Off and running

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I've had a great time so far! I've been in London for 3 and a half weeks now, so I still have loads to figure out but am well on my way. Here's a few highlights of my time around...

I spent last weekend with the other general course students at the Cumberland Lodge, which is on the queen's property in the Great Park bordering the royal palace at Windsor. After being gifted to several friends of the royal family for centuries(dukes, war heroes and the like), the lodge was set aside for education and enlightenment. We spent three days attending talks and walking around the grounds. I had great fun meeting new people and exploring.

A week ago I got a chance to check out the London Symphony Orchestra. They have a student program which allowed me to get a ticket along with an hour and a half long reception and a bottomless glass of wine. The music was great, and I met some awesome people from University College London (UCL).

I also went to a play at the Globe. This is the third theater constructed as the first two burned down, and the one Shakespeare used was 300 yds away. No matter. I couldn't get advance tickets to Love's Labours Lost as it was the last week of the season, but I went anyway and queued for people with extra tickets. I spent about an hour waiting before I got a ticket 5 min before the performance started. It was some of the best acting I've ever seen- I don't think I stopped laughing through the whole thing. Also, it cost 6 quid, which is the rough equivalent of an Elizabethan penny- the original cost of entry for groundlings (watched the play standing around the stage).

Finally, I went to an organ concert in St. Paul's cathedral. It was quite an experience, and I got to look around the main floor without paying the normal sight seeing admission. the organ is expansive, and the cathedral is huge and domed, so the sound was amazing. You could still hear notes 10 sec after the organist stopped playing.

I've also gone on several other interesting excursions which I'm not going to detail at the moment. I spent a day in Greenwich including a stop to the naval museum, and have stopped by the national gallery as well. I am trying to pick up the museums during already busy weeks, so it will take me the year to get through them all.

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