A Nighttime Stroll Along the South Bank

In my last post I told everyone that I was about to go to the River Thames to go strolling and take nighttime shots. This is the story of that adventure.

After departing the National Theatre on Monday, my friend Megan was in awe of the buildings lit up along the South Bank of the River Thames, and she suggested that we come there the following night, cameras in tote, and go for a stroll along the banks to take some nighttime pictures and relax.  I suggested we did the the following night, and it was decided.

Cut to Tuesday night. We arrived at the Waterloo Tube Station at around 730, and after a few short steps from the station entrance, the massive London Eye was looming over our heads, lit up in shades of blue and orange. It was simply breathtaking, and we couldn't resist taking the uber touristy pictures in front of the London Eye.

We continued on the South Bank, then decided to cross over when we saw how regal and majestic the Big Ben and Houses of Parliament looked at night. It was just begging to be photographed! And to make it even more perfect, there was hardly anyone walking around at night because it was a frigid night.

We looped around the walkway on the North side of the River Thames, and walked along the river until we found a tube station. Though we were a little chilly and our cheeks were a little rosy, it was a perfect way to spend a night in London. It was pretty cheap too!

P.S. Click here and here to see more photos from my semester!

Cheers!

Mid-Terms Week

Yet another week has passed in London, so I feel like it's appropriate to try and keep you in the loop as to what I've been up to lately. Apart from the tons of papers and exams I've been writing and preparing for, I did manage to do an interesting thing, or two, over the last week.

To start, last Tuesday I went to see a performance of The Blue Dragon at the Barbican Theatre, which is a continuation of a series of plays created by performance artist Robert LePage, who has a reputation for rather imaginative and innovative plays.

The Entrance to the Barbican Theatre

I thought it was visually spectacular, and it was by far one of the most technical plays I've seen thus far in London. It incorporated all sorts of multimedia into the play, which included ingenious projections and multimedia clips, as well as an elaborate set. However, the play, which is set in modern Shanghai and looks at the juxtaposition between old and new China, was a fairly conventional drama of estranged lovers that now live in Quebec and Shanghai. I enjoyed the technical aspects, but it was a little lacking in the writing and acting performances. 

For the rest of the week I didn't really do much sightseeing, besides going between the library and my dorm room. As it was the week before mid-terms, I had two major papers due, one for my Politics in the UK class, and one for my Social History class, so I was more focused on work than anything else. 

I did, however, go to see the Museum of London on Friday with a couple of friends, because there was a really interesting exhibit there that I wanted to see an exhibit they were holding called London Street Photography, which was a collection of candid photographs from the streets of London, starting in the mid 19th century. I really liked the museum, because you got to learn more about the history of London, from its prehistoric roots. To top it all off, it had free admission, which is common with so many of the museums throughout London.

On Friday night, we decided to go to a local pub called Angel in the Fields, which is only a fifteen minute walk from our college, situation on Marylebone High Street, a charming section of central London full of small cafes, pubs, boutiques and flats. It's not off the beaten bath completely, but if you didn't know it was there, you could certainly miss it in your travels to London. It definitely is worth some exploration, as its not as busy and overwhelming as other parts of Central London can be at times.

The highlight of my week was getting to see Jessie J perform at Heaven, a club in Soho. I was introduced to her music only recently by someone from London, but I was blown away by her raw talent, especially after seeing her live. She's pretty big in the U.K., and has a couple of hits here, but she's trying to break it in the U.S. too. You definitely should look her up on YouTube, you won't regret it! The tickets only cost £5, and the place was jam packed! I definitely feel lucky to see her right at the cusp of her becoming a mega star; it's something I'm sure I'll talk about for years to come! I even got to get in to the VIP Area because of my friend from London, which was definitely a fun experience. I wish I brought my Bloggie so I could share with you how good she was live, but here are a couple of pics of her performing. 

Jessie J at Heaven! Fun Fact: She wrote "Party in the U.S.A. for Miley Cyrus!"

Last night I went with my class to see Frankenstein, an adaption of the novel which was directed by Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire  fame. It was an extraordinary show, and it was definitely not what I expected. The focus shifted away from Dr. Frankenstein and instead focused on the creature, who you start to feel empathy for as he becomes corrupted by the humans around him. What makes this performance even more interesting is the fact that the actors playing Dr. Frankenstein and the creature, Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller,  switch roles nightly, so you never know who will be what character will be performed by which actor. I had a greater appreciation for the set changes, especially after seeing them doing run through of certain changes during my tour of the National Theatre. I am grateful that I decided to take the Contemporary London Theatre course instead of the Musical Theatre course as it has made me appreciate dramatic theatre much more than I did in the past.

Sorry for the rather lengthy post. Hopefully I didn't bore you and you made it to the end! Tonight I'm going on the South Bank to take pictures of the Big Eye and Big Ben at night. I'll be sure to post them tomorrow!

P.S. For more pictures Click on this link!