Stonehenge and Superheroes

a week in review

Monday: Class, as usual, and a visit to the Museum of London to see the "Dickens & London" exhibit. The exhibition included some wonderful paintings, photographs, and artifacts from and about Dickens' Victorian London. There were also a few of his handwritten manuscripts, including Bleak House and David Copperfield. He had atrocious handwriting. Wonderful exhibit though. Especially loved the short film about the night life of modern London, set to readings from Dickens' "Night Walks."

"Dickens' Dream" by Robert William Buss

That evening our class went to see Noises Off at the Novello. Such a ridiculously hilarious play.

Tuesday: Just a normal day. Theatre, a lunch break with wonderful conversations, Modernism. Oh, and watching Britain's Got Talent with the homestay. 

Wednesday: Day trip to Stonehenge, Stourhead Garden, and Avebury for Art, Architecture & Society. Despite the rather drizzly day, I had a marvelous time visiting these sites. 

Stonehenge

Temple of Apollo at Stourhead Garden

Temple of Apollo (close up)
Look familiar?

Now does it look familiar?
Shot location for the first proposal scene in the 2005
adaptation of Pride and Prejudice

Though it looks natural, the entire garden has been
artificially created--even the lake!

Avebury, another Neolithic henge monument

Thursday: Another quiet day. Writing a response paper about Mrs. Dalloway in the morning, Modernism course in the afternoon, and Grandma's House in the evening. 

Friday: Went to see Avengers Assemble at the cinema this afternoon. A pretty fantastic superhero film--I rather enjoyed it. Especially the friendship between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Bruce Banner/Hulk. 

Iron Man will always be my favorite. Also, I think I need to see Thor now. 

~L

Britain's Got Talent

My London experience would not be complete without some emotional investment in this year's Britain's Got Talent. Or so I keep telling myself.

Currently rooting for The Loveable Rogues. They are rather lovable.

Here's their cover of "Help!" by the Beatles:

And their semi-finals performance:

~L

Dryers and bits of pavement

Been a rather busy week so far, so you'll forgive the small break in blog posts. There's a long weekend ahead; I promise a longer update then.

Besides my family and friends, I'm missing some rather strange things from home:

tumble dryers
warm clothes out of the dryer
the Burke-Gilman trail
Reese's
the M44 bus line to Ballard
my styrofoam newspaper head
Mt. Rainier
my copy of Jane Eyre
my walk from dorm, through the Quad and Red Square, towards Drumheller Fountain
94.9 KUOW

~L

Jammie Dodgers

After helping Esme with her Home Economics homework (making pasta salad) and taking care of my sick homestay mum (helping Esme, making tea, doing the washing up), Jammie Dodgers and tea make a wonderful afternoon break.

~L

Five happy things

An imitation of my sister's blog, Miss Lily. Just more British. And more nerdy

1. Star Wars Day! May the fourth be with you!!!

2. Suicide Letter Love Note at Pleasance Theatre (tonight) 

Photo credit: Pleasance Theatre

3. The London Transport Museum (yesterday)

"Keeps London going" by Man Ray, 1938

4. My new bag from Primark

5. Grandma's House - new episodes every Thursday night on BBC2

~L

Tuesday night at the opera

I've been an opera buff since age ten. One evening when I was in fifth grade, my dad decided to watch our laserdisc recording of Don Carlo with Placido Domingo. And that was that. I started listening to my favorite arias and duets over and over again. Sometimes after school, I would come home and listen to an entire opera, following along with the libretto. I very nearly wore out our Bravissimo, Domingo! album (a cd my sister never wants to hear again, I'm sure... we shared a room at the time). I think Placido Domingo might have been my first celebrity crush.

The point is: I love opera. So naturally, attending an opera in London was an absolute must.

The Royal Opera House is
gorgeous. And quite massive.

Last night I went to see Donizetti's La Fille du régiment at the Royal Opera House. I chose to see an opera I knew nothing about in order to avoid any preconceived notions; I wanted something new and fresh and unknown.

Laurent Pelly's production of La Fille du régiment is absolutely charming. This second revival in Covent Garden was conducted by Yves Abel and featured Patrizia Ciofi as Marie, the "regiment's daughter," and Colin Lee as her lover, Tonio. Wonderful sets, impressive voices, the famous high Cs, jokes about the 2012 Olympics and cornish pasties, and Donizetti's delightful score all made for a rather wonderful evening. And it was nice to see a completely packed opera house on a Tuesday night.

"La Fille du régiment had its premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1840. Its combination of exuberant comedy, genuine feeling and rousing, patriotic sentiment soon made it a national institution and it was regularly revived on Bastille Day in France. The opera had a long absence from Covent Garden, but in 1966 Dame Joan Sutherland reintroduced it to London, playing the irrepressible heroine, Marie, with Luciano Pavarotti as her lover, Tonio. La Fille returned to the Royal Opera House in 2007 in Laurent Pelly's delightful production, which has since toured the world.

Pelly's production fizzes with humour and features wonderfully inventive sets: enormous maps evoke the mountainous terrain of Tyrol, the regiment’s camp drowns in piles of laundry and an armoured tank bursts into a drawing room. Against this lively backdrop, Donizetti’s score weaves robust, military melodies with moments of pathos, such as Marie's moving farewell to her friends at the end of Act I. Other highlights include the bravura tenor aria 'Pour mon âme', with its vertical leaps to a succession of high Cs, and the delightful duet 'Quoi? vous m'aimez!' in which Tonio ardently expresses his love for Marie."

- The Royal Opera House

~L

It's May!

Unfortunately, the weather has decided that it's February. Absolutely pouring this morning.  

~L