary value one has to put in. This one wasn’t too bad though, two pubs and three clubs.

Started at Belusey’s, a pop culture on the walls, music videos on 10 screens kind of a pub. Then moved on to the Roadhouse club, where motorcycles and 76 gasoline signs were the selected memorabilia of this surprising classy place. They also had a Starship Troopers pinball machine that I just had to play. I did my part for the federation, keeping in mind that the only good bug is a dead bug.

From there we went to familiar territory right down the street from the Coliseum where we get drinks before and after ENO performances. From there we heard probably the best house DJ in London at Verve. The dance floor was packed as this guy mixed everything, even the theme from Magnum P.I. with Feddie Le Grand's “Put Your Hands up for Detroit.”

The night ended at Zoo Bar, familiar by name, but I had yet to visit it. Upstairs was a hop’n club playing more pop hits. The basement, on the other hand, housed the real ravers. The contrast was interesting. But before too long, I’d had enough so Shannon and I took our leave and walked home from Soho.

Karaoke and Freeze Tag

12-4-2008 

Once all the tasks at Life were complete, I grabbed a waffle from the little shop outside of Baker Street Station, ate it on my way to MTH, and grabbed a pint of Crunch Nut cereal to fuel me for one last Thursday night of karaoke madness at ISH bar. I ended my career of ISH karaoke the same way I began it, with a dulcet yet intense rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” In my opinion, it’s a karaoke staple.

Over the past few months, Mike, Shannon, and I got know a couple girls from Virginia, Kat and Allie, a bubbly duo who also frequent the ISH bar. We’ve gotten to know them pretty well as we cheered each other on through karaoke renditions that were good, bad, and ugly.

In time, Mike, Allie, Kat and I decided ISH bar was getting to be a bit of a bore, so we journeyed out to Mike’s club, a.k.a the roof. Before long, that too wasn’t satisfying our excitement so we popped up a window to the adjacent building, which was under construction, and played some wicked games of freeze tag. It was a drunkenly exhausting good time. 

King of the Jungle

12-3-2008

I remember seeing the movie when I was a young’n, singing the songs, loving the characters. Then 10 years ago I remember hearing how Elton John went back at it to turn this loveable movie into a musical. I tucked that under my hat knowing that I’d get around to seeing to someday. Well today was the day I finally saw the stage adaptation of The Lion King.

From the end of “Circle of Life”, the opening number, when the audience roared with ecstasy to the songs reprise to cap the show off, it’s no wonder it’s been running for 10 years.

For the most part, it was the movie, verbatim. Same lines, songs, familiar characters, everything the world has come to know and love about the Lion King. But there were also many differences, good and bad. A few of the added songs didn’t really do much for me, particularly the one the hyenas sing…distorted electric guitar in the Lion King?

Other differences were all for the better, mostly the differences that made it a stage show, such as puppetry-like costumes. Incredible. The costumes used in this show are worth the tickets price themselves. The way the extras move like the animals they are portraying is inspiring. The dance numbers are also an added bonus that the stage lent to this inspiring tale. And I wish I would have purchased a program so I could have figured out the name of the little girl playing Nala. She’ll make it far. 

Getting Edjumacated

12-2-2008 

My work experience has been teaching me a lot lately.  Two week ago when Life FM won the Radio Academy award, we went out to the pubs with a whole bunch of audio engineers afterwards to celebrate. My supervisor taught me that night how to seize an opportunity and network without shame. I threw my contact info at a bunch of producers and managers that night hoping to get a bite in the UK job market, but I got the next best thing, an invite to come to London’s Kiss FM offices and take a look around.

A radio imager for Kiss, Simon, was one of the panel speakers at the Radio Academy awards and I was thoroughly impressed by the way he approached radio sound. So in the pub afterwards, we got to chatting and then today I was in his office and walking about the Kiss studios seeing what corporate stations with lots of money can do and can afford. State of the art studios with mics that hang from the ceiling and adjust at the slightest touch, counsels that allow a single presenter to DJ four stations simultaneously that are broadcasting throughout London, and production studios that shame the ones I’ve worked in. He was even kind enough to show me the specific software programs he uses and exactly how he uses them. A very informative hour at a hustling and bustling station, where a team of 10 do the jobs of 1 person at Life.

