The Empowerment of Travel

I was pretty freaked out before travelling on my own. It was my first time taking a plane by myself, and my first time staying in a hostel. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I thought that I had done all of the preparation that I could. All that was left was to see what would happen.

And it ended up being fine! I did good! Not everything was perfect, obviously things go wrong when you travel, but I dealt with it well and it all turned out ok.

It was a huge confidence boost, because here I am, really and truly out on my own, and managing to deal with everything. And it was all so much easier than I expected. You think that without someone else, that little safety net of having a second opinion, that you would fall apart somewhere and get hopelessly derailed. But really, all of life is preparation for doing things like this. And if something goes wrong, there is always a reasonable solution that is logical. It isn’t that hard to figure out where you’re going on a foreign subway system, and strangers are usually helpful and can point you in the right direction.

Another aspect of it is the fact that I was backpacking for a weekend. You always think “oh I need to bring this with me, and that’s essential it has to come too” but when it comes down to it, you really don’t need any of those things. You can literally stuff the 5-6 most important things in a bag, and just get up and go anywhere. That realization is pretty powerful, because after that you don’t have an excuse to not be travelling wherever you want. It opens so many doors.

So those are realizations that I came to, but I can’t just tell you and you’ll understand them, you have to go out and experience it for yourself to really internalize it. So go, get up and out that door! It doesn’t have to be anywhere special, take the bus to the next town over and stay a night. It’s empowering and such a nice change from the everyday.

Haha, I think I’ve got the travel bug now. Here we go!

Posting Pictures on Facebook is Really Annoying

I’ve never exactly been the kind of person that posts excessively on Facebook. I really only ever post when I want to do the yearly update of my profile picture to keep up appearances, or when I’m in a show and have to do the obligatory “come see me!” post. Other than that the internet gets nothing from me.

But now that I’m abroad I feel obliged to post some pictures of my adventures, if only so that my mom gets off my back about whether I’m making the most of this trip or not. And I’m finding it really annoying. It’s not so much the posting of the pictures, that I don’t care about, it’s the choosing which pictures to post that’s starting to get to me. I’m finding myself going through photos that were all lovingly taken, and only selecting ones that I think will get likes. Or going through and not putting up any pictures with me in it, since I don’t want to seem too narcissistic. Or going through and thinking “is this important enough to put up on Facebook?” and then discarding all of the ones not of famous monuments.

I guess we’ve hit that point where everything is now under inspection from other people, even our own memories. Because honestly, if I’m not sticking it on Facebook, I’m not going to show the photos to anyone else. Which is sad, because that means that I’m only showing what I think that other people will like instead of what I like about my trip.

Not that it’s that much different from other aspects of life. I’m probably not going to tell that many people about aspects of my trip that I don’t think they’ll enjoy, but it’s still strange to see that manifest in yet another part of our lives. Because you always think that the parts of your life that you like would take priority over what other people like about your trip, and here’s the proof that it’s really the other way around.

Anyways, that’s my rant about the awkwardness of Facebook over with. I guess this just proves that I should be posting on Facebook less often and need to return to my original game plan. Just once I stick this last batch up so that Mom knows I made it to London…

London Calling

Apologies again for the late post, but this weekend I went to London! What a fun time.

It’s really cheap to get to London from Glasgow with Ryanair, my flight cost like 40 pounds I think (I bought it a while ago so I don’t fully remember). And once you land there’s a Stanstead express to get you from the airport to the city center. Kind of pricey, but probably the best way to go. Also a word about the London Underground, the stations are split into zones numbered 1-9. If you only want to take one ride on the subway, use the select destination option on the machine. If not, then get an off-peak day pass. Or get an oyster card, because it’s much cheaper to use an oyster card than anything else in London. It’s a pretty strange subway system, I didn’t fully understand it my first time and got the wrong ticket.

The first thing I did was head to Abbey Road to see the crosswalk and the studios. The studios themselves are pretty cool, not much to see other than the wall with graffiti all over it. The crosswalk is in the middle of an actual road, so be careful if you want a picture while crossing it. And whenever the cars honk at the tourists people cheer, it’s pretty funny. I would recommend not getting a picture because that isn’t even the crosswalk that they used (they had to move it) and then you aren’t a jerk. On a similar note, Paul’s old London home, 9 Cavendish Rd, is around the corner, but there’s nothing to mark it really. He still owns it though, so maybe you could creep on him or something?

