London Theatre Study Abroad Program 2010

SCOTT WHITTINGTON

Getting ready to take off for London. I’m very excited for the trip. It’s really my first “vacation” to another country although I’ve been to more than 20. Although we have work to do there, I’m still going to enjoy myself a little.

I took this panoramic photo from the Millennium Bridge or locally known as the “Wibbly Wobbly Bridge.” The bridge crosses the Thames River and connects the city of London with Bankside. Bankside was home to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I have to admit, the Globe is on my bucket list of things to see. This skyline really shows the contrast between old and new.

We arrived at Buckingham Palace because our rooms aren’t quite ready yet. At this point, I’ve been up more than 24 hours. The queen wasn’t home. I’m very impressed with how the newer parts of the city grew around the old structures.

I included this one because our bathroom, a.k.a. as the Water Closet or Loo, had a mystery glass door and the tub strangely tapered toward the drain. It was very awkward taking a shower. Turning around was difficult and it was extremely slippery. I’m lucky to be here. I also figured no one else would include the bathroom as a picture.

– I thought the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens was the most amazing statue outside a museum we saw. It was huge, ornate and out in public view. The foreground features the “Africa group.” On each corner of the statue were representations of the continents: Asia, Africa, America and Europe.

This is one of the original puppets from the play “Warhorse.” I hadn’t seen the play so I had no idea how the puppet worked. I was trying to imagine how this would look on stage. Of course once we saw the play, I was blown away. I didn’t even notice the operators after awhile.

This was the highlight of the trip, up to this point. Ever since my sophomore year of high school when I read my first Shakespeare play, I wanted to see the Globe. I really wish we could have watched a play here. I was unsettled that the original plot of the Globe was now a parking garage or something but this was still really cool.

This is another set piece from the Harry Potter movies. This is a safe door. The thing I like about this from a set designer’s perspective is that it looks like a functional piece. It looks like it belongs in that world and someone had to dream it up and then someone built it. I love art and this thing moves too.

This is a pawn piece from the life-size chess set that appeared in the first Harry Potter movie. I’m getting a real thrill out of being able to interact with the original set pieces. I’m also a huge fan of chess. So I’m getting a double pleasure with this piece. My brother and his family will be so jealous.

I didn’t expect to see this. In the movies, I assumed Hogwarts castle was all CGI. When you walk into this room, your mouth will hit the floor. This was the most impressive thing of movie-related items I’ve ever seen. The scale of this thing made me stand in awe. I spent the majority of the time staring at this enormous model. “Someone built this,” is all I kept thinking.

As a former reporter I was glad to be at the BBC, especially on a big news day. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a newsroom and seen the bustling reporters darting from desk to desk. I think this part of the trip was rather cool because not everyone gets this access. They were so cool to let us roam around.

Of course I had to take a picture of St. Paul’s and I was lucky enough to catch a double-decker bus too. When I talk about old structures, this is definitely one of them. St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1704 or I should say finished. It’s obvious our own capital was inspired by this awesome building. I could have spent a couple hours walking around this building. There were multiple artists painting it from various angles. I wanted to join them but I had no paints.

Bath Abbey is another extremely old structure. Old huh? Yeah, try the 7th century. It was fixed in the 12th and 16th centuries. The various sculptures adorning the building are worth seeing. They all have a story. Bath was an amazing small town and although it has tourists, it still has that small-town feeling.

This dessert tray was positively divine and I had to take a picture. It was a gorgeous view too but my gaze stayed on these little “sweeties.”

