Dancing At Its Finest

Wednesday I went to my first Ceilidh (kay-lee) and was taught Morris dancing. Basically its a type of folk/line/square dancing and if I ever had to replicate one of the dances again I would be out of luck. However at the time, I could sort of manage the step and did an okay job at the whole affair. It actually turned out to be way more tiring than I had imagined. There was a bunch of galloping down lines of people, weaving through arms, and changing partners. Despite the lack of alcohol (which I am told is one of the main features of a traditional Ceilidh), I had an amazing time.

Seeing as how the gathering ended at a mere 10, we followed it up by hitting a couple of clubs and participating in more modern dancing until 3 or 4. 

And just so everyone knows, despite my clumsiness, I did not trip or fall over while dancing. Although to be honest, I did run into a couple of people but I was not alone in that regard.

Starting the Week Off With Heartbreak

Tuesday I went with some friends to watch a film called Call Me Kuchu , which documented the plight of LGBT activists in Uganda. It was an extremely well done documentary and I bawled my eyes out. The film focused on a few activists and the work they were doing. While the film was being shot LGBT people were being outed in magazines and legislation It was heartbreaking and I switched between crying out of anger and out of sadness. Then there would be these moments when the subjects just got be themselves and be with their friends and you just couldn't help but smiling because at least in those moments they seemed so happy. At the end my emotions were so jumbled that I gave up on trying to differentiate between them. I could seriously go on a huge rant about it all, but I am going to hold back. I just want to recommend this film to everyone. 

...Oh, and if you need a bit of a pick me up afterwards, and you will, go out and get some curry with friends. At least that worked for me. 

A Familiar Face and A Semi-Familiar Place

So last weekend I finally got to visit Elizabeth in London! It was a bit of a struggle getting down there what with the being stuck in a lift for an hour and then arriving two hours late to Victoria Station because of a wreck on the motorway, but I did make it. After that everything went fairly smoothly. Cold and sometimes wet, but definitely smooth.
As soon as I got there we headed over to her place in East London and I got to meet all of her flatmates. I tried really hard to remember all of their names, but there were a couple that just kept slipping my mind. Anyway, after some fish and chips we were all off to a club. We didn't stay out too late, but we still managed to sleep until 2 the next day.

Once we finally got our lazy selves out of bed we headed to Borough Market. Seeing as how our breakfast had consisted of a couple of Digestives, we started off by grabbing a cup of mulled wine (not a fan) and a heavenly chicken and mushroom pie. It was probably one of the most delicious things I have had in a while, but that could be because I was starving and it was a bit chilly. Still I am going to give all the credit to the actual food. Once we were feed we strolled through all the different stalls, and I must say I am a huge fan of markets. There seemed to be tons of people there, despite the weather. There was a plethora of sweets, veggies, fruit, meats (including some rabbits hung by their feet), and items I can't even remember any more. We even came across this amazing pair of musicians playing in a tunnel. If it had been a bit warmer I could have stayed and listened to them all day. However it was getting a bit late (that seems to happen sooner when you sleep 'till 2), so we grabbed some paella with chorizo. Basically it was a pretty awesome day for food.


That night we decided to take it easy, instead of clubbing we hit this bar called Brew Dog. It was pretty packed, but then we headed downstairs to this "hidden" speakeasy type basement. The bartender even made us these fancy cocktails based on what flavours we wanted. Elizabeth got this one called the Nutty Professor which basically tasted like a delicious meringue. If it hadn't of cost 8 GBP I might have gotten another.

Sunday we continued our exploration of the city by walking four miles from Elizabeth's flat to Chinatown to see the Chinese New Year celebration. We ended up missing the parade but the streets were still packed with with people wandering around the various stalls of Chinese gifts and food under strings of red paper lanterns. After all that walking and only a light breakfast of cookies we had to break for lunch at Garfunkel's before going any further. I had been wanting to eat there for a while for the simple reason that every time I see it I think of  Art Garfunkel and start singing one of his songs. For this meal the soundtrack was "Slip Sliding Away". Unfortunately the food of the day did not even come close to matching that of the previous.

After just a short break we resumed walking and headed towards Covent Gardens market. This time the drink of choice was cider, and it was definitely a better choice than the mulled wine. The market was alright, but we did get to here some talented musicians and watch a pair of guys juggle while on giant unicycles. Seeing as how I can't do either one of those skills I was extremely impressed. They also had that nice "British humor" that I am going to miss when I see street performers back home, which to be honest is basically never.  Eventually we made it to Fleet Street, but no meat pies for us here. We started to head back to the flat but not before stopping at the Sommerset house. Like most museums, once I got past the realist paintings  i was in heaven. There were just these amazing works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Manet. I actually think I found a new favorite work by Manet. It was this breathtaking unfinished piece of a woman with barely visible male figure behind her.

Al Bal by Manet

Despite how long we had already been walking we decided it would be a good idea to walk all the way back Its not like London has public transportation or anything. Actually I've grown to like walking, however, the wind, decreasing temperature, and rain made the voyage back a bit more trying. By the time we got back my jeans were soaked and the only logical plan for such a night is to put on your PJs, make some pasta, and watch a crappy/awesome TV show.

Monday it actually snowed! Nothing like I have had in Bradford, but Elizabeth was ecstatic. We rushed out to Victoria Park to enjoy it all. Elizabeth had saved this loaf of bread in order for us to feed the geese,, and this loaf was rock hard. It was a struggle to tear off pieces and in the mean time the geese swarmed us. They were a bit intimidating because some can been ridiculously mean. Despite their behavior towards each other we managed to feed them directly from our hands without losing any fingers (a legitimate concern if you ask me)  I even got to see this fantastically dangerous playground that she had been raving about. Promises were made to go back when everything wasn't covered in snow. 

 Then it was time for me to head off, this time without any hang ups. 

Moscow State Circus

A few weeks ago I went to the Moscow State Circus with my flatmates, Jasmine and Tiffany. Its been years since I've been to a circus and this one was definitely different from the ones I had experienced back home.

First off I forgot how creepy circus clowns are. I'm not sure if these particular clowns were creepier than others or I am just older, but they were pretty terrifying. The circus had an actual plot line and these two clowns were in search of an inheritance which had been hidden in one of the dinning room chairs that had just been sold in an auction. So you would have episodes of them finding the different chairs broken up by different circus acts. The circus acts were acrobatic feats involving hula hoops, jump ropes, juggling, quick changes, and the like.
At first I kind of wish I hadn't gone but after a while I warmed up to the circus and really enjoyed myself. Honestly my favorite part was just hearing how excited the kids in the audience were.