Well as mentioned in the previous blog the students arrived on Saturday, August 31 and moved into the flats. We used the weekend to get phones, Oyster cards (three month tube passes that are good for the Underground and busses), get oriented in the neighborhood, go grocery shopping and do a walking tour of London on Sunday afternoon. Classes began on Monday. For the Theatre in London class and Page to Stage we took a tour of the Royal Drury Lane Theatre in the afternoon. This was a theatrical tour. For those who did the tour in the past, Mr. Drury Lane is still doing the tour!!!! Curtis Kempton he still lives! The tour was a bit different because the two actors would break character a lot but it was quite humorous!
The interior of the building was refurbished to look like the theatre did in the 1600's. This was done after Shrek closed and before Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came in. Gone are the velvet red walls and u gly carpet. It looks fantastic now!
The Drury Lane is located in Covent Garden. We hung out there and went to different establishments to eat dinner before we went to see War Horse at the New London Theatre. Covent Garden has lots of shops and street performers.
The Girls go out to celebrate Sadie's Birthday!
Our first day trip was to Cambridge. It was a rainy day but cleared up later in the day. The group was so large we had to get two tour guides. Both tours were great!
Group 1
Group 2
I couldn't resist taking a picture of these cute kids in the park.
The Eagle Pub is very famous in Cambridge. It is where a lot of scientific discoveries were announced.
The window on the left is bolted open and is never closed. A woman was burned in that room and the "ghost" needs the window open all the time. If it is ever closed something drastic always happens such as another fire or cooks getting burned, etc. So it is now bolted open so no one can close it.
The pub was also a hangout for WWII British and American airmen. They would burn their names, units, etc onto the ceiling of the pub with lighters. It is still there.
One of the scientific discoveries was DNA.
I liked the cool deco lamp on the wall.
This clock was donated to Cambridge University by an alum. There is an evil looking grasshopper at the top that tics away the seconds. It was covered up when we arrived saying the insect was resting. Luckily they opened it up and we were able to see it.
I always pay extra for the students to go into the King's College Chapel. Lots of Henry VIII architecture, War of the Roses roses carved into the wall, etc.
One of the fun aspects of Cambridge is punting on the river CAM. You can hire a tour guide to take you punting or you can rent a boat and go punting on your own. The following are photos of the students on a tour but then they were allowed to try to do the punting themselves.
Arielle punting.
Hannah punting
The outdoor market. Bought some great figs and peaches there.
The oldest structure in Cambridge. More photos of the church below:
The holes in the wall allowed priests to spy on the people and see who attended the service.
On the bus ride home some did homework, some slept, some fooled around but we all ate homemade fudge! It was yummy....
All of the classes met this week. On Wednesday the student for Art in London went to the Tate Britain Museum. Today(which is Wed) the students went to the Gallery in Dulwich and really enjoyed it.
At the Oxford Arms waiting for the show to begin.
On Monday night we went to see Les Miserables. Having seen the show a zillion times this production wasn't one of my favorites. It was okay but something was lacking in my opinion. It is interesting. Last year's production was one of the best I had ever scene. We actually had four understudies.
I have been in contact with Gavin Creel, who plays Elder Price in The Book of Mormon and he will be coming to speak to the students sometime in October! Looking forward to it. Some of us saw him in HAIR a few years ago.
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