Yesterday, we took a trip to the Globe Theatre, which is an exact replica of the theatre that Shakespeare’s plays were performed in during the Elizabethan years. This was so exciting for me! The Heavens were intricately decorated with blue and gold angelic designs, and the open stage was ornamented with giant, gold orange trees. It was a spectacular spectacle, and I caught myself doing a 360-degree turn multiple times just to take it all in.

I and a group of fellow theatre-goers thought it best suited to play as Groundlings for the performance of “Much Ado About Nothing.” I was a little scared because my feet were already hurting, but the experience was so worth it that I had no means to complain. It was a lot warmer than the outside was because there were so many bodies around, and we got close spots to the stage. It was quite a lovely experience feeling so immersed in the story with the actors. Because the theatre is so tight-knit, especially in the pit, the actors made it their mission to be interactive and break the fourth wall, so the audience became another character in the story. I noticed there were several actors who made eye contact with our group and delivered lines to us, which made us very nervous but excited.

The actors were truly fantastic and brought this story to life. Amalia Vitale, playing Beatrice, had me keeling over in laughter until my cheeks hurt. Her quirky, spunky, and witty nature made her a crowd favorite. Yet, her entrancing relationship with Benedick, played by Ekow Quartey, showed how dynamic of an actor she was. The scene where they were confessing their love to each other was unlike anything I had seen before and did Shakespeare’s delicious language justice.

Another standout actor was John Lightbody, who played Leonato, a goofy, drunken, and passionate father. Again, the dynamics of his acting made him feel so loveable and terrifying at the same time. I would both hate and love to be his daughter. He was also the actor who delivered the most lines to me which trapped me into the story even more.

Watching a show in this theatre made my little theatre kid heart palpitate. Being in the same space that appreciators of the arts watched theatre in during the 16th/17th centuries just reminded me how long people have enjoyed this craft. Of course, during that time, they didn’t have to try to hear the actors over the soaring of airplanes, which was something that took me out of my Elizabethan fantasy. Being a Groundling, I could hear the actors perfectly and thought that they all used diction, enunciation and education on Shakespearean text to communicate the message to audiences.

I can’t lie, when I found out that we were going to be studying, “Much Ado about Nothing,” I wasn’t the most excited. It used to be one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays, just because the plot didn’t excite me and confused me when I read it. Oh boy, was I proved wrong. I fell in love with the passion the characters had during the performance, which communicated Shakespeare’s intentions of showing the complicated nature of love. Miscommunication and deception were prevalent throughout this show, as well as stubbornness. I liked, (and hated), how stubborn Beatrice and Benedick were to confess their feelings for one another, but this trait only made their final uniting all the more endearing.

Overall, I would say that watching Shakespeare being performed in a professional setting changed my perspective on how his text can be presented and left me eager to see more. I was never confused and only anxious to see what would happen next. That was truly Much Ado about EVERYTHING!

Love you Shakespeare,

xoxo Groundling Girl

The Globe Theatre was beautiful and such a fun and interesting experience. It is the only building left in London with a thatched roof, and that alone sets it aside from other theatres as far as historical background goes. It was smaller than I expected, but I didn’t mind because I felt that it gave the whole experience a more wholesome and intimate feel. In the giftshop, I bought a box set of three mini books, one being a complete collection of Shakespeare plays, the second being love poems, and the third being Shakespearean insults.

Much Ado About Nothing, has for a long time, been my favorite Shakespeare play. I love the witty characters and the miscommunication trope represented within the play. Seeing Shakespeare plays on stage done by well trained actors will change your outlook on Shakespeare completely. There is so much that is missed when just reading the script. Since the language is a bit difficult to understand at first, it’s easy to quit early in a script. But watching it on a stage was magical.

I truly think we got the best experience that they offered by standing as groundlings. We had a perfectly unobstructed view and could hear and understand the actors perfectly clearly. It was such a joyful but also bittersweet feeling to think back at all the people who have stood in these very spots before us to have such a similar experience.

