London: Day 6 (May 18, 2012)

I had a train ticket to go to Huddersfield today to spend the weekend with my friend, Darren, but I missed the train…  I mistakenly assumed that it would only take 45 minutes to get to the train station, it ddidn’t  look that far on my map.  And I mistakenly assumed that because I have lived in NYC getting around on the London Underground wouldn’t be that complicated.  I was wrong on all accounts.  And to top it off I had looked at my return ticket and not my departure ticket and so was aiming for the wrong time to begin with.  Yes, it was quite a messy affair.  I did however manage to not cry in the middle of King’s Cross Station when I realized that I had missed my train, there was not another one leaving for that destination tonight, I had gotten lost on the way to the train station, had no idea how to get home, and I was a stranger in a strange land, standing in a very busy train station having no idea what to do next.  I blinked really fast and took a few deep breaths and told myself that all of those things may be true, but I am a intelligent woman and can figure this out.  And I did.  There were some trains going to Leeds which is 15 miles from Huddersfield but because it was rush hour on Friday, it would cost me £124.  The ticket I had already bought was only £9.  And then with the conversion to dollars I really felt there was no way that I should pay for that.  So, I found my way home on the first attempt (you should be impressed) and got on-line to figure out if my return ticket was void and if it was possible to travel in the morning.

So, I will not be able to go to the Lake Country or the Preston Temple after all.  But I will be able to see my friend Darren and watch the show that he is doing tomorrow night. 

A couple of interesting things from today:  The London Underground is 100% cleaner than the NYC subway system, so if I had to choose which one I would prefer getting lost in, I would choose London.  I didn’t see any rats, dripping water, or rubbish (that’s British for trash).  I wasn’t worried about setting my bag down on the platform while waiting for the train.  And I am pretty sure (99.99%) that I saw Victoria Hamilton on the train home.  She is a British actress that you would know from the original Persuasion movie (1995) as Henrietta Musgrove and more recently in the BBC television series of Larkrise to Candleford as Ruby Pratt.  I was trying not to stare at her and yet still get a good look to be sure.  But I am pretty sure.  I had no idea what her name was, and couldn’t remember either of those character names or I might have asked her.  But because of my mushy brain that cannot get me to the train on time or remember random actor and character names, she sat undisturbed on the London Underground.

London: Day 5 (May 17, 2012)

It was a great day.  We went to Westminster Abbey, which is incredibly old!  But some of the architecture is incredibly stunning.  Pictures are not allowed inside the abbey but I would have loved to take some pictures of some of the stained glass.  But I saw the memorials to all the famous kings and queens and learned a few things about British History, none of which I can remember at this precise moment as it is late and I have a headache, but I know you just want to see the pictures anyway so I will spare you the wordy descriptions.  These pictures are all from either outside or other buildings on the grounds.

After we finished at Westminster we walked to Buckingham Palace.  We walked through St. James Park, which is a truly lovely park.  We got distracted on the way by the pigeons that will fly up and land on your arm if you put a little piece of bread there and this other bird with the strangest feet I have ever seen.  These sort of webbed feet that aren’t really webbed.  As a side note, the pigeons in NYC are disgusting, but the pigeons in London are not nearly and dirty and diseased.  I didn’t at all want one to land on me, but I did condescend to take some video footage (to be released at a later date).

The palace was really busy and there are no tours.  I guess the Royal family ought to be able to have some privacy.  The Queen is celebrating the Diamond Jubilee in a couple of weeks so the palace grounds and a number of other places are under construction and preparations for various events happening for the celebration.  The Diamond Jubilee celebrates the 60-year anniversary of Elizabeth being Queen.  I think the only other Queen to have a diamond Jubilee is Victoria.  Just FYI, Victoria reigned for 63 years.  So if Elizabeth lives for more than 3 years she will oust Victoria out of her record.

We spent the afternoon at the National Portrait Gallery and to be honest by that time I was done in.  But I persevered and at least walked through the whole gallery to stop at the portraits that caught my eye rather than reading each little placard and stopping at each portrait. 

This evening we saw Madame Butterfly.  This is an opera by Puccini and so far it is my favorite of the productions we have seen.  I was on the second to last row and there were no microphones for the orchestra or the singers and I could hear everything.  And it all sounded really great!  Then technically, it was a very visually beautiful production.   I am not a great fan of opera, but as I said this is my favorite so far.  And as far as opera goes, it was Puccini who just writes really beautiful music.