I had already arranged to have today completely off of work, as I traded my normal Friday off for today. So I took advantage and got to know the immediate area around the Kiss offices which just so happened to be Regent’s street.

The world’s largest toy store, Hamley’s, lived up to it’s reputation. I could have played in there for hours…well hours beyond the hour and a half I did spend there browsing and playing vids.  I also found a children’s piano / chimes-like instrument that I swear was tuned in mixylidyon mode. Might as well start them young.

After that I went to my favorite toy store, the Apple Store. As if I wasn’t already infatuated enough with Mac after getting this MacBook Pro, this store made my feelings stronger. There show room is simple to showcase their product and let costumers really play with them. I liked that. The best part by far though was the theatre in the back where every hour they have a demonstration from a professional on everything from transferring from Windows to a Mac, to using iTunes, to the programs I stayed for Garageband and Logic. If you are ever in the area of a Mac Store, do yourself a favor and get to know them.

The night ended at the Ain’t Nothing But (the Blues) Bar. Where Sister Mary and the Choir Boys entertained the crowd to the point of rowdy dancing and glass breaking by the end of the set. I’ve been wanting to get to this little venue for a while now, but since it is literally a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ kind of place, it fills up fast. Happy to say I finally made it there, and made some awesome new London friends.

Missed Oportunity

12-1-2008

I pulled a late night at Life FM this evening. Doing 20% work for the station and 80% work for myself, such as blog updates (which I’m way behind on), posting facebook pictures, and also post audio on my new site, Reverb Nation. I started this site a number of years ago when I was looking for a site to host a specific audio file I wanted someone in Pennsylvania to hear. But I never really touched it again until this evening.

Only recently have a realized what an asset this site really is. As you can see for yourself, the site is meant mainly for bands. I, on the other hand, don’t have decent recordings of original music (just yet). But I do have a ton of audio that I’ve produced over the past few years, and this site looked like the perfect place to post my online audio portfolio.

I stopped posting on my site when I read an email that came my way tonight. It said:

Congratulations on being named as recipients of the Chancellor’s Leadership Award.  You have also been nominated by Vice Chancellor Tomlinson and Alumni Affairs to act as the Class of 2008 Speakers for the Commencement ceremonies for your respective colleges (i.e., Courtney you will speak at the 10am ceremony and Shawn you will speak at the 1pm ceremony). 

For the rest of the evening I felt like I was on the verge of puking. I felt too many emotions for one moment. Honored to be chosen, compromise to try to figure out how I could still do it, regret for extending my trip, and utter disappointment for having to turn it down. It took me another day to truly get over it. C'est la vie. Life goes on. My hope is that if this once in a lifetime opportunity came my way once, something like it must be coming my way again sometime soon…

South of Hyde Park

11-30-2008

I had so much fun alone with London, I decided to call her up for a second date. Now, I was just looking for a one day stand with her when I started my day in Greenwich yesterday. But I just could resist her. Beckoning me the way she was, with all she had to offer. 

My goal today was to get to second base with London. How was I going to do that? Go some places I had never gone before and also go some places I have been, but try something new there. First on the list was the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, a little carnival set up with rides, fun houses, little vendors, and a slew of German fare. There was also a creepy animatronic Santa Claus there. If I were a kid, there's no way I'd want to sit on that lap. 

Next stop was a straight shot through Hyde to Exhibition Road. My first stop there was the science museum where I saw the future Japanese automobile, complete with a little computerized companion who's job is to keep the driver happy and awake. You can see his little eyes on the drivers left, as the driver sits in the blue chair in the middle.

Following the oddities of the future, I took in the differences of the past at the Victoria Albert Museum. The highlight for me here was a gallery devoted to musical instruments of the baroque, renaissance, and classical periods.  While they all looked quite familiar and were obviously the precursors to the instruments today, there were some oddballs that looked like they'd be more than fun to play. The care they took in decorating their early pianos and other instruments made them interesting to take a look at, but I would have loved to get behind those cases and try my luck at the strings snapping in my face.

