Symphonic Rock

On 18 April, 2010, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed Symphonic Rock at the famed Royal Albert Hall.  The set list included music from the best of Coldplay, Queen, Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin, Robert Palmer, the Moody Blues and many more.  Luck was on our side before the concert even started as we managed to get upgraded from "standing only" seats at the very top to some nice comfy (swivel) chairs in the stalls.

£75.00 seats for £10.00? Umm, yes please!

 Credit: Zach and his Nikon. Gotta love the panorama. 

Concert? Epic. For once, I am using that word without exaggeration.  The Royal Philharmonic is widely-considered to be second to the London Symphony Orchestra in terms of quality, and for good reason.  They were phenomenal and between the mediocre vocals by "Metro Voices" and the hilarious emcee who constantly struggled to keep his mic on, it was a really fun night.

Favorites of the night: "Bittersweet Symphony" and "Layla"

Service at Southwark

To mark our last church service until 11 April (due to weekend travel plans), we wanted the service to be pretty special.  We settled on the 11:00 AM Eucharist at Southwark (suth-er-kk haha) Cathedral in the south bank, right next to the infamous Borough Market.  Considered a place of Christian worship for the last 1000 years, Southwark has been frequented by the likes of William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer.

By coincidence, Rt Revd Bishop Godfrey Tawonezvi, Bishop of Masvingo, in Zimbabwe, was in attendance.

Southwark is establishing a new partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Masvingo and today was the formal announcement to the congregation.  The announcement took the form of a much-anticipated fundraiser/luncheon to help secure funding for adequate stipends, salaries and other overhead expenses the Diocese is barely able to meet on a monthly basis.

The service was a traditional Anglican Eucharist, but included a special sermon and prayer for Zimbabwe in the Bishop's native tongue.  Such an incredible experience! Also, during "Peace be with you," he walked by and shook my hand! ...I thought it was cool.

After the service, the nave was transformed into a dining hall and we ate lunch while listening to some authentic Zimbabwean music complete with bongo drums and maracas. We heard stories of what it was like to life on the ground, where the money would be going and why it was so desperately needed.

To further the message, Kate Hoey MP (Member of Parliament) and Chair of the All Party Group on Zimbabwe in Parliament gave the keynote address.

Overall, it was a great experience. Totally unexpected, but a perfect way to mark the last day of February.

Looking back on the last six weeks, it is amazing how much we have been able to see and do.  From experiencing my first day of classes at Regent's, to seeing Keira Knightley, to tasting the infamous spotted dick in Stratford, it is already clear (to myself, at least) how much I have grown from this experience.  I knew the London euphoria would be ever-present in the beginning, but six weeks later, it is as strong as ever.

Brilliant quote from the sermon this morning:

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - Saint Augustine  

This weekend: Pony Trekking in Wales!!

Cheers!

"As One / Rushes - Fragments of a Lost Story / Infra"

On Friday, 5 February, I attended a performance in the heart of Covent Garden, at the 150 year old Royal Opera House.  Because the immensely popular Yo Yo Ma / Emmanuel Ax concert sold out less than one hour after the tickets went on sale, we opted to see a ballet.  My classical music professor, Sabrina, was able to grab some 13.00 pound tickets at the last minute and we were set to go.

Photo Source

Now to be clear, going into the performance, I had no idea what to expect. I'm not particularly into ballet, but I wasn't about to turn down a free show at the Royal Opera House.  All I knew was that the show was decidedly modern and brand new to the ballet world.  The verbose title can be explained very simply. There are three acts tied together with two 30 minute intermissions. Each act gets its own name and thus, the title becomes pretty inelegant when rattled off in mid-conversation. "As One / Rushes - Fragments of a Lost Story / Infra."

Photo Source

I'm not going to detail the whole performance, but I will say that each act was very different. The first act was predictably modern, incredibly sophisticated and a little unsettling at times.  The music was very choppy, the time signatures kept changing and the dancers were never in sync.  This was clearly intentional, but it made it really difficult to watch because I never felt like I was able to comprehend everything that was happening.  At any point, anywhere on stage, there was always something my brain told me was important and that I should be looking at, but I just couldn't cram it all in my head.  The result was a brilliant display of technical ability by the dancers and one confused Andrew.  My professor, as well as other members of the class had similar reactions.

The second act couldn't have been more different from the first.  It illustrated a couple locked in a never-ending domestic dispute and the music was slower and much more emotional than the first piece.

After another 30 minute intermission, the third act began.  It was definitely my favorite because it was the easiest to watch. It still had very modern elements, this time the LED screen that formed the back wall of the stage behind the dancers portrayed people walking across a street, the dancing was much more in sync, the lighting was incredible and the music was an interesting mix of orchestral sound and fuzzy, electronic, robotic, bizarre music.

