We just had lunch with Lucia, the Argentinian girl, at a trendy Asian restaurant around the corner. Our stuff is packed and sitting at the hostel ready to go, and we'll grab a bus this afternoon to go back to the train station and return to Alton this evening.
Last night we met up with Anna and her boyfriend Joe, old friends of Emilie's from Ohio, and had pizza at the Italian restaurant around the corner. I was thrilled to have a menu in Italian, and return to the foods that I love -- but the best part was that our server was a friendly 21-year-old girl from central Italy who we made casual conversation with over the course of the meal. She told us she came to London to find work to better her English, and that she had a few friends in town but she was still lonely and bored a lot of the time. We made plans to meet up with her after her shift ended, but she never called, which we assume means she was just too tired. After all, it was 1 a.m. on a Thursday night, so no one blamed her..... But it was still nice to get to talk to an Italian again.
Now we return to Paul's for three days, and I go home to the States on Monday. I don't know if I'll have time to update again before then, but I'll certainly catch up when I get back. And add pictures.
More soon,
-Al
July 17th (England) - London
I am on a public connection at the youth hostel. How much can I cover in 15 minutes?....
Em and I have been in London for the past three days, and we leave tomorrow afternoon. In this time we have done a lot. Generally, we wake up in the morning, have breakfast at the hostel, and buy an underground (subway) day pass so that we can do whatever we want around town. We are staying in a room with four other girls -- one Argentinian named Lucia, who we've built up a friendly acquaintance with, and the others an assortment of nationalities who are mostly in-and-out and we haven't really talked to. The first day, there was a tiny Japanese woman living in the bed next to mine. We tried to have a conversation, but her English was so terrible that after three minutes we could understand only "neighbor" and "America."
Tuesday we arrived a little before noon, and explored the British Museum and Covent Garden for the afternoon. In Covent Garden, there were some various live performers, one being a slightly loony middle-aged woman singing opera. We arrived just in time to see her grab the staircase railing dramatically and launch into a rendition of Carabino's first aria from, coincidentally, "The Marriage of Figaro" -- the opera I'd just performed at the program in Italy.
Yesterday we saw Buckingham Palace in the morning, and stayed for the changing of the guard, complete with some tunes from the royal band and a parade of horses on their way to Whitehall. Then that afternoon (the highlight of my visit so far) we got cheap tickets to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at Shakespeare's Globe. The play was fantastic; although cheap tickets entailed standing room only, it was totally worth it. In the evening we took the tube to Trafalgar Square, and sat and had a snack while watching the end of the Royal Opera's live broadcast of, you guessed it, "The Marriage of Figaro." (I'm getting really sick of this show.) Hundreds of people had gathered to see it on the huge screen, resting on the steps of the art museum and around the fountain at the bottom.
Hurrying before my time runs out -- more later,
-Allie
Em and I have been in London for the past three days, and we leave tomorrow afternoon. In this time we have done a lot. Generally, we wake up in the morning, have breakfast at the hostel, and buy an underground (subway) day pass so that we can do whatever we want around town. We are staying in a room with four other girls -- one Argentinian named Lucia, who we've built up a friendly acquaintance with, and the others an assortment of nationalities who are mostly in-and-out and we haven't really talked to. The first day, there was a tiny Japanese woman living in the bed next to mine. We tried to have a conversation, but her English was so terrible that after three minutes we could understand only "neighbor" and "America."
Tuesday we arrived a little before noon, and explored the British Museum and Covent Garden for the afternoon. In Covent Garden, there were some various live performers, one being a slightly loony middle-aged woman singing opera. We arrived just in time to see her grab the staircase railing dramatically and launch into a rendition of Carabino's first aria from, coincidentally, "The Marriage of Figaro" -- the opera I'd just performed at the program in Italy.
Yesterday we saw Buckingham Palace in the morning, and stayed for the changing of the guard, complete with some tunes from the royal band and a parade of horses on their way to Whitehall. Then that afternoon (the highlight of my visit so far) we got cheap tickets to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at Shakespeare's Globe. The play was fantastic; although cheap tickets entailed standing room only, it was totally worth it. In the evening we took the tube to Trafalgar Square, and sat and had a snack while watching the end of the Royal Opera's live broadcast of, you guessed it, "The Marriage of Figaro." (I'm getting really sick of this show.) Hundreds of people had gathered to see it on the huge screen, resting on the steps of the art museum and around the fountain at the bottom.
Hurrying before my time runs out -- more later,
-Allie
July 13th (England) - Relaxing
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For the last five weeks, I’ve thought Italy had the most laid-back people in the world. I was wrong.In the time since I’ve been here we’ve had tea numerous times, usually in the kitchen or out in the breakfast nook. Paul takes his time with nearly everything he does, including eating and drinking. I’ve learned that when he says “hurry up” in the morning, it means “be done with your fussing upstairs so we can spend a calm hour on breakfast.” He enjoys nothing more than sitting down to tea with friends, or even just with Emilie and me, and discussing the weather. Or yesterday's fete. Or his family. Or nothing at all. Many times the house has been so completely silent and relaxed that all I can hear is the ticking of the cuckoo clock on the wall; rather than enjoying the quiet, it actually makes me quite nervous. This type of environment doesn’t suit me well.
Anyway, I guess the Italians aren’t the only ones who enjoy life at a slower pace.
Regardless of my aversion to quiet, it is nice to be able to finally relax; the last few weeks in Italy haven’t been a true vacation, just work and performances with some sightseeing in-between. (Although when this adventure is over, I will probably still feel more comfortable in the noise and bustle of the States.)
Later,
-Al
p.s. Heading back to the house today after church, I stopped to pet the noses of two equine friends I made yesterday shortly after arrival (picture above). One of them is speckled grey and pretty tranquil, the other chocolate brown and a little more high-strung. They trot up to the fence when they see us coming to talk to them. Needless to say, I am very happy to have horses available for petting within walking distance from the house….
p.s. Heading back to the house today after church, I stopped to pet the noses of two equine friends I made yesterday shortly after arrival (picture above). One of them is speckled grey and pretty tranquil, the other chocolate brown and a little more high-strung. They trot up to the fence when they see us coming to talk to them. Needless to say, I am very happy to have horses available for petting within walking distance from the house….
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