2 Days to Go: Run Forrest, Run!

That's right folks, 2 days until I leave for London and today is almost over! I feel so unprepared even though I know I'm as prepared as I can be at this point. Anyway, today's post came as near the end as I could put it so I could change my mind if I chickened out.

17/18: Fulham Palace Parkrun 5k

Ever since I was in High School, I thought it would be a good habit to get into running. I thought I would like it and be good at it. I've been pretty much wrong about that. I even bought some nice Nike shoes to encourage me to go running. That didn't work too well. I have pretty crappy endurance. So, last year I made a goal to run a 5k. I didn't give myself a date to finish it by, but to run an official 5k and work up to a half marathon in Disneyland. I don't know about half marathons, but I thought I could make 5ks my thing. I even bought an app to help motivate me. It's called Zombies, Run! and it combines your music playlist with a story and zombie sounds (to help you run faster obviously). I have used it a wimpy 3 times. I know, I know. (It's a great app though, and I recommend it!) So what in the world is possessing me to put this on my countdown if I'm not really good at running? Well, for one thing, it's free. All you have to do is register online and bring your paper with your barcode so you can get an official time!

It happens every Saturday at 9am in Bishop's Park with an average of 150 runners every weekend! (so, low stress) Some people are competitive and run it to break records. I will obviously not be doing that. I wanted to sign up for a Disney run this fall, but alas, I don't have the money. I have to spend it on London stuff. (I'm not mad about that ;)

~Jamie

3 Days to Go: What Have I Done...

Well, I messed it up this time folks. Remember that night when I was exhausted from work and decided to change my post to Trafalgar Square because I "forgot" to put it on the countdown? Well, I must have been delusional because that was what today's post was supposed to be about. Yes, that's right, I have nothing to write about today except places I've already written about.

16/18: What I missed in Trafalgar Square and Little Venice

One of the reasons I was going to write about Trafalgar Square wasn't necessarily just for the art museum. Another thing I meant to write about was Nelson's Column. A 170 foot tall monument to one eyes, one armed, Admiral Horatio Nelson who died defeating Napoleon in the battle of Trafalgar. 

And did I mention there are four lion statues you can climb on...

I'm not going to lie though, I got that column mixed up with THIS column-

THIS column is THE Monument. THE monument to THE Great Fire of London in 1666. This column is 202 feet tall AND you can climb to the 311 steps to the top and look out over the city.

As far as Little Venice goes, I left out a HUGE thing! I love how stupid I was when I posted that picture and said that was all. (I don't love it, I love that I got a second chance to highlight the main reason I put it on my countdown!) 

Canalway Cavalcade. 

Every year Little Venice is home to festival called Canalway Cavalcade. And the dates? May 3rd-5th. Our first weekend, THIS WEEKEND. The festival has a pageant of boats, bands, trade stalls, competitions, dancers, food, everything a good festival has! AND it's my favorite word. FREE.

Aren't you glad I fixed my mistake? I sure am!

~Jamie

4 Days to Go: Going North: Part 2

This is part 2 of my travels outside my program abroad. This one is less certain since we don't have tickets, but plan on paying for and taking a bus while there. Nevertheless, I will try my best and will be sad if it doesn't happen.

This little (probably day) trip will happen on our "long weekend". Basically, there is a Monday where we don't have class nor a show to see and the Friday event is in the morning so we get three and a half days instead of two for a weekend. It's like a vacation from school, so I knew we HAD to do something spectacular. This is my choice.

15/18: Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff claims to have the largest concentration of Castles in the world, so there are plenty of historical sites to see. 

Then there's beautiful Cardiff Bay,

 next to which is Roald Dohl Pass with the Wales Millennium Center, a center for theaters, restaurants, shops, and museums.

 The pictures could go on forever, but here is why I wanted to go in the first place (before I found out about the castles).

Okay, so, I like Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Experience is more than a museum of tons of sets, props, and costumes, it's actually an experience. You go through an actual story and "adventure" before they let you into the interactive museum and (eventually) shop. I haven't done any research on the story (I like surprises), but just going to the exhibition that may close in 2017 is on my life bucket list, not just my Study Abroad to do list.

