Day 12

Let’s see… Tuesday. In the morning my History class went to the Museum of London, Docklands. It’s all about the progression of the use of London as a port for trade and various other uses. I should have written my blog that night, I probably would have remembered more. The museum itself is in East London. It’s in an old warehouse. The building is 200 years old, actually. The information was interesting, but I can’t say I’m terribly into maritime history. After class I had to get over to West London, to Richmond, to see Marble Hill House. It’s a good thing there are three of us in History of London that are in Stately Homes, or else I would have to figure out these routes by myself, but as it is I don’t have to go alone, which is very nice. So we hopped on a few different tube lines and rode all the way to the end. We met our teacher at a bus stop near the house and she had us go up there and meet her. We talked about the history of the house and how it was commissioned by George II. He had it made for his official mistress, Henrietta Howard. I thought the house was pretty big, but our teacher told us it’s fairly small. The bottom floor consists of rooms like a breakfast parlor, a formal reception area, a dining room, servants quarters, and some other rooms. The corridors and entrances that the servants used are like a maze. So we explored the house and our teacher told us about various things to do with the way the house is designed, how the rooms are laid out, and whatnot. She’s teaching us to consider how the decoration and the lay out signal the use of a room, what it’s function is and what it’s purpose is. We’re supposed to feel the walls, the columns, the objects- what does it make you feel? I’ve never really considered a lot of these things before but it’s very interesting to take them into account now. The house wasn’t too lavish or anything and a lot of the pieces in there aren’t original. Back in the day a lot of it got sold off and moved around the world, but some of it has been found and returned to the house. There was a room called the Red Velvet room that was interesting. The walls were done with a velvet wallpaper that matched the bedspread and the curtains hanging around the bed. It was literally an entirely red velvet room. The bed wasn’t the original bed that used to be in there, but it’s supposedly the same type that originally stood there. After this house we walked over to see the outside of Alexander Pope’s house. The edge of the building is an octagonal shape, which is pretty architecturally unique.


So after class it took us a while to get home. I got back at about 6 and had to hurry up and eat dinner and get ready to go see Spring Awakening. We left at 6:30 for that. My day just never seemed to end. But the play was absolutely incredible! It was a small cast of young people, all under 24 except for the two old people that are in it. It’s about the timeless problems associated with teenage sexuality and discovering the truth and all that. It was originally written in the late 1800s, but has been adapted and turned into a musical. The music was absolutely fantastic. They were all incredible singers and the songs were a mix of punk, ballads, and a bunch more. I definitely want to own the soundtrack. Our seats for this show were amazing too. I was literally dead center, third row. The actors were right in front of me! The stage was raised a bit so we didn’t have the best view possible, but for 10 pounds I was very happy with the overall experience. After the play Jamie and I headed home and it seemed like everyone else went out. I don’t know how they can do it. They must be spending so much money because they literally go out every single night to various bars. I mean, I get that its fun and we’re in London, but there is such a thing as a limit. Oh well. They all think Jamie and I are lame because we don’t go out drinking, but I could really care less.

Love you guys,

Jaime