Instructions on How Baby Ducks are Made!
May 07, 2003 - 9:44 pm
Ok, I really need to start catching up, because I just had the most incredible day...and I can't write about it until I finish what I was talking about in the previous post (my next day trip to Stratford Upon Avon, and then Bart's trip to London).
Ok, Stratford. This was my third time visiting the Bard's lovely hometown. I was really tired when I got up that morning, since I'd just gotten back from Barcelona (and I didn't get much sleep). I barely made it to the train station, because the stupid Cirle Line decided to be slow. The train departed about 4 minutes after I got there. The train ride was long, but still fine. Christina, Kelly, and I talked the whole time. I sort of embarrassed myself though. I was telling them about how I'm in the demolition derby every summer. They couldn't believe that I do that. They said I didn't seem like the type. Anyways...I was trying to convey how dedicated I was to the sport, so I said "yeah, I did it last summer, only two months after I had my brain surgery." Funny thing though. I hadn't told them anything about my tumor, let alone the surgery. I really didn't mean to bring it up like that, or shock them or anything. We finally got there, and it started to rain. It actually poured all day. I was happy about it, but they didn't seem to enjoy it like I did. We decided to have lunch first thing. We were all starving. We ate at the same restaurant that Christina and I had eaten at the first time. It was SOOOOO good. Yummy pasta. After that we walked around, went to Starbucks, looked at Shakespeare's birthplace, went to some souvenir shops, went to the Holy Trinity Church, and then I bought some bread for the ducks. It was absolutely pouring, so most of the ducks were hiding. I didn't get to feed the ducks for very long. We ended up walking over to a pub called 'The Dirty Duck' for a drink and a snack. We wasted some time there talking and drying off. I was very soaked, because I hate umbrellas. Anyways, it was time for the play 'Brand' to begin. This play was the only reason we came to Stratford. I was so excited!!!
On the way to the theatre I saw the most tramatizing thing ever! There was a female duck sitting by a bench, and three male ducks were approaching it. I was going to feed them some of my remaining bread. All of a sudden the three male ducks sort of jumped on top of the female duck and started attacking her. One of the male ducks was violently pecking the female's head, pulling her feathers out. I was so appalled. I honestly thought that the males were trying to kill her. That's what it looked like. So, I started yelling and throwing bread at the males to get them to leave her alone. Christina and Kelly burst out laughing. Because the male ducks WERE NOT trying to kill the female. They were doing something entirely different. Christina told me that was how baby ducks are made. I couldn't believe that the ducks were mating!!!! It's so violent! The poor female ducks! So tramatizing!
So we took our seats in the theatre and waited for the show to begin. Ralph Fiennes was the first on stage. He was SOOO good, the play was soooo good!!! I was still really wet from the rain, so I was freezing the whole time. I can't believe I got to see Ralph Fiennes again!!! He's such a talented actor.
After the play we tried to find a coffee house that was open, but everything was closed. Luckily the train was already at the station, so we just sat down and waited for it to depart. It was so cold!!!!! Finally it left Stratford. We played a game to help the train ride go faster. We took turns quoting lines from movies we liked, while the rest of us tried to guess which movie it was from. Lots of fun! The train FINALLY arrived in London. Christina and Kelly walked me to a bus stop, where I could take a night bus back to the British Museum (which is very close to my place).
Bart was in London!!! The next morning I met him at the Starbucks across the street from the British Museum. I will talk about his stay here at another time. I'm tired of typing...
