Potter Mania

I would assume the title speaks for itself, but I shall expound for the sake of Potter fans on this subject of Potter Mania, and believe me it was quite mental, because as most people recall, July 12th was the release of the fifth Harry Potter film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and July 21st was the highly anticipated release of the seventh, and last book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" allowing me to witness Londoners on a Potter high in the middle of July. Of course, that's not to say I'm not a Potter fan, but living in Islington and traveling nearly every day to the famous King's Cross Station, where the magical students of J.K. Rowling's series board the Hogwart's Express at platform 9 and 3/4, forces even the least of fans to overdose on Harry Potter. However, that being said, as a fan I did join in on the fun and was front row and center to watch the film (which I enjoyed quite nicely at the VUE) as well as joined in on the celebrations the eve of July 21st (the day I left for India) at King's Cross and commemorated the release of the new book with Danielle Radcliffe wanna-be's and magicians galore at WHSmith. So, without further ado, here are several pics of all those great Harry Potter moments:

The Art of Gardens

If there is one thing the English simply love, love, and absolutely love...it's their gardens. The amount of times that I've heard "I was in my garden when..." is beyond me. So,whether it's Kensington Gardens, or just a small lot along the side of the street, a garden is quite precious to a Brit. Regent's Park was above all my favorite green space that I went to in London. One Sunday morning in mid-July, Johanna, Christi, and I were finally showered with sunshine and thought it was a golden opportunity for a picnic out in the park. We took wine, crackers, the unforgettable Brie cheese from the market, as well as some other delicious snacks with us and headed out for a relaxing day.
Though we had the best intentions to spend a long day at the park, we had actually left later than desired only to realize we had to stop by to get some travel passes not to mention I had forgotten the direct route to the Park (I had been once before and thought I knew the closest way). So, an hour of our afternoon was cut short as we circled around for a spot on the grass. Eventually, we found a beautiful spot amongst the roses, indulged in the food and wine, and glared at the sky. A couple of us even dozed off, but soon after we started to make our way out (we had plans for the evening that couldn't wait) a group of women from Qatar set up camp near the tree next to us. There were at least 8 women, children, and one servant with them handing out food and drinks. While we weren't the only ones nearby them, they were extremely friendly neighbors and shared some cake and tea with us as if were were one of their own. The girls and I were overall touched and grateful for such a beautifully pleasant afternoon and, for me, it was a day that remains to be one of my favorites in London.

The Wicked World of West End

Ah, yes, what would London be without West End theatre-the British equivalent of Broadway. For me, it was quite nice to be a part of a thriving theater community both through work as an intern in International Theatre and Music, Ltd (IT&M), an agency representing West End artistes, and outside of work such as attending a free West End concert taking place at Leceister Square one Sunday afternoon or watching a show (which I'll describe in detail later on). Now, one could argue that Broadway has a similar feel, but I do believe an outing to the theatre was more delighted upon by a Brit than by an average American. The strongest evidence being the fact that "Any Dream Will Do," a show similar to American Idol where the top contestent wins the role of Joseph in the show "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on West End, was a major hit and that Lee Mead, the winner, was an overnight sensation in England (side note: this bloke was IT&M's client--so I heard plenty about him during my seven weeks and moreover, even spoke to him on the phone once--nice chap).

Anyway, whilst in London, there were several shows to see from Lord of the Rings (which had just opened in the summer) to Mary Poppins (a role that was, according to my officemates, begrudingly given to an American). Though I would have loved to see all of them my pocket book was decreasing in size by the minute so I only went to one called "Wicked" which, to my knowledge, was a show that first hit Broadway and made its way over to the West End. Lucky for us, Johanna and I found reasonably priced seats and quickly took the opportunity to go see the show on a Thursday night. We arrived at Apollo Victoria just minutes before the doors were closing, however, and leapt to our seats. I was quite suprised to see that the house was packed even though the show had been running on West End for awhile. Moreover, though we were far up and could barely see the performers on stage and despite the fact that the lead male role was played by an average understudy, Johanna and I had a fabulous time.

Better yet, what was the most interesting West End experience for me, was the chance of learning about a community theatre called "Unicorn Theatre" after speaking to my officemate Lina about my love for arts education.

Set in the always lovely London Bridge area of Central London along the Thames River, the Unicorn Theatre holds shows for the entire family, but with the priority being the youth. So, I was quite thrilled when Lina invited me to attend a feedback session with the Art Director of the theatre and I was given complimentary tickets (thanks to Lina again) to see a show there. The truth is, I was so in love with this theatre that I tried to find a job there as an intern or a volunteer, but unlucky for me, there weren't any vacancies. Though there were some job openings, I realized that I would have better chances working first in a theater in the U.S. and then perhaps making my way over to Unicorn.

Word of the day: wicked-an adjective-meaning cool or interesting