Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Unexpected

<br /><div style="text-align: center;">I was surprised how much I thoroughly enjoyed visiting</div><div style="text-align: center;">the Globe Theatre in London</div><div style="text-align: center;">(yep, even in the rain)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6BBN-pLvVaHxBntXDnyjWVWG1aS_fpgl1WRq8N55WrVDqIlo4wTdUnueDWjaKo6ENShi2gBzZtcO-VVClrc58KOxZDP6e-zBPt7LIgC41RJM6WdqdPrsDbR2LLWwWtV0uhw0NmkWYtsS/s1600/photo+5+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6BBN-pLvVaHxBntXDnyjWVWG1aS_fpgl1WRq8N55WrVDqIlo4wTdUnueDWjaKo6ENShi2gBzZtcO-VVClrc58KOxZDP6e-zBPt7LIgC41RJM6WdqdPrsDbR2LLWwWtV0uhw0NmkWYtsS/s640/photo+5+(9).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The theatre was exactly how I imagined</div><div style="text-align: center;">- in the round with an open-air thatched roof -<br /><br />They are a little leery of thatched roofs in London<br />since much of the city burned down in 1666<br />due to those highly flammable sedge, straw or reed roofs<br />Therefore, the Globe has the only thatched roof in London today</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Globe is a modern reconstruction of the original theatre<br />which burned in 1613 due to a rogue ember<br />from a cannon used in the play 'Henry VIII'<br />Miraculously, no one died although the theatre was full<br /><br />The current theatre opened in 1997</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">As the theatre is outdoors, performances run April through October</div><div style="text-align: center;">You can buy £5 standing tickets in the 'yard' or pricier seated ones</div><div style="text-align: center;">(standing tickets are uncovered)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We saw 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'</div><div style="text-align: center;">and it was utterly fantastic!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">The actors were hilarious and talked so comfortably in Shakespeare's English</div><div style="text-align: center;">that I understood the majority of it<br /><br />I now understand why they say Shakespeare should be <i>seen</i> rather than <i>read</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />We toured the Shakespeare exhibit</div><div style="text-align: center;">which demonstrated typical Elizabethan clothes,<br />including the corset and 'bum roll' to make hips look attractively larger<br />- think exaggerated muffin top :) -<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXl769XifxkKaNz9RbcmNtSuoGG393vYe993iyNWeU4kQ65tL7HitnEIrNrVGBjC5Bzaq0O7Wso6gUIrRsWRpr0N02M9a-rZr3VafWn-z4nV_8B_gTS3NM8u70gvxpXkix3srr8waEtF2/s1600/photo+1m-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXl769XifxkKaNz9RbcmNtSuoGG393vYe993iyNWeU4kQ65tL7HitnEIrNrVGBjC5Bzaq0O7Wso6gUIrRsWRpr0N02M9a-rZr3VafWn-z4nV_8B_gTS3NM8u70gvxpXkix3srr8waEtF2/s640/photo+1m-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />It was fascinating to learn more about the printing press of the time<br /><br />When the printer guy miscalculated how many lines fit onto a page,<br />he omitted punctuation, letters, sentences, and stage instructions<br />to make the text fit the page<br /><br />To think of the changes of meaning due to the printing process!<br /><br />There also were some 'bootlegged' copies of Shakespeare's work<br />which cause scholarly dispute as to which versions are the originals<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGGPFGQiGcOrXK0XjCmH0rNNPxpPjHvuE_ceyLeg5vDEtagK-qfuSzWZOplXNtCYM8yvxpD_q9V6KzFn-7DDNdwNfM1Gwgo7tcCNYZ7wCEakIhNor0eAOwdhD3OslbKAE4TwV4eWSAISA/s1600/photo+3+(4)-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGGPFGQiGcOrXK0XjCmH0rNNPxpPjHvuE_ceyLeg5vDEtagK-qfuSzWZOplXNtCYM8yvxpD_q9V6KzFn-7DDNdwNfM1Gwgo7tcCNYZ7wCEakIhNor0eAOwdhD3OslbKAE4TwV4eWSAISA/s640/photo+3+(4)-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />In the photo, see the wooden cases on the left holding the block letters?