Overall, I feel like the ballet isn't really something to write home about.  Ironically, I am blogging about it haha, but it isn't something I would see on a regular basis.  I loved "As One / Rushes - Fragments of a Lost Story / Infra" mostly because of how different it was. The set struck a great balance between retro and contemporary.  The contrast between the old, lavish and incredibly ostentatious theatre (see above) and the in-your-face modern, minimalist set was almost funny. The storyline deals with very relevant issues that reflect modern society: kids having a house party in the first act, a couple locked in a domestic dispute in the second and a workaholic/solitary woman in the third.

It wasn't what I was expecting by any stretch of the imagination, I'm sure a lot of "purists" were turned off by it and that is exactly what made it so great.  It's edgy, sophisticated and definitely fit for 2010.

Chinese New Year

In a city with a Chinese population of over 100,000, when there is reason for celebration, you better believe it will be pretty spectacular. This was the case on Sunday, 21 February, 2010. The London Chinatown Chinese Association put on the "Year of the Tiger" celebrations for 2010 in a grand fashion. Trafalgar square, Leicester square and Chinatown were chocked full of people and activities to ring in the Chinese new year.

The festivities began around 11:00 AM in Trafalgar square (the main stage) with some formal introductions, a screen show and thanksgiving ceremony. Zach and I arrived sometime after 11:20, which ended up being just in time to witness some of the craziest "firecrackers" I have ever seen.

As we walked up and out of the charing cross tube stop (which dumps you right into the middle of Trafalgar square), we were greeted by hoards of people. However, it wasn't nearly as congested as we had planned and, as a result, we actually had room to breathe. We wandered around aimlessly for a while, attempting to track down some sort of timetable/program so we could figure what the heck was going on.

After being pointed in 12 different directions by the Metropolitan Police, we snagged a program and realized the supposed "firecracker show" was about to commence.

I have pictures of the madness, but they aren't actually worth posting. The sound was similar to small artillery fire that lasted much longer than everyone's ears would have liked. The daylight prevented any visible "fire" and all I heard was cracking. It was rather mediocre.

In contrast to the mediocrity of the morning firecrackers that shook my ear canals free of wax (gross), the Chen Brothers were set to put on a dragon dancing show that sounded exciting. Basically, two men stand on top of each other with a dragon costume that covers both of them, and they dance on pillars to the beat of some intense, rhythmic drumming.

Photo credit: Zach Westhoven

To bridge the gap between acts, some very enthusiastic, but not well-prepared emcees took the floor. They rambled on about various traditions and tried to get the crowd involved, but they were having none of it. I think it was due to the obvious lack of organization, cold weather and mild confusion as to what they were actually talking about.

Post-dragon dancing, our stomachs were ready for food and we decided to head over to Picher and Piano. A restaurant that looks classy, has reasonable prices and is right off of Trafalgar square is the last place you would expect to be going out of business. However, that was exactly what was happening at P and P. The food was delicious (I went with a classic club sandwich), but it was all served very unenthusiastically by our visibly depressed waiter. It was really sad. I can just hope is that the establishment is merely changing ownership. We'll see.

With our stomachs full, Zach and I said farewell to tired Bri and Rainey, and walked over to the National Portrait Gallery.

What was one of the first portraits I saw? You guessed it...

I snapped this photo (illegally) on my phone's tiny camera. It needed to happen.

The National Portrait Gallery opened in 1896 and, as a result, the collection ranges from the Elizabethan era, to modern works finished just last year. The breadth of the collection is truly incredible. Getting the opportunity to view very famous British dignitaries, writers, philosophers as well as other influential figures on canvas was fascinating.  The gallery isn't so large that you become overwhelmed, but each period in time is given plenty of attention.

After the NPG, we needed a break. Standing (virtually) all day had us pretty worn out.

Despite this fact, we mustered up some energy to wander into the depths of swamped Leicester square. Hoards of people were standing (more like getting in the way), vendors were selling mysterious "buns" of all kinds and kids flew under the radar throwing pop rocks at everyone's feet. It was quite an experience!

Now (quite literally) on our toes, and with Chinatown in the distance, we ventured into the crowd that was dead ahead.

Craving: Dessert. Were in luck. The "Golden Gate Cake Shop" appeared innocent on the outside, but proved to be utter mayhem on the inside.

and inside...

That's me trying to keep my "chocolate/coffee roll" safe..It was madness.

All was not lost, however, because that cake put a pretty big spring in our step. It became clear we had to tough it out and stay for the Fireworks.

