The Globe

On Wednesday afternoon, I had my first visit to Shakespeare's famous Globe theatre. Initially, I was not too thrilled about this experience. Throughout my high school career I was forced to read Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, & Hamlet. & while I totally respect that Shakespeare was an awesome playwright, I can't say I always enjoy attempting to decipher reading his works. Also, he seemed to dwell on death & destruction a bit too much for me, & I wasn't looking forward to standing amongst the other "groundlings" for hours watching actors cry "Alas! I am slain!"

I woke that morning feeling dreadfully ill & not wanting to leave my comfy bed, let alone the city, but I pulled myself up by the boot straps & got going. Arrived at Embankment about half an hour late due to the fact that I never wrote down my Grandmother's & meeting place & then booked it across London in an attempt to make it to the show in time (& hopefully find a place where I could almost see the stage!). Fortunately, Wednesday afternoons are not prime Shakespeare viewing times, so we found a prime place to stand a good five minutes before the show actually began.

We went to go see All's Well that Ends Well, one of Shakespeare's plays that I knew nothing about & had somehow forgotten to read up on. However, after a quick skim of the program, I felt prepared enough to (attempt) to watch and understand the play. To my surprise, I had a really great time & really enjoyed it! Because it was a comedy, it was much lighter material than the rest of Shakespeare's plays I had read through, & the actors did a great job making the story hysterical. There was singing & dancing, & the time flew right by. & the theatre, of course, was absolutely beautiful. I can now say I have a much greater appreciation for our dear William!

Following the play, Grandma & I ate at a little pizza place on the river. It was delicious, though possibly not the most nutritious meal I've ever come across.

I can't believe this is it & it's almost time to go home. I still haven't done everything that I wanted, but I know that I have plenty of time to go back, & I can't wait to get home to see everyone! :)