Harry Potter, Warwick Castle, and Stratford

At long last, an update that I know has been sorely missed by some. Since it's been about two weeks, I'll add them in bits (more for the wireless' sake than anything else since we're in Sam's (Mexican flatmate) office and it's not the best signal).

Well, I did go to the Harry Potter premiere, but not for long. It was super crowded and rainy and cold and I'm rather glad I didn't stand out all day in the rain to kind of see the actors and other celebrities. But from my trip through the square, I'll add a picture or two to give you all an idea of what it was like. Mostly, it was a lot of families with little kids, fans (ranging from a bit interested to ridiculously obsessed) of a slightly older age, and (the largest portion of the crowd) screaming teenage and pre-teen girls yelling "Daniel! Daniel! Rupert!" etc. Interesting experience. (photos: The theatre with the actual premiere and a triwizard cup on top; one of the actors who plays Fred and George)


That week passed as my second and last week training at the office. I was anxious to get the job to myself and make it my own. Anna, the departing receptionist, was a bit too into work for my taste. She often stayed late and did extra (fairly regularly) and did all such work without pay. She made me feel guilty (though only the slightest bit so, as well as slightly annoyed) when I chose to leave at 5.30 (the time we were supposed to leave).

That Friday was Rememberance Day (the same as Veteran's Day). I met GP and Kate at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, the oldest church in the city and the Queen's official parish, for a candlelight choir concert of Handel and Mozart. Kate and I were particularly going for the feature attraction of Mozart's Requiem (done v. well!). It rained a lot that day too, and before I met them at the church, I chose to wander a bit through town since it had a misty, eerie look to it and took some photos. (photos: From Trafalgar Square towards Westminster; just outside Trafalgar Square; and an Alley off Trafalgar with the National Gallery in the background.)



The next morning, Kate and I were up early to go on our first weekend trip out of the city (my boondoggle to Calais didn't count) to Warwick Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon. We met Trace, and his friends Alex and Amanda at the train station and headed out of town! The train ride was fine, but we had a French family right next to us that was discussing Charles and Camilla's trip to the US so loudly that it was too distracting to even read.

Warwick was fantastic. We headed from the train to a free museum that claimed specializing in Victorian history. Trace was excited to discuss the British role in the midwest (i.e. Mackinac area) in the War of 1812 and the use of the Piclhauba (sp?) in British and American military uniforms with a very eager docent. I was excited by the kitchen and medicine dispalys (though the toy display featuring everything from a 18th century wooden doll that could walk to Star Wars action figures was cool too!). We headed from there through an old cemetery up to the Castle. Warwick Castle was everything Bruce Lynn said it was and more. We saw the dungeons and the rack, the Great Hall, the haunted tower, the Peacock Garden, the mill and eel trap, and even the Catapault (they fire it a few times daily during the summer! If only Ft. Mackinac had its own catapault...)! The castle itself was built in 1068 and even held a couple of former kings imprisoned in it. The displays were pretty well done and featured lots of v. lifelike wax statues done by the Toussauds people. There were only a couple of actual costumed interpreters, but one let me try on a full outfit of chainmail! Finally, our hunger got the better of us and we headed to a small pub by the train to eat (Kate and I in our continued quest for something in some way resembling American nachos (or at least tasting something in some way close to actual nachos or tortilla chips) and watch rugby before heading to Stratford. (photos: Castle tower and countryside; Kate trying on armour and lifting a sword; me looking "ferocious" in chainmail; castle courtyard, oldest part, and countryside; and another view including the mill and the River Avon.)






We spent the night at Stratford, but first had to find a place to stay. Luckily our guide book was dead on when it reccommended a small B&B run by a cute little woman named Sylvia. There was no show by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the time, so we settled for Stepmom with Julia Roberts on tv instead. The next morning we had our first full English breakfast (cereal, oj, toast, tea, fried eggs, sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, and grilled mushrooms). I ate soooo much, but I wasn't hungry til at least 6 that night. Breakfast like that made me better understand why 2/3 Britains have "raised cholesterol." Mostly I ate as much as I did (such as about 6 pieces of "brown" toast and a bowl of bran flakes) to make me feel better about my own cholesterol.

That day we headed to the Shakespeare homes since Stratford was his home town. We walked to the Anne Hathaway Cottage first, home of his wife, where they had so many historical things that even made Trace get geeked out by the size of the hearths and the five varieties of sage and strange variety of rhubarb. Next was Shakespeare's birthplace, followed by his daughter's house, the riverside and Shakespeare's grave, and then the other house of his daughter. By the time we finished, we were super hungry and caught a quick dinner before heading back to London on the train. It was a super fun weekend that didn't last long enough! (photos: Hearth at Anne Hathaway's; Anne Hathaway's and its herb garden (the red stuff it's the rhubarb!); River Avon; and Shakespeare's grave (bottom left corner) )





That's all for this entry, more to come in another!