<br />Capitalized letters were held in the 'upper case'<br />Lower case letters were organized in the 'lower case'<br />That's how those terms came to be<br /><br />Ink was made from a mixture of walnut oil, soot, and turpentine<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Moving on, we also toured The Rose Theatre</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcWoXTWTVRKwRe19lLeLcfQ94zx-MEVzwHCUC8QG7s1lW0O_ObLG6d-tqySTjBxXJnO7Cm36QpCimE-HhWR4vyPFlvyQBDRLzTEYNfDVeGL6tB4DsRe2M4XHrWQpYCUqxmfB6U-vwlDGv/s1600/photo+2+%252821%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcWoXTWTVRKwRe19lLeLcfQ94zx-MEVzwHCUC8QG7s1lW0O_ObLG6d-tqySTjBxXJnO7Cm36QpCimE-HhWR4vyPFlvyQBDRLzTEYNfDVeGL6tB4DsRe2M4XHrWQpYCUqxmfB6U-vwlDGv/s640/photo+2+%252821%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This theatre also made a huge impression on me</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although it doesn't look like much,</div><div style="text-align: center;">it is an archaeological site</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When it was partially excavated, </div><div style="text-align: center;">they started to notice the wooden beams were starting to crack</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">So as excavation funds dried up,</div><div style="text-align: center;">they decided to flood the site with water to preserve it from more damage</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The water is constantly monitored</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwEa-9QyUcqSUKTymJzAEJt-oNF-xrbwedH4PXy7qDY1DBzIjLBVTtJpdfF95cxLHT1pnmnfBSDYokX-cH7Uq_q2Z7SH59xilIrh1hbBViSl3AoH3mqX_6hsDgYB7zfv7t08Dq2ydrTxO/s1600/photo+3+(29).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwEa-9QyUcqSUKTymJzAEJt-oNF-xrbwedH4PXy7qDY1DBzIjLBVTtJpdfF95cxLHT1pnmnfBSDYokX-cH7Uq_q2Z7SH59xilIrh1hbBViSl3AoH3mqX_6hsDgYB7zfv7t08Dq2ydrTxO/s640/photo+3+(29).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The red lights are in the water and </div><div style="text-align: center;">indicate where the structure walls are located</div><div style="text-align: center;">Otherwise, the room is black except for a few lit placards</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Totally unexpected</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Also unexpected,<br />my daughter wanted to pick up a few Shakespeare books<br />in the library<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBb3KsxU7-O4CcDKP-mBzNLRt7iZFsBiniHmdSeDHXRZf_hsJdSZh05vi183QXBRPjisQoMNX_5kqdVJBJM_TeHliaW_drl1nonsQEyncV70sxZp1BqxnEjX3jo3StuPBP0aR8hm59fvc/s1200/71q8JCgRWfL._SL1200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBb3KsxU7-O4CcDKP-mBzNLRt7iZFsBiniHmdSeDHXRZf_hsJdSZh05vi183QXBRPjisQoMNX_5kqdVJBJM_TeHliaW_drl1nonsQEyncV70sxZp1BqxnEjX3jo3StuPBP0aR8hm59fvc/s400/71q8JCgRWfL._SL1200_.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Midsummer-Nights-Dream-Shakespeare-Graphics/dp/1434234495/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1372406013&sr=8-8&keywords=graphic+midsummer+night%27s+dream">Amazon</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />I love how literature is so kid-friendly here<br /><br />My last 'Great Un-Expectations' was this guy singing<br />at low-tide on the River Thames<br />- I've never seen that before -<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fRUk1tXDGRNaSVo30FiqosXxGc9h4KIdcs1ZxOtW3sMOwbbJFTd7gH1S9S2SYTCsr7niR3MVndullcZaQPZ1cDzOMi0l5VVIyuAymuv_OSDVQ47dHQndQXh8uZrIwVc4q9OTOU-odRSs/s1600/photo+3a-003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fRUk1tXDGRNaSVo30FiqosXxGc9h4KIdcs1ZxOtW3sMOwbbJFTd7gH1S9S2SYTCsr7niR3MVndullcZaQPZ1cDzOMi0l5VVIyuAymuv_OSDVQ47dHQndQXh8uZrIwVc4q9OTOU-odRSs/s640/photo+3a-003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />As there was no hat nearby to drop money,<br />I imagine he was just doing it because he could<br /><br />He'd make an interesting Shakespearean character :)<br />Perhaps thou art a Romeo with thy modern lute?<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>- photos by me -</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Although the performances are seasonal, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">the tour/exhibition is available all year. If you visit during the performance season, take a tour in the morning so you can see the theatre. Tour tickets can be purchased at the door, but buy performance tickets well in advance. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">For more info: </span><a href="http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/" style="font-size: small;">www.shakespearesglobe.com</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(An unsponsored post)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Unexpected