The stage had a gorgeous painted roof, and had such a simple set of just a few orange trees and a couple of buckets of oranges. It was simple and easy but added so much to the show and helped put the audience into a more enveloped state within the play. I made eye contact with many of the actors and loved when they made the choices to interact with the audience.

All in all, this is one of my favorite things we have done so far. Cheers!

We started the day with a 2-hour train ride, which was so much more comfortable compared to my airplane experience. I took the whole time to take a nap, and it blew by so fast. When we arrived at the Bath tube station, it was a breath of fresh air. There was so much more countryside, and greenery. I love being in the city but taking in the fresh air was exactly what I needed. 

As we headed to the heart of the city, I was drawn to the architecture of the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, most known as Bath Abbey. It is a humongous church located right next to the famous Roman Baths. It is an example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture, and it was so different from a lot of the architecture I saw!

The Roman Baths have such an incredible history. Sulis Minerva was a deity that was worshiped at the baths and looked at as a healing deity. The baths came to be known as Aqua Sulis, aka the water of Sulis. Her healing divinity was thought to cure any sickness or disease of anyone you came to through the hot springs.

She was worshipped in many ways, from public sacrificing of animals to private offerings of possessions such as jewelry or coins. But one of my favorite offerings to Sulis Minerva was the curse tablets. These tablets dated back from 2nd to 4^th centuries AD, and were recently discovered in 1980.

Not only was the goddess Sulis Minerva worshipped for healing but also known for her power to punish injustice. People would inscribe curses on metal sheets against specific people who committed petty theft. If the items were not returned, the worshipper would gift them to Sulis herself, because it would be like they had stolen from her. I loved that she was known both for healing, but also punishment!

I heard all the stories of visitors from different countries and social classes, coming to Aqua Sulis to experience the healing properties of Sulis Minerva. I had no choice but to follow those before me and experience the healing powers of the hot springs. I took a shot of the water, and I instantly felt cured!

The most memorable moment of our trip to Bath will forever be our afternoon tea at the Pump Room Restaurant. It was right next to the Roman Baths, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I felt like I was in Bridgerton, with the talented orchestra playing for our entertainment. Then the menus came out and we ordered our tea. We could order endless amount of tea or coffee! I could try a different type of tea without being stuck with it. There was one that I had never heard of. The Pump Room Darjeeling tea. I was intrigued. And let me tell you that it did not disappoint. As soon as we get our tea, we get a FULL teapot for ourselves. My mind was blown away! I thought they were going to bring out the tea already made. Then they brought out the milk and sugar. The sugar was in small little cubes, which was so adorable and fancy. I started giggling to myself. I was sipping the best tea I’ve ever had, while the most beautiful music was being played.  BUT THEN, towers of food come our way. It looked like the fanciest dishes I had ever seen.  I had never felt so proper in my life. I started referring to everyone at our table as Lord and Lady. We started cheering and tasting our food as if we were of the highest class.  I was living my dreams! I tried caviar for god sake, what’s fancier than that?

Farewell for now friends!

