Well this post is a little late, but Thursday the 18 of July was one of my most favorite days of this entire trip. It started with an early morning breakfast of friends who would rather be asleep, and then catching the Tube to head over to Highgate Cemetery. We arrived to the stop that we were supposed to get off an hour before our tour was scheduled to start though, so we took our time walking over to the cemetery. We were originally going to walk all the way around the city (which happened to be positioned on one of the steepest hills I have ever seen in my life) but Julie stopped and asked someone for directions, and we found a shortcut. Not only did this shortcut save us from trying to defy gravity, but it also took us though a beautiful deli and garden--but most importantly, a PLAYGROUND! There was a tire swing, a rope obstacle course thing that looked like it belonged in military training grounds, and much more! It was fantastic and everyone's inner seven year old came out to the forefront. :) After the play break, we made our way over to the cemetery entrance and met our perky tour guide. This woman knew almost everything there was to know about Charles Dickens. The tour she led us on in the cemetery taught me more about one man's life and connections than I know about any other person. It was incredibly detailed! She started this particular tour last February for Charles Dickens' Bicentenary. She led his own family on the tour and it was very successful. The cemetery itself was absolutely gorgeous. It was huge and very green.
That evening, we went to see Billy Elliot the Musical. Oh. My. Goodness. It was the story about a boy who was brought up in a family of miners. However, the town had gone on strike and the older brother and father were huge members of the community leading the strike. The father and brother also want Billy to grow up and become a boxer, but Billy's heart lies in the field of dance. His mother passes away, and his father and brother forbid him from dancing, but he still secretly dances. It was unbelievably amazing. My favorite part was when the 12 year old actor does a solo performance to the song "Electricity." His passion and his love for dance clearly poured through every moment of his body when he moved and in the end, he received a full standing ovation, 500 strong. He tried so hard to hold his end pose for as long as he could, but he broke character and let the pure, innocent look of surprise and gratitude and amazement sweep over his face. It was the most incredible look in the world, and I wanted to stand there and clap for him forever. I absolutely loved the musical, and I am so glad and so lucky I had the chance to see it.
That evening, we went to see Billy Elliot the Musical. Oh. My. Goodness. It was the story about a boy who was brought up in a family of miners. However, the town had gone on strike and the older brother and father were huge members of the community leading the strike. The father and brother also want Billy to grow up and become a boxer, but Billy's heart lies in the field of dance. His mother passes away, and his father and brother forbid him from dancing, but he still secretly dances. It was unbelievably amazing. My favorite part was when the 12 year old actor does a solo performance to the song "Electricity." His passion and his love for dance clearly poured through every moment of his body when he moved and in the end, he received a full standing ovation, 500 strong. He tried so hard to hold his end pose for as long as he could, but he broke character and let the pure, innocent look of surprise and gratitude and amazement sweep over his face. It was the most incredible look in the world, and I wanted to stand there and clap for him forever. I absolutely loved the musical, and I am so glad and so lucky I had the chance to see it.
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