I had seen all the exhibits I wanted to at Victoria Albert, went down the street to the Paper Tiger Chinese Restaurant. Which according to their signage is London's first Szechuan Chinese restaurant.... so there's a fun fact for ya. 

After my eat-as-much-as-you-like for £4 lunch, I ventured back to the science museum because I was much in the mood to take in an Imax film. It was about the ocean and the alien like animals that inhabit our planet in it's depths. Quite an entertaining bit of cinematography. It was narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, and if it weren't for all the screaming children it would have been a perfectly end to my day. 

Imagine 0°00'00"

11-29-2008

Today I took on London all on by my lonesome. It was quite liberating as I went where I wanted, took all the time that I wanted, and didn't really have to compromise with a group. This day was about me and Greenwich.

This entire trip I've had a collection of 50 cards called London City Walks. Sadly, I have yet to use any of them until today. I wish I would have started using these little blue cards sooner. On one side is a walking map of a small section of London. The other side has written directions which include historical, entertaining, and interesting information. Today I used my Greenwich card.

What's the cliche saying? The journey is the reward? That definitely applies to this Greenwhich journey because it was a chore getting out there with the tube lines down over the weekend: Bakerloo line to Waterloo Station, change to Jubilee line, take that to Canary Warf (where I was stopped by a TfL agent and randomly asked to present my oyster), then change and take the DLR (dockside light rail) to Greenwhich.

But totally worth the journey. The walk started at the Royal Naval Academy. Now chances are that without the little blue London City Walk card, but I would have never known about the Painted Hall.

This massive banquet hall is in the middle of the Naval Academy and hosts all their huge ceremonial functions and dinners. As impressive as the bulbed candles are, the real beauty, as you might have guessed, is in the walls and ceilings of which every centimeter is covered in ornately painted scenes and decorations.

Even the fireplace, which looked ornately carved, was in fact not ornately carved, rather painted to look ornately carved.

It was quite a sight, tucked away in the Naval Academy.

Across the way from the painted hall was the Naval Academy's chapel, which was worth the walk over to take a look, but not worth enough to post a picture of it here. As far as chapels go, I've had better. But they did have some amazingly clean and modern toilets. So there's a plus.

The real excitement in this area of London is the Prime Meridian, where the line of longitude is at 0°, completely zeroed out. Here I am straddling two different time zones. My watch and my head was spinning as I stood with absolute zero between my legs. It was a thrill. The Prime Meridian and the opposite 180th meridian (at 180° longitude)in which the International Date Line generally follows. The circle these two lines create divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

This line, which unlike natural lines of latitude defined by the rotational axis of the earth, is arbitrarily created by humans for navigational purposes. The most famous man made concept also originates from Greenwich, specifically from the Royal Observatory: time. From here we all sync our watches and where for close to a century, time was sold by the Bellville family, specifically a woman named Ruth Bellville. Taking after her mother, Ruth walked up and down the streets of London giving local shop owners the correct time, as she got access to the observatory through her father and got the correct time there. I learned all about her when a lovely actress dressed in period clothing gave a 30 minute talk about her life.

The Royal Observatory also houses the world's first public time keeping device. Ships docked along the Thames would look up the hill to see this massive red ball sitting like a tumor on top of a weather vain. At half noon, the ball falls to the polls midway point, and when the clock strikes 1:00pm, the ball drops all the way down. This allowed the sailors to adjust their clocks accordingly and set sail on time. The ball still very much functions today. I just so happen to be at the Royal Observatory at the exact time the ball slides down that skinny shaft.

The rest of my Greenwich day was much more exciting than a droopy red ball. After the ball dropping and the talk from pseudo Ruth Bellville, I chilled out in the observatory learning from an interactive panel (like in the movie Minority Report) about black holes, black matter, solar systems, and all things space-age. I went to a planetarium show about Mars Invaders. Sounds like a kids sci-fi, but the invaders in this brilliant piece of cinema were human beings, and the entire film was about our exploration of Mars, past and future. 

