Today was yet another great & busy day for us all! We all began the day by leaving the hotel bright & early at 8 am to catch the tube. We had plans to spend most of our day at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre! By 9am we had begun our tour of the theatre; as we had already toured Stratford-upon-Avon & the Anne Hathaway Cottage, some information was a bit repetitive but most regarding the theatre was new.
We learned the Globe theatre we toured today was actually the third reconstruction of the building; the first burnt down in 1614 & the second was taken down in 1644. It wasn’t until 1970 that plans were underway for the reconstruction of the third globe, which didn’t open until 1997! The thatched roof (the only one still in existence in London) is open to the sky, so one must hope the weather cooperates for each show!
After touring the theatre, we walked to Borough market. It was a space absolutely filled to the brim with the largest variety of food I had ever seen. We spent some time grabbing lunch there and tried not to lose one another within the large crowds!
Tonight we will be returning to the Globe to see The Merry Wives of Windsor. This show will be different for all of us, as we will be considered “groundlings.” This term is used because we will be standing on the ground in front of the stage for the entire duration of the show. In Shakespeare’s time, these spots were for poor individuals who could not afford to pay for the luxury of having a seat. It should be a new & exciting experience for us all; I sure hope it doesn’t rain on us!
I can’t wait to continue exploring London for another week!
I'm so glad it didn't rain on us! The show was such a delight even though we were 'groundlings' we saw and sometimes experienced so much from that spot! I thoroughly enjoyed the play with how talented and creative the show was and after having a background on the Globe itself and on William Shakespeare as much as we have!
ReplyDeleteI found the tour to be very interesting and was a little bummed out that we were kicked out from the benches to watch the stage combat that was happening. I loved seeing all of the options of food that the Burrough market had to offer. I, sadly, did get lost from the group for a while, but the wrap that I ate definitely made up for it!
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