Bob & Betty go British

Promenading

I made the exciting discovery today that it was in fact the last night of the BBC Proms. The Proms was always something that I used to watch when I was young and really had no idea what it was all about until I just read about it on the web. Turns out that it's a long standing tradition dating back to 1894. Originally it was one man's desire to educate and make music more accessible to the general public. By offering cheaper tickets to stand in the "Promenade" area of the hall, more people were able to come and listen. As the years wore on, it was taken over by the BBC and is now even available on your mobile phone.

I bought us two tickets to go to the Proms in the Park. We managed to make our way there and find a small spot on the grass with the hundreds of other people in Hyde Park. It was a very civilised crowd drinking Pimms and Champagne. We listened to all sorts of music until we got too cold to go on. We didn't count on it being as cold as it was. So we had to leave and go home early. I'm now sitting in the warmth of my lounge room watching the end of it on the TV. Shame really, but we get a better view of all the different concerts from here. I feel happy to have been part of the tradition if only for a little while.

Since we sent Juliet back to Sydney last Saturday we've been taking it a little quieter. We've booked ourselves a trip to Brussels for a weekend of 5 star luxury and a trip on the Eurostar. I'll let you know next week if there is anything else to do there except drink beer (as I've heard many people complain). We went to see some Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre on Wednesday. We went to see Titus Andronicus. I had no idea about the story but it turned out to be a rather violent tale of murder and revenge. It was very well done - lots of fake blood and suitably traumatised victims of violence. Wednesday was rather hot (the last hurrah of Summer) and with all the heat and the blood on stage there were quite a few females fainting in the audience. We were on the top teir and so had a great view of those dropping like flies. It provided an amusing distraction from the rather serious happenings on stage. A word of warning - if you are intending to go to the Globe theatre, prepare to be uncomfortable, hire a cushion and be happy that the play is entertaining enough to take your mind off the tiny hard benches that they have. I know this is all in the name of authenticity, but I do wander how some people cope (in fact a lot of the theatres in London are made for legless dwarves...).

Tomorrow we're off on a motorcycle adventure to Brighton with a whole lot of other motorcycles. No doubt tomorrow we'll be really hot after being really cold tonight.... nevermind. I'll let you know how that goes.

(Oh, and I've finished my scarf, but it's too short! I'm going to have to add some more length I think.)

posted by Elisabeth @ 10:35 PM