First stop this morning was Madam Tussaud's museum with the wax figurines of famous people. The website advertises it as "The Most Famous Tourist Attraction in London," which I thought was a bit of an exaggeration. However, when we got there only about a half hour after it opened, the line was already about 45 minutes long to get in, and once we got in it was totally packed. We went mostly for Sam (he likes stuff like this) but I actually enjoyed it a lot. Definitely trippy though--it's a strange experience to bump into a man, turn around to apologize, and then realize it's Tom Cruise, and only then realize that he's made of wax. We have tons and tons of pictures of ourselves with every celebrity imaginable. (Funny story: when we showed my dad the pictures afterwards, he recognized all of the random historical figures, including obscure knights and naval captains, and none of the contemporary celebrities.) This picture is of Andy and me with the royal family. (We fit right in, don't we?)
After we'd had our fill of cheesy photographs, we made our way to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Parliament is closed right now, but we did get to see the outside--HUGE and probably the most beautiful building, at least on the outside, that I've ever seen. I love Gothic architecture--just all the crazy detail makes it seem to flow even though it's stone. And I got to see Big Ben, which I was very much looking forward to, although I quickly discovered that it's pretty much impossible to get it all in one photograph--so big! This is a picture of Sam and me outside the gates to Big Ben and Parliament.
Then we took an audio tour of Westminster Abbey, which was just breathtaking. I know I've already said that about several things on this trip, but Westminster Abbey, I have now decided, is the most breathtaking of all, and definitely my favorite cathedral. Even though it was completed over a course of centuries and under the direction of several different monarchs, they all maintained the same Gothic architectural style and so the building all seems unified even though there are so many different sections serving their own unique purposes. The small chapels are pretty, but I much more enjoyed the larger wings with the vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. Also--there are a lot of famous dead people there. I saw more graves than I've probably ever seen in my life today! And while stuff like that normally weirds me out, it was actually exciting for me because so many of the tombs were of poets who I've recently been studying. Of course the most famous (and first) poet to be buried there is Chaucer, but there's also Ben Jonson, Sir Philip Sidney, and Tennyson, as well as monuments to Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas and some of my other favorite writers like the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen. It was in an odd sense inspiring to be surrounded by all of those names, and, as someone who loves literature, I really appreciated the fact that a whole corner of the "grave" section of the Abbey was devoted to writers--it's even called "Poet's Corner." It seems fitting to honor creativity there, because creativity and beauty and art are all good gifts from God. Finally, just before we were about to leave, they came on the loud speaker and announced that Westminster Abbey has always been, primarily, a space of worship and prayer and asked the visitors to remain still while they read a prayer out loud. It was a prayer for our families: for God to strengthen them, reconcile those that are broken, and protect those who do not have a family. It felt so right to stop in the midst of that place and pray, even though it is not typically something you expect on a tour. Here is a photo of the Abbey from the outside (no inside pictures allowed, unfortunately!)
We were almost out of time before we had to meet our parents back at the hotel, but we took a quick Tube ride and then jog across London Bridge (which is just unbelievably unimpressive--it's a foot bridge, like almost any other footbridge I've ever seen) and the Thames (which is lovely and interesting, unlike London Bridge) to visit the recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theater! That was just a dream come true. I have acted in Shakespeare plays since I was in 4th grade (first role: Viola in Twelfth Night) and have probably read by now 10-12 plays of his. Sam has also acted in two Shakespeare plays, and Andy is currently putting together a scene of one for his senior English project, so we all had some special ties to the Globe and were excited to see it. We got in for the second-to-last tour of the day and were taken around the reconstructed Globe and given a fairly detailed description of the process of its reconstruction. Apparently, even 50 years ago, there was no Globe reconstruction; the only monument to Shakespeare in London was a small plaque on the side of a tavern in the original location of the Globe Theater (which burned down). An American actor was visiting London, went looking for the Globe, and was appalled that it had not been rebuilt. He put together the funding and started the project but died too soon to see its completion; his daughter finished it. They have tried to make the new Globe as similar to the old one as possible, so it is complete with thatched roof (covered, of course, in flame-retardant chemicals), pegs instead of nails holding up the whole structure, a protruding stage and multiple levels of seating as well as a gallery on the floor. They still perform shows there (in the spring and summer--it's open so it would be too cold in the winter), and while some shows are contemporary most are Shakespeare's works. They also described how they make the costumes--all the way down to underwear--exactly as it would have been made in Shakespeare's time, which sounded rather uncomfortable to me. Andy, I believe, was most excited that they handed out mulled wine as part of the tour (to keep us warm in that cold, open air theater!)
The evening concluded with a jog back to the hotel, quick change, and then a trip out to the theater to see Les Mis. I love the show and have seen several different productions, and while they have all been wonderful, this may have topped them all. The actor who played Jean Valjean had both beautiful voice and stage presence but also managed to portray both a strong and gentle demeanor very nicely. I cried through the last song like I always do (although apparently I've gotten better at concealing it--Andy didn't notice and he was sitting right next to me!) But the character who actually caught my attention the most this time was Javert. I pitied him; he truly believed that he was doing what was right, but his whole mindset was so antithetical to grace that he could not ever appreciate gracious treatment even when he recognized that it was given to him. I see myself being like that sometimes and so I felt sad for him rather than angry at him; I wanted him to taste mercy. All in all a great show, and my parents especially really loved it--they walked out of the theater with huge grins on their faces and just couldn't stop talking about it. It is fun to see them so happy.
Finally, to conclude, I want to write up a description of the hotel lounge where I'm sitting to use the internet--Beth, I think you'll enjoy this. It is just so unbelievably tacky in this weird, almost-cool way that I feel like I'm in the middle of a strange movie every time I sit down here. The walls are painted teal and are adorned with one painting on each side--all modern art. One is a pattern of colored lines, all horizontal and all pastels; another is a pattern of polka dots; two others just look like blurry photographs, but one is a deep maroon and the other is a brownish-yellow so they seem a little too dark for this room. The furniture consists of these light purple-and-white checked sofas and arm chairs, with a few bright green cushions thrown in here and there. In the corner, there is a Christmas tree that is covered in tinsel (some is silver, some is gold, some is this glittery multi-color), with those lights that flash on and off and a bunch of decorations that don't match (except that they are all shiny.) There are a few plants around the room too: one is green an leafy, the other is a pointsettia, and the third is a vase of some ridiculously tall flowers--they're probably waist-high on me. Britney Spears "Lucky" is blasting over the radio, a little too loud for comfort. (I sometimes struggle to think in here; I definitely couldn't carry on a conversation with someone.) Windows directly behind my head face the street, where I know people are walking down the sidewalks thinking our building looks elegant. That is the best description I can provide of my surroundings as I write this; hopefully, if anything I write seems ludicrous, I can later blame the room instead of my own incoherence. :)
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