Ghosts and grand plans

February 17, 2010

Halfway through the week already!? Viv and I made all these grand plans for London on our way home from Ireland, but we haven’t done any of them yet. We realized that after spring break, our time here would be half over and we freaked out a bit. So, we packed this week with things we wanted to do in London (a few galleries, museums, theatre, and this cool place called the Temple), but we haven’t gotten to any of them! We’re still recovering from Ireland!

I had class all day on Monday… and I was soooo tired. We chatted about the House of Lords and the BBC in Contemporary Britain. It was interesting. Do you know that you have to pay a fee every year for TV in the UK? For just the basic channels! And then you pay for cable on top of that. But…. There are no commercials! How awesome is that?

On Monday night, we journeyed over to Covent Garden for a play called “Ghosts” for my theatre class. That area is great! So much going on at all times of the day. I plan to go back soon. Anyway, the play was so depressing. This lady’s entire life falls apart when her husband cheats, her orphanage burns, and then her son dies! Ugh. But next week we are seeing Billy Elliot!

Tuesday was an infamously rainy day in London. Sheets of rain falling at a slant due to the crazy wind. I believe I got just as soaked trying to control my umbrella in the wind than I would have without it. Rain and all, we met at the Tate Modern for my art history class. That was my third visit to the Tate. Not that I don’t love that place, I was just crabby because of the rain. But my day got better quickly. After the museum, a group of us headed back to Kensington to this place called My Old Dutch. They serve Dutch pancakes, which are really just huge crepes, loaded with toppings and goodness. Since today was National Pancake Day, we thought we would find some deals or something. London loves National Pancake Day. They have pancake races(?), eating competitions, and so much more all over the city. Every restaurant, no matter what the cuisine, finds a way to serve pancakes on this day. They love it. My Old Dutch was a bit of a disappointment. They didn’t have anything cool going on. Just a bunch of balloons outside. He headed down the street to Pizza Hut…totally different experience from a Pizza Hut in the states. It’s like a five-star restaurant here, but still cheap! Yum…

Today I went for a run in the morning. Hal, Viv, and I are heading into “the City” this afternoon. It is the really old part of London that now houses all the financial and business buildings. We are going to see the Temple. I’m not sure what exactly it is yet, but I’ll soon find out and let you know. We are also visiting Somerset House and the Guildhall Gallery. Can’t wait!

And spring break is right around the corner! We just got back from Ireland! This is one big vacation. I love it. Viv is going to stay with a friend in Germany for spring break, but Hal and I are heading to Paris and possibly Belgium and Germany. We’ll see how that all works out. Our friends Laurel and Julie are going to Paris with us for the beginning of the break, but then we are splitting apart. They are coming back here for a few days in Liverpool. Julie is a huge Beatles fan. Huge.

I’m also planning for Mom and Grandma’s trip in April! Only five weeks! Can’t wait.

Love,
Kelly