The only other noteworthy thing we stumbled upon in Chinatown was a very quiet herbal medicine shop. This was strange because every other shop was packed with people. I had to take a look.

I think this picture sums up my experience haha

Upon exiting the herbal remedy shop, we walked around Soho (which was an experience in itself), found our way back to Piccadilly Circus and looked around the sports store Lilly White's. Six floors of everything and anything sports-related. If you can't find it there, it probably doesn't exist.

As 6:00 PM drew near, it was back to Leicester square to witness the most incredible fireworks display I have ever seen.

Sorry for the poor quality. The photos/video were taken on my phone. Notice the sea of LCD screens in the air... It was such a surreal experiencing seeing fireworks being shot off in such close proximity to buildings, trees and people. Incredible!!!

Long day, lots of walking and a sense I had magically teleported to China.

Cheers!

"Twelfth Night"

After our monumental epicurean adventure on Friday, Saturday was filled with more good food and some culture.  Bri, Rainey and Zach were all dying to see "Twelfth Night" since they were studying it in their theatre class and I just wanted to see the Royal Shakespeare Company in all their glory.  We grabbed some five pound tickets which, after the show, turned out to be really good value for money.  

Before the show, I had breakfast number two.  Not just any breakfast, a traditional full English breakfast complete with baked beans, toast, sausage, bacon, eggs and a grilled tomato.  When the waiter brought out the plates, the food looked almost reflective.  The ridiculous amount of grease gave every glistening bite loads of flavor.  Baked beans, toast and eggs are my new favorite!

How was the show?

I didn't get much humor out of the story (despite it being a comedy) when I studied it in high school, but seeing it live with my own two eyes was incredible.  I was laughing out loud the whole time.  There were so many subtitle mannerisms that really gave the characters some life.  The theatre was gorgeous as you could expect and it definitely turned out to be one of the most enjoyable afternoons I've had in London.

Good times.

Experiencing Polyphony

After a great, but expensive night in Covent Garden, I figured it would be healthy to spend Friday with myself.  Everyone needs some alone time now and then, right?  I jumped out of bed hangover free, loving life and FINALLY staring at a beautiful sunrise.  It was going to be a good day.

I grabbed some breakfast, got a shower and headed out into London for a brisk walk.  After realizing truly how nice it was outside, I quickly turned around and went back to throw my running clothes on.  

Running gives me lots of time to think and rock out to obnoxious music in the privacy of my own head.  It is the perfect outlet.  I headed down to Westminster via the bakerloo tube line (my favorite).

The paths were packed with people (most of which were runners training for the London marathon).  There is a great pat that runs the length of the Thames from Westminster Abbey to the Millenium Bridge/Tate Modern gallery on both sides of the water.  I took the advice of a random stranger and took it up and down both sides of the water.  It was long, but much-needed. After releasing a monumental amount of endorphins, I finished by walking across London Bridge to the infamous Borough Market. Nothing like ending a run at food heaven.

The remainder of my day was rather dull.  I didn't do much and it was glorious.  That evening, however, spontaneity struck hard.  I managed to convince myself that there was nothing more appealing at that moment than seeing a concert.  This is London, right?  There must be several to choose from on a random Friday evening in February! I was in luck. The London Philharmonic was playing at the Royal Festival Hall, overlooking the Thames, across from Waterloo station, in 20 MINUTES!

I threw some clothing on (not that I was naked), power walked down to the tube stop, got on, got off, walked the correct direction (towards the hall), purchased a nine pound ticket and slipped in right at 7:30 PM.

The thing about classical music concerts is that you don't actually need to see what is going on.  As a result, I was pretty much at the top, but the acoustics were so good it didn't matter.

Getting a chance to apply some of what I've learned in my classical music class was really great.  It's amazing how something like a classical concert can go from usually putting me into a deep sleep, to keeping me engaged the whole time merely because I knew a little bit about what was actually happening in the piece. Fascinating. I can't wait to go back.

The Day of the Big Night

After securing our tickets to the Misanthrope, we figured it would be wise to explore the rest of the theatre district.  The conditions were perfect for this as the skies were gray, there was sporadic rain, wind, and the temperature was hovering around 5 degrees C.

The number of "big name" shows within a very small area is astounding.  With the exception of "Mama Mia," there is everything you'd ever want to see: "Les Miserables," "Phantom of the Opera," "The Lion King," "Twelfth Night" and "Enron The Musical." By everything you'd ever want to see, I must confess, I know absolutely nothing about theatre.  The ones I listed might be a little cliche, but one assumes they are famous for a reason.  Considering theatre tickets (if purchased on the day of the show) are a lot cheaper than seeing a first-run Hollywood movie, it's unwise not to take advantage of all the deals they hand to students.

