I finished my thesis last September, got my final results in December, but it wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago that it all became official. City University (finally!) held its graduation ceremony on May 21 at Southwark Cathedral, along the South Bank (right down from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre!). Speaking of Shakespeare, my department awarded an honorary doctorate of arts to Shakespearean actor Simon Russell Beale, who gave a great speech. It also felt very Harry Potter-like as we marched up the cathedral in our gowns and hoods. From Harry Potter to "Hail to the Redskins," I was tempted to burst into song as our hoods were in burgundy and gold!Mom, Kait and our family friend Deb came over to help me celebrate and we had a wonderful time in London. Of course with this family, you know there must be theatre and indeed we took in two good, wildly different shows. The first was the Dylan Thomas piece “Under Milkwood” at my old employer the Tricycle Theatre. A sweet story of a small town in Wales, it had beautiful writing and wonderful performances. The second show also had a Tricycle connection – “The 39 Steps,” which started at Trike and moved to the West End, and then Broadway (where it’s up for some Tony Awards tonight!) A hilarious slapstick spoof of the early Hitchcock film, it was one of the most creative shows I’ve seen! A boat trip to Greenwich was also on the menu, as was a fun post-graduation dinner with my flatmate and his family at a great Dim Sum restaurant in the shadow of Tower Bridge. We topped off the night by watching a very exciting Champions League Football Final in which Manchester United squeaked by Chelsea! Hurray! (Well, I don't love Man U, I'm an Arsenal girl, so as such, I hate Chelsea!)
It was then off to the Emerald Isle, which began with a quick trip to Dublin where we stayed in the fabulous Shelbourne Hotel on St. Stephen's Green. While Kait and Deb partook of the festivities of Temple Bar, Mom and I headed to the Abbey Theatre to see "The Seafarer." Three words "A-ma-zing!" It too is now in NYC and up for some Tonys and I hope it wins them all. Beautiful writing, moving story and incredible performances - it was even more affecting to see its premiere in its hometown/country.
Speaking of the country - we then headed out to County Kilkenny, staying in the most beautiful B&B - Ballyogan House. Nestled along the Barrow river, in the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, I can't recommend this place highly enough. The owners, Fran and Robert Durie, could not be more friendly and helpful and the breakfasts were beyond delicious. As there's a quasi-working farm out back, our eggs were especially fresh! Pics of graduation and Ballyogan are online. More stories and pics of the trip are in the two posts below...
