Month: April 2017

This last Wednesday-Thursday, I had a major spout of sleeplessness and ended up staying awake through the night into the next morning. Rather than sitting in my room, restless and bored, I decided to head out; at 4 a.m. I ate breakfast, got dressed, and started walking towards the Thames. I wanted to take advantage of my unfortunate sleepless situation and watch the sunrise. After I left my room, I ended up racing the sun as I made my way to the river. It was such a beautiful morning and I got to see the city almost completely empty. I found myself on the pedestrian bridge looking towards the Northern skyline. It really was breathtaking. Once the sun broke the horizon, I walked some of the South bank and explored parts of the city I had never seen. I came across some old ruins, the real ship of Sir Francis Drake, an old cathedral, the tunnel under the London Bridge, and the Tower Bridge. At around 10 a.m. my energy was completely gone and all I could think about was going back to get some sleep.

The rest of the week consisted of some book shopping, days at the National Gallery, and writing; an ideal week for me. On Saturday, I was on my way back for the night while talking to Marky on the phone. I was telling him how I had no plans for the evening so while browsing for some options, he was able to quickly find a single ticket available for a production of Hamlet. Ironically, I had looked into buying a ticket for this exact production a few days earlier but they were completely sold out. Some one must have returned their ticket, giving me to the opportunity to attend the play for an incredibly inexpensive price. I have always been a fan of Shakespeare and Hamlet is one of my all-time favorites. The venue was an intimate setting without many audience seats, which made the performance much more personal. Another reason I was so excited to see this production was because it was starring Andrew Scott; the actor who plays Moriarty in the show Sherlock. If you have seen Sherlock, you know how brilliant, and a little mad, Andrew Scott is; a perfect combination for the character of Hamlet. If you have not seen the show, you must. Now, Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s longest plays, but I forgot this fact and expected it to be around two hours long. I was wrong. It was actually 4 hours long with two intermissions. The acting, the stage props, and everything in between had me enthralled the entire time. I was mesmerized and hooked on every word that was spoken. This has to be one of my favorite experiences at a show, ever. I would see it again and again if tickets were not so rare to find. After the show, I noticed that a line had began to form outside the theater entrance. I knew it had to be a version of a stage door, where the actors leave the theater. I decided to join the line and stood there with my program in hand hoping I would have an opportunity to see Andrew Scott in person. Well, I was lucky enough. After 30-40 minutes of standing there he came out and greeted everyone. I was about fourth in line and had the chance for him to sign my program and to take a quick picture with me. He was lovely to meet and very kind but imaginably overwhelmed by the number of people standing in line behind me. I am so, so grateful that Mark was able to find that ticket for me. Thinking back to all of the experiences I have had while in London, makes me incredibly thankful and giddy. I cannot wait for more opportunities to come my way.

Ta ta,

~Kaitlin

Again, I have combined the last two weeks due to my busy schedule. Two weeks ago, classes officially ended for the term which means I am now on break until exams. I had deadlines and tests spread throughout those last five days. Luckily for me, I had an exciting weekend to look forward to. I had made plans with my good friend, Aly, to spend a part of our time off together. Aly is currently studying abroad in Rome so we made sure to take advantage of us both being overseas at the same time. On that Saturday, I hopped on a plane and headed for Barcelona, Spain.

We scheduled our planes so that we would both arrive in the evening at similar times and could travel from the airport to the hostel together. It worked out perfectly and the ride into the city was simple, even in another language. We were both extremely hungry and went on the hunt for a late dinner as soon as we had dropped off our bags. We ended up finding the perfect spot that seemed popular with the locals. As we were in Spain, traditional Spanish food was a must. We both had a large pan of Paella and a beer. It was fantastic and hit the spot perfectly.

