Yay Art!

I'm blogging twice today because I didn't blog last week so I have this strange, unfounded feeling that I owe the blog world another post. And by blog world, I mean my family, since I'm pretty sure they're the only ones who read my blog. Plus, I did a lot more than wander through mountains and gardens in the past two weeks, and these things demand documentation. So, here's my top three artistic experiences in the past two weeks.

1. National Gallery. England has produced relatively few great painters, yet somehow they have a museum full of paintings by all of the most famous painters in the world. Monet, Van Gough, Claude, Turner... It breaks my heart that in less than a month, I won't have any Monet paintings just a couple miles away. This is one of the treasures of London.
2. Dove Cottage. I sat in the garden at Dove Cottage (Wordsworth's home) and wrote poetry. I can see why so many great writers spent their time in the Lake District. The landscape almost demands that you release the creative energy it inevitably creates in any thoughtful person. We also saw many first editions of books of romantic poetry. So cool.
3. Warhorse. Before it was a movie, it was a play. The horses are puppets controlled by three people at a time, and the artistry of the puppetry is amazing. They imitate the movements of horses so exactly that you forget that there aren't real horses on the stage. An inspiring story masterfully performed.

Thy Power Throughout the Universe Displayed

"All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth and all things that are upon the face of it." Alma 30:44

The past two weeks, I have seen the power of god manifest through nature like I never have before. Our BYU group has an interesting tendency to break into song everywhere we go, but it's quite telling that when we are at the summit of a mountain or the thick of a forest, those songs are always hymns of praise. How can anyone who has seen and felt the glory of nature doubt what Alma testifies, that all things denote there is a God?

We spent several days this week in the Lake District, the northern England paradise where Wordsworth spent most of his life and where he wrote these immortal words:

THE world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; 
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

As Wordsworth laments, I think it is one of the great tragedies of human life that we often spent our time "getting and spending" and not appreciating the beautiful world we have been given. Hiking around Ambleside and up Arthur's seat in Edinburgh (where Orson Hyde prayed and dedicated Scotland for Missionary work) has inspired me. There is natural beauty everywhere in the world, and I have made it one of my goals this summer to discover what Utah has to offer.

And it's not just the natural beauty that has inspired me. I have found that natural beauty combined with man-made objects is perhaps the most stunning. The old stone walls of the ruined Fountainhead abbey we visited are made more beautiful by the moss and grass that covers them. The carefully planned landscape at Stourhead gardens (planted to look natural, or "picturesque") mixed with quaint cottages and a classical-style temple have a charm that only human influence could create. (you know the scene form the recent Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to marry him the first time - I sang in that building. Best acoustics ever) People often complain about the destructive influence of humanity on nature, but out of destruction, new beauty finds a way to spring up. I'm sure that when Henry VIII destroyed fountainhead abbey, everyone thought that the beauty of the place was lost forever, but now the place is simply beautiful in a different way. Maybe beauty is just one of those things that can't be beat, or perhaps more likely, it is human nature to see things as beautiful. But there is one thing I'm sure of - as the great romantic poets believed, we have to look for beauty if we hope to find it.

Paris

This week we spent most of the week in the city of romance: Paris. We did some cool things in London, too, including seeing Phantom (it was phenomenal!), but the two and a half days we spent in Paris were definitely the highlight of the week (really the highlight of my life). We were practically running everywhere in order to see all of the most important things, but we did about a weeks worth of stuff in less than three days, so the exhaustion was definitely worth it. We did so many wonderful things that I just couldn't narrow it to 3, so I'm doing this week's post Letterman style.

Top 10 Things I Did in Paris

10. Dropped some change in a street performer's cup who was playing french accordion music outside Notre Dame.
9. Waved at dozens of couples and groups of friends relaxing and eating dinner along the banks of the Seine (just like in a movie, only it was real life)
8. Found the cutest bakery ever called Gerard Mulot. Tarts, pastries, cakes, breads, eclairs, macaroons, chocolates - every single thing was a work of art.
7.Saw the world's greatest collection of impressionist artwork at the Orsay. I had a Monet calender for 2011 and I never would have guess that in 2012 I would see all of those paintings in person. Amazing
6. Came across the Lock bridge, also known as Lover's bridge (couples write their names on a padlock, lock it to the bridge, and throw the key in the Seine - so romantic!)
5. Discovered a love for sculpture at the Rodin Museum
4. Went to Shakespeare and Co., a famous English language bookstore where early 20th century writers hung out when they moved to Paris to find themselves after the war (Authors include Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald)
3. Ate the best ice cream I've had in my life... and the best scalloped potatoes... and the best cheese... and the best crepe... basically three days of the best food I've ever had
2. Watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night
1. Saw Monet's Waterlilies at the Orangerie

Week 2 Olympic Medals

In honor of the upcoming London Olympics, I’ve decided to do this week's top three Olympic style. Cue the British National Anthem.

