Tada! (jazz hands) Welcome to the resurrection of the blog! The past year or so I turned my life upside down and decided to go to school and change careers. Totally practical, right? Anywhoo, somewhere along the way my love of writing got pushed aside while I was getting life together. Now that that mess is over and done with, I realized that I was missing something in my life. A deep ache in my soul. But what was it? MY BLOG!! Oh yeah! I remember! That thing where I got to write about my crazy love of all things across the pond. What have I been doing that is more important than scribbling about the brits? Nothing! That's what! So here I am, once again. Home sweet home. And without further ado.....
While I was in school, a dear friend announced to me that she was planing a trip to England and would be there for two weeks. She then very innocently, but with an air of skepticism asked me if she should actually be there for two weeks because "what is there really to do there?" What is there to do in England, you ask? What is there to do? I will tell you exactly what there is to do my fine feathered friend.
British To Do list: Part 1 TIME TRAVEL!
The following are places in England will take you back to some of the heyday good ol' times across the pond.
1. Stonehenge- A henge of stone.
To borrow from Madeleine L'engle, It was a dark and stormy night. Or rather a dark and stormy day. A few friends and I took the the train to Bath (see below paragraph) and from there a bus out to yonder Salisbury where the rolling green hills only slightly outnumber the sheep. The drama of the gathering storm heightened the atmosphere of myth and magic surrounding the mystery that is Stonehenge. As our trek led us to truly the middle of Nowhere, England, the sudden appearance of the massive circle of stones was more majestic than I could have ever expected. My crass american self was thinking "How and why the crap does this exist?" While my educated but nerdy british self couldn't get over the fact that I was not only was I experiencing my camelot fantasy's but also the feeling that I was romantically and tragically living my final moments as Tess and my Angel was around here somewhere. As my long hair was blown about under my hooded jacket, I truly felt like an Arthurian/Tragic Hardy character. Merlin was bound to appear behind one of the hunks of rock at any moment and present me with excalibur. How badly did I want to be Morgana? Stonehenge is a must for any traveler, Even if you aren't obsessed with Arthurian legend. Or upsetting british authors. It's da bomb.
2. Bath- Austenland
Yesterday I watched the newest BBC version of Mansfeld park, the one with the chick from Doctor Who (Oh, so many posting possibilities about the Doctor!) It wasn't my favorite Austin interpretation, but as it ended I couldn't help but smile. And why did I have the goofy smile on my face you ask? Good question. The answer is: because I had the incredibly cheesy but completely honest thought--Maybe love does exist. Fanny and Edmund found it. And she had a lot of crap going against her. But she still found someone who loves her, despite her imperfections. This is what my old friend Jane A. keeps telling me over and over again in her stories. Do I believe her? I think I do. The problem is, I tend to forget, which is why I am glad she reminds me. And, after that mile long intro into why Bath is the coolest, I will get to the point. Bath has everything a Jane Austin enthusiast could ask for. One of Jane's houses, the Jane Austin Center (costumes, books, and awesome Austin experts to talk to), the Roman Baths, and the Royal Crescent. Even cooler though than the shops and museums though is as you walk the streets, you will feel just like Anne Eliot or Cathy Morland. Maybe I have an overactive imagination, what am I saying, of course I have an overactive imagination. Did you read the paragraph about stonehenge? What I am getting at is that Jane Austin helps me, helps us, return to a time when life was different from ours now. Where politeness ruled. Men stood when you entered a room. Hats and capes where cool. I wouldn't mind returning to a time when good old fashioned manners ran rampant. Especially now when anyone can hide behind the anonymity of internet and be a big huge jerkface, Austinland reminds us not only that it's cool to be a nice person, but that maybe there are people out there who do love us. Despite our imperfections. In short, go to bath. And read an Austin novel stat.
3. The Globe- I was Shakespeared
As Danny Kay once said, "The theatre, the theatre, what happened to the theatre?" 10 points to whoever can name that movie. I will tell you what happened to the theatre! It burned down! The original Globe did anyway. Then it was torn down. But all that matters now is that the Globe theatre was rebuilt and is happily housed in the middle of London. It looks exactly like the original Globe where Shakespeare himself put on many of his famous plays. Also, just like the original Globe, It doesn't cost a whole heck of a lot to go see a play there...if you want to stand through the whole play just like they did back in the days of the bard. Which is what I did and I loved it! I was just like the dirty peasants in the Elizabethan era that handed over a shilling to stand and watch a boy pretending to be a woman. I imagine it wasn't much different than Vegas. The time slipped away quickly as the storytelling took you back almost 500 years to the rocking renaissance. Yeah, Shakes wasn't known for the shortness of his plays, but standing for 3 hours or so wasn't that bad. And I will tell you the secret that makes it not so bad. You can stand smack in the front and lean on the stage when you need a rest (bonus: you are so close to the actors you can see right up there noses) or stand by a pillar and lean against that. You can also pay more and get a covered seat, but where's the fun in that! Oh yeah, the Globe also has an open roof, which can be problematic when you are standing under said open roof and the heavens decide to dump rain on you for two hours while you are watching Geoffrey from Fresh Prince of Bel Air acting out Coriolanus. True story. Geoffrey made it worth it. And honestly the rain made it a more dramatic production. Just be sure to bring a poncho.
So, my friend, I was in England for months and still didn't get to do everything I wanted to do. I like it that way though. I will always have a reason to go back. Stay tuned for part 2 of the to do list.
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