An Old Friend and the RPO

It occurred to me today that this term is really almost over and I should probably put some more effort into learning my course material since I won't have much contact with it for the next six months or so until the final. Then I bought my eurail pass for my trip with Leanna and all motivation went bye-bye. I have a lot of fun things mixed in with school for these last few weeks and it's going to be difficult to keep the fun from completely overshadowing the work.

Last Saturday I met up with my friend Peggy in London. She is studying at the University of Greenwich this term. Back in the States we live maybe 10 minutes away from each other but for one reason or another we haven't seen each other since about when we graduated from high school some two and a half years ago. We spent some time poking around Camden Town, a marketplace just north of the city center. We also went to the British Museum and then went Christmas decoration hunting. Oxford Street has the beginning of what will be incredible decorations. While hunting for dinner we came across a Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. It was very picturesque with fairy lights, food and crafts stalls, an ice rink, and a few rides. The hour we spent wandering amongst the stalls put me in such a holiday mood I forgot that Christmas was over a month away. Hopefully Peggy can make it down to Brighton before she goes back to the States so she can see me corner of the country.

Last night I went to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The music was phenomenal. I didn't realize that the concert was a performance of choral pieces so I was surprised to see the chorus file in. I was a little skeptical about how much I'd enjoy the choral music since it was the orchestra that I really wanted to hear. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed how the two complimented each other. The hall was also awe-inspiring. It was so huge that the full-sized pipe organ actually looked small in comparison. On the way to and from the performance I saw flyers for The Nutcracker Ballet. I was really hoping I'd be able to be but closer inspection revealed that I'll be on mainland Europe when the tours come to Brighton and London. Oh well. These last few weeks before my trip will be a whirlwind without adding the Ballet into the mix.