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Saturday, August 3, 2013
Home Again, Home Again (Photobook)
It's hard to believe almost a full week has passed since I left London. Here's the photobook I created to help me remember this amazing journey in the years to come. Thank you all for making this such a memorable experience!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Last Day & Reflections From Home
Yesterday was well and truly my last day in London. As I write this I still can't believe it. I woke up in my own bed at 7 this morning feeling like I needed to get ready to set out for the day. I guess this is a good sign of getting to work early tomorrow but I could use the rest after staying awake 24 hours.
I'll admit, I really don't like traveling by myself. There's always a concern that I'll get lost or I'll get harried when I walk down the street alone. There is something about London though that makes me feel confident and yesterday I did quite a bit of traveling on my own. It all began at the Charles Dickens Museum, which is just down the street from the Great Ormond Street Hospital that received the rights to Peter Pan from J.M. Barrie. I expected a ridiculous queue outside but found none when I arrived.
The museum is situated in the only home owned by Charles Dickens and where he wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. It's a modestly sized home, especially considering it housed Dickens, his wife, his sister-in-law, Dickens' brother, 3 children, and servants. It's filled with many priceless portraits, letters, books, and furniture used by Dickens and his family. I learned so much and the staff were fantastic about introducing me to the house and the special things it contained, including Dickens' writing desk.
After the the CDM I revisited the British Museum. I took a slower pace this time and explored the areas I hadn't seen the first time around, including the Chinese, Indian, and Americas areas. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to visit the Pompeii special exhibit but I did get to go up close to the Rosetta Stone this time and I saw one of the Easter Island heads.
After that it was time to leave. Adding to my list of firsts was my first time hailing a taxi and my first time buying a train ticket. All went smoothly and I arrived at Heathrow three house before my flight (amazing since I set out a half an hour later than I intended)! I had about an hour before my gate was called so I explored Heathrow a little. Look what I found:
If I had been leaving a few days later, I would have actually seen a Cyberman walking around. What a great way to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary!
It was a full day but that didn't make leaving any easier. I loved London. It's a city that runs at a slower pace and where people are generally polite. Mass transportation is almost always available and it's generally clean as well. When I think of cities, it's usually the opposite of all the things I just listed. London is a city that makes you feel confident and safe and I certainly never expected to feel that. If you asked me before I left if I would ever consider living in a city I would probably have told you no but London has definitely made me think differently. It's a beautiful and quirky city and hard not to love. But it's not just London I fell in love with. It's Cardiff, Oxford, and small towns. Really, I fell in love with the UK.
London, I'll miss you. Classmates, I'll miss you. It's not goodbye forever though. We'll see each other soon. Until then...
I'll admit, I really don't like traveling by myself. There's always a concern that I'll get lost or I'll get harried when I walk down the street alone. There is something about London though that makes me feel confident and yesterday I did quite a bit of traveling on my own. It all began at the Charles Dickens Museum, which is just down the street from the Great Ormond Street Hospital that received the rights to Peter Pan from J.M. Barrie. I expected a ridiculous queue outside but found none when I arrived.
The museum is situated in the only home owned by Charles Dickens and where he wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. It's a modestly sized home, especially considering it housed Dickens, his wife, his sister-in-law, Dickens' brother, 3 children, and servants. It's filled with many priceless portraits, letters, books, and furniture used by Dickens and his family. I learned so much and the staff were fantastic about introducing me to the house and the special things it contained, including Dickens' writing desk.
After the the CDM I revisited the British Museum. I took a slower pace this time and explored the areas I hadn't seen the first time around, including the Chinese, Indian, and Americas areas. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to visit the Pompeii special exhibit but I did get to go up close to the Rosetta Stone this time and I saw one of the Easter Island heads.
After that it was time to leave. Adding to my list of firsts was my first time hailing a taxi and my first time buying a train ticket. All went smoothly and I arrived at Heathrow three house before my flight (amazing since I set out a half an hour later than I intended)! I had about an hour before my gate was called so I explored Heathrow a little. Look what I found:
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| 1963 Dalek |
It was a full day but that didn't make leaving any easier. I loved London. It's a city that runs at a slower pace and where people are generally polite. Mass transportation is almost always available and it's generally clean as well. When I think of cities, it's usually the opposite of all the things I just listed. London is a city that makes you feel confident and safe and I certainly never expected to feel that. If you asked me before I left if I would ever consider living in a city I would probably have told you no but London has definitely made me think differently. It's a beautiful and quirky city and hard not to love. But it's not just London I fell in love with. It's Cardiff, Oxford, and small towns. Really, I fell in love with the UK.
