Easter in London
Whew, so after quite a bit of running about, Easter here has drawn to a close. What a time it's been though! Due to some network updates in the office I didn't have to come in last Thursday, which let me greet my mom and dad earlier in the day. Of course, the plane ran into trouble taking off from Newark and had to be de-iced TWICE, resulting in a delay of about two and a half hours plus London traffic. In any case though, I took them for a stroll through Hyde Park to see the local sights and get some food at my local pub once they had settled in.
Friday was spent mostly at the National Gallery. After showing them Covent Garden (complete with street performers), Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square, it was lots of the world's best paintings! Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh... mmmmmm. And they had a new acquisition by John Singer Sargeant! It's one of the best I've seen by him, a portrait of a mother with her two children from a high angle as if he was standing on a stairwell. Some other highlights were Virgin of the Rocks by da Vinci and a series of new commissioned works of London that were all in black and white. Somehow the lighting in them was so striking and ethereal that you could almost see colours in it.
Then we went to see National Anthems at the Old Vic, starring Kevin Spacey! I splurged a little and got great seats, and it was worth every pence. Though the script itself had some issues, the acting was first-rate. He'd grown his hair out a bit along with a goatee, and spoke in a completely different voice than you hear in the movies. He just got so absorbed in the character that you'd forget who you were watching onstage. There were a couple of moments where I was left in awe, thinking, "I'm watching an actor reach perfection." Just incredible.
Saturday we went to Portabello Road. It's block after block of antique shops, antique stalls, farmer's market, flea market, and clothing and trinket stores combined. The crowds led to a minor mishap where my mom and I got separated from my dad, but eventually we wound up together again. (Catherine, I've realised that after Chinese New Year, I can handle just about anything.) Lots of old stuff at reasonable prices, but nothing really jumped out at me. You'd pay a lot more in the States for most of it, but there's no sense in getting anything you don't truly want. Sometime afterward we also paid a visit to Harrod's. I mean really, how could we not? It's Harrod's. This was also partly done because some idiot in our building stole my bathtowel. Really, who does that?! I was not of a mind to pay £17 for a designer towel, however, so picking up a new one had to wait.
Sunday was spent mostly at Kew Gardens a little further out. It's supposed to be one of the most famous gardens in the world, and I'm sure it will really be something to see in about two weeks when all the rest of the flowers start coming out. Overall though, there were parts that I liked a lot, and parts I was left ambivalent to. If you ever get a chance to visit Longwood Gardens in the States (it's in Pennsylvania), in my opinion that one is much better.
Monday I left my parents to explore Westminster while I slept in, and then joined up with them in the afternoon to see St. Paul's. It turned out to be perfect timing. The weather was gorgeous, with beautiful sunshine lighting up the gilt, marble, and mosaics inside. But even better was that just as we'd finished walking up to the dome, the choir began practising for Evensong. It was truly heavenly. Maybe it was the music, and maybe it's also the fact that I like domed cathedrals much more than the gothic type, but I don't think any cathedral I've seen so far can even begin to compare. Looking up into that magnificent dome, so massive you can hardly imagine how it was built in the first place, with the choir music resonating all around you, is literally breathtaking. The religious artwork and sculpture is perfect, not a thing seeming overly ornate or out of place despite the Baroque influences. And when we ventured up to the Whispering Gallery, the organ joined in. You could feel the lowest notes filling the walls behind you and vibrating in the air. Then at last we went to the top, to view a gorgeous display of sunrays coming out from behind the clouds over the Thames, just above the Eye and Westminster. I couldn't have asked for a more spectacular afternoon.
The evening, somehow, was just as good! After getting dinner we took a trip to Lillywhite's, London's premier sporting goods store off Piccadilly Circus (they have EVERYTHING, think Harrod's but for sports). For those of you going, "Chris in a sporting store, WHAT?" don't worry, I got two nice white towels for £6, thus resolving the towel crisis described earlier. Then we went to hear Handel's Messiah performed by the Belmont Ensemble at St. Martin in the Fields. As I've mentioned in another update, the church is right off Trafalgar Square and they regularly put on candle-lit performances of Baroque music. We sat in the upper gallery- very little to be seen of the musicians, and the benches were a tad uncomfortable, but the acoustics can't be compared. They don't use any electronic amplification but it seems you're right next to them, the sounds are so rich. It's one of the few times I can say modern technology hasn't spoiled me. And hearing the Alleluiah Chorus in that setting... superb.
Finally, on Tuesday I had class while my parents did a bus tour around London, joining up with them afterward one last time before they headed home. Dinner was followed by cheap seats to the Royal Opera, Madama Butterfly by Puccini. Though about a third of the stage was obscured, as with St. Martin's the acoustics were fantastic. Again, the performers weren't using mics. (As an aside, when you're in as good a space as these people are, you don't deserve to be there if you need electronic amplification.) And the music! Though I admit some of it is overdramatic and/or sugary, this opera overall is gorgeous. The singers were the best I've heard live by far, as would be expected considering their bios. Sadly I can't say anything I've seen previously at the Washington National Opera or English National Opera compare, but one can hope for the future. I'm making sure I get myself to see at least one other there before I leave, as now I regret not seeing Traviata, Die Zauberflote, or Die Walkure earlier. Nonetheless I left that night feeling extremely satisfied.