Nearby there’s the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker St. Didn’t go inside, but the outside is pretty cool as well.

After that I headed to the British Museum. It’s a bit of a walk, but totally worth it for this museum. There’s a little bit of everything here, mostly artifacts from ancient civilizations and the like. I tried to do a “best of” run through and ended up seeing most of the rooms. Either do that or pick a few rooms to go over in detail, because there’s no way anyone can handle more than that.

The National Gallery isn’t too far away from there. It’s smaller and has a whole bunch of really cool art. Lots of medieval, Dutch, and French paintings in particular. And like all the other museums in London, the building itself is a work of art.

After that I walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Also a kind of long walk, there’s probably an easier way to get there but I’m cheap. I just looked at the outside, but still very pretty. Then I walked to the Tower of London. This is a pretty long walk, maybe wouldn’t recommend. But the London Monument is on the way, if you’re into that. There isn’t much to the London Monument. The Tower of London is pretty cool to look at, and the Tower Bridge is right next to it. There’s also a bunch of vendors around if you need a snack. I crossed the Tower Bridge, and got a very nice view of the Thames River. Then on the other side I basically walked back to where the Globe Theater is across from St. Paul’s. The Globe Theater is great, I wanted to see a show there but they were sold out, which was disappointing.

Then there’s the Tate Modern just around the corner. This is where all the strange modern art is kept, so be prepared for weird. It’s also open until 10 pm on Friday and Saturday, so that’s exciting if you’ve got a busy itinerary (like me).

After my second dose of art, I walked down by the riverside to the London Eye. It’s pretty cool to see it up close, most pictures are from far away. You can also get a great view of Big Ben from across the river here. I then crossed the Westminster Bridge to see Big Ben up close, and the London Eye from far away. Big Ben is also right on Parliament Square, so the Parliament building and Westminster Abbey are super close.

After all that walking I was exhausted so I just headed to the hostel and passed out. It was my first experience in a hostel, and I have to say I really didn’t mind it. It’s just the basics, but it involves a place to sleep, free wifi, and free breakfast so I’m happy.

The next morning I headed off around 8:30 to Buckingham Palace. It was nice to see London in the morning, much less cars around. And the monument in front of the Palace is just as nice as the building. Then the Wellington Arch is on the way to Hyde Park, which is pretty convenient. Hyde Park is huge, I just wandered around and looked at whatever seemed interesting at the time. Definitely walk along the river, there seems to be a hearty population of swans around. And at the end of it there’s the Italian gardens with a few fountains that are all really nice.

I went to the Natural History museum after that. Warning: while this museum is interesting for all ages, it’s crawling with small kids, so prepare yourself. Also get there early so there isn’t a long wait for the dinosaurs exhibit.

After all that, it was time for me to head back to the airport and Glasgow. On the way, I did stop at King’s cross to see Platform 9 ¾. There’s usually a long wait to get your picture taken there, so plan ahead if you know you want to do that. And there’s a store right next to it, for all your Harry Potter needs. I went to see the real one, but it’s not nearly as interesting as the fake one.

And back to Scotland! London was definitely a cheap and fun way to spend the weekend.

In comparison to Liverpool, it’s definitely a bigger city with much more to do in it, and more spread out. But Liverpool is less international, so it feels more like England I think. Getting to see both cities I think was definitely a good idea, you get to see both its capital and another city, which gives you a better idea of the country as a whole.

Liddypool: A Bit More Than a Beatles Pilgrimage

Apologies for the later than usual post, but I went down to Liverpool this weekend and knew that I was going to want to write a post about it when I got back. It was a wonderful time, and much more than I expected. I somehow managed to get my friend to go with me, and she’s more of a casual Beatles fan, so I was a little worried that I would scare her off but we seem to still be friends.

