For class today we went to the National Portrait Gallery (Leicester Square) to see some Henry VIII and Elizabeth I portraits.

And it off-and-on POURED rain 🙂 Which means I got to wear my rain boots and amazing raincoat out. After class, Melissa and I browsed the Victoria and Albert Museum, which houses an odd arrangement of things, from ironworks to plaster castings to Rodin sculptures to Turner paintings to jewelry, costumes, persian rugs, silverware, etc. A selection:

Nice way to spend the afternoon. Did I mention Prince William visited the Natural History Museum yesterday and Melissa saw him? YEAH. WE LIVE ACROSS THE STREET.

Anyways, we did that for a while before coming back to chill. Then I went to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater at 19:30 to see As You Like It. Under an open roof, in the pouring rain, without an umbrella.

And it was brilliant. Absolutely lovely. The thing I love most about Shakespeare is that on stage, it is the easiest literature to understand. And the actors were funny, and having fun in the rain, and everything about it was just so delightful. It was the first time I actually went out into London alone and navigated the streets and stood by myself–it felt so exhilarating!