That was a quick two weeks, and it’s hard to remember everything to write it down, but at the same time it’s difficult to condense everything that I do remember down into words.
Two weeks ago we visited Broughton Manor, which is a beautiful old house that, if I am correct, is owned by the family of the actor who plays Snape in the Harry Potter movies. It is also where the majority of the new rendition of the Jane Eyre Movie was filmed. As we were led around, our guide regaled us with tales of the time when Kings and Queens had spent holiday sipping tea and chatting about the weather while in these spacious rooms where the decorum bragged of the finest ornamentation that money could buy. It was ridiculously fabulous. Our next stop was to a castle, which had basically been turned into a theme park. It was complete with theatrical performances of dragon fighting and imitation dungeons, which were entertaining. This weekend we are taking a trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the home of Shakespeare. I have heard it is a terrific letdown, however considering that my subject area of this term is focused on Shakespeare, I figure it’s just one of those things you do. Besides, any excuse to see and experience more of this beautiful country and all it has to offer, I will take.
Following that line of thought, my flat mate has a friend in London, so last weekend we went and stayed for two days. It was surreal to wrap my mind around the fact that I was in London. I kept expecting background music to come on and movie stars to all of a sudden come out of the woodwork, but the city just continued functioning normally, as it did before us and will after us, completely unaware of the fantastic fact that I was having my first London experience. We spent the entire trip with our cameras drawn and ready, glad to finally play the part of the unabashed tourist. It was an enjoyable couple of days in which we were able to see all of the big sights at a relaxed pace, knowing we have the luxury of being able to go back more than once. In fact I’m going back in two weekends to hopefully see Les Miserables, my favorite story of all time!
But on a more of a normal life scale, it’s been a lot of walk, walk, walk, then talk, talk, talk, then more read, read, read, and then a little dance, sleep, and dream. To give you a snapshot, right now I am curled up with George Eliot with a steaming mug of black coffee in my hand, Dario Marianelli playing in the background, and the grey day rain gently tapping on the window panes. It is these moments that I sometimes stop realize that I am exactly where I want to be in the world.