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| Historic Trafalgar Square with a Giant Rooster |
London, I'll miss you. Classmates, I'll miss you. It's not goodbye forever though. We'll see each other soon. Until then...
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Farewell, London!
Okay, so it's not really my last day but it is the last day I'll be here with my classmates and the last day I'll be at the Study Centre. Our waiter at the Hard Rock Cafe (where we had lunch) asked us how long we had been here and when we answered three weeks he was amazed. It's amazing to me too how quickly the time has passed. Three weeks really is a lot, I know, but it doesn't feel like it. I've really grown to love this city and, as much as I miss home, hate to leave it.
For our last day of class we visited Buckingham Palace. With all the palaces and castles I've seen this trip I wasn't expecting it to be anything different. I was pleasantly surprised though. The rooms are, granted, grand but they also are beautifully situated. A nice breeze came through many of the rooms and several overlooked the lovely lawns and ponds outside. My favorite room was the music room. Apparently it is the room where people are often received by the queen and it's beautiful. It has much of the grandeur of the other rooms but it's open and has floor to ceiling windows. The portrait galleries were also wonderful. Unlike many of the other galleries we've seen, the ceiling is made up of windows, giving you plenty of light to admire the paintings. The state rooms had exhibits on the theme of Queen Elizabeth's coronation and we got to see the jewels and dresses she and those participating in the event wore. It was amazing! The detailed embroidery work in gold, silver, and silk on each dress was amazing and the diamonds in the queen's dress have to be seen to be believed. As you may have guessed, photography was prohibited but I was able to get a few shots from outside.
We timed our exit from the palace well for we also saw some of the changing of the guard.
After that it was lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, the first Hard Rock created, and some goodbyes. It's so hard to believe that in less than 24 hours I will be homeward bound. Classmates...London...I miss you already!
For our last day of class we visited Buckingham Palace. With all the palaces and castles I've seen this trip I wasn't expecting it to be anything different. I was pleasantly surprised though. The rooms are, granted, grand but they also are beautifully situated. A nice breeze came through many of the rooms and several overlooked the lovely lawns and ponds outside. My favorite room was the music room. Apparently it is the room where people are often received by the queen and it's beautiful. It has much of the grandeur of the other rooms but it's open and has floor to ceiling windows. The portrait galleries were also wonderful. Unlike many of the other galleries we've seen, the ceiling is made up of windows, giving you plenty of light to admire the paintings. The state rooms had exhibits on the theme of Queen Elizabeth's coronation and we got to see the jewels and dresses she and those participating in the event wore. It was amazing! The detailed embroidery work in gold, silver, and silk on each dress was amazing and the diamonds in the queen's dress have to be seen to be believed. As you may have guessed, photography was prohibited but I was able to get a few shots from outside.
We timed our exit from the palace well for we also saw some of the changing of the guard.
After that it was lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, the first Hard Rock created, and some goodbyes. It's so hard to believe that in less than 24 hours I will be homeward bound. Classmates...London...I miss you already!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Shakespeare Revisited: The Globe Part II
If you couldn't tell, I was enamored with the Globe yesterday. The theatre, the acting, the play, the period clothing. Heavenly! So when Nicole told me she had an extra ticket for Macbeth, my favorite Shakespeare tragedy, I couldn't turn it down! We were in the standing portion of the theatre this time and purposely situated ourselves as close to the stage and one of the stage staircases as possible. Given our experience last night, we knew that this was a great place to be as the actors use the stairs during the production and boy am I glad we did.
The play was featuring Billy Boyd as Banquo, Macbeth's friend and fellow general. You may know Billy as the hobbit Pippin from the Lord of the Rings films. He was amazing, as were the other cast, and he passed us several times. This means that I have now stood less than a foot away from both Russell Tovey and Billy Boyd. How surreal is that?!