I think Cardiff is an all around wonderful choice for a quick holiday ;)

~Jamie

5 Days to Go: Going North: Part 1

Today's post will be part one of a two part series on travels outside of England. 

Once upon a time, I bought my plane tickets six months in advance to get a good deal. I'll admit, it was probably a little early to do so, but I wanted to buy myself plane tickets for Christmas, so I did. What ended up happening was that I accidentally bought my ticket back for the 17th instead of the 14th, when the program really ends. Don't ask me why. I don't even know how I did it. I do remember it was late at night... When I told my friend about it, she said she did the same thing! (Maybe the tentative dates were different.) I was relieved because I bought my ticket through a booking company and couldn't change my travel dates without a huge fee. We decided to use the extra three days to travel. After considering Paris for quite a while, we finally decided that it would be best to stay in a county that   spoke English.

14/18: Edinburgh, Scotland

We chose Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, for a number of reasons. True, they don't have a Disney Park, but they also don't resent American tourists. I am super excited to visit Scotland, even though it will be the end of our trip, it will be the cherry on top!

I've been Pining pictures of Edinburgh since we decided and I can hardly stop. It's SO beautiful.

While I don't know much of what we're going to do there, I NEED to have a picnic on this grassy lawn next to Edinburgh Castle and the Sir Walter Scott Monument. I'm getting giddy just looking at these pictures. You know what makes it even better? We're taking the train from London to Edinburgh. Like, classic train across the green country with food and stuff. I can't think straight I'm so excited.

~Jamie

6 Days to Go: ...What Was I Doing?

It's days like today that make me so happy to be gone in less than a week. Again, I know I'm not going for vacation, but I know it's going to be therapeutic to not have to go to work and instead just focus on plays in London. I've already read my first four reading assignments and started my fifth. All that's left now that finals and work are over is Graduation and packing. If you can't tell, I worked a long, exhausting double shift today and I'm miserably tired so I apologize for the short scatterbrained post.

13/18: Little Venice, Trafalgar Square, and The National Gallery

I had planned for today's countdown to be about Little Venice and the boat rides you can take down the canal. It came to my attention, however, that I hadn't put Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery in my Countdown and Little Venice would basically take a sentence and a picture. So here it is, Little Venice.

I'm not claiming I'll take much more time on Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. I'll admit I know nothing about paintings. I never took art history, I don't know what the colors mean or the shapes. But I do like to look at paintings. Especially Monet, because, remember, I'm obsessed with flowers. I also REALLY love Vincent van Gogh's work. Both have artwork hanging in the National Gallery at the heart of Trafalgar Square.

And get this, the fountain has LED lights in it, so at night it looks like this-

If there's anything I love more than flowers, it's lights. (Or maybe sleep.)

~Jamie

7 Days to Go: Gardens

I am obsessed with flowers. Really, I should've been a florist. Flowers and gardens and all sorts of greenery. Did you know that 1/3 of London is garden? I wanted to do a post about Hyde Park since we'll be living so close to it as well as Kensington Gardens, but then I did research on most of the gardens and now I want to see them all! Instead, I'll highlight some that are particularly famous and or beautiful. (Mostly with pictures, since describing them would be almost pointless.)

12/18: Hyde, Kensington, St. James, Primrose Hill, and Hampstead Heath

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London being 350 acres. It's even larger when you group it together with Kensington, totaling 625 acres.

Both parks have a handful of memorials and statues to see, including; The Princess Diana Fountain and Playground, memorials to the victims of 7/7 and the Holocaust, Marble Arch, the Peter Pan Statue, The Albert Memorial, and more. Not to mention the carousel in Kensington Gardens.

St. James, another Royal Park, is famous for being a good place to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. It also holds the Queen Victoria Memorial.

Primrose Hill is located inside The Royal Regent's Park which also houses the Open Air Theatre and the Zoo (and tons of roses in Queen Mary's Gardens!). Your walk to the top of Primrose hill will earn you a magnificent view of the city.

