Going to the Globe

There's been so much happening and my lack of blogging hasn't captured any of it. I need to catch up on stuff that I've half drafted and post it in date order, so I will do that and then write a post about it with links back to the stories... (not that they'll be that interesting but I'll know I will appreciate it when it comes to looking back...)

But, so that I don't fall any further behind, I just want to post some pics of my adventures last night. If you can believe it, back in August it was three years since I started having my London Adventures. And now it's been three years since Damo and I started hanging out (no, he wasn't waiting at the airport ha ha ha). Our first excursion together was to the Tower of London so we marked our 3 year kind-of-anniversary-but-not-really-it's-just-as-good-a-date-as-any by going to another great London landmark - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

It's a replica building that's only 10 years old, but it's supposedly on the site where the original theatre stood all those centuries ago. Seating is traditional - v. uncomfortable wooden benches for those willing to pay for them, or you can stand up in the pit for only a fiver. You could tell those who'd been before - they'd brought cushions and big jackets and blankets with them - it's open air so you are at the mercy of the elements.

First up we had a gourmet picnic on the river (watching the Waterloo Sunset) with our Konditor and Cook goodies (only the most delicious bakery on the face of the planet) and then took our seats right up in the top Northern tower to watch Merchant of Venice.

It was a very cool night - I've only seen Shakespeare once before and that was in high school - so it was fun to see it where it was originally performed and in its traditional manner with renaissance costumes and music. The atmosphere was fantastic. I loved being able to watch the crowd in the pit below the stage interact with the cast and was grateful for my seat (not sure I could have dealt with the three hours of standing up).

I had not read Merchant of Venice before, but I still was able to figure out what was happening, and it reminded me that if I was going to be stranded on a desert island with only one of my books, Shakespeare's Complete Works would still be it (think I got it for my 16th birthday).
If you do get to London, try and go, because it's one of those experiences that feels very much like a glorious "london moment". (PS: the pics aren't great quality. As usual forgot my camera so took them with my mobile phone - as evidenced by the shadow across our foreheads below).