	Getting ready to take off for London. I’m very excited for the trip. It’s really my first “vacation” to another country although I’ve been to more than 20. Although we have work to do there, I’m still going to enjoy myself a little.
	After we landed we took a driving tour around London and ran into Big Ben … well actually this is Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is the bell inside the tower. I learned something new today.
	I took this panoramic photo from the Millennium Bridge or locally known as the “Wibbly Wobbly Bridge.” The bridge crosses the Thames River and connects the city of London with Bankside. Bankside was home to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I have to admit, the Globe is on my bucket list of things to see. This skyline really shows the contrast between old and new.
	We arrived at Buckingham Palace because our rooms aren’t quite ready yet. At this point, I’ve been up more than 24 hours. The queen wasn’t home. I’m very impressed with how the newer parts of the city grew around the old structures.
	I included this one because our bathroom, a.k.a. as the Water Closet or Loo, had a mystery glass door and the tub strangely tapered toward the drain. It was very awkward taking a shower. Turning around was difficult and it was extremely slippery. I’m lucky to be here. I also figured no one else would include the bathroom as a picture.
	The tube was the only way to comfortably travel around the city. Luckily our hotel was right next to a station. I shall never forget “Next stop, Queensway,” as long as I live. I loved the names of the stops, like Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and Mile End. The British have a way with words that makes them fun. And of course I’ll remember the random meeting of the former Saudi Arabia ambassador to the United States.
	– I thought the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens was the most amazing statue outside a museum we saw. It was huge, ornate and out in public view. The foreground features the “Africa group.” On each corner of the statue were representations of the continents: Asia, Africa, America and Europe.
	This is one of the original puppets from the play “Warhorse.” I hadn’t seen the play so I had no idea how the puppet worked. I was trying to imagine how this would look on stage. Of course once we saw the play, I was blown away. I didn’t even notice the operators after awhile.
	This was the highlight of the trip, up to this point. Ever since my sophomore year of high school when I read my first Shakespeare play, I wanted to see the Globe. I really wish we could have watched a play here. I was unsettled that the original plot of the Globe was now a parking garage or something but this was still really cool.
	I freely admit I’m a Harry Potter nerd. I’m also a huge movie buff so getting to see the actual set pieces and costumes from one of my favorite movie series was an incredible experience. If you haven’t seen the Harry Potter movies, this was Ron’s flying car. It’s how Harry got to school one year. This was a lobby piece outside the Harry Potter experience. Other than the giant chess pieces, this was a first-look of what to expect inside.
	This is another set piece from the Harry Potter movies. This is a safe door. The thing I like about this from a set designer’s perspective is that it looks like a functional piece. It looks like it belongs in that world and someone had to dream it up and then someone built it. I love art and this thing moves too.
	This is a pawn piece from the life-size chess set that appeared in the first Harry Potter movie. I’m getting a real thrill out of being able to interact with the original set pieces. I’m also a huge fan of chess. So I’m getting a double pleasure with this piece. My brother and his family will be so jealous.
	I didn’t expect to see this. In the movies, I assumed Hogwarts castle was all CGI. When you walk into this room, your mouth will hit the floor. This was the most impressive thing of movie-related items I’ve ever seen. The scale of this thing made me stand in awe. I spent the majority of the time staring at this enormous model. “Someone built this,” is all I kept thinking.
	As a former reporter I was glad to be at the BBC, especially on a big news day. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a newsroom and seen the bustling reporters darting from desk to desk. I think this part of the trip was rather cool because not everyone gets this access. They were so cool to let us roam around.
	This was one of our shopping trips. I just loved the structure and the glass roof. It reminded me of old war movies in the train station. I love old architecture and I feel like nothing today compares to what our previous generations built. There was a woman singing opera in the lower level and her voice carried throughout the building. It was a cool experience.
	Of course I had to take a picture of St. Paul’s and I was lucky enough to catch a double-decker bus too. When I talk about old structures, this is definitely one of them. St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1704 or I should say finished. It’s obvious our own capital was inspired by this awesome building. I could have spent a couple hours walking around this building. There were multiple artists painting it from various angles. I wanted to join them but I had no paints.
	You can’t go to London without visiting Stonehenge. Although I wish I could have gotten a closer look (because I might have been able to figure out its function), it was amazing to see this. This is one of those structures that you wish you could look back in time and see how our ancestors interacted with it. What was it used for? No one knows for sure. I’m also curious how they lifted those giant rocks with ropes and pulleys. I can’t imagine those ropes would support that weight.
	Bath Abbey is another extremely old structure. Old huh? Yeah, try the 7th century. It was fixed in the 12th and 16th centuries. The various sculptures adorning the building are worth seeing. They all have a story. Bath was an amazing small town and although it has tourists, it still has that small-town feeling.
	This dessert tray was positively divine and I had to take a picture. It was a gorgeous view too but my gaze stayed on these little “sweeties.”
	I thought it was quite odd to see a statue of a U.S. president who fought against the British. Even funnier, George Washington once said he would never go back to England so the grass and soil under the statue are from America.
	London’s version of Time’s Square I guess. There were lights and advertisements everywhere. This was the busiest place I saw while in London. We were sitting outside, waiting to see “39 Steps” and there was no quick place to get food.