We had the amazing opportunity to see Much Ado About Nothing preformed in Shakespeare Globe Theatre. The building itself—a replica of the original that burned about 400 years ago—is a Tudor style circle with a simple stage surrounded by bench seating on three levels and a large space for standing. There is only a roof over the seating area, but the center of the building is open to the elements. Apparently, Shakespeare’s Globe is the only building in London that has permission to have a thatched roof. Given their proclivity to burn easily, London has banned them all elsewhere, but the Globe is allowed because they want it as similar to the original building design as possible. I spent the first half seated because I thought I would be too uncomfortable to stand. Our seats were on the side though, and blocked by a wooden column, so I had to shift around to watch all the action. After intermission I had to go try standing, most of the rest of the group had watched the first half from the ground and I knew the experience was going to be even better. I was right, we were so up close and personal with the actors, who in proper Shakespeare form interacted with the audience a bit! I knew that Shakespeare’s plays were more interactive than others, with characters often addressing the audience with soliloquys, asides, even just a funny joke. I probably could have taken the whole play standing, but I am at least glad I was down there for the second part. That is when the characters Dogberry and Verges, the comedic relief, had their scenes. They were so funny and I loved the way they interacted with the audience. When a little kid laughed at Dogberry saying “ass”, the actor played along and acknowledged the kid a few times. As good as the play itself is, what really made the whole experience for me was that personal relationship you get with the actors. They will look directly at you, laugh with you, make fun of you, anything to further the bit. I was also able to picture other, older generations doing the same things as us. Some sitting, some standing and all collectively drawn in to the story and drama right in front of us. I imagined people in the dress of England in the 17^th and 18^th centuries in front of the same stage or sitting in the same seats as I was now. The production was even better than I was expecting, and I was already excited because it’s Shakespeare, its in the Globe, it’s Much Ado, and the actor for Benedict was a small role in some of the Harry Potter movies. I had high expectation and they were still exceeded. It was just such a fun play and being right next to the actors, where they hand you a real orange from the stage or laugh at your beard or help them on stage, was such a unique and exciting experience. I don’t know how different it was performed back in Shakespeare’s day, but I imagine it was just as fun and entertaining to that audience as it was for ours. I would love to see another play there, particularly a comedy, as I think that is the most fun to do with that type of interactiveness, whereas one of his tragedies or histories might serve just as well to be seated like other plays. My legs were a little tired, but only afterwards, as I was so captivated by the drama I couldn’t care less. Shakespeare’s Globe was so much fun!

Our trip to Bath this week was incredibly memorable, not only as an ancient Roman site that once again set my anthropologist/archaeologist heart aflutter, but as a charming, slightly tourist-trappy town. The site of the Roman baths themselves was incredibly fascinating to walk through. I loved seeing all the different artifacts that have been found around this site, such as the different tomb markers and the many curses left at the site for the gods. Those curses in particular were a great read, containing a lot of insight into the kind of place these baths and the significance it held as a gathering place for many. The curses mostly spoke about thievery, cursing individuals who stole pots and cloaks and jewelry. There was even one that discussed how a slave was taken from the baths, and I took note of that one as, rather than giving just a generic curse upon the thief as many of the others did, went on to list the names of people the slave’s master suspected had taken them. 

Apart from seeing the material history of this site, walking through the ruins and remnants of what once was a roman bathhouse inspired its own sense of awe and wonder. For most of the tour, we were walking through modern exhibits, with displays for the architectural ruins left behind, but further into the tour, you get to see the larger foundations that were still intact, and even get to walk on the actual stones themselves, stepping through ancient steam rooms and gymnasiums and changing rooms, none of which had been used for almost thousands of years. The architectural history and remains of the site were magnificent, such as how you could see the columns that would have held up the mosaic floors of the rooms and allowed for fires and coals to be lit beneath them, creating heated flooring. You could even see the paths of the waters flowing from the hot springs, going through canals created by the Roman founders all those years ago, eventually filling up the large, green, murky pool in the center of the site (also, you can actually drink the water from the hot springs at Bath if you want to. And in case you are wondering, I did in fact drink the Bath water. Not as bad as you would think. Warm and a bit metallic, but definitely drinkable). 

The city of Bath as a whole was very interesting, reminding me a bit of other more touristy towns, such as Eureka Springs. The town builds itself around the idea of it being this ancient site, and that is where a lot of the overt appeal comes from, and many of the shops try to particularly attract tourists, such as the fudge shop handing out free samples in the main square with a sign spinner, or the gift shop nearby with swords on display in the window (though regrettably none for sale), or the bookstore occupying an old meeting house with romanesque architecture. There was even a small little glass shop that me and some friends stopped in to look around that reminded me of Terrace Studio back home. Overall, Bath felt both very foreign and familiar in the best of ways, serving as a perfect little tourist trap that I wish I could spend more time in than I did.