So we wandered around the streets, got pretty damp, I started to smell like wet dog, and miraculously stumbled upon the National Gallery.   Naturally, we went in to spend the afternoon gazing at some of Europe's finest framed works. I won't spend paragraphs detailing each gallery, but it was most definitely worth the afternoon we spent soaking it all up.

By the time we finished going through what amounted to all of the 66 galleries, our stomachs were getting rather rumbly (again, a technical term).  Pret A Manger, our saving grace, came to the rescue with a delicious (and cheap) lunch.  I actually had spinach and nutmeg soup! Crazy, right? It wasn't mind-blowingly good, but I would definitely order it again!

The combination of a lot of walking and a big lunch at Pret made me want to do anything as long as it was taking a nap.  Our pre-Misanthrope day was exciting, exhausting, and highly entertaining.  The rest of the afternoon was spent in the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields deciding what to do.  We eventually decided to head back to the flat and rest up before the big night.

Cheers!

Ms. Knightley

There are hot tickets and there are hot tickets.  When my cousin John first mentioned that Keira Knightley was starring in Molière's "The Misanthrope," I got excited, but kept myself restrained.  He sent me the link to the show's website and I skimmed through it.  The Comedy Theatre....OK..Ten seconds later I had Google-mapped (a technical term) directions from the flat to the theatre.  In the west end? Brilliant! .....sounds expensive..annnnd that's really as far as it went.

Despite hearing everyone talk about how easy it is to secure inexpensive tickets the day of a show, I never thought the opportunity would arise and we would actually get them after nine days in London.

Well the opportunity did arise as Bri, Rainey, and Zach all agreed to get up early and wait for tickets in front of the theatre.  Great. We arrived with time to kill before the theatre opened and fought a huge line that consisted of one middle-aged man with a newspaper.  Even better, he was going for tickets that were WAY out of our price range. Win! This meant there would (hopefully) be some standing-only seats available in the balcony.  After making some small talk about the death of J.D. Salinger, he told us "The only thing I remember about Columbus, Ohio is that they arrested me for j-walking and almost threw me in jail." What a good guy..

We went for the "Lower balcony, standing-only" seats and celebrated.  From that point on, nothing could phase my euphoria.  I was seeing KEIRA KNIGHTLEY that evening...Ahhh!

This picture is actually from my mobile. It was taken (illegally) at the National Portrait Gallery off Trafalgar square.

Enough about getting the tickets, how was the actual show? To sum it up: she is much more beautiful in person (phenomenal bone structure, Steph), needs to eat about four Ghirardelli Earthquake "Family Favorite" sundaes, has a so-so American accent, and (at least from my point of view), is a great stage actress.  The other theatre majors in our group didn't have great things to say about her performance, but I loved it.  What a showstopper.

Overall, it was worth every pound. Next time, I will confirm that she is playing a role that requires her native tongue. 

Photo Credit: Zach Westhoven

One final note...For those of you that are not familiar with the colossal creation that is the Ghirardelli Earthquake Family Favorite; it consists of eight scoops of ice cream, eight toppings, fresh bananas, whipped cream, chopped almonds, chocolate chips, and cherries. 

Cheers!!!

Sunday Services, Tube Solo, and Warhol?

After hitting the sack early last evening, the alarm started blaring to "A Beautiful Day" at 7:45 AM. A quick glance outside (sans contacts) confirmed my suspicious that it was in fact NOT such a beautiful day (at least if we are using the Cayman Islands as a basis of comparison). For London, it was very much typical: Grey, slightly chilly, and misting. mmm mmmm gooooood!

Why on earth was I up at that hour on a Sunday? Well, besides the fact that I am an 85 year old man on the inside (as many of you well know); Zach, Bri, and I were going to church services at Westminster Abbey. Church at THE Westminster Abbey? No, your eyes didn't just lie.. I was pretty excited, too.

Services didn't begin until 10:00, but we wanted to leave PLENTY of time for transport on the Tube.  The tiny bit of foresight we had getting up at such an early hour paid off when we realized that the Tube line we were planning on taking operates every day except Sunday.  Hmm.  The somewhat helpful man at the Landward ended up giving us some directions in very broken English so we called it good and left.

Potential drama evaporated when we arrived at the Westminster stop minus battle scars.  We walked up, out, and practically right into the side of Big Ben (oh joy). I'm going to say the building looked phenomenal, the service was phenomenal, the Westminster Abbey Choir (complete with ruffles by the neck, bed head, and glorious sound) was phenomenal.  Overuse? Good golly, getting to the church, sitting practically at the alter (we had decent seats), and taking in the sheer beauty of EVERYTHING was almost too much for my mind to juggle at once.  Zach and Bri can definitely attest to the experience.  It is definitely worthwhile regardless of the beliefs you hold.

