Week 4 in London

This week we were actually IN London--or a suburb of London--the whole time. It was nice to settle back into the routine for a while. Unfortunately, a big part of the routine this week was trying to keep cool. London is in the middle of the longest heat wave in seven years. And, because it is never this hot, London flats and public buildings don't have air conditioning. So we've been showering and changing our clothes several times a day. Today (Monday, the 22nd) the temperature reached 33 C (91.4 F), with high humidity. It's been in the 30s for much of the last week, with a brief dip into the high twenties on Sunday. London's average high temperature for July is 18 C (73 F), with 55 mm of rainfall. We're now beginning our fifth week here, and it hasn't rained on me ONCE. (It did rain somewhere: July's rainfall this year was 4 mm.) Everything is beginning to look very sad and scorched. 

Greenwich in 2013, the hottest, driest summer in 200 years

The good news is that rain is predicted for the next three days, with temperatures approaching normal (25 C). I can't wait!

Monday: I taught on the English Commonwealth period. Monday night Mike and I just worked, me prepping for class and correcting papers, and he reviewing proposals.

Tuesday: I spent the morning doing more class prep. I teach from 8:30 to 10:15 on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is quite a long block. And, because this is largely new material for me, I'm building my lectures and powerpoints from scratch. I took a break from the work and the heat and decided to walk to Selfridges on Oxford Street to pick up a set of Horrible Histories, as there were some skits I wanted to show my class. The route took me down Marylebone High Street, which turned out to be quite a nice shopping area, leading into the vast shopping area of Oxford Street. I stopped at Oxfam, a thrift store that collects from the rich and socially conscious, and I bought myself a nice blouse and cool linen summer dress (and, in the process of walking, waiting, and changing, sweated entirely through everything I had on.)

Selfridges, founded by an American entrepreneur in 1909, takes up an entire city block. I had to walk through Selfridge's huge electronics section to reach the DVDs and passed by a shockingly crisp video displayed on a new, 10-ft-wide UHD (ultra high density) Samsung screen. It was gorgeous. It made me feel like I had 20-15 vision. It cost L38,000 (about $60,000). So I didn't bother looking at anything else in the store.

That night Mike and I took the students to see Macbeth at the Globe Theatre. It was very well done. I thought Macbeth was particularly impressive. The only annoyance was the fact that jumbo jets flew over the theatre at regular intervals throughout the play--at least twenty during the night. I don't remember even one jet the last time I was there. Odd.

Mom gave our Sam a great children's book a number of years ago that told the story of the construction of the restored Globe Theatre--the brainchild of American actor Sam Wanamaker, who did not live to see its completion.)

Borrowed photo of the reconstructed Globe Theatre

And here's a picture of the interior from my last time at the Globe (2011).

Wednesday: More teaching and more prep. While I worked, Mike went scouting for tickets and ended up getting us seats to Billy Elliot.

Victoria Palace Theater, summer 2013

As you can see, there's some construction going on near the theatre, which is another hallmark of our London experience. Construction is EVERYWHERE. You'd think that, having just hosted the Olympics, everything would have already been spiffed up? Or maybe they just delayed their building projects until it was over?

Mike really enjoyed Billy Elliot. I liked parts of it. It was opening night for the boy who played Billy. He was a 10-year-old named Eliot, the youngest child who has ever played the role. (Billy is supposed to be 12.) He was fabulous and didn't seem fazed at all by opening night. Mike thinks--and he's probably right--that the heat kept me from really enjoying the show. As we walked in, there was a sign that said "All air-conditioned!" But the temperatures and large number of bodies in the theatre overwhelmed whatever system they had. It must have been over 90 degrees in the theatre. Mike kindly fanned me throughout the second half, but we were both relieved to get out into the night air after the curtain call.