(Also, we had afternoon tea in the Pump Room at Bath. Quite possibly one of the greatest and fanciest moments of my life.)

What’s up you weasels?? Hold on, sorry, let me begin again. Greetings, tiny rat-like mammals, and welcome to my blog! Today, our very refined group of students took a day-trip to Bath and visited the Roman Baths and the Pump Room. I, personally, am feeling much more sophisticated after partaking in afternoon tea at the Pump Room, much alike to my literary predecessors Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

Okay, maybe not. Though I would like to clarify that that picture was taken on the way to Bath, not after, so perhaps I did become more refined. You’ll never know.

I like to keep a little bit of mystery in these posts, even if the whole point of your following me is to learn everything there is to know about me. It keeps the intrigue, you know? Regardless, I think I’ll actually tell you about my day now… Like I said, we went to Bath today! On the hour long train ride to the city I read Percy Jackson like a nerd and listened to Hozier, as any person would do on their way to the historical city of Bath. Immediately upon arrival, we found our way to the line for the Roman Baths, and after a little wait, we got to tour the building.

It was super interesting getting to see the original architecture, preserved as much as was possible, and still standing in the place where it has been excavated.

Something that I found especially interesting was the various myths of how it came to be, which I actually did not encounter until we were already out of the Baths themselves, and were waiting to take tea in the Pump Room. In the anteroom, there was a plaque describing the two myths of Bladud, a British prince who was educated in Athens. I didn’t get a picture of this, but did have a lengthy conversation about it with Ben and Shawn.

The first myth was the more believable of the two, oddly enough. The premise was that Bladud was the heir to the throne, but was exiled due to his leprosy and became a swineherd instead. One day, when tending to his pigs, he noticed that those who bathed in a specific spring were devoid of scabbing and illness. He bathed in those springs as well, was cured of his leprosy, and went on to become King after all. The second was that Bladud traveled to Athens for his education, and there he learned magic, which he then used to vest the Bath baths in magical power that allowed it to heal, as the Romans believed it did. I obviously do not believe either of these things to be true, but I personally find the mythology that people use to justify their beliefs to be so wonderfully intriguing.

Overall, I really did enjoy our trip to Bath. Similarly to London, I found that everywhere I went there were fun stores to window shop in, as well as a lot of cultural centers to explore. The unity of the city was something I really did not expect, coming from London, which is an amalgamation of architectural styles. As a student of art, I really appreciated getting to see the differences between London’s architecture and that of Bath.

Next up on my life’s story: Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I’ll give you a spoiler: this show was probably the best we’ve seen so far. I’m more than excited to write about it; I am absolutely ecstatic.