Although not a "Royal Park", Hampstead Heath is a giant 790 acres.You can go swimming, bird watching, kite flying, see a concert, boating, look at statues, walk through woods and unusual fauna, fishing, and picnic near a small zoo or ornamental gardens.

And it's all free, my favorite word.

~Jamie

8 Days to Go: Comic Con

11/18: MCM London Comic Con

I'll take that crown now.

Yup, London Comic Con. I've never been to a convention before, despite Utah just starting theirs, so why not go in London? The event goes three days and my friend and I are for sure going to at least one of them. And the cherry on top, we're cosplaying as well. For those of you who don't speak geek, cosplaying is where people dress up as characters from comic books, Disney movies, T.V. shows, other movies, anime, and all that jazz.

People from all over go to comic conventions to see new game and movie ideas, meet celebrities (take pictures with them and get their autograph), show off their cosplay, go to panels, and meet other geeks. ((I hope no one thinks "geek" is a demeaning term. Rather, it's an endearing term to me.))

San Diego Comic Con is by far the largest, but London looks quaint and fun for a first timer. The only thing I've been worrying about is finishing my cosplay. Some people go full out, spending lots of money and time to make their cosplay 100% accurate. I'm just trying to get mine done and passable. I'll be going as Oswin Oswald from Doctor Who.

Looks easy. That belt tho. Luckily I made some serious progress yesterday.

Well, there you have it. Awesome Comic Con, not historical London, but don't I need a good mix? With seven more locations to name, I promise you won't be disappointed.

~Jamie

9 Days to Go: Westminster Abbey

10/18: Westminster Abbey and Poets Corner

Ah, yes. Beautiful, historical, royal Westminster Abbey. Who would dream of missing it? I mean, just look at this thing -

is it not perfect? And it only gets better on the inside.

I could look at Pinterest pictures of the Abbey for HOURS. I keep getting distracted by which angle of the same part I should post. If each picture is worth a thousand words, then this blog is already too long. But basically, that's the reason I want to go. To just stand there and stare, mouth open and everything.

The initial reason I wanted to visit the Abbey before I looked at all these pictures was (is) Poets Corner.

There are tons of famous British people buried in Westminster Abbey, most of them are Poets and Playwrights (hence the name Poets Corner). So they built most of them a memorial. A bust or a plaque or a full on statue.

See Shakespeare lounging in the middle? He's not buried there, but they have memorials for him anyway. Famous people buried there include; Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, and Alfred Tennyson, while Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Marlowe, and Oscar Wilde like Shakespeare have memorials. Wow. Yeah.

Basically, I'm obsessed and can't wait to see it all with my own eyes!

~Jamie

10 Days to Go: Little Landmarks

London is a very famous place for all sorts of media. Thousands of books, movies, TV shows and songs portray the city. That's why there are a handful of little places I want to visit. I grouped a couple together (i.e. Baker Street) last week because they both were Sherlock Holmes related. Here are the others.

9/18: Abbey Road, Blackfriars Bridge, Fleet Street, and Platform 9 3/4

If you haven't seen this picture, I'm going to assume you live under a rock of ignorance and self loathing. Most everyone will recognize it as the cover to the Beatles album Abbey Road. (If you think One Direction invented it, then I KNOW you live under a rock of ignorance.) Whether you like the Beatles or not is completely irrelevant, because such a picture must be taken in London. My friend Leigh would kill me if I didn't walk across the road for her! (She's on her LDS Mission in Texas right now!)

As for Blackfriars Bridge, this one comes from a book series. The Infernal Devices series. One of my favorite book characters of all time has a special connection to the bridge... I can't get specific here because of spoilers... Suffice it to say that it's been my dream to stand on this bridge for years because reasons. 

The Demon Barber of Fleet... Street...

Yup, the notorious street of Sweeney Todd is on my list. Why? Because I was in the musical Sweeney Todd at my college. This one will take no time at all, but will make me quite happy.

And for my final trick, I will attempt to run through a wall at full speed so that I can go to Hogwarts. But really. Kings Cross Station in London, where Harry Potter and all of his classmates went to catch their train to school, has a Platform 9 3/4. But don't really attempt to run through the wall... that would hurt. Instead, take a picture with your cart half way into the wizarding world.