Sorry for the length, but a lot happened! It's hard to believe though that the program here ends in a month. The time has really flown. I'm starting to look forward to getting back home, however, as I miss the friends who aren't here! Lots of memories to return to, and new ones to make. For the moment, though, I'm just going to continue working through and making sure I enjoy as much as I can in the time remaining. I hope things are going well for everyone, and as always, stay in touch.
Friday was spent mostly at the National Gallery. After showing them Covent Garden (complete with street performers), Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square, it was lots of the world's best paintings! Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh... mmmmmm. And they had a new acquisition by John Singer Sargeant! It's one of the best I've seen by him, a portrait of a mother with her two children from a high angle as if he was standing on a stairwell. Some other highlights were Virgin of the Rocks by da Vinci and a series of new commissioned works of London that were all in black and white. Somehow the lighting in them was so striking and ethereal that you could almost see colours in it.
Then we went to see National Anthems at the Old Vic, starring Kevin Spacey! I splurged a little and got great seats, and it was worth every pence. Though the script itself had some issues, the acting was first-rate. He'd grown his hair out a bit along with a goatee, and spoke in a completely different voice than you hear in the movies. He just got so absorbed in the character that you'd forget who you were watching onstage. There were a couple of moments where I was left in awe, thinking, "I'm watching an actor reach perfection." Just incredible.
Saturday we went to Portabello Road. It's block after block of antique shops, antique stalls, farmer's market, flea market, and clothing and trinket stores combined. The crowds led to a minor mishap where my mom and I got separated from my dad, but eventually we wound up together again. (Catherine, I've realised that after Chinese New Year, I can handle just about anything.) Lots of old stuff at reasonable prices, but nothing really jumped out at me. You'd pay a lot more in the States for most of it, but there's no sense in getting anything you don't truly want. Sometime afterward we also paid a visit to Harrod's. I mean really, how could we not? It's Harrod's. This was also partly done because some idiot in our building stole my bathtowel. Really, who does that?! I was not of a mind to pay £17 for a designer towel, however, so picking up a new one had to wait.
Sunday was spent mostly at Kew Gardens a little further out. It's supposed to be one of the most famous gardens in the world, and I'm sure it will really be something to see in about two weeks when all the rest of the flowers start coming out. Overall though, there were parts that I liked a lot, and parts I was left ambivalent to. If you ever get a chance to visit Longwood Gardens in the States (it's in Pennsylvania), in my opinion that one is much better.
Monday I left my parents to explore Westminster while I slept in, and then joined up with them in the afternoon to see St. Paul's. It turned out to be perfect timing. The weather was gorgeous, with beautiful sunshine lighting up the gilt, marble, and mosaics inside. But even better was that just as we'd finished walking up to the dome, the choir began practising for Evensong. It was truly heavenly. Maybe it was the music, and maybe it's also the fact that I like domed cathedrals much more than the gothic type, but I don't think any cathedral I've seen so far can even begin to compare. Looking up into that magnificent dome, so massive you can hardly imagine how it was built in the first place, with the choir music resonating all around you, is literally breathtaking. The religious artwork and sculpture is perfect, not a thing seeming overly ornate or out of place despite the Baroque influences. And when we ventured up to the Whispering Gallery, the organ joined in. You could feel the lowest notes filling the walls behind you and vibrating in the air. Then at last we went to the top, to view a gorgeous display of sunrays coming out from behind the clouds over the Thames, just above the Eye and Westminster. I couldn't have asked for a more spectacular afternoon.
The evening, somehow, was just as good! After getting dinner we took a trip to Lillywhite's, London's premier sporting goods store off Piccadilly Circus (they have EVERYTHING, think Harrod's but for sports). For those of you going, "Chris in a sporting store, WHAT?" don't worry, I got two nice white towels for £6, thus resolving the towel crisis described earlier. Then we went to hear Handel's Messiah performed by the Belmont Ensemble at St. Martin in the Fields. As I've mentioned in another update, the church is right off Trafalgar Square and they regularly put on candle-lit performances of Baroque music. We sat in the upper gallery- very little to be seen of the musicians, and the benches were a tad uncomfortable, but the acoustics can't be compared. They don't use any electronic amplification but it seems you're right next to them, the sounds are so rich. It's one of the few times I can say modern technology hasn't spoiled me. And hearing the Alleluiah Chorus in that setting... superb.
Finally, on Tuesday I had class while my parents did a bus tour around London, joining up with them afterward one last time before they headed home. Dinner was followed by cheap seats to the Royal Opera, Madama Butterfly by Puccini. Though about a third of the stage was obscured, as with St. Martin's the acoustics were fantastic. Again, the performers weren't using mics. (As an aside, when you're in as good a space as these people are, you don't deserve to be there if you need electronic amplification.) And the music! Though I admit some of it is overdramatic and/or sugary, this opera overall is gorgeous. The singers were the best I've heard live by far, as would be expected considering their bios. Sadly I can't say anything I've seen previously at the Washington National Opera or English National Opera compare, but one can hope for the future. I'm making sure I get myself to see at least one other there before I leave, as now I regret not seeing Traviata, Die Zauberflote, or Die Walkure earlier. Nonetheless I left that night feeling extremely satisfied.
Sorry for the length, but a lot happened! It's hard to believe though that the program here ends in a month. The time has really flown. I'm starting to look forward to getting back home, however, as I miss the friends who aren't here! Lots of memories to return to, and new ones to make. For the moment, though, I'm just going to continue working through and making sure I enjoy as much as I can in the time remaining. I hope things are going well for everyone, and as always, stay in touch.