I’ll see you then!
CW

We took a day trip to the city of Bath yesterday. We got on the train, which was very nice, and rode it for about an hour and a half to Bath. On the way I started reading Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” which is so good, but I have not finished yet so no spoilers! Once we stopped in Bath we walked towards the actual Roman Baths. The architecture was so beautiful, it was mostly all the same tan stone, but varied from plain to very intricate. Particularly the square where the Bath and Pump Room was, there was a building—the Bath Abbey—that was covered in designs of angels climbing up the walls, larger figures, huge glass windows, and a large wooden door carved with more art and symbols. It was really a beautiful building, most comparable to St Paul’s in London. As much interesting and varied architecture there is around London, that church has still been one of the prettiest to me. Inside the Roman Baths was really interesting. I have been to Bath before, but it was about 10 years ago, and my dad reminded me that during our visit the Bath was actually drained for cleaning. This time, though, it was not! It was full of bubbly green water, which sounds gross but actually looked sort of inviting. The main bath room was surrounded by various other rooms such as a massage house, cold plunge, gym, and sauna. They were all made of stone that was broken down a bit. There were signs everywhere warning of uneven ground because of the state of the old stone floor. The massage and gym rooms had these very cool projections of people working out or getting a massage dressed in what they would have worn. We had a headset where you could type the corresponding number to hear a description of what you were looking at like a guided tour. When I was younger and my family and I would go to museums I never liked those things, but now that I am older, I really liked learning about it and the headsets provided some very interesting information. The Bath serves the Roman goddess Minerva and once housed a gold coated bronze statue of the goddess. People would come to praise and worship her, giving her offerings of coins, dishes, and even what they call cursed tablets. People would write messages to Minerva asking her to punish someone who has wronged them, usually stolen items. I felt like I could really imagine the people going to the baths just on a normal day. Now of course I can’t not mention the tea. We got to have high tea at the Pump Room! I thought we were going to get just tea and scones, but we ended up having the whole set up. There were so many yummy treats as well as the tea and scones. The scones were delicious, with clotted cream and strawberry jam. I got Darjeeling tea that was actually the best tea I’ve ever had in my life. We also had music, there was a trio playing the violin, cello, and piano, I even recognized some of the songs I knew how to play. The room was beautiful, and it was one of the most enjoyable parts of this trip yet. It was just so nice to all be there as a group enjoying the splendor of high tea. The only thing that could have made it better was some proper dress—I wanted to be wearing a big, corseted dress! I was sad to leave, Bath was so much fun and a relaxing break from the vibe of London! 

On the train back from Bath to Paddington Station, I can’t lie, I teared up quite a bit. Looking out the window and seeing the greenery, the pastures, the mountains, and the quaint houses, I started to appreciate England in a way I never had before. I realized there was so much of this country that I wanted to take in, but I can never have enough time to see it all. The sheep! THERE WERE SO MANY SHEEP!

Coming to Bath may have been my favorite part about this trip so far, (I say that after every excursion, so don’t take my word for it). There was just something about the town’s aesthetic that felt other-worldly and picturesque. It made me feel like I was a part of the plays, movies, and TV shows I have always dreamed of being in. The Georgian architecture is charming and adds layers of character to buildings that have remained cherished throughout history.

The Roman Baths were different than I had imagined they would be. I loved how sacred a body of water was to the Romans– Aqua Sulis was a source of prayer and hope. The cult statue of Sulis Minerva was gorgeous and I love that people sent in complaints and gossip to her to have her curse them! If someone pickpocketed me, I would definitely write to Sulis Minerva to give them bad luck.

It was very interesting to go to the East Baths and see the different types of spa rooms they had. The Romans had meticulous mechanisms to provide calming treatment to the Romans– a hypocaust blew hot air through the floors to heat the room and their feet. They had to wear sandals when it got too hot, but the hot rooms were old versions of saunas. I know going in saunas is supposed to be good for you, but the only time I went in one, I felt like I was going to have a panic attack.

Men and women had to go into the spas at different times or separate rooms in the Roman Baths. Body hair was not a part of their beauty standards, so women would often have their body hair plucked out. What was interesting to me is that it became socially acceptable for men to have body hair, but women are still expected to remain hairless in our modern society.

Bath was a very interesting town with cool shops and lovely live music. We watched a man perform “The Chain,” by Fleetwood Mac, singing and playing the drums. He was really sick. There was also a statue man that blew our minds. I still don’t know how he remained suspended in air.

By far my favorite part about our Bath excursion was our High Tea. I felt like a posh woman and I desperately wanted to wear a long, fancy dress and dance at a ball. The food and tea was delicious. Even though I was still stuffed from eating Tortilla, (really good fast Mexican food), I couldn’t help but stretch my stomach some more for the little sandwiches. I loved the ham and cheese ones specifically, as well as the pistachio pastry. Everything just melted in my mouth and I could tell it was intricately made.

Overall, I loved the homey feeling of the town of Bath. Everybody was kind and caring, and the vibes were darling. I would love to go back some time to visit the Jane Austen Museum because I used to be such a nerd for her, and I am mad at myself that I didn’t allow enough time.

That’s all for now!

xoxo Gossip Girl