~Jamie

11 Days to Go: Shakespeare's Stratford

A heads up before I start this post, I can't guarantee my post tomorrow will happen before midnight... Between my first final and a long shift at work, I might not be home tomorrow. I'll so my best though!

8/18: Stratford-Upon-Avon 

Stratford's claim to fame is being the birth place of William Shakespeare. And it's a good one. Stratford draws almost 5 million visitors a year. We'll be some of those visitors this year! We are going to stay at Stratford for three days, seeing three shows, the Holy Trinity Church, and other Stratford sites such as Anne Hathaway Cottage.

No, I'm not talking about the cat woman actress, but rather (for those of you who need brushing up on your Shakespeare history) William's wife. This is another post where I just want to make a slideshow of all the beautiful places and views. 

The two theaters we will visit are the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre, both homes to the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

One of my goals for this trip is to become more familiar with Shakespeare's life and works. I don't think that's going to be hard at all considering we are attending six of Shakespeare's plays for our Shakespeare in Performance class.

3 days in Stratford! It'll be like a vacation in a vacation. Vacatinception!

~Jamie

12 Days to Go: Tea Time

Happy Resurrection Sunday! (AKA Easter!)

7/18: Harrods and Afternoon Tea

I've mentioned the largest book store in Europe earlier in the countdown, so how about the largest department store in Europe? Harrods is 5 acres, with over a million square feet of selling space. And you know what they're famous for? Their food halls and afternoon tea.

There are tons of places in London to have afternoon tea, so I'm not sure where we'll end up going, but we will go. Harrods just happens to be full of places to go for tea and I want to see Harrods, so they got grouped together.

The tea rooms in Harrods are lavish and stunning, such as the Terrace Bar.

Tea in London? Yes please!

Sorry for the increasingly short posts (if you're bugged by that). Life is busy, trying to get through finals and make sure I have everything I need for London is crazy!

~Jamie

13 Days to Go: Olympic Park

I'm so insanely busy today that I only have fifteen minutes to write this, so unfortunately this is going to be a super quick and absent minded post!

6/18: Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park

When I graduated from High School I made an insane goal to spend my 20th birthday in London at the Olympics. I tried to do the Study Abroad that summer, but my financial situation wasn't conductive to such explorations. (I couldn't afford it.) Now, two years later, it's happening. Well, not the Olympics part. It's not too much of a heart break though, because they still have the Olympic Park. That includes this new beauty.

Opened April 5th 2014, The Arcelormittal Orbit stands at 375 feet tall. What an incredible view of London!

Basically, the park is made of all the swimming pools, tracks, and courts that housed the Olympic Games in 2012. Being an Olympics geek, I can't wait to walk the grounds and see it all!

That's all I have time for! See ya tomorrow!

~Jamie

14 Days to Go: Live in Living Color

2 weeks my friends. 2 weeks and I'll be at the beginning of my wondrous adventure abroad. At this point in the countdown I'm going to start personalizing some of the activities and To Dos. Everything on my list is great, but some of these things aren't open to everyone! Like this one-

5/18: Andrew Scott, Arthur Darvill, and Fiona Shaw

Unless you plan your vacation around seeing a certain production, chances are you are going to get a mixed bag of luck when it comes to what shows and actors you can see when you go to the West End (probably Broadway as well). Luck is with me my friends. Not that it's not great to go to a show where you don't know the actors (I'm sure they are all very talented), but sometimes you just NEED to see an actor live because you're familiar with their other work. And familiar I am.

If you've been following along, you'll know I'm a fan of Sherlock on the BBC. So you can imagine my reaction when my Professor posted this on our Facebook group page-

Yup, that's right. Who's seeing Andrew Scott from the second row? This girl. We'll be seeing his show, Birdland, for our Contemporary Drama class.

Andrew Scott is such a brilliant actor, in my opinion he doesn't get the credit he deserves being stuck behind Benedictus Cumber-bun* and Martin Freeman (yes, they are incredible too) in Sherlock.