I was surprised how much I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Globe Theatre in London (yep, even in the rain) The theatre was exactly how I ima...

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I Spy

<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">...the unusual and blooming Handkerchief Tree</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Davidia involucrata)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuVjsCz-xSiEShgNxDGAu76Oz2wtfy5D5kHMHW9cX1NYfJGiuBRq_8sdQ4i25UErTMzYEetPlU9iIMLfCAXy-LoIv8Qas0ORt4aSReNAUWPrSzqpe0VZH-Hb9jtqatKPL7HbO7jRuZGVa/s1600/photo+(8)5-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuVjsCz-xSiEShgNxDGAu76Oz2wtfy5D5kHMHW9cX1NYfJGiuBRq_8sdQ4i25UErTMzYEetPlU9iIMLfCAXy-LoIv8Qas0ORt4aSReNAUWPrSzqpe0VZH-Hb9jtqatKPL7HbO7jRuZGVa/s640/photo+(8)5-002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ahhh, just loving summertime</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">- photo by me -</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

I Spy

...the unusual and blooming Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrata) Ahhh, just loving summertime - photo by me -

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Charles Darwin's Home

<br /><div style="text-align: center;">A few months ago</div><div style="text-align: center;">I visited Charles Darwin's home<br /><br /><div>You know when you learn so much</div><div>that you need to put the information</div><div>through a sieve to see what gives the biggest impression?</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux9XORnhhAkqjUT3GPRmTQPDX0-hq_82FWPJw3ul3ENHa72CKUovIyfIaWlwJZ8e79xs1ntNR1CLcxWO3EuODCbiMI9WJiP__PGklufy6YmTUWhpAtKjHa0lSW_AgWMbB9cC0_Q2a7hRJ/s1600/photo+(4)-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux9XORnhhAkqjUT3GPRmTQPDX0-hq_82FWPJw3ul3ENHa72CKUovIyfIaWlwJZ8e79xs1ntNR1CLcxWO3EuODCbiMI9WJiP__PGklufy6YmTUWhpAtKjHa0lSW_AgWMbB9cC0_Q2a7hRJ/s400/photo+(4)-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">While walking in the footsteps of such an iconic scientist,</div><div style="text-align: center;">here's a few things I took away from my visit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">1) Charles's father didn't want him to go on the Beagle voyage</div><div style="text-align: center;">out of parental fear of the unknown</div><div style="text-align: center;">(who can blame him?)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But look at what was accomplished by Mr Evolution<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">2) Charles had boundless curiosity,</div><div style="text-align: center;">including a passion for studying barnacles and earthworms<br />(who knew?)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">While he was studying earthworms and plants at home,</div><div style="text-align: center;">his wife insisted she have a proper flower garden</div><div style="text-align: center;">that he had to leave alone<br /><br />3) When Darwin received a particular Madagascar orchid from a friend,<br />Darwin predicted that there must be an unusual moth with a proboscis 14'' long to pollinate it<br /><br />Sure enough, the Hawk Moth was discovered forty-one years later<br />- aka <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">Xanthopan morganii praedicta</i> ('praedicta' since Darwin predicted it) -<br />and is the sole pollinator of the orchid <i>Agraecum sesquipedale</i><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE20dxVnCFzHwIGgjciZkAlWI2l43WE5sw4kFkXkjBa5pEl_AzEZ7Rwjpm4gtuDwpz3Tsc9N3m-TVBX0DSiceVl6W7AEpCcS6NRdFyccSBVxfgzyMo03plcAVg_71DNBbmWSq76BqRU2o/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE20dxVnCFzHwIGgjciZkAlWI2l43WE5sw4kFkXkjBa5pEl_AzEZ7Rwjpm4gtuDwpz3Tsc9N3m-TVBX0DSiceVl6W7AEpCcS6NRdFyccSBVxfgzyMo03plcAVg_71DNBbmWSq76BqRU2o/s640/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">4) Darwin knew his theory of evolution would be very controversial</div><div style="text-align: center;">and kept his theory a secret </div><div style="text-align: center;">until another naturalist formed the same idea</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">5) Darwin had 10 children </div><div style="text-align: center;">and he was unwell much of the time</div><div style="text-align: center;">(possibly due to an illness he picked up on his travels)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Most of his children survived childhood </div><div style="text-align: center;">and became quite successful in a variety of careers</div><div style="text-align: center;">(his grandmother was from the porcelain Wedgewood family)<br /><br /><span id="goog_223261422"></span><span id="goog_223261423"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIFMOjRPoUkIaH70iuHKCo8zTP-wXevs7sUxG1Tm2z7cB50ecHB72tDLpCZU3iGQT8lnRo8D5nmkKa3BwGbwYi3k3dM0dapzc6G8aLfaJHw8WJ205uf-O7AIVJUdgl5JFY0x8cTz_vROF/s1600/photo+(5)-012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIFMOjRPoUkIaH70iuHKCo8zTP-wXevs7sUxG1Tm2z7cB50ecHB72tDLpCZU3iGQT8lnRo8D5nmkKa3BwGbwYi3k3dM0dapzc6G8aLfaJHw8WJ205uf-O7AIVJUdgl5JFY0x8cTz_vROF/s640/photo+(5)-012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I loved visiting Down House in Kent, where Darwin raised his family,</div><div style="text-align: center;">wrote, and conducted experiments and observations</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although I would not recommend it for younger children per se,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the inner child in you will connect with Darwin's youthful curiosity and energy<br />and appreciate his life story</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- photos by me -</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Visitor information: <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/">English Heritage</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(an unsponsored post)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

Charles Darwin's Home

A few months ago I visited Charles Darwin's home You know when you learn so much that you need to put the information through a sieve to...

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