After a long week of interning, I was very ready for a fun weekend. This weekend my friends Stephanie and Deb (who went to Dublin with me) were in London. After work on Friday, I headed over to Picadilly Circus to watch the longest running musical of all time, Les Miserables. Les Mis opened on the West End in 1985 and is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. Even people who do not enjoy or appreciate theatre in the least, could find something to love about Les Mis. The musical is famous for many songs such as “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Castle in a Cloud”, “Master of the House” and “Do you Hear the People Sing?” The show was sold out and there were even people inside the standing room (I would never stand for a 3+ hour long show). We somehow got tickets for only 15 pounds, and it was definitely money well spent.
 |
| Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre |
The performances, scenery and music for the show were all incredible and it is easy to see why it is the longest running musical in the world. The musical tells the story of Jean Valjean, who is released from prison after spending 19 years there for stealing a loaf of bread for his sisters starving child. Eventually he rises to become the Mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer and a factory owner. However, Valjean has broken parole and a harsh police officer Javert is constantly tracking him down. As one of his workers, Fantine is about to die, Valjean promises to take care of her daughter, Cosette. The rest of the musical is focused on the struggle of the French Revolution and the heroic acts of Valjean. Although the musical was over three hours long, I enjoyed every second of it. Everyone in the theatre was moved by the musical and many people left crying (not me, but whatever). I still have quite a few of the songs stuck in my head. Les Mis will forever remain a classic and is now my second favorite show after The Phantom of the Opera.
On Saturday I continued to act my role as a tourist in London with my visiting friends. I went to Abbey Road to see all the Beatles attractions and then went to see Paul McCartney’s house. After the tour I walked around St. James park, which is easily the most beautiful park in London. It is filled with wonderful trees, a giant pond and lots of wildlife. Buckingham palace is also the backdrop of the park. Later on in the afternoon my friends and I went to a prayer service at Westminster Abbey, which is absolutely beautiful inside. The Abbey is the venue for the upcoming Royal Wedding and is full of history, holding every coronation since 1066. Going for a service is also free, while it is 15 pounds ($24) to just enter the church when not attending a service. Although it is impressive, I cannot justify spending that much money just to see a church, so going to the service was a good option. After the service we walked around the area up to Trafalgar Square in the midst of huge protests in London, against the cuts in pensions the British govt just put into place. Hundreds and thousands of Londoners took to the streets in protest, which started to get violent at night. After the protests, we went to the National gallery where there are paintings by famous artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Degas. The museum is one of the largest and most famous art galleries in the world and it has a very impressive collection.
 |
| BEATLES! |
 |
| Buckingham Palace from St. James Park |
 |
| Pretty. |
 |
| Mother and Babies |
 |
| Believe it or not, this is central London. |
 |
| Trafalger Square! |
 |
| Only 489 days to the London 2012 Games! |
 |
| Londoners are angry. |
Today I went to Victoria coach station to see Stephanie off back to Brussels and then I met up with Deb to show her around the South Kensington area. We walked around Hyde Park and then down to Harrods. We also rode on one of the original Routemaster buses which were built in the 1950's. Overall, I am having a great weekend here in London and it makes me wonder why I travel so much when I live in the greatest city of Europe. With only a month left before I go back to the States, I am going to try to enjoy and see as much as London can offer. I have fallen in love with London and it has really started to feel like home to me in the last few weeks. I know the tube inside out, I have memorized all the bus routes and I no longer carry around a map, like a true Brit. London deserves its reputation as one of the best cities in the world.
 |
| An Original 1950's Routemaster. |
 |
| Harrods- $8,000 for tea. |
 |
| Paddington Bear and I are tight. |
Thanks for reading, Ill update soon.
-Rees
No comments:
Post a Comment