Home Sweet Home

Well folks, this is a closing of this blog. Sadly, I am no longer across the pond. It's back to real life. Being in London was the time of my life. It changed me for the better, I think. It's weird to be home, a culture shock, really. But, I'll adjust. It'll be nice to be busy and to be singing again, I've missed it. Without a doubt, I will miss London and my friends who became family. This is not goodbye, it's just a see ya later. <3 

Beloved London

I'm not ready to make this post. This is supposed to be a conclusion to my time spent here in London. I'm not good with conclusions. I would much rather leave my life open ended. So this isn't a conclusion. It's a dash, or a semicolon, or an ellipsis, but not a conclusion.

I'm the sort of person who appreciates the little things the most. I got really excited to see flowers blooming and leaves starting to bud on the trees. I hate that I'm leaving London just a spring has arrived.

For a good while before coming to London, "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band was my anthem. (I don't know if you've heard the song. If not, look it up, it's a great song.)

"She thinks, Hey,

How did I come to this?

I dream myself a thousand times around the world,

But I can't seem to get out of this place

There's an emptiness inside her

And she'd do anything to fill it in

But all the colors mix together - to grey

And it breaks her heart"

Well, now I don't feel that way anymore. Being away in London has done so much for me, I can't put it into words. But it's too soon for me to look back on my time and get nostalgic, I'm not ready yet. I haven't even left yet!

My favourite walk around London has been from our flats to the South Bank. I know it's a wide area, but I can't just choose one favourite spot. 

Stepping out of our flats, there's a lot of construction and even more traffic. I don't know why anyone would choose to drive in this city. I like being able to walk past all of the noise, cross the craziness that is Holborn Circus, and make my way down the street past that little park outside the church who's name I can never remember.

I love how St. Paul's Cathedral rises out from the buildings and the traffic around it to greet me with open arms. There's something very welcoming about it. It gives me a sense of connection to history and other people and the city itself. I never thought of a church as a place to hang out before, but on a nice day, people from all over come to congregate on its steps.

Once I get around St. Paul's, there are no more cars, only foot traffic, and the city takes on a whole new dynamic for me. Everything slows down a little, people interact, there's a chance to take in the scenery. From there it's to the Millennium Bridge. I think it's my favourite bridge. When I first had to walk across it, I was really nervous. Bridges aren't exactly my cup of tea. I have a fear of drowning, being held down by the bridge that inexplicably collapsed under my feet. But I know the bridge is safe, and I've grown accustomed to walking across it. The only thing that bothers me about it now is all the tourists who block the way and delay my getting to class. Only, I don't have class at the Globe anymore and I'm the tourist stopping to take pictures from the bridge to ensure I don't forget it all. 

The South Bank is my favourite area. It's where you can really see London embracing its culture and its heritage. Poets, playwrights, composers inhabit the area, some remembered in stone, others drinking coffee and waiting for inspiration to strike. It's a live with music a colour and conversation. I just want to absorb it all. When the weather's nice, the walkway is lined with vendors, skateboarders, and street performers playing steel drums, magicians, living statues scaring jumpy tourists, a jazz band with two trumpeters who are way too loud and so you have no chance of hearing the saxophone or the bass.

That walk is why I love London. It captures the best parts of London, the old and the new: St Paul's, the Millennium Bridge, the Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, the people, the energy, the culture. It doesn't get much better than that.

"If you're a nerd, I'm a nerd!"

~ courtesy of Sarah Maltese. 

Today a small group of us went to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare, or, as I like to call him, Billy Shakes. It's a cute area, pretty small, and pretty commercial. I was excited to go see Shakespeare's beginnings, and Stratford has really capitalized on its history. To be honest, I was disillusioned by the whole thing. It's basically a big tourist trap. I don't want 

to come off sounding to cynical, but I can't avoid it.

Our first stop was to the first home of Shakespeare. It's the Sturbridge Village of England. The house is only semi-original and it's set up to look similar to how it looked back in Shakespeare's day. I got really tired of hearing "This is a recreation to look EXACTLY as it did when Shakespeare was alive!" "You are literally walking in the footsteps of William Shakespeare!" Stop. No I'm not. 

So, needless to say, I was a little disgruntled about the whole thing.