London: Day 4 (May 16, 2012)

Today we had classes.  So there was no sight seeing and hence no pictures.  I had a speech class where we worked on breathing and relaxing out bodies.  This was great I started to release some of the tension from last semester, moving and traveling.  A few more sessions of that and I may not actually need a chiropractor.  Then I had a voice lesson.  Mary, my teacher, kept saying,  “It seems so strange to fly all the way to London to be doing this.”  I wasn’t sure how to respond to her because I thought, “Yes, we certainly don’t need to be in London to have a voice lesson with you, but I am not going to complain about flying to London to have a voice lesson.”

After lunch we had a discussion about the show we saw last night.  That was quite interesting.  Many people had very strong opinions, there was a lot to talk about. After the discussion I went to the gym – I’m trying to get ready for my bike tour in southern France.  And then this evening we went to see Sweeney Todd, a thoroughly depressing and gory show which left me pessimistic about humanity and feeling a little sick to my stomach after watching so many bloody deaths on stage.  A good brisk walk home took care of the queasy stomach and I shall see if I can find some reading that will restore light and hope before I go to bed. 

So that is a typical class day for us.  We have them a couple of times a week.  I won’t always bore you with the details, but since it was the first one I thought I would give you some idea as to what it is like.

Tomorrow we are off to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Portrait Gallery to see the graves and church, home and portraits of the Kings and Queens of England.  I should have great pictures for you tomorrow.  This picture is from yesterday, there was a little skater place near the National Theatre and there was a very large quantity of graffiti.

London: Day 3 (May 15, 2012)

Today we did a walking tour of a few places in London.  We started out by going to the Noel Coward Theatre where we will be seeing Noel Coward’s Hayfever this evening.  Then we walked to Trafalgar Square, which is the considered the center point of London.  

Just off Trafalgar Square is the road that leads to Buckingham Palace.  We walked to the road and Charmian, our program director, pointed out the way to the palace so that we could go another time.  Then we walked down to the River Thames and crossed the river on the Waterloo Bridge.  We got great views and picture spots for Big Ben, the Parliament Building, the river and The Eye of London which is a gigantic Ferris wheel right on the river’s edge.  

We had lunch on the east side of the river near the National Theatre (an important landmark for our trip).  After lunch we got on a double decker bus (yay!) and road to St. Paul’s Cathedral.  We all rode on the top deck of the bus.  

We got excited when we realized that we were driving down Fleet Street.  You may or may not be familiar with Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.  Penn State is doing this show in the fall and we are seeing it tomorrow night here in London.  (I don't think this is a picture of Fleet Street, but it is a cool intersection).

We did not go into St. Paul’s Cathedral, but I did pause for a moment on the steps to sing, “Feed the Birds.”  If you don’t know what I am talking about you must reacquaint yourself with your childhood and watch Mary Poppins again.  

We then walked from St. Paul’s to the London Wall which is an excavation site found after a fire that was started by a blitz in WWII.  It is believed to be the wall around the city that dates to 200 AD when the Romans occupied and ruled England.  

We ended at the Museum of London and spent the afternoon learning about the history of London – you know, the Black Death and the Great Fire of 1666 and Henry VIII tearing down churches, and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show came to England for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee and that was her first public appearance after Albert’s death 25 years earlier. Just a few facts I remember from the large amount of information that passed through my head. 

Tonight we saw Hayfever, our first show.  It was British comedy about a quirky upper class family in the 20's.  It was an all-star cast including Jeremy Northam (Mr, Knightly- the G. Paltrow Emma), Lyndsey Duncan (Lady Catherine in Lost in Austen) and a guy that had Downton Abbey in his bio but he must have been a small part because I don't recognize him.  Anyway, it was fun and funny.

Tomorrow, we actually have classes so it will feel more like school...

London: Day 2

I think I am pretty close to being over jet lag and on London time.  I slept for almost 12 hours last night and have felt pretty good most of the day.  There wasn’t a lot planned into our schedule to give us time to overcome the jet lag.  We had an orientation and that was really all.  Some highlights of the day:

Yogurt: I ate the best yogurt I have ever tasted for breakfast.  Then for lunch had some really great cheese.  All just from the regular grocery store.  Wow!  I thought the milk products in Pennsylvania were good, but British cows have got something over PA cows. 

Beautiful British Man: one of the salesmen at the local cell phone store was a really beautiful British man…

British Bacon:  Have you ever seen bacon like that?  It is quite tasty!

