Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
The rainy season has set in- It's officially the beginning of another fall in London. However, things are just as busy as ever. The end of August has brought many exciting events around the city.
The weekend following my family's departure I had a chance to work in the Horniman's fluids store room. I was also invited to join the Keeper of Musical Instruments for the last weekend of a Stradivarius exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, apparently, the largest exhibit of Stradivari instruments ever in the UK! While in Oxford, I also visited the Pitt Rivers Museum and took a walk by the river Cherwell. In exploring the town, I discovered decorated with an intricately carved lion said to have inspired Aslan from C.S. Lewis' Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Back in London, a festival of tall ships sailing along the Thames near Greenwich was celebrated by three consecutive nights of fireworks. We made a night out of one of them by picnicking along the river banks before dark. I was also finally able to get inside Royal Albert Hall with my violin student for a night of Elgar, Bantock, and the Sibelius violin concerto. I wasn't about to let summer slip away without an evening of music at the BBC Proms!
In the realm of academics, my dissertation is finished and submitted! This means that its time to venture out into the real world to hunt for a job. (Something tells me that I will need some heavier ammunition!). I am currently doing a bit of temporary work at the Churchill War Rooms and plan to remain in London while putting in applications in both the US and UK. Following the submission date, everyone in the class came together for a night in the Shakespeare's Head Pub.
A couple friends, Libby and Sarah, stayed with me before leaving the country. They were kind enough to assist in transporting things to a new place in south east London. With a few friends leaving soon, we got in a bit more sight seeing. My friends Mishelle, Kaiyin, Tory and I went on a tour of the Houses of Parliament. While there we learned of a tradition for the incoming Speaker of the House of Commons. Due to the fact that many of the first Speakers were executed by the monarchy, it was originally a reluctant position to accept. Today, the government acknowledges this by literally dragging the Speaker to his seat. Following the tour we took a walk along the Victoria Embankment, grabbed lunch, and visitied the National Portrait Gallery. The next day Tory and I took an adventure in Hampstead Heath, climbing trees and crashing Zippo's Circus, in town for a few days.
While Sarah was staying, we decided to take a trip to Oxford. I had a chance to get a better look at the Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers Museum. We also were able to go see an exhibition at the Bodleian Library- "Magical Books from the Middle Ages to Middle Earth" which housed original documents and illustrations from the following authors: JRR Tolkien, Susan Cooper, C.S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, and Alan Garner. Next stop was Christ College, where many scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. On our way back to the train station, we stopped to look at Oxford castle. The next day I was able to go take a look at the Handel House Museum, off of Oxford street.
This weekend I have been frightening unsuspecting Steelers fans by excitedly catching them off guard by jumping into conversations about yinz guys back home. The team is in London for an exhibition game against the Viklings at Wembley Stadium. Regent Street was even closed down for a giant NFL block party! The city feels like home with black and gold swarms of faithful fans. How 'bout them Steelers?
Hard to believe that is has really been a year over here and hard to say goodbye to so many good friends. It has been an unforgettably amazing year which would not have been nearly as fun without all those who were a part of it. Best of luck to everyone! We will meet again in the future!
I'll keep this updated as developments arise.
- comments