Put your reading glasses on, this one is a doozy…

Off to Wimbledon Stadium for Love the Dogs. I had been to the horse races but never dog races.

Time for the first face. The speed of the lure was incredibly fast. The greyhounds ran after the lure and dang, those greyhounds went fast. The races are in the evening at Wimbledon Stadium, which is outdoors. This made for less than ideal photographs. The combination of low lighting, time of day and the speed of the dogs= hard to capture. I bet on Lord Karl. He seemed dignified and the right choice. I am in England, after all. He didn’t place, so I didn’t win. Ah, well—all in good fun.

I saw Billy Elliot, the musical. It was amazing. I’m not much of a musical/ play kind of gal, but Jessica mentioned how wonderful it was supposed to be. I had a wonderful time. The lead that played Billy this night was superb, as I’m sure the entire cast would be. There was one part of the musical, which was a long solo that was just breathtaking. The audience went wild and cheered him on. The actor broke out of character, looked around at the audience taking it in, and went onto the next scene. It was so precious. The theatre is very big here, and even found to be recession proof. Sales are actually up in the West End.

Billy Elliot at Victoria Palace Theatre.

Being away from my dad and a temple on the High Holidays is always tough. Being in another country was no different. It seems there is a decent Jewish population here, so I had no problem finding a way to services. I actually didn’t have to seek it out. I was unsuccessful in finding other students to join together for Rosh Hashanah, so I went alone. Services were a bit different. There were three people wearing hats where the service was being given. Two women were wearing hats, one like a tea party hat—very and the male was wearing a top hat. When they would stand/ sit, the congregation would. It wasn’t said by the Rabbi or written in the prayer book, as I’m used to. The place I was in was at a different location than the actual temple, so it didn’t have much of a religious feel to it. It felt cold and didn’t feel very special to me. On Yom Kippur, I met a group of kids to sit with, which was nice. I saw a girl falling asleep next to her dad, I’m assuming. It made me think of being with my dad and resting my head against him during the long services.

King Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill is currently on exhibition, celebrating the 500^th anniversary of Henry VIII becoming King of England. He was fit for armor at three different points of his reign. The armor showed his increasing size. Horse amour was also shown along with weapons. The weight of the gear and weapons was heavy, and hard to believe that it was how wars were fought.

Here are some pictures of armour shown in the exhibition.

Legend has it that Charles II believed if the ravens left the Tower, the fortress and the kingdom would fall. The Tower of London, through the British government, today employs the ravens. One of their wings is clipped so they do not fly away.

A running video of the Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, was shown prior to entering the vault where the jewels were held. She was 25 years old and was a striking resemblance to her son, Charles. Queen Elizabeth practiced with a crown made up of the same weight as St. Edward’s crown—the one used for the coronation. This way she could get used to weight on her head and to keep it on.

Here is a video I found from Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953:

The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower since the early 14th century, after it was found unsafe to keep them at Westminster Abbey.

At attention at the Tower

With the guard!

Tower of London, Thames River and the city of London

White Tower

Traitor's Gate

Artillery was shot through here

Westminster Abbey was surreal. I thought of Princess Diana’s funeral and the media coverage. How the event impacted people worldwide. Walking through the Abbey and the courtyard, we were walking on gravestones of people were buried there. On the tour, a Reverend went up to the pulpit and led a prayer on the hour. It was wonderful. How very special. I decided to light a candle and say a prayer, and continue the tradition to the churches I go to while abroad.

The west entrance of the Abbey, includes 10 statues were unveiled in July 1998 that are set above the doors. The modern-day martyrs represent every continent and religious denomination. One statute is that of including Martin Luther King, Jr., representatives of those who have sacrificed their lives for their beliefs.

Me at the west entrance of Westminster Abbey

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s statue is shown fifth over from l-r.

Fabulously dressed English women leaving a wedding from St. Margaret's Church (next to Westminster Abbey).

Brighton was another breath of fresh air, like Salisbury. Away from the chaos of London, Brighton was a beautiful city between the South Downs and the sea on the south coast. Their beach consisted of rocks, not sand. There was a pier, with a carnival and vendors selling food and seagulls flying. People were relaxing by the water and soaking up the sun. The Royal Pavilion was the main attraction of the trip. Built for King George IV, it was also used for King William IV and Queen Victoria. The pavilion was anything but ordinary. It was extremely lavish, in a different way than Buckingham Palace, and built with an Indian and Chinese influence.

One fun tidbit: I learned here that the saying “Why the long face?” is thought to have come from when when women’s makeup (made of beeswax) would run. There was a screen in front of the fire to prevent the fire from getting too hot to melt the women’s makeup. Hence the term, the long face!

Brighton Pavilion

Me at the back of the Royal Pavilion

Enjoying a red velvet cupcake in the many hidden pathways leading to shops of Brighton.

Brighton Pier

Purple. Apparently, I like it. Jessica and I frequently find each other wearing the same color in the morning. I bought this awesome felted necklace and purchased sunglasses, which happened to be purple.

Brighton seaside

I had only been to the gates of Buckingham Palace before. This time, I went on a tour of the 19 State Rooms, which are used for official and state entertaining. The palace was very elaborate, as I had imagined. We went to the Music room, where Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and son Prince William were christened, using the water from the River Jordan. Thinking about the history in that room- Princess Diana being there for the christening of her first born.

Marking the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Commonwealth, 28 of the Queen’s dresses dating back to six decades, are on display.

Photos of some of the pieces on display:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/5126751/The-Queens-Commonwealth-wardrobe.html

Video of the exhibition:

At the gates of Buck House

Just an ordinary day.

Behind Buckingham Palace

Turner and The Masters is on exhibit at Tate Britain. Jessica and I were privy to join the members the night before it opened to the public. The couple we are subletting from are members. I walked around the space being led and educated by the complimentary audio guide. I will NOT go to another exhibition without this. It was wonderful to learn about the pieces and pointing out comparisons between JMW Turner and his rivals work. This was not an exhibition I would have sought out but I had a wonderful night. It was here that I saw my first Rembrandt. I actually teared up when meeting up with Jessica, as we were walking around admiring the artwork. I felt so humbled to be around such amazing art as I did this night. WOW.

My favorite piece from the show was actually one that didn’t quite go with the theme of the exhibit. I could have stood at Rembrandt’s painting for hours. The light, the detail, how did he capture it so well? Hundreds of years ago to have accomplished such a complex picture without photography. It was perfect.

Turner's "The Angel Standing in the Sun"

Rembrandt's "The Holy Family at Night"

I love that the museums are free here. If there is a special exhibition, it costs money. At the National Gallery, my favorites pieces were Georges Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres from 1884. The paintings is comprised of muted and pastel colors but are mixed together in a way that brings life to the piece. There are shadows and uses of light. Rembrandt’s self portrait at age 34 from 1640 was remarkable. I’ve come to really become interested in him after seeing a work of his at the Tate Britain. The detail, use of light is extraordinary.

Georges Seurat’s "Bathers at Asnieres "

Rembrandt’s self portrait

My photography class went to the BBC for a tour and Q&A session given by one of the two picture editors for the BBC News website.  Ah, to be back in a newsroom. I loved it!

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