(Written on the morning of 7/10/15)

Obligatory double decker shot.

Writing to you now from the Heathrow Airport Central Bus Station with two hours to go before a catch the bus to Bath.

I had thought I would have time to write a bit more after my last post, but planning the specifics of this month abroad has taken up most of my free writing time. Now, however, after many hours of travel that began rather stressfully (I thought my flight left from JFK so I went there, but – oops! – it was flying out of Laguardia! God bless the NYC taxi drivers!), I have arrived. And I’m pretty much rested and relaxed.

So. I’ve got a little writing time…

Here are some of my goals for this trip.  (Yes, I have trip goals — I’m that fussy… — and you can expect blog posts related to them.)

Welcome to England…

1) First and foremost, dedicating the next three weeks of my life to Shakespeare. Learning his secrets and the secrets of the teaching artists who know how to make his works more accessible to young people. The tentative schedule for the Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance programme* is wonderfully intense – I can’t wait to see the final version in a few days.

Even so, there is a bit of free time, during which I plan to:

2) Make a few literary pilgrimage stops at places relating to Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, Dickens and others. And a bit of historical Nelson/Wellington pilgrimaging, too.

3) Pay homage to my London forebears, both common and royal, especially the Plantagenets.

4) Visit some of the world renowned arts institutions that I’ve somehow never seen: attend a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall; finally make it to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery (and not just give them a passing nod as we walk through Trafalgar Square.)

5) Make a day trip to Canterbury and Dover.

6) And before I do any of this, visit my home-away-from-home, Bath. Which is what I’m about to do right now, just as soon as this bus gets here.

Should all be possible, right? Stay tuned!

*I’m never quite sure when to go British or American with spelling as it often feels a bit precious, but since this program is a British one, I figure it’s fair to refer to it as programme without looking like I’m putting on airs.

…you’ve gotta bring your own sun.