Day 71: It's beginning to look a lot like…

(This is for Thursday 6 November)

…Christmas? Already?

Okay, so I guess that's not a very far-fetched idea now that it's actually almost December, but on November 6 this seemed pretty early. I was heading back towards school after work on the bus and thankfully was reading a good book because the bus took about twice as long as usual because they were putting up Christmas lights on Regent Street (or lighting them or something). When I have a good book and good music, I actually rather enjoy getting held up on the bus or tube. It gives you a chance to just slow down for a bit and not worry about things since there isn't really anything you can do to speed yourself up. This is probably opposite of how most people feel about traffic jams, but I much prefer this outlook.

Since I didn't have as much time as I'd planned when I got back to the London Centre, I headed straight out from there with a friend to walk to the Southbank Centre 's Royal Festival Hall for a concert of pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The concert was quite good, though probably more because I really enjoy Vaughan Williams than anything specific about the performance itself. Actually, it's kind of a shame because the conductor, Richard Hickox, died on November 23, and the concert we saw was the last he conducted. Perhaps his health was already in decline at that point, though.

During the intermission, we walked out on the balcony area and looked out over the Thames. The view was beautiful, and I couldn't help but think how amazing it is that I was here in London at intermission for a concert for class looking out at a city with so much history and so many people. I have honestly continued to be stunned every so often when I think about this.

Speaking of Vaughan Williams, go and listen to The Lark Ascending , one of his most well-known pieces, and definitely an English favorite.