Next we went to the Holy Trinity church, where Shakespeare was born and buried. It's a nice church, really. His grave is marked, which his bust overlooks. And naturally there was a gift shop inside the church. Stratford is the Disney Land for Shakespeare.

I wasn't too concerned about seeing much else. It was worth the trip, but once you've been there, you don't need to go again. 

Although I would go back for the haunting experience at the Falstaff. It's the most haunted place in England, and apparently 40 spirits inhabit the place. Witchcraft and devil worship are big in Stratford.

This home is the oldest lived-in house in Stratford. All the other houses are gone because Stratford doesn't care about preserving them, which I found surprising, but I suppose I shouldn't have.

It was a good trip, and I'm glad I went, despite the disillusionment.

Éire go brách

I spent this past weekend in Ireland, and it was a really great trip. Ireland was the one other place I had to get to before coming home, and I'm so happy I got the chance.

Ashley and I stayed in Dublin. It's a fun city. Although, apparently Galway is the place to go. Our tour guide couldn't say enough about it. But Dublin has its charms. It's really in touch with its heritage and culture, which I think is great. Overall, I got the impression that Dublin and Ireland in general is a very proud, patriotic place, which makes sense looking at its history.

I was pretty excited to find the statue of James Joyce. Ever since reading Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, he's been one of my favourite writers.

There's the statue of Molly Malone. To be honest though, I don't know who she is. But I do know she was a fishmonger.

We paid a visit to Kilmainham Goal. Intense place. And "kil" is actually an Irish word (the language is called Irish and not Gaelic as I thought) that means "church," which is why it appears so often in the names of places in Ireland, ie Kilkenny, Killarny, Kildare, etc.

The prison is made out of limestone, which was a bad idea because it retains moisture and cold. It's much colder inside than outside. The prison is famous for housing a lot of political prisoners, especially from the Easter Rising 1916 (see Yeats' Easter 1916). During the famine, there were prisoners as young as 12 who were imprisoned for stealing bread. It's a tragic place. Also incredibly intimidating.

I learned that the Irish flag is a sign of peace. The green is for those in favor of an independent Ireland, the orange for unity with England, and the white for peace connecting the two.

Saturday Ashley and I got up before the sun to go on the Paddywagon tour to the Blarney Castle. It was absolutely worth it.

We stopped briefly in Limerick, apparently nicknamed "stab city." No one really explained that one to us. But we got to see the River Shannon.

It takes about four hours to get to Blarney, so we made another stop a little further on in Adare. Adare is a small town the English particularly like. There's a golf course and a lot of English style houses. It's a really cute town.

The Blarney Castle is amazing. Going there was one of the best trips of my life. It's a small castle though with very narrow stairways, which are awkward for right handed people to walk up, but it was designed that way on purpose. Despite my dislike for small spaces and heights, the anxiety was well worth it. The castle itself is amazing to see. How often do you get to go inside a 15th century castle? And the views from the top are really beautiful.

I know the actual Blarney Stone is really just a tourist trap, but I was still excited to kiss it. It's a little scary to hang upside down like that, but how many people can say they've done it? So now I have the gift of gab (as if I really needed it). And did you know Winston Churchill kissed the stone?

Of course I made a pilgrimage to the Guinness factory. Honestly, it's slightly overrated, because you don't really get to see much of the process at all. It's more like a museum. But still cool. Guinness basically ran Ireland for a long time, and is still a huge force. Basically Guinness and whiskey distillers owned Dublin. They kept the churches and schools open during economic hardship. And I do enjoy a good Guinness, although it takes me forever to finish a pint because it's so intense. But Guinness is good for you. I swear left the storehouse smelling like Guinness.

Ireland is a great place to see, and I highly recommend it. The people are really friendly, and it's got a nice vibe to it.

Tea with Arthur Sullivan

I don't know if anyone has seen those little books at Boarders or Barnes and Noble, they're fiction interviews with deceased famous people, like Coffee with Oscar Wilde (which I just so happen to own). Either way, I'm borrowing the idea for this blog entry.

Me: I really like this monument they've created for you  What do you think of the muse crying?