Thursday: Our entire group spent the first part of the day in Greenwich, to the east of London along the Thames River. We traveled by boat, which was pleasant. Greenwich has all kinds of things to see and do--the National Maritime Museum, with great displays on sailing and exploration and the Atlantic World; the Queen's House, with a lovely collection of art; the Royal Observatory, which houses the Prime Meridian (for only L14, you can take a picture of yourself straddling the line!); a huge painted hall; and a refurbished 19th century clipper, the Cutty Sark. We arrived there close to lunch time and strolled over to the town center. We decided to pass on the pie & mash with eels.

Traditional Greenwich lunch

Instead, we dropped by a bakery and bought scrumptious sandwiches (me: pastrami and gherkins in a yummy roll. He: Chicken, bacon and avocado in a baguette.) We also got a strawberry tart and a slice of blueberry cheesecake. Have I mentioned how good the pastries are here?)

I loved this sign on the street near the bakery (and, apparently, very near the prime meridian).

After lunch we wandered around the Observatory a bit and read up on black holes and super-novas.

Here's Mike pointing out the true measurement of one foot.

I was impressed with the humility of this quote from one of the world's smartest men. (Sorry about the blur.  It was pretty dark in there.)

Greenwich Maritime Museum display of figureheads from ships

We returned home by boat. On our way up from Westminster Pier I spotted this statue of Boudicca, the Celtic Queen who led a revolt against Roman oppression in 63 AD and burnt London to the ground.

Boudicca, Celtic heroine, Westminster

On either side of her you can see her daughters, whose rape by Roman soldiers was the trigger for their mother's uprising. On the side of the statue, which was erected in 1902 when Britain was still a major imperial power, is this inscription: "Regions Caesar never knew / thy posterity shall sway." Not quite as modest as Newton.

Boudicca statue inscription

That night, we took the students to St. Martin's in the Fields to hear a concert of baroque music by candlelight.  

Concert at St. Martin's in the Fields--one of my favorite places in London

We got the cheap seats--just L8 each--up in the balcony, but they were actually very good, right above the Trafalgar Sinfonia, a chamber group of twelve performers. They were amazingly good, and the acoustics were excellent, too. And the music! Most was baroque--selections from Vivaldi, Bach, Albinoni, and Mozart. But they also played Barber's Adagio for Strings, which I adore. A wonderful end to the day.

Friday: This was the day our students were most excited about: our visit to the Harry Potter Studios.

It was located in Leavesden, a suburb to the north of London.

Mike and me in line for the Harry Potter Studio tour

The tour takes you through some of the major sets actually used in the Harry Potter movies, including the Great Hall, the Gryffindor Common Room and dormitory, the Weaselys' kitchen, and Dumbledore's office. 

The Great Hall, minus CGI ceiling

The Gryffindor common room

Harry's room in the Gryffindor dormitory

Dumbledore's office

The Weaseleys' kitchen.  See the self-knitting needles?  They were actually working.

And, of course, Diagon Alley

The Mirror of Erised

Pensive at the Pensieve

The bridge at Hogwarts

There was a small display of costumes, showing how some scenes require progressive versions of the very same outfit. 

Harry's jacket in progressive stages of degradation for his scene fighting Voldemort

Jenny flying over Hogwarts

Mike fleeing the death eaters

We had a fabulous time. The whole exhibit was put together and run very efficiently, in true British fashion, and all the students--even the one (out of 30) who had not read the books or seen the movies--thoroughly enjoyed it.

Saturday: The day we got ready for Sunday.

Sunday: And what a Sunday! Mike and I both spoke in Sacrament meeting, and I led the music. Then I taught a lesson in primary and helped out with sharing time. Then we ran home to cook (Victoria's yummy Saucy Peanut Chicken in Yoghurt) for another group of six students, then I gave a fireside to our 30 students on LDS Church History in Great Britain. Whew! But at least I didn't have to make the dessert for the whole group this time. I have to admit that I dreaded Sunday all week, but it actually went well, and I wasn't even wiped out (much) at the end of the day.

And that's why I didn't post my blog until today.