Last Thursday I finally got to go to Thorpe Park! It was a spur of the moment idea and I'm very happy I got to go. I think the last time I went to a real amusement park was senior year on the physics field trip! Thorpe Park is a lot like Six Flags - a bunch of great roller coasters and other crazy rides. Got to go on the Saw coaster twice which was my favorite. Then I got surprisingly soaked on a water ride, which was not really my favorite. It was so much fun and a day well spent. Glad to have been able to go with friends too :-)
Saturday, Jessica and Candace and I went into London to hit up some markets. We started with Broadway Market which I suppose is still pretty well hidden. It was small, but crowded and full of small business food stalls and hand made crafts - that sort of thing. I got lunch from a little family diner and had a strange but delicious meat pie covered in a green sauce. All I can say is, Dr. Seuss was right about Green Eggs and Ham: Don't knock it til you've tried it. At the market we got to sample everything: peanut sauce Caribbean chicken, fresh cheddar and stilton cheese, beetroot apple juice, olive oil, ravioli, vegan pastries. We then ventured to Borough Market - this is the real food place. More taste testing, more happy Eliza. I took home bucket of dolmades (my favorite), some Wallace and Gromit Wensleydale, and some amazing Turkish delight. I even had an Ostrich burger as my dinner - I highly recommend it. Though I wasn't quite ready to try Kangaroo.
We capped off our day to a visit to the BFI where Jessica and I watched Alan Bennett's "A Bed Among the Lentils" with Maggie Smith. I have a new found appreciation for both of them.
Summer Cabaret is over :-( We had an amazing 5 performances and I'm so glad I was a part of it. I'm already missing the insanity that was "Both Reached for the Gun", the nostalgia of "Sit Down Your Rockin' The Boat" and the epic finale that was "One Day More". Everyone in the cast and crew was so nice and welcoming - not to mention insanely talented. I'll miss MTS so much. It truly made my experience here at Royal Holloway. I know they'll be putting on more great shows next year and in years to come.
On Monday, Mike, Jessica, Amy and I tried to go to Thorpe Park, but it was closed so... we went to Legoland instead! We knew going in that it is a kid's park, but we made the best of it. I've got some great memories of serious laser tag faces, water squirting rats, Zac Efron look-alikes, kid's meals, boat traffic, and dangerous encounters on the dragon coaster. Luckily I don't have a single photo from this embarrassingly delightful day.
Today, Eloise, Jessica and Candace and I headed into London to cross more things off the bucket list. We tried to get tickets to 'Macbeth' at the Globe, but it was sold out. Instead, we got lunch and left with a devil's share of chocolate ganache cake. The lady working there just kept giving us huge slices. It was a pretty incredible turn around from a disappointing morning.
We then went to Regent's park to check out the open air theatre (we might see 'The Crucible' there next week!) I had never been to the park and it was absolutely gorgeous. I could have stayed there all day. We then went to the new Yuforia to get some discount fro yo at their new store opening. After some Matilda-sized chocolate cake, it was a surprisingly satisfying pallet cleanser.
After we bid Eloise off, we headed to the Barbican Center to see the National Theatre of Scotland's production of 'Peter Pan'. Words cannot describe how magical it was. The scenic design, lighting, illusion, and music created an irresistible mythology. David Greig's and John Tiffany's interpretation was far more serious and disturbing than other versions I've seen, but it was balanced out beautifully by the whimsical art direction. The actors playing Wendy and Peter (Kirsty Mackay and Kevin Guthrie) also had great - shall we say - tragic chemistry?
So glad I saw it.
Now I've still got to figure out how the rest of my stay in England will pan out (no pun intended). Hopefully I'll see a production at the Globe and be able to hit up all the museums on the list. At the same time, I want to spend every day with the friends I've made here. It will be hard to say goodbye, but I'm trying not to let it bog me down yet.
I am a rising senior at Sarah Lawrence College.
This blog is about my yearlong study abroad experience. I traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, England, Scotland, and The Netherlands. I studied at Accademia dell'Arte and Royal Holloway University of London.