Point is, I'm elated to see him live on stage. The show doesn't look half bad either ;)

*Yes, I'm aware it's actually Benedict Cumberbatch. 

So, what other BBC stars can I see in May? How about Arthur Darvill?

Most popular for his role as Rory Williams in Doctor Who, Arthur has also played Guy in Once on Broadway. And it's to the Musical Theatre scene he will return, reviving Guy on the West End. Once won EIGHT Tonys (including best musical), four Drama Desk Awards, and a Grammy when it opened in the US! The London cast earned two Olivers. A great show and a great actor? Yeah, I'm so there.

Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter. How's that for the crown of geeks? Well, it's a crown I'll gladly wear. I mean, is it even possible to go to the UK and see a show where at least one actor wasn't in a Harry Potter movie? (Yeah, probably.) For us, it's going to be Fiona Shaw.

Or better known as Aunt Petunia Dursley. Fiona Shaw is extremely accomplished on stage and screen. It's really an honor for us to see her in The Testament of Mary in May. And we will indeed see a lot of her since it's a one woman show AND we get to have a talk back with her as well as Tony and Oliver winning director Deborah Warner after the show.

I'm star struck just thinking about it.

~Jamie

15 Days to Go: A Circle and a Square

Naturally, with so many things I want to do and see, sacrifices had to be made. If I get to it, I might have to do an honorable mentions list later. This isn't a sacrifice so much as a compromise. Putting two things together that are as opposite as opposite can be.

4/18: Stonehenge and Piccadilly Circus

One very old mysterious world wonder, one bustling shopping center with neon signs.

What do they have in common? They're both circles. Circus is actually Latin for circle (you'll hear Americans refer to it as Piccadilly Square because of it's resemblance to Times Square.) And Stonehenge is... circular. It may be a stretch, but it's the only way both were going to make it on the countdown.

(Dramatic voice) What is the meaning of Stonehenge? Who exactly built it and why? Will the world ever know?! (End dramatic voice) Okay, done being dramatic. But really, isn't it mysterious and beautiful? Wouldn't you like to see one of the seven wonders of the medieval world? I want to! Who knows when I'll get back to the UK? That's why I want to see Stonehenge. People come from all over the world to see Rainbow Arch here in Utah, and rightly so, it's beautiful. So is it so strange I want to walk around stonehenge? (Lot's of questions here.) Anyway, unlike most of the other options on my countdown, this is one where my seeing it will depend on others interest.

Let's talk about a different circle. Piccadilly Circus.

Piccadilly circus is the actual circular meeting of several streets, but the streets contribute to the popularity of the area. A huge shopping area with this beautiful square in the middle. 

In the "circus" its self, you can see the giant neon billboards and the Statue of Eros (a memorial to Lord Shaftesbury). 

Here is an excerpt from their website.

Piccadilly Circus is the middle ground for some of London's best shopping areas. You will not find many shops in the square itself. However, if you begin your shopping day in Piccadilly Circus you will not be disappointed. You can head to areas with shops including Britain's most famous toy shop, the largest book shop in Europe and the legendary swinging sixties shopping street. 

Yup, you read right. The largest bookstore in Europe. That would be Waterstones. It's EIGHT floors! I'd say that's a must see. Then there's Fortnum and Mason Food Hall. Five floors of food glorious food. I'm saving money now for all this shopping.

~Jamie

16 Days to Go: 221B Baker Street

3/18: The Sherlock Holmes Museum and the set of Sherlock

The game is afoot! Well, it's almost afoot; 16 more days of pre-game first. 

A few years ago, I really got into reading the Sherlock Holmes stories, starting with Study in Scarlet, Sign of the Four, and A Scandal in Bohemia. Now and then I pick up my kindle and continue to read from The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 (yes, I'm still on the first volume!) I'd be lying if I said that the Robert Downey Jr. movie isn't what got me interested in Sherlock Holmes, but that was only the beginning. Because then Sherlock came out. (More on that later). In short, I love the Sherlock Holmes stories and even though Holmes and Watson never really existed, you can visit their home at 221B Baker Street. The very first museum dedicated to a fictional person!

