Food, Shoping, Show. Fun

Today- was a good day! I went out for an English Breakfast with some of the girls…here it is:


Yummy, eggs, sausage, beans, bacon, toast, and a very full me!
After breakfast we headed over to Potrabello Road- last time I went I was sick – so being there today was much more enjoyable! I was able to find some gifts for my family members too! =)


oh and we got crepes!


YUMMY!!! Lemon and sugar Crepes! oh I want another! love them!

then a few of us decided to go over to the British Library.
this is Cat, Sam and me in front of the British Library- they are both english majors so this is REALLY cool for them!


They have some special exhibits there that are really cool! We wern't allowed to take pictures there- sorry wish I could have- so I will just tell you some of the cool things that I saw there:
-The original Alice in Wonderland book- hand written and illustrated by the author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson
-The origional handwritten manuscript of Handels "Messiah"- so cool! this was composed in 24 days in 1741
-Beethoven's tuning fork
-Beethoven's violin Sonata in G Major that he wrote out and autographed-
Beethoven typically used sketch books to note musical ideas (sometimes during country walks) then wrote them out as soon as it was complete in his mind.
-there was a bunch of Beatles stuff like envelopes and cards and papers that they first wrote out lyrics on for songs like: Help, Yesterday, I Wanna Hold Your Hand,
Ticket to Ride, Hard Days Night, and Michelle
-There was a big collection of Shakespeare's first folios - which was really cool and this was just a visiting exhibit, not perminate like everything else - so good timing on that
-The Magna Carta
-Leonardo DeVinchie's notebooks
-the earliest printed star chart - by a Chineese Astronomer
-The Gutenburg Bible
-The first printed Bible in England - which was the Biblia Latina (a bible)

we went back home and I met up with some girls who wanted to go to a show- but the tube was super slow and there were some lines closed down so we were havign a heck of a time getting to the theatre. There was no way that we were going to make it on time- so 2 girls decided to just go home- but McKell and I decided that we would try to find something else to go to. We made it to the theatre just in time but the show that we were going to see was no longer showing - instead there was another show there was a guy there who said that he was seeing it for the 3rd time so we figured -"hey its gotta be good on some sort of scale for this guy to like it so much." so we went and saw a play called "Ordinary Dreams" it was a smaller theatre and it was a well doen show- I enjoyed it very much! There was a lot of British Humor in it jokes about the tube and poking fun and this and that- things that wouldn't make sense if it were performed back at home- but were rather funny here!
After the show Mckell and I wandered around Leicester Square a bit. there are some Huge statues of lions up on this monument in from of the National Gallery so we took some pictures and had some fun- it was beautiful weather tonight!

We then wandered around and found a McDonalds - now the only reason I would go into a McDonalds in the UK is to get a cheap ice-cream cone! there is NO WAY that I am eating American Fast food on this trip! so we got ourselves some ice-cream to eat as we wandered, then found a bus and went home. it was a good night! we had a lot of fun!

Misc Fun

This morning we went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. There were A LOT of people there!
it was mostly all behind the gate which had a TON of people standing in front of it- so you cant really see anything that is going on- but it's one of those most-do kind of things here in London. So we did! =) here are the pictures:
us waiting for it to start- we had these rockin seats...then the security people came and kicked us off the wall right before it all started- sad!


the band played some fun/different songs though! like ABBA and show tunes like Hairspray and LeMis.

Mel and I then went over to Borough Market and got some dinner. I had a yummy chicken hamburger. and then we went over to the Tate Modern Museum. This was a fun Museum! I liked it!
Today we also went on a tour of the Globe theater and though an exhibition of the Globe. As part of our tour we also got to go and see where the Rose theater was- which was the 1st theater in London even before the Globe. All that is left of the Rose Theater is some foundation stones and a few artifacts that have been found, but its cool to be here and see it and learn more about the history of the theatre right where it all happened.

at the exhibit there was some cool stuff. There were some cool things in the globe exhibit- costumes and swords, and interactive stuff- my favorite thing was the BIG magnet board that had Shakespearean words on the magnets and we got to write our own poems...mine wasn't finished yet and they were closing and kicked us out so here is my unfinished poem....
any ideas on how to finish it?"

We were really tired form running around all day and so we went to the shop/cafe at the globe and waited. As we were waiting I gave some of my fellow students a little photography lesson. This is one of the pictures from it- I was teaching them about perspective and composition etc... now you tell me which picture is better:
1-OR
2-

yeah not much competition huh?!
anyway...
We got to see Comedy of Errors at the Globe Theater tonight - once again we were standing but this time we stood right in front of the stage so we were able to lean up against it and it was also HiLaRiOuS!!! I very much enjoyed the show tonight!
Yeah this was from the Tate Modern as well I really liked it!

Counrty Walk

Today we went on a Country Walk...which was also part hike as well. once again- I LOVE the country! it is SO beautiful out here! WOW!! the walk was about 9 miles (so they say) I didn't feel like it was that long but there are others in my group who would say it felt a lot longer! haha
We saw BEAUTIFUL churches, streams, wide open fields, cute little towns, and Castle Ruins. It was an AMAZING day. Here are some pictures from the day....




After the walk we went to see a play. Much Ado About Nothing - which is my very Favorite Shakespeare play. It was in an open air theater which was really cool! The performance was really good! We almost didn't get in cause they close the doors on you if you are late. We were almost late because the public transportation is just not running at its best. We went from one tube line to the next and it was pretty much ridiculous! We ended up running to the theater and just berley getting in before they closed the gate. I am really glad that we made it! It was a really fun show in a really cool atmosphere!