Dinner with Charly and Loren: The best part of the day was that I met up with my friend Charly and her husband Loren.  Charly and I have served in the Nauvoo Pageant for the past 3 years.  They helped me sort out some things with getting a British cell phone (although we didn’t buy one from the store with the good looking salesman) and then we went out to dinner.  And it was a lovely evening.  I so enjoyed catching up with them.  They live about 20 minutes away from where I am and so I look forward to seeing them often.  In fact, we talked about going to Bath and I asked if we could go to the Jane Austen museum.  Charly said yes and Loren said he would drop us off and he would go to the skate park.  It has made a big difference to me knowing that they are here in this city.  And I am so excited and grateful that on Friday I will travel to Northern England to see another friend from the pageant and we will go to the temple and I know that I will feel at home.  I am so grateful for the church.  I don’t know how people live and especially travel with out it.

My 17th Century London Townhouse:  So, I am living and going to school in a 17th century London townhouse originally built by English aristocracy.  The painting is on the ceiling in the entryway of the building that is the "school" and it is 300 years old and the stairway and sconces are in the same room.   Then I live in the "dorms" in a town house a couple of doors down from the school.  I knew we were living in an old refurbished building but I didn't realize how old and how cool.  This is the door knocker on the front door of the school.

 I don't think that Caroline Bingley could turn up her nose at Great Russell Street.  But then I don't really know.  I am a country girl from Utah, any London townhouse seems grand to me.  

London: Day 1

I made it safe and sound.  We got to NYC at about 5PM our flight boarded at about 8:30 PM and then after the cabin door was closed and everyone was ready to go there was a technical problem with one of the engines, so we sat at the gate for another hour and a half, while the problem was fixed. It was a 6 hour flight.  I slept most of the way here, but don't really feel like I had any sleep last night.  I am trying to hold off going to bed for another couple of hours so that I can get on London time.

So far London doesn't seem as fast paced or as intimidating as NYC.  I haven't seen any skyscrapers yet.  Most buildings are only about 5 stories high.  We are staying in Central London which is very close to the West End (the Broadway of London).  From the plane window I spotted Buckingham Palace, "Old Ben," the famous clock tower, and Westminster Abbey.  On the way from the airport we drove through Hammersmith and I thought of "Lost in Austen."

I am sharing a room with 2 other girls.  One is a costume designer and one is an actor.  Our flats are newly remodeled and are quite nice, but look like a model out of Ikea.  The hot water pressure in the bathroom is a little iffy.  I haven't tried to shower yet, but I did make sure that we have a large pot that I could boil water in for a bucket shower if necessary. 

I will write more soon.  I realized when I sat down how sleepy I am.  I hope this is making sense.  Here are some pictures I took this afternoon.

I love you all!

Christy

A Gallon of Vinegar and 4 lbs of Baking Soda

On September 1st I was finally able to move into my apartment in State College. Prior to that I stayed with one of my professors for two weeks and in a hotel for the week before that and driving around with my life still packed into my car. Needless to say I was thrilled to carry all my stuff up a flight of stairs and into my apartment. The only problem, and it has been a challenging one is that my apartment still wreaked of cigarette smoke. The previous tenent was a heavy smoker. I knew this before I signed the lease but I seriously underestimated the lingering power of cigarette smoke. The carpet was brand new, the walls newly painted, new blinds and the apartment had been vacant for two weeks with the windows open, but the smell hit you before you even got to the front door.

Well to make this sob story a short one. I spent the next two weekends scrubbing every surface that had not been painted with vinegar. I bought two mums plants which are apparently smell deterrents and many other candles and odor products. In the end I think the biggest offender of holding the smoke smell was the top of the kitchen cabinets. I got up on the counter and poured vinegar over that dusty sticky blackness and scrubbed one Saturday and then did it again the next Saturday. By the end of that day, pieces of particle board were starting to come up so I decided that I had better stop there. I then took the gigantic box of baking soda and poured the vast majority on top of the cupboards, spread it all over and then left it there. In a month or so, I'll sweep it up and more some more down, if needed.

And on Friday, the painter finally came back to paint the closets, which had not been painted when the rest of the apartment was. So, yesterday I was finally able to really unpack everything and put it in the closets. The smoke smell is significantly better. Now when I burn a candle I can actually smell it and sometimes I even get a whiff of those mums. I am really grateful that some people put random information on the internet like how to get rid of smoke smells. That is how I learned about the baking soda and vinegar. And I am really grateful that in PA they sell vinegar by the gallon and baking soda by the 4 lb. box. I used all of it!