Once again, we were treated to great acting performances as well as dancing and singing (it's amazing how multi-talented these actors are). Surprisingly, there was a lot more humor than I'm used to seeing in Macbeth. Some of it was the way certain lines were presented but other times it was hard to identify what exactly people were laughing at. For instance, in the scene where Macbeth starts seeing the (imaginary) daggers in front of him, he looked around the crowd pondering before seeing the daggers. He must have made eye contact with people because there was quite a bit of laughing before he jumped into the dagger scene. It wasn't distracting really just a little weird. I have to say it's really neat when the actors make eye contact with you though as they'll try to engage you while staying in character and respond to your response. That's great acting to be able to do that while staying in character. It would be incredibly easy to lose character with so big an audience around you.
In addition to the amazing play we ran into a couple of Americans today at the theatre and had a great conversation with them. They had just finished visiting Denmark and were taking in Doctor Who and various theatre experiences in the London area. It turns out there is a large Doctor Who shop around here that might be worth checking out and we had an interesting conversation about cabarets in the area. Love getting to compare notes with other travelers :)
Thank you to the two awesome ladies who made it all possible today. I'm really grateful!
The play was featuring Billy Boyd as Banquo, Macbeth's friend and fellow general. You may know Billy as the hobbit Pippin from the Lord of the Rings films. He was amazing, as were the other cast, and he passed us several times. This means that I have now stood less than a foot away from both Russell Tovey and Billy Boyd. How surreal is that?!
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| The stage after Banquo's ghost shows up to dinner |
Once again, we were treated to great acting performances as well as dancing and singing (it's amazing how multi-talented these actors are). Surprisingly, there was a lot more humor than I'm used to seeing in Macbeth. Some of it was the way certain lines were presented but other times it was hard to identify what exactly people were laughing at. For instance, in the scene where Macbeth starts seeing the (imaginary) daggers in front of him, he looked around the crowd pondering before seeing the daggers. He must have made eye contact with people because there was quite a bit of laughing before he jumped into the dagger scene. It wasn't distracting really just a little weird. I have to say it's really neat when the actors make eye contact with you though as they'll try to engage you while staying in character and respond to your response. That's great acting to be able to do that while staying in character. It would be incredibly easy to lose character with so big an audience around you.
In addition to the amazing play we ran into a couple of Americans today at the theatre and had a great conversation with them. They had just finished visiting Denmark and were taking in Doctor Who and various theatre experiences in the London area. It turns out there is a large Doctor Who shop around here that might be worth checking out and we had an interesting conversation about cabarets in the area. Love getting to compare notes with other travelers :)
Thank you to the two awesome ladies who made it all possible today. I'm really grateful!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Nighttime at the Globe and Other Wanderings
Please excuse the lateness of this post. The internet has been in and out most of the day.
As you may know, I’m a big Sherlock Holmes fan. I grew up with Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock and have been hooked ever since. Thus I was excited to visit Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. We’ve passed by Baker Street many times but this was the first chance we had to go when the museum opened and there wasn’t a giant line (or queue as they say here).
We arrived early and were surprised when the museum opened over 15 minutes late and we saw half the staff locked out. I guess that and the lack-luster website should have been a clue as to what I’d see. I should say that I did enjoy the museum but I came in with the misconception that this was more a Arthur Conan Doyle museum than the fictional Sherlock museum it actually is. The museum is filled with "artifacts" from Sherlock's cases, which is cool to see as a reader.
The first floor contains Sherlock's bedroom and the living room. Some of the things there included Watson's medical bag (see picture above) and Sherlock's violin and hat. The next floor contains things from their various cases like the golden pince nez, the gun from the Solitary Cyclist, a picture of the Baker Street Irregulars, etc.
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| Baker Street Irregulars |
The third floor was admittedly odd. It contained wax figures from various cases. Pictures will explain this section better than words.
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| Moriarty |
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| The uncle from one of my favorite stories, The Adventure of the Speckled Band |
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| The hound of Hound of the Baskervilles |
So yes, it was gimmicky but it was fun too. They had people around wearing period clothing who were great about explaining various parts of the rooms. One woman mentioned, for instance, that a silver tea pot was recently added to the collection per its reference in Hound of the Baskervilles and the staff certainly knew their Holmes adventures.