Today- among the stars

Class.
For Shakespeare class we are required to memorize lines from a Shakespearean play- most write them down and turn them in but I opted to perform in from of the class instead =)
After class I went to the British Museum with some friends - It is a HUGE museum with all kinds of cool stuff in it! here are a few things:

Look!this is the Rosetta Stone!
and lots of mummy's! Which were really cool! Mckell and I reading the Rosetta Stone. yeah that's right! we are that good!

THEN!!! We ran home and grabbed some dinner (side note: I have eaten more Peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches here in London then I have had in the past 10 year combined!)
and we went with our classmates to go and see Waiting for Godot. This is an absurdest play by Samuel Beckett. It was Very well done! I really liked this performance a lot! AND guess who was in it!
Patrick Stweart and Sr. Ian McKellen!
I got to meet them and I got their signatures on my ticket!
This is a picture of Patrick Stweart being mobbed by the crowd at the stage door after the show...I was at the front of this crowd but stepped out once I got my signiture.

Temple Tuesday

Today we woke up early got on a bus and went out to the London Temple. The temple was BEAUTIFUL!!!! I VERY MUCH enjoyed being there! It rained a lot in the morning but the rain clouds cleared up by the time we were done in the temple so we could walk around. I am really glad because the temple grounds were absolutely gorgeous as well!
I will show:

After getting home from the temple we wanted to go and see Lion King but they did not have any student price tickets - blah! so we looked around and found a different show to go to- we saw...
Sunset Boulevard!

It was AWESOME!!! I was REALLY impressed with the actors! because along with playing their roles they were also the pit. most musicals have a pit to play their music for them. But how Sunset Blvd was directed was the actors all played multiple instruments while switching between their parts and dancing, etc. It was a great performance!
today was Anne's birthday - so I made her a cake. We didn't have candles so we used a computer and when she blew them out we closed the laptop! haha! we are SO clever!
then... we had a cake fight. =) well frosting fight- with the frosting remains in the pan.

Just Another Manic Monday...

I went to class today- and...I cant remember what else I did (ha! this is why I shouldn't play catch up and I should just blog about my days right away). I am thinking that there MUST have been SOMETHING that I did after class - but all I can remember is being home and writing my paper that was due tonight on the play All's Well that Ends Well... really I think that's all I did was stay home and write my paper. Must be cause I don't even have any pictures from today. HA! look at me! that is self control! Staying at home and doing homework when I have a whole world of London to still explore. I am finding that I am quickly running out of time and I still have LOTS to see, museums to go to and things to do! anyway School duties call - so I did school stuffs today. I did go and see a play with my class. We went to see Cherry Orchard which is a famous play by Anton Chekhov.
After the play I came home and I was inspired to write a paper that was an option to write- I was going to opt to write a different paper but the inspiration struck! So I busted out a paper about how the production of Carousel was postmodern before the midnight due time. I was pretty proud of it...
so I found my one picture from today...
(this is Mckell...um....yeah)
Can you believe it! that IS an uneventful day it I didn't even take any pictures! sheesh! next time I will have someone take a picture of me deliberating over the computer trying to write my Shakespeare papers....or not. =)

Hooray for the Sabbath!

I LOVE the Stratford ward that I attend! Today I taught Primary to all of the Junior Primary kids. There were no other teachers so I just took them all. It was fun! we talked about being one and standing together and being unified. I had 9 little ones in my class good times.
I have to tell you about cute little Sydney. he is a sweet sweet little black boy that was in my class today. I think that he is probably 5 or 6 years old. so in the middle of sharing time he raises his hand and in his cute little British accent he says, "Jesus is our brother and our Savior and He loves us and he loves us everyday even when we are bad - but he gives us another chance." He then turned to me and quietly said, "that just came to my head, it just came to my head."
It was just about the sweetest thing I had ever heard! I was so impressed! It is amazing to see how close little children are to the Spirit!
I am grateful that Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to be here and learn from these children!
After church I went for a walk with Melanie and Ryan in Hyde Park for a few hours. The weather was perfect! here are a few pictures....

We fed the swansWalked by the Princess Diana Memorial Garden and Fountains
oh- cool fact about Hyde Park/Kensington Park (they are connected) this is where the fairy tale Peter Pan was inspired and written! No joke! cool huh!?! I think so! so there is a Peter Pan statue! and there is us with it! And there is also a whole Peter Pan playground in the Park - with pirate ship and all. I have not yet been there cause you have to have children with you to enter in as an adult. So I think I will go by just to see it sometime but wont be able to play.
Another cool thing is this...do you know what that is!? well it is a special tent theater that they are building inside the park because in June they are showing Peter Pan - the play! and we are going to go and see it! =) I am really excited about it! I will let you know about it after I see it- but this is where it will be.
Melanie and I also made Crepes tonight- Yummy Yummy crepes!!!
This photo was taken right outside of my flat Sunday late afternoon.

Last Explorations of Ireland

We checked out of the Hostel today and we hoped onto the dart which is a train-ish kind of transportation (overground) and we traveled out to Bray. once again!
BEAUTIFUL!!!
We went to the beach...
See the mountain in the backgound of this picture...
...see it? see it? well that is called brays head (at least the top of it is) So we went hiking!! YEAH! it was GEORGEOUS!!!

This is at the top of the...um...we can call it a small mountain I guess...well sure its more of a hill but when we were hiking it looked just like a mountain it was like I was back in Provo hiking the mountains!
We hiked down and ate lunch at a little cafe on the beach.
We headed into the town of Bray and walked around the shops for a little while and then headed back to Dublin. Back in Dublin Mel and I walked around and we saw some famous places....
Christs Church-
and St. Patricks Cathedral - which is HUGE!!! and there were really pretty grounds around it! We met up with a few other people and hoped on a bus to the airport and flew back 'home' to London. This trip was QUITE the adventure be in Ireland! I absolutly LOVE this counrty!