And the bronze medal goes to…

British Museum. I gave this the bronze for it’s potential, rather than how much I actually enjoyed the experience. We only had about an hour and a half to go through almost 100 rooms, so it was a very rushed tour. You just can’t contemplate the entirety of human existence in two hours, but I plan on going back to see the museum. This place is AMAZING. And I normally don’t do the all caps thing, so this is clearly a really big deal. When Britain ruled the world, it basically went around collecting relics from countries that weren’t preserving them very well. The have all of the remaining sculptures from the Parthenon, mummies, a preserved human skeleton from 3400 BC, the ROSETTA STONE, and art from basically every major civilization in human history. So much history in one place. I’m telling you, the British really have a proper appreciation for the past.

The silver medal goes to…

Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral. Evensong is an evangelical church service that is mostly sung by the choir of about 10 men and 10 young boys. It was ethereal with the pure young voices singing the soprano parts, the dissonant chords echoing around the huge vaulted ceilings of the cathedral. And I’m one of those weird people that really love religious choral music. I was so impressed.

And finally, the gold medal goes to…

Westminster Abbey. Specifically Poet’s corner. This is something I’ve wanted to see since I discovered it’s existence a few years ago. Dozens of famous British authors are buried or honored there, including my favorite novelist, Charles Dickens, and one of my favorite poets, Tennyson. Basically anyone who's anyone in British Literature has a plaque at the very least. I got there and just started crying. Yep, I was standing in Westminster Abbey weeping for joy over Charles Dickens’ grave. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you have to understand that this was a bucket list item for me. I’ve wanted to get here for so long and I’m finally here. I’m living my dreams. I’m doing things I never thought I would do. Literature is sacred to me, so visiting this sort of shrine to literature inspired me. I love that they love their literature here, enough to bury great poets among great kings and warriors. I want to honor these writers by perpetuating their legacy in America so that my future students will love these poets and authors the way I do – the way they honor and respect them here in England. 

Get Stuck In

Here is it -- my first London blog post. I should definitely be reading for my History class right now, but I promised the facebook world (plus my lovely roommates) that I would blog. The title of this post is basically our theme for London. A bishop from one of the wards gave us a fireside tonight in which he explained some culture differences between the U.S. and the U.K. At the end, he encouraged us to make the most of our time here - don't do anything here that you could do in the States, in short, "get stuck in." So that's what I've been doing. Here are my three favorite things I've done so far (by the way, the Internet here is slow and I don't have a lot of time to think about my wording, so pictures and polishing will be added when I get back in seven weeks).

1. Hyde park. The day after I got here, I went jogging in the park. It was chilly and drizzling in typical London fashion. In other words, the weather was perfect for jogging. We just wandered around the park, going where fancy took us - past the pond speckled with primping swans (all property of the queen by English law according to Natalie), around the majestic Prince Albert Memorial and concert hall, by the bird aviary and several gardens - all the while weaving in and out of Brits cycling, jogging, walking their dogs, or even cutting through the park on their way to work. These jogs are as much about seeing Hyde park as they are about exercise, so we stop to read plaques or take a closer look. For the first time, I felt like I was experiencing London in a real way, not as a tourist, but as a fellow Londoner enjoying the weather, the exercise, and the scenery. I've since walked around several other portions of Hyde park and have still only seen maybe a quarter of it. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Squirrels, blossoms, wildflowers, planted flowers, dead trees, live trees (lots of live trees), green grass, and the occasional statue or monument. Everything I would imagine a large park in a rainy city to be, but so much more beautiful than my Arizona and Utah conditioned mind could have fathomed.

2. Borough Market. We don't really seem to have markets in the U.S. At least not quite like this one. Every Saturday (and I think one or two other days of the week as well) dozens of little businesses set up booths in a large, almost warehouse-like area. They have separate stands selling fruits, vegetables, breads, meat, preserves, cheese (so many types of cheese), baked goods, chocolate, candy, juice, cooked sausages, and lets not forget the toasted cheese sandwiches. Amazing. So much good food, so cheap, all in one place. It's really a beautiful thing. We plan on going back there at least every other weekend because you just can't experience it all in one trip.

3. Big and Small (Gross und Klein). With THE Kate Blanchett. The play was abstract and very post-modern, but I loved it (aside from a couple parts). It focused on a character rather than having a central plot. Each scene demonstrated a certain vice of humanity and the main character's struggle to find a place in an world that's falling apart. Kate Blanchett was absolutely phenomenal, and the whole experience was just unforgettable. There were only four of us, which was a perfect-sized group, and we took our time getting home. We stopped by St. Paul's to see it lit up at night, got lost and saw some awesome old homes, talked about the play and its themes, and all in all had a lovely, cultural evening. I decided that this i really how I want to see London, going to shows, getting lost, getting to know my classmates in a more one-on-one setting. Simple and wonderful.

