"Bits and Bobs"

'Allo Chaps--

Quick update on my life the past couple of days. I think I left off in the weekend of boy-scout activities and nine-year-old mobs...Since then it has quieted down a bit, but still been very busy.
Saturday I went with Laurence and Antony (his dad) to Laurence's ballet lessons (yes, there are more. He as 3 different teachers!!! Can you believe it??) It was nice to see him dance (He's actually quite good) and also, one of his classes took place in a huge mansion built by Sir Christopher Wren. Not bad!!

Sunday I went with Antony and some of his friend's to see "The Life of Christ", a play in a nearby village. I thought this would be comparable to "A Man Called Jesus", which it was a bit, but it was actually done on a much grander scale.
The play was all done outdoors on this huge estate. It was very beautiful, with loads of hills and a lake and so on....It lasted all day and the audience actually moved around a couple times, following the action.


I think my favorite part was on the way to the crucifixion. It was very cool and yet very jarring. The whole audience mixed in with the actors as we made our way up the hill to "Golgotha"...Jesus was literally right beside us, bloodied and nearly fainting as screams echoed around us, egging on his suffering.


It really put the whole scene in perspective--suddenly I was there, I was the compeller and witness of his death. The death he suffered for me and all of mankind. Very powerful moment.

On a very different note...

When I got home, I got a call from my friend Kai--he's my German friend who I met in Paris and who is now doing an internship in London. That night I went into the city to meet him at a German Beerhouse where we watched the final of the European Championship. It was so fun... It was Spain vs. Germany and you do not know what team spirit is until you have been in a German Beerhouse, cheering on a German team, with who knows how many faces painted and flags a-waving. Everyone was talking and shouting in German, and well...um...."Deutschland" was pretty much all I got out of any conversation. Haha. It was great though. We lost (yes "we"...), but it was still very fun.
The next day I went into the city and got to explore the Tower of London. It was so cool and very interesting.




They gave a free tour with the ticket I bought which was really interesting, and I got to see the crown jewels as well. (Is it wrong that I entered this world-famous jewelrybox and in typical girl fashion immediately thought--"Ooh, sparkly....I want one" =P )


I then wandered around for a bit, pacing along beside the river. I of course walked along London Bridge, humming the tune in my mind, and I of course took countless photos--all of which look identical--of the iconic Tower Bridge.



Eventually, like a moth to the flame, I ended up at Shakespeare's Globe, where I purchased tickets for a show (King Lear on the 19th!!!! SOO Excited!!) and then wandered around in literati-ecstasy through the giftshop, where phrases engraved upon my mind were celebrated and sold in t-shirt form for a mere 15 pounds apiece. "Out damned spot!" was made a handbag, while "I will not be mad!" was a hoodie. Baseball caps declaring one to be a Montague or a Capulet adorned the shelves and "poor Yorrick" was stamped onto anything that held still. And dont even get me started on the vast selection of plays, in all forms and editions. While one would think I would be befuddled, or even indignant of this sort of cheapening of the Shakespeare appreciation, I strangely was sucked into it as well, even considering a Midsummer night's Dream t-shirt for awhile, although I eventually resisted the temptation and contented myself with a postcard. Ah, consumerism.

Annnyway, moving along with my week....

Today I got to go visit Oxford, which was very cool. This guy named Chris from the Elliot's church, who Deborah introduced me to (bless her heart, she's practically hunting down anyone my age and then forcing them to talk to me) goes to Pembroke in Oxford and he offered to show me around. It was very cool--much more spread out than I had imagined, but beautiful nonetheless. We ate lunch at the "Eagle and Child"--a pub frequented in the past by Lewis and Tolkien (I had a "proper" fish-n-chips). I also got to see a memorial to Percy Shelley and the door through which Alice traipsed into Wonderland. Very cool. We also went into Christ's Church, which for all you Harry Potter fans is where much of the filming for the movies have taken place. Not exactly what I came to Oxford to see, haha, but still very cool.

Anyway. Just wanted to give you all a quick update on my life and report a few "bits and bobs", to use a phrase frequently said by Deborah (:
Hope you all are doing well!

Cheers!
Jess