Today was a Jace-spending-some-time-alone sort of day. We had returned to classes this morning where we learned how to be awesome in all things literature and theater. It was interesting as we took some time to talk about The Silver Tassie, the very interesting show that we saw last week. I appreciate that the show managed to create such a conversation in the class, and I am still puzzled by much of what happened. I came to find out later today that it has nothing on some of the other things we will be seeing. I read through Waiting for Godot today, another of our assigned plays that we will be seeing later this week. It's essentially two acts of dialogue where nothing really happens. It also seems very...interesting, but I am excited to see what the play is like when performed.
After class I took some time to do homework and watched a movie in the common room area of our building. My migraine had turned into a dull headache, so I still felt like resting a bit. The room that we stay in doesn't have too much room, but fortunately the common room area in the basement has couches and a wonderful air conditioner. It's been hot these past couple of days and has not rained in a week! It has not exactly been the London weather that I was expecting. I may have packed more hoodies and long sleeve shirts than I'll be needing.
In the afternoon I decided to go and visit a bookstore called Hatchards. It is the oldest bookshop in London, having been established in 1797. It is the official book seller for the Royal Family, and after walking through it I can see why. The building is absolutely gorgeous. It has dark wood paneling, a winding staircase in the middle of the building, fireplaces, and shelves and shelves of books. The store is five floors and is stacked from floor to ceiling with books! I was ecstatic! They have a lot of the typical books that you would find at most bookstores, as well as a wide variety of subjects that I wouldn't have even thought about. They're also pretty well known for having autographed books from well known authors. I managed to stop myself from making a purchase until I saw that they had an autographed, limited edition copy of Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights (titled The Golden Compass in the states). I saw it and told myself that I would need to think about it, left the store, and immediatly ran back in and bought that beauty. It is currently sitting on a shelf in our flat, and I don't even dare take off the packaging they've put it in until I get home and it has safely survived the journey! So stoked! That store alone ate up most of my afternoon if you would believe it. I did stop by another book store called Waterstones on my way back to the flats, just because, but it couldn't compare to the grandeur of Hatchards. Oh my, I think I'm in love. :)
Back at the flats I made dinner! I decided that to make up for splurging on a book that I would eat in today, though I would have you know that I did get my book at a bargain of a price. After dinner Dallin and I sat around our room and grudged our way through some more schoolwork and filled out forms to get ready for our travel week next week. Just evening was coming I decided I needed to get out and about, so the two of us went to visit one of my favorite sights in London: Tower Bridge.
I have always been in love with Tower Bridge (which is commonly mistaken to be London Bridge. False, London Bridge is not actually all that impressive). I can't exactly say why it's one of the highlights, except for the fact that I think it is absolutely gorgeous, especially at night. Dallin had never been, and while he was mostly fascinated with the Tower of London, I couldn't take my eyes away from Tower Bridge. I actually found myself feeling slightly emotional as we walked across the bridge and looked out over the Thames. The city was lit up and the bridge was glowing blue, and as we looked out we could see old structures like The Tower, as well as newer buildings like the Shard and the Gherkin. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. I suddenly remembered a talk that I heard while in the MTC given by one of the members of the Seventy. He told us that we need to stand in Holy Places, but not all Holy Places are necessarily places owned by the church. Holy Places come from the feelings that we feel there, and that we treat those places sacredly in our own hearts. As I stood on the bridge, I felt so at peace and I knew that I was standing in a holy place. It's funny too, because it's an active bridge that has traffic running across it and people are out having drunken parties nearby, but I still feel so great while standing there.
Eventually I had to tear myself away and walk back towards the flat. We decided to walk along the Thames for a bit before hopping onto the tube though. Once back I met up with Jennifer and Ben and we purchased tickets to see the revival of Skylight that will be opening here in London. We won't be seeing it until our last day of the trip, because it hasn't even opened yet, but I am already so excited. The main characters will be played by Bill Nighy and Carrie Mulligan (you may know her as Daisy in the newest Gatsby adaptation). So much goodness!
A little snippet of the beautiful Hatchards
I was a bit content
A shot of the stairway (it unfortunately does not quite do it justice)
My prize!
The Tower of London at night
Tower Bridge!
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