AS: I have to admit, I am a fan of it. I think it's tasteful, and, after all, I was a national treasure. My death wasn't exactly sudden, and the public mourned me. I died in London, from heart failure after battling pneumonia. Nasty stuff.

Me: You were relatively young when you died, weren't you?

AS: Yes, only 58. I had plenty of composing yet to do, but my time was up.

Me: And your buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, right? I should stop by and check it out.

AS: Unfortunately yes. I wanted to be buried in Brompton Cemetery with my parents and my brother, but the Queen ordered my body to be buried at St. Paul's. Sure, it's an honor, but it's not what I wanted. Maybe it was because of my knighthood status, or my favour with the Queen. Being dead though, I didn't get much say in the matter.

Me: Ha, well I guess not. You received numerous honors in your lifetime besides the knighthood.

AS: Yes, I was awarded a Doctor in Music from both Cambridge and Oxford.

Me: Did you attend both universities?

AS: Neither, actually. I started out as a choirboy at the Chapel Royal. I then attended the Royal Academy of Music and then went on to the Leipzig Conservatoire in Germany.

Me: You were quite the accomplished musician.

AS: I started composing while I was at the Chapel Royal, just anthems and things. I was greatly influenced by Felix Mendelssohn. I love his musical style.

Me: Your own compositions, though, have a very unique sense to them. It's almost impossible to not be able to identify a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.

AS: Well I did a good deal of composing and writing operas before I met Gilbert. Of course, my operas were not nearly as popular without Gilbert. But I did compose other works. I was commissioned to write a sacred choral work for the 1880 Leeds Festival, and again in 1886. There were plenty of smaller things I composed, but I'm sure you want to know about the operas.

Me: Well, it is what you are best known for.

AS: True.

Me: Although this is not to say you would not have been as successful on your own.

AS: Yes it is.

Me: ... Well, I have to say, I think Pirates of Penzance is my favorite of your operettas.

AS: Mmm, yes. That was one of our widely successful operas. As well as H.M.S. Pinafore.

Me: In Pirates, you actually make fun of Pinafore. The Modern Major General sings, "and whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense, Pinafore."

AS: Well, Pinafore wasn't a success right off the bat. And you can't take yourself too seriously, you know.

Me: Fair enough. You also recycled some of your material, is that correct? "Sorry Her Lot" is in both Pinafore and Pirates.

AS: Well we thought it a nice piece and didn't want it to go to waste.

Me: I agree, it is a very nice piece. I won't ask you too much about your other works.

AS: Oh, I know. Princess Ida and Ruddigore were no good, according to the public. Everyone just wanted to see The Mikado and The Gondoliers. Although my own personal favorite is The Yoemen of the Guard. Again, not a great success, but my most ambitious score, and I am quite proud of it.

Me: Your composition style is very structured and rhythmic. And, having performed selections myself, quite challenging.

AS: Well that's the point. Why should it be easy? My melodies come from rhythm. And with a librettist to feed my imagination, my creativity just takes over. I drew inspiration from all kinds of composers: Handel, Schubert, Debussy. Debussy and I were actually good friends. All music influences all music. Although, personally, I much prefer the classical style. I don't bother with that contemporary stuff.

Me: You mentioned your brother earlier. Were you close with your family?

AS: I loved my brother Fred very much. He died young, only 39. I took to visiting his family frequently, and became guardian to his seven children. Then Charlotte, Fred's wife, moved with six of her children to Los Angeles. Herbert, the eldest stayed with me. I had no desire to move, but I paid for the trip and supported the family financially.

Me: That must have bee hard on you.

AS: It was, but I had my work to distract me and keep me busy. Sadly, Charlotte died a year after the move. The children stayed in Los Angeles and raised each other. I continued to financially support them.  

Me: Wow.

AS: Family is family. Forever. After I Gilbert and I completed The Mikado, I traveled to Los Angeles and took the family sightseeing though the AMerican West. I took care of those children my whole life. I included them in my will to ensure they would always be taken care of.

Me: You must have been a wonderful surrogate father.

AS: No one could replace their father, but I did what I could. I hate to cut our chat short, but I have a prior engagement with Gilbert this afternoon.

Me: The two of you are still working together?

AS: Have to keep yourself busy, you know.