First of all, getting to Liverpool from Glasgow is incredibly easy. The train is great, even though it isn’t direct, but it’s still only a few hours of a ride. Beatles fans in the UK have it so easy. Liverpool in general is pretty easy to navigate, all through the city center are sign posts directing you to various landmarks so it’s hard to get very lost.

We arrived on Friday night, and the first thing we did was head to the Museum of Liverpool on the Pier Head since nearly all of the museums close at 5 pm. The Museum of Liverpool is a relatively recent museum, it didn’t open until 2012 I think. It’s really awesome, it takes you through the history of Liverpool, from ancient until modern times. There’s also a section on the city’s relationship with China, and how globalization has affected their culture. It is a port city, so many cultures come through and settle here. And of course, there’s information about the music and sports scene on the top floor. Many music groups other than the Beatles came from Liverpool, the Wombats, Nick Fury, Cilla Black, and others got their start in the Liverpool music scene.

After that, we walked up to the Cavern district to see the Cavern Club. The Club portion is a replica of the original, which closed in the 70s I think (don’t quote me on that). The original site is just down the road from there. On Fridays, it has free entry until 8pm (1pm on weekends). Fans have signed every inch of the walls, and the layout and the atmosphere seem the same as the original. Amazingly enough, we were there on John Lennon’s 75^th birthday (October 9, 2015), which was really something special. When we were there a guy was playing Beatles covers with a guitar, but I bet there’s always Beatles music playing in the Cavern Club. It’s a great place, really a must for Beatles fans. (Or even if you’re not, it seems like they are tapped into the local music scene and have some great gigs there.) There’s also a statue of John Lennon leaning against the wall that’s a popular picture spot. There’s another statue of the Beatles in a nearby mall as well. Across the road is the Cavern Pub. We figured that we’d get dinner there, but there really isn’t that much to eat. It’s essentially a smaller extension of the Cavern Club, not an essential stop.

The place we were staying at was near Penny Lane, so after checking in and getting settled we walked down to the famous Lane. Besides the park and the Beatles mural, there’s not much there, but it’s still nice to say that you’ve been there.

The next day, we headed to the Metropolitan Cathedral first. It’s the one that looks like a Death Star. It’s really nice on the inside, there’s a complex light fixture hanging from the wall and stained glass all around. You can also pay to see the crypt (we didn’t).

After that we went back to the Albert Dock to see more museums. First was the Merseyside Maritime Museum. This place is huge! You can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Liverpool’s ships, especially the warfare aspect of it. The third floor is the International Slavery Museum, which starts off with Liverpool’s participation in the slave trade, as they shipped the slaves back and forth, and ends with more contemporary effects of slavery. This includes the effects on the culture, and information about places where slavery still exists, unfortunately.

Then there was the Beatles Story. The main attraction for any Beatles fan! The Beatles Story is essentially a walk-through of the history of the Beatles, from their beginnings in Liverpool to Hamburg to the Cavern Club to the US to Sgt. Pepper to a Yellow Submarine to Abbey Road and beyond! While they have a lot of really cool artifacts, I expected it to have a little more about the Beatles I guess. While the Beatles are the driving force behind the museum and their presence is very much felt, you are mostly looking at the world around them instead of directly at them. At the beginning and end it has stuff about them personally, but other than that it’s mostly the objects around them and the places that they have been. Maybe I’m expecting a little too much, but while I saw some cool things I didn’t feel any closer to them. Still a great experience, would highly recommend for any Beatles fan.

Oh and that’s just the section on the Albert Dock. There’s a second section on the Pier Head that has an exhibit on the British Invasion, so other artists are shown here, and an exhibit with a bunch of rare photos of our favorite mop top group. And a 4D show, but honestly I would skip that. I mean, it’s free with your ticket and takes about 15 minutes, but I literally could not tell you the point of it or why it was there at all.

We wrapped up the day with the stunning Liverpool Cathedral. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the stained glass is so intricate and all over the walls, and the architecture is beautiful as well. Of the two main cathedrals in Liverpool, I think I liked this one the best.

For our last day, we started off with walking to Strawberry Field. It’s essentially a gate covered in graffiti. I liked it, having the fans’ thoughts as part of it I think really makes it something unique. A cute stop.

