Night on the Thames

Tonight we took a ride on the London Eye.  Our entire class fit inside one capsule on this gigantic Ferris wheel, and there was still plenty of room to walk around.  When at the top, you can see for 25 miles.  It was fun.

Afterwards we strolled up the Thames, where lots of street performers were doing all kinds of interesting things.  A classmate pointed out a statue that was really a person.  I never would have guessed.  Later we saw another one.  Our destination was the Globe Theatre.  This is the third incarnation of the building, and it opened in 1997.  The theatre is a meticulous recreation of the 1599 theatre, which burned, and its 1614 replacement which was demolished in 1644,  When you are in it, it is easy to feel like you are back in Shakespeare's time.  We saw A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I have seen the play before, but this was somehow different.  The mainly British audience really enjoys Shakespeare and were laughing and totally engaged in the play.  The people who stand in an area next to the stage and under the open roof are called "groundlings." 

After the play, we practiced night photography from the Millennium Bridge.  My camera has a night setting, and we also used little tripods to keep our cameras still during the slower shutter speed.  Can you see St. Paul's Cathedral?

Check back tomorrow to hear about my visit to the Sherlock Holmes Museum!