Pick Sure and Place

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Last Bit of London

It's been a week since I've returned home. It feels more normal every day and I love seeing friends and family again. I MISSED NEW YORK! Best city in the world.

BUT I still needed just one more entry to finish things off.

Missing the countries, cities, and people I've met. I'll be back to Europe soon!

And now, 1095 pictures later, I'll say "ciao", "adieu" and "cheers".

From Pick Sure and Place 2

First pub I ever went to!

From Pick Sure and Place 2

A cloud that kinda looks like England

From Pick Sure and Place 2

Bye Egham!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Wrapping Up

Leaving RHUL was... weird. I had a great last night out with friends. Packing went pretty smoothly, but actually saying goodbye to some particular people was especially difficult. Even as the plane was landing into JFK, I couldn't believe that the whole adventure was over. But once I collected my bags, it hit me that I was going to see my family again! Even the dog came to the gate to greet me. We stopped at a diner in Yonkers on the way home for my first American meal in 10 months. A pastrami on rye has never tasted so good.

I've been home for a couple days now, mostly having good food and catching up on sleep. I haven't even started unpacking. I still can't really believe that I'm home again. Its starting to feel like my life in Europe was just a wonderful dream. But there are a few things that are different. I've learned some life lessons and in some ways I've really changed. I have a better appreciation for history, art, music, theatre, and even my own "American-ness". I think now I know how to create my own art and tell my own stories. I'm looking forward to the things I will do in my last year at Sarah Lawrence.

And I can finally have real Mexican food. All is well in the world.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Rude Britannia

Candace left on Saturday morning :-( And then Jessica left on Tuesday :-( I'm the only American left! But its OK because I have plenty to do. As a last venture out, Jessica and I went to the National Gallery. This was my second visit, but I took a lot more time and discovered so many more pieces of art that I didn't really pay attention to before. Some new favorites include Jan Steen, Salvator Rosa's "Witches at their Incantations", Friedrich's "Winter Landscape with Church", Delaroche's "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey" (you have to see this one in person), Goya's "El hechizado por Fuerza", Monet's "Water Lilies, Setting Sun", Caillebotte's "A Man At His Bath", Degas' "Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando", and Odilon Redon's "Ophelia Among the Flowers". And of course, I stood in front of Vigée-Le Brun's self portrait for a good ten minutes.

At the National Portrait Gallery, I was super excited about the Tudor wing. There were some really incredible portraits of Elizabeth I. Some other favorite portraits included Catherine Stephens, a 19th century soprano and actress, Sarah Siddons, a very famous Shakespearean actress of her time, and Dame Ethel Smyth, a composer. I also really loved the portraits of Fiona Shaw, Sam-Taylor Wood, Paul McCartney, and William Blake.

Today was my last day in London. I went to the opening exhibit of "Rude Britannia" at the Tate Britain, which was all about British political cartoons and satire. I was so happy to finally see some authentic work of James Gillray. I was also really excited to learn about William Hogarth, Alley Sloper, Rowlandson, Pellegrini (Singe?), and Cruikshank. This work was just fascinating to see alongside the celebrated extravagant portraits hanging in the rest of the museum. I love the grotesque and dirty quality of the cartoons. No one is safe. I guess you could compare it to the history of comedy in theatre as it parallels to tragedy and drama.

Then I got my last Yuforia.

Well, this was a bit of a rushed entry, but I have to go pack. So sad to be leaving. I'll probably edit this later. And I'll still be writing entries over the next few days as I leave and arrive at home.

I Wouldn't Minding Living Here

On Friday, Jess and I went to Hampton Court Palace. This was another major visit for the bucket list. It's an amazing Tudor palace hidden away in Surrey. The story goes: Cardinal Wolsey built up the majority of the palace during the height of his power (and while still in the favor of King Henry VIII). Of course things turned sour, as they often did with good 'ole Henry, and when Wolsey was unable to obtain a divorce certificate for the King from the Pope (he was trying to divorce Katherine of Aragon), Wolsey fell from his favoritism. And, long story short, Henry VIII took the palace from him, made it even fancier, and later on Wolsey was accused of treason (but died before he was taken to imprisonment ... in the Tower of London I suspect?).

The palace was INCREDIBLE. The buildings themselves were elegant, but also stately and cold, while the gardens surrounding them were lush and welcoming. The tour of the palace was also very welcoming. For a visit that could be rather boring, we were pleasantly surprised by how carefully and thoughtfully the tours were organized. Plus I seriously could not handle the historical re-enactments of Tudor characters.

We visited the Tudor Kitchen, Henry VIII's apartments, Queen Mary's apartments, the Chapel Royal, the Hedge Maze, the Rose Garden, Formal Garden, Vineyard, Privy Garden, among many many other things. We were lucky it was an absolutely gorgeous day.