Walking out into the cold served as an instant slap-in-the-face reality check.  It was cold. Not even going to lie.  Making best use of our 48 hour bus tickets (the big brown one), we figured it would be wise to skip the Tube and take the bus back to the Landward.  Everything sounds good in theory, right?  Well, this was good idea until we realized (what Zach estimated would take 20 minutes) turned into an hour and a half cruise around London.  Always thinking glass half-full, we got to practice our British accents. Splendid!  When I say practice, some of us need a little more than others....and by some of us, I really just mean me.. haha. Bri (being a theatre major) is pretty much good to go and Zach is leaps and bounds ahead of me. He even went so far as to create his own slang.. but that's another story.  I am learning though.  Taking it a word at a time lol.  Thus far, "Sorry" is pretty solid.....one word down!

So we managed crawl back to the bus stop, power walk to the Landward and arrive before the entire day was consumed by an agonizingly slow tour of London.

We then quickly changed clothes and went to grab a take away sandwich at Pret A Manger.  Delicious, quick, cheap food.  Cheap being the operative word, mom. No worries!! lol

We then planned on getting back on the infamous brown bus to St. Paul's Cathedral.  As we were getting on, I realized that I left my bus pass in my suit coat, and thus, would be forced to take the Tube (a much faster mode of transport).  So it being broad daylight, me carrying minimal possessions (phone, student ID, Oyster card, and debit card) I figured it would be a brilliant learning experience that would really force me to figure out what the heck I was doing.

It is amazing what a little pressure can do to speed up comprehension.  I managed to figure out exactly where St. Paul's was, switch lines, and not go the wrong way...Shocking, I know....All of that meant I beat that pesky brown bus by a solid 30 minutes.  I called the group to see where they were and, not surprisingly, they were going to be a while. Making the best use of my time, it seemed like a good idea to go in, get ticket prices, and get a glimpse of the interior.

"Sorry sir, we do have student discounts, however, we are only open for site seeing Mon-Sat." Bummer. In retrospect, one of us should have made that realization, but it wasn't a huge deal.  There is always more to do in London!

Let's recap: Service at Westminster Abbey, Failed attempt to visit St. Paul's Cathedral, and visit to the Tate Modern Art Gallery.  Which one doesn't belong?

The Tate Gallery (a converted power plant sitting at the feet of the Thames) is free to the public and is five stories of modern art bliss.  I suppose only bliss if you actually have the intellectual capacity to comprehend what the heck is going on, but modern art nevertheless.

Our visit was somewhat rushed, but I don't regret it.  We had a great time, saw some original Warhol pieces, a movie of a nude man and woman passing a balloon, and flattened dinnerware hung from the ceiling arranged in crazy collages.. What more does one need?

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end.  The end of long-winded days devoted exclusively to traveling around London, but the beginning of (what hopefully will be) some interesting classes at Regent's.

My room is still purple and the pub across the street is most def hoppin' with some crazy chants.  I cannot wait for the World Cup!!

Cheers!!!

EUPHORIA!!! London meets Lebanon?

I must apologize for the previous post. It really was somewhat depressing. I didn't realize it until I clicked "publish." In reality, my excitement/joy/sheer appreciation for getting the opportunity to experience such a wonderful, cosmopolitan city trumped any negative emotion I might have had.

After getting over the undeniable jet-lag, eating tons of delicious food, walking a lot (for some exercise), and meeting a bunch of WONDERFUL people, it is safe to say that my experience is better than I could have ever imagined it. Even in all of my over-exaggerated dreams, I couldn't have imagined everything turning out so perfectly in reality.

Trust me, Google Street view is not a good representation of a city (even though I am a huge nerd and had virtually "walked" my way to school about a dozen times prior to boarding the plane in Detroit.

Post plane-arrival, we pulled up to The Landward Apartments after a hair-raising 45 minute car ride into the heart of London (our driver was absolutely insane)!!

If you eliminated all of the classic black cabs, you would probably guess you were in Lebanon. It is widely-considered the most diverse area of London with a heavy middle eastern influence. What does this mean? It means a huge selection of some of the best middle eastern restaurants in the world. So great!

Bottom line, after having a comprehensive orientation at Regent's, meeting tons of mew people, and getting settled into the flat, I couldn't be more thrilled! Look for much, much more about some adventurous eating, travels, and good fun!

Cheers!