That's right ladies and gentlemen, you can take a tour through the flat of Mr. Holmes and see all of the trinkets collected from his numerous cases.

I know, I know. They aren't real people, no one actually lived there, you'll pay around 15 US dollars to get in and see wax figures and dusty furniture. I don't even care. While I was debating whether I wanted to spend the money to get in or not (and I still am) I read this positive review on TripAdvisor that convinced me to at least check out the front and spend that money in the gift shop:

Surprisingly satisfying

Given that there never was a real Sherlock Holmes and that neither he nor a John Watson actually ever lived at 221B Baker Street, you'd have a hard time believing that if you visit the Sherlock Holmes museum. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but if you are a Holmes fan you'll enjoy it and if you are a Sherlockian expert you'll likely be impressed at the level of detail to which the builders of the museum paid attention. If you like, you can even don a deerstalker hat (which Holmes never actually wore except in movies) and lounge across from your bowler-hatted companion by the fireplace in the two matching lounge chairs provided. You can see artifacts drawn from the stories, admire the accuracy of the bullet holes spelling out "VR (Victoria Regina)" on the far wall, and look at the collection of posed wax figures acting out scenes from the stories on the third floor of the flat, including the bust of Holmes himself and the menacing high-domed figure of Moriarty lurking in one corner. There is a nice (but pricy) gift shop next door for any Holmsean treasures you just have to carry away with you. We had a ball, and I do not care if that's nerdy of us.

You go Glenn Coco! I don't care if it's nerdy of me either! (You're going to find out HOW nerdy I am by the end of this countdown.) What a fun thing to do in the country where the most portrayed character in film was created! Over 70 actors have played the part in over 200 films and that doesn't include plays or television series. 

Ah, yes. Television series. Television series such as Sherlock and Elementary. And what a fan of Sherlock I am. A modern day Sherlock Holmes and John Watson solve modern adaptions of classic stories in modern day London! (It's all quite modern.) If you have Netflix, close this blog and watch it now, if you don't have Netflix, get a month free just to watch Sherlock. 

Lucky for the geek in me, the outside of Sherlock's building is filmed in London. It's not really on Baker Street, but North Gower Street. And that cute little diner next to/under it? Yup, that's open for business. 

Two 221B Baker Streets to visit? I can deal with that!

As an honorable mention, I'd also like to mention The Sherlock Holmes Pub. Although I can't say I'll for sure make it there, it's beautiful and decked out as well. Read about it on their website!

~Jamie

17 Days to Go: Tower of London

2/18 : Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress

More commonly referred to as The Tower of London, this incredible castle HAD to be on my countdown. The 948 year history of The Tower is INCREDIBLE. Yup, that's right, standing strong since 1066.

From Kings and Queens, to criminals and animals; this incredible fortress has been home to the most powerful monarchs in the world as well as a prison for the treasonous and even a zoo for polar bears, leopards, and elephants!

 Now-a-days, The Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in England since is opened to the public in 2006. Not to say that tourists weren't visiting before that. The Crown Jewels have been on display since the 1600's! Honestly, who doesn't want to see the Crown Jewels? Just resist the urge to steal them.

Then there are the ravens. I remember learning about the Ravens of the Tower of London in high school and wondering if it was really real. For those of you who don't remember high school, a superstition holds that "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it." Like most superstitions, nobody knows when or how is started, but you can rest assured there will always be at least 6 ravens at the Tower of London.

So, that's the ravens, the crown jewels, and perhaps a ghost?

The Tower of London is quite infamous for beheadings of royals and nobles and prisoners alike. Truthfully, most of that stigma comes from books and movies, but it did happen. So it stands that the Tower could indeed be haunted by the many spirits who lived and died there, the most famous haunting spirit being the beheaded Anne Boleyn. Night guards have reported many apparitions since the early 1800's.

But, since I won't be there at night, I won't get experience that part of the Tower. (I don't do well with that kind of stuff anyway!)

Sure, it's touristy and probably insanely busy, but I wouldn't dream of missing The Tower of London while I'm there!

~Jamie