Day 7: The V&A, Chez Paul, and "Les Miserables!"

     Hey there!

     Yesterday was absolutely magical. My plans were extremely loose for the day; I had planned to meet up with some friends from college at the Victoria & Albert Museum, then go where the wind took us.

Poseidon and Tritan

     After exploring the rooms that the first level had to offer, the girls wanted to move on and get something to eat. They had had a very full few days and were still jetlagged, so the museum was a bit overwhelming.  We decided to eat at Chez Paul, a small cafe version of the restaurant in Paris. It was absolutely WONDERFUL! I had a slice of their rhubarb and custard tart, along with a small cup of their luxury drinking chocolate. It tasted a bit like a version of hot chocolate that we used to sell at Starbucks. Unfortunately, it's long gone. I'm determined to find my own recipe for it, because it truly was a luxurious cup of chocolate!

     Considering the hours ahead, we entertained the idea of taking one of the many walks that London has to offer. At that point in the day, the only walks available were a pub walk (which we decided against), a ghost walk, and a Jack the Ripper walk. After weighing our options, we decided that either of those last two walks would be thrilling and spooky, but not something we'd want to deal with later on that evening after the lights were out. We're Drama and English students with overactive imaginations, can you blame us?

     So, after doing a bit of research, we found a low ticket price for "Les Miserables!" Two of the girls had never seen it before (none of us had seen it in London!), so the four of us quickly made our way down to the Queen's Theatre in Piccadilly. The ticket prices weren't as low as they were advertised, but...it's "Les Miserables!" So we bit the bullet and bought our tickets (which really were a decent price, even though they weren't as low as we wanted them to be). The show was incredible. The vocals and acting were top notch, of course (David Shannon played Jean Valjean!), and the set was remarkable. They managed to hide HUGE set pieces back stage, then bring them on and arrange them so smoothly that the scene changes seemed more like dissolves. The lighting was really specific, and it brought the show to life in a way I haven't experienced before. The orchestra was terrific, and I heard parts that I'd never heard before (I'm sure the show's changed since its beginning, which is the only recording I have of it)! I was blown away, and it was such a blessing to see it! It's my favorite show (followed VERY closely by "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Beauty and the Beast"), and I was really praying that I'd get to see it during this trip, even though I didn't think I'd have time. What an amazing experience! Every time I see a show, especially one of this caliber, it reminds me of why I'm doing what I'm doing. Theatre refreshes me, it's life.

     After the show ended, my friends and I found the stage door and were able to get autographs from the young women who played Cosette and Eponine. They were so sweet! So that was an extra thrill.

     On an unrelated side-note, I was able to witness Britain's finest firsthand. Yesterday, on the train, the driver came over the intercom to inform us that the train wouldn't go west of Hammersmith because there was a possible unexploded device. A few stops later, the police had ascertained that it was safe to continue and took care of the suspicious article. Last night, there was a man yelling at another outside of my window in what sounded like an African language. I've heard screams around here a couple of times, but not for any extended length of time. And there's usually loud conversations going on until about 2:00 in the morning. But this man was very upset, and it went on for several minutes. As I considered calling the police, I heard one of them begin to yell at the man below. I looked out of my window and saw about four policemen harshly telling him to be quiet, go home, and leave the man alone. Since they don't carry guns, most of us in America assume that they are powerless. From what I've seen (last year and this year), the policemen here are professional enough and strong enough to make London a city that has a statistically lower crime rate than other comparably sized cities. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have guns, but since they don't, I think they're managing their job fantastically well. It's a different crime culture out here, a different mindset that exists among the criminals. I don't think the no-guns policy is something we could ever have for policemen in the U.S., but it's admirable that it works so well here.

     Sorry for the lack of photos! I took more, but my mailbox is having trouble receiving them from my phone.