The next morning, we took a walking tour of the city. We both knew almost nothing about Barcelona before arriving so this was the perfect way to learn about the history and to see the main sights. We saw a couple of the main cathedrals and charming back-streets which held their own character and were slightly less packed with other tourists. After our tour, we were ready for lunch. Sticking to our earlier decision of traditional food, Tapas and Sangria were next on the list. Once we were full, we decided to explore more of the city on our own. We saw many statues and intricate architecture and finally ended up on the beach. Fun fact: Barcelona originally did not have sandy beaches or the iconic tall palm trees that people associate with the city now; the sand was imported from Egypt and the palm trees from California for the 1992 Olympics. Even though we had already done our fair share of walking that day, we chose to continue on. We went to see Barcelona’s own Arc de Triomf and stumbled upon the most amazing park. The park had its own little oasis inside. This had a large pond and towering structure that was more sculpture than building. To top it off, the structure was adorned with a massive, gold, horse-drawn chariot. We couldn’t believe how amazing this find was and how much of an impact it had on us in person. We both stood in mutual amazement for a few moments upon first arriving. I also cannot forget to mention our two encounters with the famous Sagrada Familia. We first went to see this massive cathedral the night we arrived and again the next day when it was light. I have to say that its size may be more impressive in person. Craning your neck makes you feel incredibly small in comparison. For dinner, we both agreed that the only thing that would break our traditional food streak would be Mexican food. Really good Mexican food does not exist in London or Rome; or at least we have failed to discover it, and not for lack of trying. Therefore, these two California girls couldn’t think of a better place in Europe to find authentic Mexican food than in Spain. After a beautifully satisfying dinner of tacos, guacamole, and chips, we, of course, decided to continue our explorations. We sought out a building that we had seen a picture of earlier in the day. When we found it, we had another breathtaking experience. It was the National Museum of Catalonia Art (if my translation is correct). This building was massive and perched up high on the top of a hill, overlooking the whole of Barcelona. Since it was now dark, once we reached the top, we had an amazing view of the lights of this beautiful city. We kept having to, metaphorically, pinch ourselves. If you were to go back to when Aly and I first met, and tell our young selves that we would end up together in a European city five-ish years later, I am not sure we would have believed you or have been able to even remotely imagine it. On this hill, also sits the 1992 Olympic stadium and remaining Olympic Village. We explored what we could but vowed to return the next day. In total, we walked around 13 miles and over 35,000 steps.

When we woke the next morning, we could feel it. We didn’t let that hold us back. Our first order of the day was a traditional Spanish breakfast, of course; churros and hot chocolate. You are meant to dip the churro into the hot chocolate, and let me tell you, if I could, I would eat this everyday for the rest of my life. After being chocolate-and-churro-happy, we hopped on a bus and headed to Park Guell; which holds many works by the famous architect Gaudi. Once we finished walking through the beautiful pocket of nature, we headed back to the Olympic stadium. The actual stadium itself is massive and slightly eerie when empty.  We were exhausted from the previous day, so we headed to meet some friends of Aly’s who had just flown in from Rome. We met up with them at an all-day brunch restaurant and I had the most beautiful pancakes I’ve ever seen. My plate was a piece of art. I was leaving extremely early the next morning so we ended our trip there. I had the most lovely time there with Aly and made sure to take in the relaxing atmosphere of the whole city.

Last week, I took two days to let my feet recover before straining them again. When I finally went out into the London streets, I visited a bookstore and treated myself to a lovely dinner. The restaurant I ate at was about five minutes away from a theater, currently showing a play starring David Tennant. I had heard that he sometimes makes an appearance at the stage door, so I decided to head over to see whether or not I had missed it yet. When I got there, people were starting to crowd around the stage door. The security man told us that he does not always make an appearance; I kept my fingers crossed. A little later, after a few other stage actors left, David Tennant came out to greet us. I was able to have a micro-conversation and take a picture with him. He was very gracious of our support just as we were thankful for him taking the time to meet us. I am very glad that I decided to walk by the theater after my dinner.

Hopefully, I will have more exciting things happening during my remaining time here in London.

Ta ta,

Kaitlin