Later that evening, we had our class adventures. We started by visiting the London Eye, which gives you a Ferris wheel view except it travels at a super slow speed.
The views were absolutely spectacular. The Eye is right across the street/river from Parliament, Westminster, and the National Theatre and you can really see a view of almost the entire city.
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| Big Ben with Westminster Abbey in the back |
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| View of London (The dome belongs to St. Paul's Cathedral) |
After our awesome adventure on the Eye, we walked over to the Globe for a viewing of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While not the original Globe, which was destroyed by fire in the 1600s, the new globe resembles it.
The play was simply amazing! The actors make such great use of the space and seem to feed off the energy of the crowd. They don't limit themselves to a one-dimensional stage but would climb the pillars and run out into the crowd. They would also lean out into the crowd from the stage and even direct some of their lines to the people standing below. So utterly amazing. London, you're going to make me into a theatre fiend!
Another thing that I loved was that they stayed true to form. Certainly the actors were allowed to make their own interpretations and it was interesting to see an awkward Puck and a manly Oberon, but they still wore Elizabethan costumes. The part that really amazed me though was that I could see how the play was shaped for an audience of the day. There was ensemble dancing, singing, humor, tragedy, and romance. It really had something for everyone. Loved, loved, loved this. If you ever have the chance to visit the Globe do!
Next, we did some nighttime photography. The Globe is along the Thames and there were beautiful lights from the buildings and bridges. My camera handled the shots wonderfully both automatically and with fiddling with the ISO and using a tripod. Here are a couple of my shots:
Victoria & Albert (Digital Story)
Victoria & Albert's names are prolific in London. Let's learn more about the royal couple...
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Harry Potter Studio Tour
Many of the trips we've taken on our English journey have had connections to Harry Potter (such as the dining hall in Christ Church or Kings Cross/St. Pancras) but it's today's trip that has the most direct connection. Today we toured WB's Harry Potter studios.
Much like the Doctor Who Experience the studio tour is about the magic behind the scenes. It has props, costumes, and sets galore and gives visitors the chance to partake in interactive experiences (such as wizard dueling and broom riding). I've been a huge Harry Potter fan since I read the Prisoner of Azkaban back in high school (I was late to the party) and it was such a treat to experience the books and films in this way. Admittedly, one of my favorite props today was the Marauder's Map. Yes, I know it doesn't move but it was still awesome!
The studio had some of the original film sets as well. One of my favorite's was Dumbledore's office. You actually had the opportunity to step into the office and be surrounded by part of the set so you really felt like you were a part of the scene.
Dumbledore's office even had the sorting hat sitting on a shelf!
The level of detail on all the props and sets was astonishing! You could never quite see this much detail in the films. Dumbledore's office, for instance, was full of potion bottles, portraits, and mechanical doodads. They even build a huge model of Hogwarts and the grounds for use in the films. The model has lighting that changes for different times of the day and little lights in Hogwarts go on at night.
Pigwidgeon personally loved all the owls.
I loved seeing the reactions from children as they shared the experience with their families. Their eyes lit up and they became so excited when they'd see a set or a prop they recognized. Watching some children practicing wizard dueling today was absolutely amazing. It looks like they had the choreographer in earlier than expected (they are bringing him in beginning on Friday) and they got personal instruction on what to do. A few of us tried our hands at it too but without the instructor and it was so fun.
Another fantastic day for literature and film lovers alike!
Much like the Doctor Who Experience the studio tour is about the magic behind the scenes. It has props, costumes, and sets galore and gives visitors the chance to partake in interactive experiences (such as wizard dueling and broom riding). I've been a huge Harry Potter fan since I read the Prisoner of Azkaban back in high school (I was late to the party) and it was such a treat to experience the books and films in this way. Admittedly, one of my favorite props today was the Marauder's Map. Yes, I know it doesn't move but it was still awesome!
The studio had some of the original film sets as well. One of my favorite's was Dumbledore's office. You actually had the opportunity to step into the office and be surrounded by part of the set so you really felt like you were a part of the scene.
