Ninth Week of Classes

I went to the theatre an extra time this week because I found out that Sweeney Todd was selling £25 tickets. So I went on Monday, bought my tickets, sat way in the back but had a great time nonetheless. Especially because the phrase "sitting in the nosebleeds" isn't used in England; here they say "we're with the gods", which is much more palatable. Imelda Staunton was brilliant as Mrs. Lovett; her acting was fierce and always engaged. Michael Ball's singing was breathtaking and the song "Epiphany" was intense and moving. His Sweeney Todd was full of dangerous rage. I would have liked a bit more anguish and hurt, which is where his anger stems from, but that's just my opinion. Anthony and Joanna were perfectly cast and I loved the interpretation of the role of Beadle Bard. Most of all, it was a wonderful opportunity to see the show, as I have never seen it performed before.

My regular weekly theatre visit was to the Hampstead Theatre to see Farewell to the Theatre, a show which told the story of the playwright and director Harvey Granville Barker. It was set during his trip to New England, and the set showcased that perfectly. Unfortunately, the acting was inconsistent and the play itself was a bit poorly written in places. However, there was always at least one individual performance to enjoy in each scene, so I was happy.

The big event of this week for me was my trip to Prudhoe (pronounced "pruh-duh") near Newcastle for my HOST visit. The HOST program is a wonderful opportunity for students studying abroad like me to see more of England by staying the weekend with a host family. I was staying with Graeme and Gillian Davies who lived in this small Northeastern town just a half hour away from Scotland. Graeme and Gillian were wonderful hosts. They treated me like family and took me on amazing trips to see the sights.  Here is a picture of them with their "great, daft, galumphing dog" Jack (Graeme's words). He was a sweetheart, but definitely very bouncy.

Graeme, Gill, and Jack

The view from my host family's window.
It was so nice to get out of the city for a few days.

I got to Prudhoe rather late on Friday night, so we didn't start the sightseeing until Saturday. Graeme and Gill took me on a tour of all the wonderful castles near Newcastle. We saw four in all. The first one was not in use and the outer wall was mostly ruins. The main building was intact, however, although you can see the decay on the top. Here it is:

Castle #1

We moved on to the next castle, which was by the sea. In the car on the way there, Gill told me that there is a tradition in England of having whoever sees the water first sing a little song. She taught it to me so that when the ocean finally came into view, I sang out, "I see the sea. The sea see I. Seen was the sea that was seen by I!" I felt silly, but it was fun to learn more about British culture. The only similar thing I could think of to teach them about America was our tradition of seeing a Volkswagen Bug and getting to punch the person next to you and say, "Punch Buggy!"

It was quite a walk to get to the second castle, but it was worth it. Jack had a great time bounding in the grass, and we had the sea next to us and gorse bushes that smelled like coconut to make the walk pleasant. The castle loomed ahead of us, impressive even though it was very much in ruins. There was still a tower intact, and Gill and I climbed to the top of it to get these pictures.

View of the sea from the tower.
You can see sheep in the field to the right.

At the top of the tower.
I'm bundled up: it was very windy!

Before we continued on to the next castle, we stopped in a charming oceanside town called Seahouses to get some authentic fish and chips. I mean no disrespect to London when I say these were the best fish and chips I have ever had. They were battered and fried, not breaded, and they were steaming hot when we got them. The fish was tender and succulent, and I don't think I'll be able to eat any other fish and chips again.

The third castle we went to was actually in use. Lords and Ladies still live there. Therefore, parts that had begun to fall into disrepair had been fixed and new parts had been added. However, the original state rooms had been preserved and turned into a museum of sorts. Here are two pictures, one of the outside of the castle, and the other of the interior of one of the state rooms:

As you can see, this castle is in much better condition than the last two.

The state rooms were strangely cozy, despite being surrounded in stone.

By the time we got to the last castle, it was too late to go inside it onto the grounds. This was unfortunate, as the flying lesson scene from the first Harry Potter movie had been filmed there. (For those of you who don't know, I am a Harry Potter fanatic). I was content to gaze at the castle from outside, because I could recognize the towers from the movie. I didn't have to go inside to know that it had been used in the film. This was another castle that is still in use by established British citizens.

Castle #4, surrounded by the beautiful countryside.

On the way home, we passed by a pub which is famous for showcasing a collection of extremely old bottles in its window. The bottles are hundreds of years old, and they are quarantined inside the window because the last person to touch them all those years ago died. They have not been touched since, and instead remain behind the windows of the pub called Dirty Bottles.

You can barely see the infamous bottles behind the glass.

We got home in time to have a light dinner, in which I tried many different British foods. All were delicious, if very new to my taste buds. After dinner we enjoyed some entertainment: who would have thought British families love the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Family Guy? It was a quiet, relaxing end to an exciting and busy day.

Because we didn't have as much time on Sunday before my train, Graeme and Gill only took me two places: to the Roman wall that was built hundreds of years ago and which, at one time, spanned all of England from the West to the East coasts. Parts of it still remain, and we went to a spot where it stretched on for miles. We hiked along it until we decided to turn back, at one point climbing up a very steep hill. It was quite an adventure.

It was like a much smaller version of the Great Wall of China:
There were even guard towers every mile or so, where torches could be lit to warn of intruders.

Lastly, we went to a town called Hexham where there was a beautiful abbey. It was huge, with tall stained glass windows and stone artifacts on display that had been unearthed near the church. We even got to visit a crypt beneath the main room where pilgrims and monks used to come and pray. Outside the abbey, we strolled around the charming town, stopping by the old gaol. Here is a picture of Graeme in the stocks, Jack standing by him faithfully.

The only thing he's guilty of is being a great host!

We went home for lunch. I cooked the only thing I'm good at making: a four-cheese baked fusilli with tomato sauce. Gill made a salad to go with it, and we had a nice last meal together. Then we spent the rest of the time before I had to leave searching for the annual April Fool's article in the local paper. We didn't find it, but had fun guessing which one it could be (there were some that we couldn't believe weren't a joke!) Then Graeme and Gill drove me to the train station in Newcastle and we said goodbye. I am so grateful to have had such kind people take me in for a few days and show me around. I was able to relax away from the city and see more of England. I am so glad to have had this experience. Thank you Graeme and Gill!