Have any London stories or suggestions? Have any questions about what I have experiences so far? Leave a comment or two.

Home

Home. Somehow, I never understood its charm while I was living here. Not that it's an especially charming building. No wildflowers, no babbling brooks, not even a secret garden. We tried to grow a small patch of vegetables once, but the bugs and the heat commandeered it before we reaped any benefits. Yet there is a feeling here that I just don't get anywhere else. It's not that I miss having free room and board and fewer responsibilities. I actually love being independent, even if real life isn't as carefree as living at home. I love my roommates, my ward, my job, my major. My life at BYU is wonderful, and, generally, I would rather be in Provo than in Mesa. Yet every time I come home, it feels like the piece of my that I leave here realigns with the most of me that I take everywhere else, and I am a complete person again. I think the difference has something to do with these people.

I can only hope that someday, my children will be as happy and as comfortable in my home as I am here.

5 things to do in London (for my London Prep class)

1. Courtauld Gallary

particularly this painting

It's called Lordship Lane Station, and it was painted by Camille Pissarrio. This painting is on the Honors Great Works list, so anyone who's an honors student should definitely go see it. The gallery, which is part of the museum mile in London, is especially known for its impressionist paintings like this one. Typical of impressionism, the painting doesn't really have a focus or center, but rather draws your eye from one area to another, creating a simple view of life in south London in 1871. This is just one of dozens of impressionism and post-impressionism masterpieces in the gallery, which also has works by Van Gogh, Manet, and Cézanne. The gallery costs £4.50 (concessions price, which generally applies to students), but it's free from 10 am to 2 pm on Mondays. It is open 10am to 6pm daily.

http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/about/index.shtm

1. Chariots of Fire

This movie is a classic, but if you haven’t seen it, don’t worry. The stage version will be playing at the Hampstead Theatre while we’re in London! The play goes through the story of two Olympic runners from the U.K. as they struggle to overcome prejudice. Their journey ends at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The movie is amazing (especially the music, which they use in the play as well), so I expect the play will be, too. Preview shows start May 5^th and opening night is May 22^nd. There are shows every Monday through Saturday at 7:30 pm, plus matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Concession tickets cost £15.

http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/london-shows/show/item132593/chariots-of-fire/

1. Westminster Abbey – Poets’ corner

I know we’re planning on going to Westminster Abbey as a group, but I just want to talk about one of the coolest parts of the abbey: Poets’ corner. I’ve wanted to see this since I discovered its existence about a year ago. Many of the greatest British authors and poets are buried here, and those that aren’t have memorials. I’m not kidding; Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Dickens, Milton, Wordsworth and many more are honored here. I get excited just thinking about it. It was originally the burial place of Geoffrey Chaucer, and over the years, the remains of various authors have been moved there (often they were buried elsewhere first). To be honored in Westminster Abbey is one of the highest honors a poet or author can receive after death. The Abbey is open 9:30 to 3:30 Monday through Friday and 9:30 to 1:30 on Saturdays.

4. Madame Butterfly

I recognize that opera isn’t a generally popular thing, but I’m hoping someone else in the group is at least almost as excited as I am about this. The English National Opera is performing Madame Butterfly on various dates from May 8^th to June 2^nd. Puccinni is probably my favorite Opera Composer (I’ve seen La Boheme and Tosca), and I have heard from fellow opera lovers that Madame Butterfly is his best work. Everything about it should be beautiful, from the Japanese costumes, to the singing, to the tragic plot. Plus, they perform at the London Coliseum, which is gorgeous. Full price tickets start at £22, but there might be a student discount. I’m definitely going to this.

5. The Flying Dutchman

So I though I was going to be able to limit myself to just one opera while I’m in London, but I may have been wrong. I really want to see this one (also put on by the English National Opera), too, because, guess what, Wagner is another one of my favorite composers. It plays from April 28^th to May 23^rd and tickets start at £26. The opera tells the story of the legendary ship captain doomed to sail the seas for eternity. The fairly simple story is dramatized by Wagner’s powerful music. Anyone familiar with Wagner’s operas knows that his vocal melodies are generally pretty simple, allowing the instrumental accompaniment to take the primary role. In other words anyone with a love of classical music, even if that doesn’t necessarily mean a love of opera, will probably enjoy this one. Once again, it should be an overall beautiful experience.

Also, this isn’t very academically valuable, so I didn’t put it as one of my 5 things, but I will definitely be shopping at the Forbidden Planet, a science fiction store featuring Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Marvel and DC comics paraphernalia. I think I’ll get a Tardis watch… or maybe a Tardis bank… no, no, I definitely need the U.S.S. Enterprise pizza cutter… Oh the nerd inside me just can’t decide!

http://forbiddenplanet.com