Dumbledore's office even had the sorting hat sitting on a shelf!
The level of detail on all the props and sets was astonishing! You could never quite see this much detail in the films. Dumbledore's office, for instance, was full of potion bottles, portraits, and mechanical doodads. They even build a huge model of Hogwarts and the grounds for use in the films. The model has lighting that changes for different times of the day and little lights in Hogwarts go on at night.
Pigwidgeon personally loved all the owls.
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| Owl Emporium |
Another fantastic day for literature and film lovers alike!
Welcome to Our Corner of London (Digital Video)
A brief video introduction/survival guide for our corner of London done with my fabulous video group. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Family & Tea
The rain this morning prevented us from exploring Kensington Gardens but this afternoon we did get the chance to visit Kensington Palace.
The palace is currently home to the William and Kate, William's brother Harry, and others of the royal family. Part of the residence is open to the public and this is what we saw today. Out of all the museums we've seen, this has been one of my favorites to explore. The residence has a long history and has been home to, among others, Queen Victoria and the monarchs William and Mary. This was such an interactive musuem. While there were certainly objects behind glass it was all about the sensory experience. William and Mary's exhibit was probably one of my favorites. If you sat on a window seat you could hear court gossip and the displays themselves...simply beautiful.
Some of the exhibits even allowed you to walk through recreated rooms. In the picture below, for instance, you could explore the study from all angles. You could touch the exhibits, examine the bookcases, explore period costumes from all angles, and read letters left on writing desks. Some sections of the palace even had a booklet with a choose your own adventure for using courtly manners to meet the king. How cool!
The museum also showcases some of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana's dresses. Besides the beauty of the dresses, I appreciated the discussion on what goes into decisions about royal fashion such as color choices and the style of cut.
One of my favorite parts of the museum though was the section dedicated to Victoria and Albert. Talk about a deep rooted love. The walls were filled with loving words from the two both to each other and about each other. Victoria never expected to become queen and Albert was such a support to her. Besides that he was a great supporter of the arts and as you walked through the exhibit you could listen to music he and Victoria played together (even a song he wrote for her) and view his great masterpiece the Crystal Palace (unfortunately now destroyed but it must have been truly amazing).
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis
After our museum adventure we finished our trip with high tea at the Orangery. If you are unfamiliar with high tea, it is a mid-afternoon (around 3-4), light meal with tea. We had a private room to ourselves and enjoyed a wonderful blend of tea, sandwiches, and pastries. Delicious! As many of my companions know I've been searching for a good tea since I arrived but with limited success. Finally I found what I was looking for.
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| Court Gossip (several pieces in this exhibit moved) |
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| William and Mary's Family Tree |
The museum also showcases some of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana's dresses. Besides the beauty of the dresses, I appreciated the discussion on what goes into decisions about royal fashion such as color choices and the style of cut.
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis
After our museum adventure we finished our trip with high tea at the Orangery. If you are unfamiliar with high tea, it is a mid-afternoon (around 3-4), light meal with tea. We had a private room to ourselves and enjoyed a wonderful blend of tea, sandwiches, and pastries. Delicious! As many of my companions know I've been searching for a good tea since I arrived but with limited success. Finally I found what I was looking for.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Place of Kings and Queens
After a busy day in Paris it was another busy day in London. We began by visiting Westminster Abbey.
You may recognize it most recently from the marriage of William and Kate two years ago. However, it is also the resting place of many great persons as well as a working church. Some of the great personages resting there include Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Edward the Confessor, and Elizabeth I and her sister, Mary I. The latter was simply amazing. For sisters who were so divided in life, they are buried one on top of the other with a plaque reading the following:
This is a memorial to Princess Diana and Dodie Fayed, whose father owned the store at the time of their deaths.
It's hard to believe William was only 15 at the time and that he is now a father. Yes, that's right! Kate gave birth this afternoon to a baby boy! I'm sure I'll have more details for you in the days to come.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the first rain I've seen in London since we arrived. Sweet rain, how we missed you!