Once I knew all I ever needed to about Mars, I walked a cold walk down from the observatory to the National Maritime Museum, where I soaked in (pun intended) all sorts of boat and sea knowledge. Beside the Seaside pleased me the most of all the exhibits. It was more art than educational, but if one looked close enough, you could learn a great deal. The exhibit was a series of black and white photos taken from the 1820's to about the turn of the century. Each scene depicted a different aspect of life for those living seaside. 

From the Maritime Museum, I found my way to the Greenwich market, where I indulged in a rainy Nutella crepe and an oriental chicken wrap, in that order. This market was probably one of the better as it was mostly homemade-craft based. Super cool artisans selling not just trinkets to clutter your home, but practical things like puppets and wooden ties.... well there were some practical things there, like the food. I got a bag of spiced cashews from a vendor that had barrel after barrel of deliciously seasoned nuts.

Once the market started to repeat itself, since I was walking in circles, I decided it was time to head over to the West End and take in a show. To get back, however, I took a walk under the Thames via the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, yet another find thanks to those little blue cards. Had to be careful in here though as there were a lot of regulations, including:

• NO cycling
• NO busking
• NO littering
• NO loitering
• NO skateboarding
• NO skating 
• NO spitting
• NO animal fouling

I think a more efficient sign would simply say: Walking Only

After a few tube rides, I was in the West End contemplating what ticket I want to try getting last minute. As I was walking down Tottenham Court Road, I was randomly grabbed by Jenny and Cody as they were on their way to the musical Imagine This. This musical is about a family of Jewish actors during the Holocaust. And of coarse, there's a romantic fling thrown in there as well because as we all know, every story is a love story. I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be the most moving show I've seen in London. A rather innovative story. Plus, sitting in £60 seats when you only paid for the £10 seats is bound to make anyone happy. 

Quick backtrack, we had some time between purchasing our tickets and the show starting so we wandered and found Cucumber Alley, a pleasant little covered shopping alley with this light scheme. Lovely, yes?

I got Ralph Vaughan Williams'd

11-28-2008

My turkey comatose did me in till about 10:30am this morning, which is the latest I've slept in throughout my time in London. I went for a turkey trot in Regent's, and rushed back to my room just in time to shower, change, and run across the street with Cody to see the Royal Academy of Music's Symphonic Wind and Brass Ensemble perform a concert of Vaughan Williams along with a Holst thrown in there.

The ensemble, under the direction of Keith Bragg, performed Ralph Vaughan Williams Toccata Marziale and English Folk Song Suite which has always been a favorite of mine. Then they mixed it up with a Gustav Holst piece called Hammersmith. I have always been a fan of Holst ever since I performed his piece Dream City, but this Hammersmith piece brought about a new found appreciation for him. The piece is about London, specifically the area called Hammersmith. Holst wrote the piece while he was living there and studying at the Royal Academy. The gradual trudging along of the prelude represents the Thames, which Holst said, "goes on its own way unnoticed and unconcerned." The rapid movement of the scherzo, on the other hand, shows just how fast paced London can be. The concert was finished off with Vaughan William's Scherzo alla marcia.

After grabbing a late lunch at ISH, I had just enough time to get some schoolwork done before it was time to head down to the Natural History Museum for it's 'After hours' party. On the last Friday of every month, the London's NHM stays open late and opens it's main lobby to a classy drinks and o'dourves restaurant complete with jazz duo playing in the corner right next to the mastodon skeleton.

Since the food was all too expensive, Luke and I decided our money would be better spent checking out the Darwin exhibit and educating ourselves on his two year journey around the world and his research into the Theory of Evolution. I learned more about Darwin in two hours than I think I had space in my brain for, but a nifty little exhibit.

We left the museum walked past the ice-skaters and watched them stumble around and fall down a bit. Then we made our way to the Coliseum where once again Luke hooked me up with tickets to the opera. This time we saw Riders to the Sea, a Vaughan Williams opera. It was only 45 minutes long, which is why it started at 9:30. The artistic concept behind the show made it worth seeing, but it was definitely not my favorite of the three operas I saw at the English National Opera. My ranking is as follows:

1. Aida
2. Partenope
3. Riders to the Sea