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| The Globe theatre |
Last day. The only days after this are
travel days. I’m really sad that this trip is almost over, but I’m also kind of
glad to be heading home. It’s going to be nice to get back into the routine of
school and, ugh, homework. Maybe it
won’t be that nice… But for right now, I have another day to tell of!
Well, since we didn’t go to the Globe yesterday, we rushed to get there today. Only, London, finally living up
to its reputation, decided that it was a good day to rain and pour as if actual
buckets were being dumped over our heads by some very rude, very sarcastic god.
Thor? Ganymede? Tlaloc? I hate you all. (As I’ve just discovered, there’s a
whole website about rain gods from different cultures, so maybe I shouldn’t be
so mean to them, after all…: http://www.whiterosesgarden.com/Grimoire/GRIM_elements/Water_grimoire/WT_deities/WT_deities_of_Rain.htm) In conclusion, it
took us about 3 times longer than it
should have to reach the theatre, if you count the getting lost and getting
wet. But let me tell you, once we got there, it was so worth it.
After buying the tickets for the tour,
we dropped into the museum for the half an hour we had to wait for the tour to
commence. It was super interesting; there were things about his life and the
London he lived in, and then costumes and special effects used in Shakespeare’s
Globe. I loved it; I could’ve stayed there so much longer, which is why I
returned after the tour. We met by the big fake oat tree at noon and were led
outside. The guide explained to us that we had to be very quiet upon entering
the actual theatre, as they were rehearsing The Merry Wives of Windsor—in
Swahili. You see, they’re doing this thing right now for the month of April
(Shakespeare’s month—birth and death month) where they are performing all 37
plays in 37 different languages by 37 different theatre companies. 37—it’s like
the Shakespeare magic number.
We crept in as quietly as we could and
sat down on the wooden benches high up in the balcony. We watched the
performance for about half an hour, I think—it seemed so much shorter, though.
It was so great, really interesting. Although they were speaking in a
completely foreign language, one could still somewhat tell what was going on.
That was how amazing the actors were. It was just hilarious. One thing that did
surprise me was the harshness of the director, however; they were going on in about two hours, so I can understand…
When we were ushered out, we went to
the gift shop. I think I could’ve bought everything
in that store, but I had to settle on a Much Ado About Nothing bag, Quoting
Shakespeare poster and a Macbeth eraser: “Out damn spot, out I say!” I know, I
have one already, but it’s all faded…
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| Matilda the Musical |
After having more smoked salmon for lunch in the cafeteria, we gave up and took
a taxi to the theatre, just in time to see… *drum roll* Matilda! It was the best
thing I’ve ever seen. Seriously, one of my favorite musicals of all time. The
kids were all amazing, the choreography was amazing and really creative, the
songs amazing and super catchy (I bought the CD on iTunes and have been
listening to them on repeat—they’ve been stuck in my head all day, but I don’t
care, because they’re all AMAZING!!!) and it was just generally amazing.
Really, I recommend it to anyone who goes to London. I’ve heard that it was
coming to Broadway, so if you’re ever in New York, go see it. Do it as a favour
to me, and to yourself.
Anyways, we went home. The next
morning, we had to say goodbye to everyone. I had the opportunity of meeting
Mark the night before, which I never had done. I was really surprised with the
things in common with the boys—Callum was reading Eragon and Will played guitar—except
for the whole British accent thing. It was just so great to see them—all of
them.
Well, we took the train back to Paris
and took a taxi to the hotel room. The taxi driver was really nice. From what I
could hear, Grandma was doing much bonding from the backseat. Arriving at the
hotel, we immediately left again to eat lunch, as I was starving. For dinner, we went out to an Italian place—Sicilian, Grandma
told me.
The next morning, we went downstairs
to wait for the taxi driver from yesterday. I guess Grandma really liked him. A
dog was sitting in the lobby, and his name was Stan. Right away, I fell in love
with him. We played and I pet him until the driver arrived—I was very sad to
leave him.
The flight seemed really quick, so
that was okay. And the trip was over. Just like that. Done. Already. I can’t
believe how fast it went, and now I’m settling back into school.
I really enjoyed Paris, and seeing all
of the chateaux in Tours, but I think my favorite was the Play Day. Our last
full non-traveling day. Matilda was just the best thing I’d ever seen, and the
Globe was amazing. I guess that’s all. Okay, then. Bye-bye.
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