![\"31309488710_9e497b7acf_k\"](\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/is\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2016\/12\/31309488710_9e497b7acf_k.jpg\")
<\/a>scooted us past all the crowns of England in order\u2014each of them imprisoned in their own glass box with small lights hitting their enormous jewels in all of the right places\u2014diamonds and rubies and sapphires, all larger than your eyes. London is soft on the eyes, by the way, often a hazy grey.<\/p>\nThe only morning we ran into rain was when we went to Oxford. Despite the rain, this was a thrilling day for me because we got to eat lunch at the Eagle and Child, where I saw the room that the Inklings, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis\u2019 writing club, used to meet! Another thrill for the nerdier portion of our group was seeing Ian McKellen (Gandalf in Lord of the Rings<\/em>), Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard in Star Trek) <\/em>and Owen Teale (Ser Allister Thorne in Game of Thrones) <\/em>at a performance of No Man\u2019s Land <\/em>in London\u2019s West End. This was a special performance for everyone because it was the first play since Vienna that was actually in English! We saw four performances in Prague, all of them in Czech, which we enjoyed because of their visual complexity\u2014whether it was actors floating between stage and screen, puppets and books reenacting the Holocaust, or actors dancing around in bear costumes and traditional garb. In both Prague and London, we had the chance to see Shakespeare on stage, which was wonderful! Both performances were largely modernized in terms of set, costumes, and dramatic interpretation, but the language in London was still undeniably Elizabethan. While in London, we also visited a Renaissance style indoor theatre, a small venue built out of English oak and lit only by beeswax candles. I must admit, I got a bit nervous when the actors were dancing around the flaming candelabras.<\/p>\n If you think about it, the cross-cultural experience is a lot like dancing around chandeliers on a dark stage\u2014beautiful, exhilarating, but often downright nerve-wracking. But worth it? Worth almost catching your skirts on fire? Well, I\u2019ve done the dance and most of the beeswax tapers are still burning. So I think, yes. Yes. I\u2019d dance that dance again.<\/p>\n Until next time, lovely Europe. Adieu.<\/p>\n -Kaitlin Abrahams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" December 11, 2016 When I arrived in London\u2019s Heathrow Airport, I experienced one of the most significant culture shocks of the trip. I went to the cashier, prepared to pay for my salad and smoothie, he spoke to me, and I, having no idea what he said, froze in confusion. Now this confused freezing was … Continue reading Dancing around chandeliers and the familiar<\/span>