Day 200

Day 200. Nineteen days of London left. Excuse me?

This week was pretty spectacular.

Tuesday I took a road trip to the small sea side town of Essex with a friend where we walked along the beach for a good two hours!

On Thursday Pona and I went to Westminster Abbey, a coronation church since 1066. There are seventeen monarchs buried in the church and the original tombs, stained glass windows and paintings were so beautiful.

Friday was another spectacular day. It started with me learning how to drive in an abandoned parking lot/field. It took a few high pitched squeals and almost crashing my friend's car in a ditch the first minute I got behind the wheel (we both screamed really loudly) for me to get the hang of it all, but once I did, I really enjoyed it! I'm now kicking myself for not taking any lessons/taking the second part of my test during my time here.

I then met up with Pona at the Shakespeare Globe theatre to see a production of Macbeth. I have never been one for Shakespeare, despite the fact that I've always wished that I could be one of those intellectuals who sat around drinking coffee with some other really smart person while comparing all of his plays and rambling on about what a genius he was. Sadly, I will never be one of those people. But I have to say, I actually really, really liked the play (this could possibly be due to the fact that there were lots of fit men prancing around without their shirts on...is it sad that I was only half listening to what they were saying because I was too busy focusing on their torsos?) The theatre itself is beautiful-it is outdoors with seats in a semi circle around the stage.

Pona is an actress with the Canadian Opera Company and was recently a part of the production Carmen. The person who conducted the show is now the conductor of The Pearl Fishers playing here in London and invited us to see the dress rehearsal. It was so amazing! The sets were beautiful, the singing was breathtaking (I've always wished I could sing) and it felt really neat to be seeing the show before its official start date.

Today I went to visit my nanny & grandad (who are visiting from Canada) in Surrey where I saw my second and third cousins and my great aunts and uncles (it's all a bit confusing). I always enjoy listening to all of their stories from when they were younger and their memories of my sister and I.

So here's to 200 days of London, and the nineteen days ahead. I'm ready to make the most of them.

xx