Arcadia England

Rachel Hirschhaut, a Queen Mary student this spring, has been keeping the world updated with her study abroad experience. She has kindly submitted one of her blog posts to us to share with all of you. You can find Rachel's blog here.

Check out what Rachel has been getting up too over the course of the semester.  Perhaps you can draw some inspiration from what she has been getting up too? Perhaps you'll glean some great advice from her experience...

After a quiet Easter when most of London was closed, I was ready to get out on Easter Monday. So, being the literature lover that I am, I grabbed a few people and went to Shakespeare’s 450th birthday party at the Globe Theater.  I had been planning to do the Globe tour sometime, and admission was free on the big day, so it was the perfect opportunity.

It was a much bigger event than I expected.  The long line stretched out across the South Bank as they gave out tickets.

They opened up the exhibit on the history of the Globe.  The theater as we know it is actually the “new Globe” because it’s a modern reconstruction of the old one that burned down in the 1600s.

And had fun and games for all the kids in attendance:

But the best part was finally entering the open-air theatre.  It felt like a holy place for an English major.

People used to dress in their finest for a night at the theater, and often met their spouses there by just standing next to them at a show.  That’s my kind of night.

The theater season at the Globe is just beginning.  They were selling standing tickets to their first new production, “Titus Andronicus”, for only 450 pence, and I definitely plan to get tickets one night before I leave.

Meanwhile, further along the South Bank, the Festival of St. George was happening in Trafalgar Square.  There were huge crowds, vendors from London farmers’ markets, and performances like this maypole dance.

Admittedly I don’t know much about saints or old English festivals, but St. George is the patron saint of England and today is a holiday in his honor.

So a Monday off turned out to be a wonderful day that showcased so much of English culture.