photo by Atsuko

Shakespear's Globe Theatre is along the River Thames. The original theatre was built in 1599 but was burned down in 1613. Recently, it has been restored to its former glory.
The original theatre was faithfully recreated by using the exact same materials. Therefore, you can feel the atmosphere of the age in which Shakespeare lived. The theatre doesn't have a roof ; it is an open air theatre. When I took a guided tour, the tour guide said that people in those days smelled bad, because they didn't bathe regularly, instead, they perfumed their body. Therefore, when a play was presented, all the windows were opened. However, now, there is heavy traffic on the streets, so every window is closed when a play is in progress. If you take a guided tour, the tour guide will explain you a lot of interesting things to you. It is very informative.
They say that plays are performed from May to September. When I visited there a few years ago, a play written by Shakespear was performed. I didn't know the play, so I didn't see it. Don't you think that it is difficult for a nonnative speaker to understand Shakespeare's play in English if he or she doesn't know the story at all? However, I want to see some comedy such as "A Midsummers nights Dream" or "The twelfth night" in the near future.
　

Middle : You can see the stage and the seats for the audience ; Right : the the ceiling above the stage

The Tate Modern is a short walk from Shakespear's Globe Theatre. This building was originally used as a thermal power plant. In 2000, it was refurbished and opened as an annex of the Tate Gallery which is in Pimlico. A lot of modern art is displayed, for example, Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Warhol and so on.

You can see St Pauls on the opposite side of the River Thames from the Tate Modern. Prince Charles and the late Princes Dianna got married in St Pauls. The Millemium Bridge was made to connect the Tate Modern and St Pauls. However, this bridge was closed when I visited two years ago, because of some structural defects--actually it was not very stable when people walked across it, so was dangerous. When I visited again this year, I could walk on the bridge. According to John, who often visits my homepage, the bridge reopened on 22th Februay after having undergone repairs. They say that the cost was five million pounds!

(2002.6.29)

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Trip to England

I really love London!