high'lights' in london.

i'm clearly avoiding writing any post that has to do with our kenya trip. i have so many pictures that the idea of writing those posts is so overwhelming!

so, here's yet another post that's not on kenya!

in january, i headed to the job fair in london.

while there, i made sure to find the time to do some activities away from the fair.

#bestdecisionever

i found a light festival that was happening around the city and hoped to run into a few of the different installations- and i did!

here's some pics of what i saw!

my friend angela joined me in london for part of the weekend since we had scored hamilton tickets only a few weeks prior.

it. was. amazing.

four months later, i'm still listening to the soundtrack.

the london cast just took home a bunch of olivier awards and performed the opening number from the musical. check it out below! while i haven't seen the show in other cities, i still give two thumbs up to the london cast!

lastly, we checked out the balenciaga exhibition at the victoria & albert museum.

as noted on the museum's website,

"This exhibition examined the work and legacy of influential Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga, with over 100 pieces crafted by ‘the master’ of couture, his protégées and contemporary fashion designers working in the same innovative tradition."

i loved seeing the history behind some of the most famous balenciaga dresses and learning more about the prints, fabrics, and inspirations.

from 1960

you could see sketches, along with fabric swatches, and then the final dress.

and they also had x-rayed dresses to allow you to see the boning work done within a dress.

you could try an origami technique closely related to one of balenciaga's coats.

it was really a beautiful exhibition. i would tell you to go, but it ended in february.

i stayed here because it was near the job fair. pretty nice hotel at a fair price for london.

i've always enjoyed my time in london. it's such a great, vibrant city. there's so much to do, see and experience. what are your favorite things to do in london? please share!

Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple!

While I was in the US this summer, I made plans to go to New York City, visit Caitlin and try out my first yoga retreat.

Unfortunately, the yoga retreat was cancelled about a week before it was due to start.

#insertsadface

Thankfully, Caitlin's family lives on Long Island and was willing to put up with me as a guest for a few extra days.

Caitlin and I spent some time on Long Island and some time in NYC and spent a day tooling around the Hamptons.

#fancy

The water was freezing!

I took a stroll through Central Park. 

I went to see Wicked for the 5th? 6th? 7th? time.
I've lost count. 

This bagel was amazing.
I wish I could have it again NOW!

Walked the Highline.

Visited the 9/11 memorial. 

View from the Empire State building. 

Had my first ever Chipotle experience.
#yum

Walked the Brooklyn Bridge in some brutal heat. 

Had New York/Italian style pizza at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn.

Saw Finding Neverland on Broadway.
#thekidswereamazing
#nomatthewmorrison #sadface

The Hamptons! 

Special thanks to the Munson's for having me throughout the week! It was such a pleasure to meet you! And especially to Caitlin to playing tourist with me in her home state!

Thanksgiving in London, 2014

When planning for our short Thanksgiving break this year, I decided to head to London. I hadn't been in about a year and a half and I simply love the city. Elizabeth, who was my travel buddy in Iceland this summer, offered to let me stay with her now that she's living in a London suburb.

the only cityscape picture I took

I had a few things I wanted to do while in London, including catching at least one musical...and resisting the urge to see Wicked for the 7th time. So, instead, I bought a ticket to The Book of Mormon, which I've always heard is fantastic. It definitely lived up to the hype. It was so good, extremely clever,  hysterically funny, and a little raunchy. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Currently, the two leads are both American and one trained at CCM, which is in my hometown of Cincinnati.

I also took time to venture out of the city to the Warner Brothers Studios where they've set up The World of Harry Potter. A lot of filming was completed in the studios here and they have piles of costumes and sets for you to look at first hand. You can walk down Diagon Alley, drink Butterbeer, and green screen yourself flying on a broomstick around Hogwarts. I really liked the green screen technology they showed, comparing the green screen version to the film version we're used to seeing. They also have the masks and costumes for all the creatures, like the Gringotts goblins and it was really cool to be able to see the masks and listen to the costume and makeup artists talk about their work on a television screen hanging above.

Dumbledore's costume on display in the Great Hall

Right now, everything is themed as "Hogwarts in the Snow", with winter and holiday decorations.

Costumes and props from the Yule Ball

Wigs for Bellatrix Lestrange and Dumbledore

Identical outfits for Harry, labeled with where and when they were needed

the green screen version of the Invisibility Cloak

one of only three places in the world to try butterbeer...

Several of the goblin masks

Hogwarts- this is the model used for all the exterior castle shots

Having lived in Europe for over three years now (how is this possible?) I have developed a few friends in various places and London is home to several of them. I met up with a friend from Milan for coffee, two former ASM teachers for dinner and drinks, and a group of ADEs (Apple Distinguished Educators) who I met in Cork, Ireland in 2013.

catching up with Zach and Elisa

Graeme, Marc and Lauren and I met in Ireland in 2013

It's hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner. Eight work days to go and I'll be on a plane 'across the pond.' Can't wait to see all my Savannah friends! 

Are you a Harry Potter fan? You should check out the studios next time you're in London. You can book tickets in advance (a must) on the site linked above and book a convenient, but expensive, bus ride there as well at this link.

You can see the rest of my pics from my day with Harry here.