After that we walked to John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s childhood homes. We didn’t pay for the tour, of course, so we just got pictures of the outside. I would have gone to George Harrison and Richard Starkey’s homes as well, but they are farther away from each other and aren’t owned by the National Trust so it would be less interesting to see. What was pretty cool was how both Paul and John’s old homes are in actual neighborhoods with actual people trying to live their lives nearby. I can’t make up my mind whether I would love or hate to live near a Beatle’s old home.

It ended up being pretty good that we lived outside of the city, I don’t think I would have gone to see places like Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, or John and Paul’s homes otherwise. It was also nice to see the outskirts and what it looked like away from the city center.

When we went back into town we decided to check out a couple of Beatles shops first. There are three main ones: the fab4store attached to the Beatles Story, A Hard Day’s Night Shop near the Hard Day’s Night Hotel, and the Beatles Store down the road from the Cavern Club. All are going to be overpriced, so keep your expectations low. I think I liked the Beatles Shop the best, it has the nicest atmosphere and the cheapest t-shirts inside.

Finally we went to the Walker Art Museum. Brace yourself, there’s a lot in here. The ground floor has pottery and sculpture, while the first floor has art through the ages. There’s a lot of really cool stuff in here, definitely one of the better art museums that I’ve been through.

And that was my weekend in Liverpool! I’d do it again in a heartbeat, it was amazing. There really is so much stuff in Liverpool besides the Beatles; they have a booming culture scene that refuses to be overshadowed by the past. In general, it was a wonderful time, I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area to go see the wondrous place of Liddypool!

“Dragon” and the Power of Silence

So I don’t normally do this, but I saw this play tonight called “Dragon” at the Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow and it was so amazing that I’m doing a review of it this week.

The performance starts with a death (classic). The rest of the story centers around Tommy, who is coping with his mother’s death when a giant dragon head appears outside his window. The kicker? There aren’t any lines. No one says a word until the very end.

There are so many different aspects of this production that I could comment on, so I’ll just examine a few.

There isn’t really a set per se, the pieces that make up Tommy’s world are moved around by the actors. Objects that get thrown are also moved by the actors, as well as the people when they get thrown around. On a similar note, all of the set and props pieces are incredibly detailed and intricately done. The kitchen table in the family’s kitchen has a ton of junk all over it. The fridge door has a light and several objects that are never even taken out of the fridge. Speaking as a props person, this was just beautiful.

The music is absolutely amazing. It fills up the emptiness from the lack of dialogue wonderfully well, and really puts you there with them. The recurring supernatural noises and small motifs immerse you in it so well. Add the fact that all the actors’ movements are lovingly choreographed to match it perfectly, and I’m drooling. All of the sound effects are in with it, and you just know that they rehearsed the heck out of that to get it perfect.

Then there’s the really important part. The enormous freaking dragon. Probably the main reason why I went to see this show, and you are not disappointed because it is one heck of a dragon. There are several dragon puppets, ranging from a head with a train to a full sized one with wings! They’re all different colors and seem to materialize out of the set (in some cases it literally does). Similar to the props notes above, the dragon is an amazing mechanical feat. It moves, breaths fire, and is remarkably dynamic. It is being clearly manipulated by the actors, so there isn’t any illusion here, but the puppets are remarkable enough that you probably aren’t going to care about that.

As far as the dragon as a symbol goes, I think that there’s a certain amount of ambiguity around here. If I was going to be pretentious, I would say that it’s the void Tommy’s mother left in physical form. But I’m not, so disregard that. The writer in the program even said that it’s just a dragon, and I think that’s my favorite interpretation.

I've tried to not discuss the plot so much (I mean you could also google the different stages of grief if you want a really basic summary) since it's not incredibly complicated or anything. But I think it's worth saying that everything works together so well to convey it that you don't miss the words at all. It really is a production of beauty.

Personal sidenote: Tommy is definitely asexual, I don’t even care that a girl flirts with him a little in the show, he’s got a dragon and is ace as hell and I love it. <3

This is such a well-done production, all of the different parts work together perfectly. It’s advertised in some places as a children’s show, but it really is great for all ages. The cast is amazing, the music is incredible, the set is intricate, and there’s a freaking dragon! What more could you want in a show?