You may recognize it most recently from the marriage of William and Kate two years ago. However, it is also the resting place of many great persons as well as a working church. Some of the great personages resting there include Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Edward the Confessor, and Elizabeth I and her sister, Mary I. The latter was simply amazing. For sisters who were so divided in life, they are buried one on top of the other with a plaque reading the following:
"Near the tomb of Mary and Elizabeth remember before God all those who divided at the Reformation by different convictions laid down their lives for Christ and conscience sake."
The reign of the Tudor children did greatly divide the country and made life not only difficult for those on the wrong religious side at the time but also cost lives. It was a moving tribute to see them united even if it was only in death.
After Westminster we visited the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. The NPG was quieter, cooler, and less crowded than the larger National Gallery so we spent most of our time there. It was amazing to see the faces of so many famous persons not to mention the original portraits I've grown up seeing in books. Some of the famous faces we saw were:
- Royals: Kate, Elizabeth II, and Charles; Bonny Prince Charlie, Henry the 8th and several of his wives
- Paul McCartney
- Ernest Shakleton
- Winston Churchill
- The Shelley Family (Mary and Percy)
We even got to see George Washington and an interesting scene of Parliament debating how to respond to the Declaration of Independence (someone apparently had a heart attack).
After that, a few of us headed to Harrod's, the famous ultra posh department store. 5 stories of luxury goods greeted us along with the footman and a friendly security guard. As I walked through I was reminded of the PBS series Mr. Selfridge. If you haven't seen the show, it's mainly a drama surrounding the Selfridge family (wealthly Americans who move to London to start a department store) and the people who work there. What's interesting about the show and what I saw parallels to today was the shopping experience, how sales are made, and customer service. The staff, for instance, seemed to show no partiality and each section of the store certainly knew the tricks of the trade for getting you to buy (samples, spraying fragrance in the air, etc.) Beyond that though, the Harrod's building was amazing. Each room on the ground floor has a theme, whether its food or the Nile, and each room is ornately decorated with features on that theme. From hanging chandeliers of food to golden pharaohs it was all elaborately designed. One treasure that we found was tucked in the corner of the men's section.
It's hard to believe William was only 15 at the time and that he is now a father. Yes, that's right! Kate gave birth this afternoon to a baby boy! I'm sure I'll have more details for you in the days to come.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the first rain I've seen in London since we arrived. Sweet rain, how we missed you!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Deadly Towers and Sensory Bliss
Deadly Tower: The Tower of London
The Tower of London if a place full of history. It was built as part of the Norman Conquest (1066) and since then has become synonymous with death, murder, and torture. It's hard to say which death would be most familiar to readers. Perhaps the beheading of Anne Boleyn? Perhaps the still unsolved murders of the child princes (Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury)? Perhaps Lady Jane Grey?
The Tower's history isn't all gruesome though. It is also home to the crown jewels. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside but the crowns, sceptres, and ceremonial swords were astonishing. The jewels in each piece alone were huge! I don't think I've ever seen anything shine so bright.
Reenacters are situated throughout the Tower (which is more a fortress with several towers) and will start reenacting things that would occur in daily life there. My timing was never quite right to catch a full scene (which would last a few minutes) but I did catch part of a duel.
It's hard to pick the best thing I saw at the tower today. It was awesome seeing the armor of Henry VIII and William the Conqueror and I loved walking around the Tower, especially exploring the White Tower (though coming down the narrow, spiral stairs was a little disorienting). I even enjoyed the military history building, particularly the part about the American Revolution and the different look at the historical events.
As much as I enjoyed the Tower though I have to admit that there was a definite eery feeling for me, perhaps because of my history background. This was a place of great sorrow for so many. Even Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth I were imprisoned here for a time. They say the ghosts of some of those who were killed here still remain. I don't know about that but I do feel for those who suffered here whether to the point of death or to the point of torture. It really sat in the air for me today.
But now for something completely different...
Towers of Food
After the Tower, we explored the Borough Market, which is a giant farmer's market. It was sensory bliss. Wonderful smells, tasty samples, and bright colors filled the market. I wish we had visited it sooner. I had to hold back because we're leaving for the weekend and most of the food I would have bought would have spoiled. I did get a treat for my family though and I'm looking forward to sharing it with them (contrary to the picture below, it's not cheese).
Some of the goodies there included:
I finally found a place that sold iced tea too so I got a glass. Sri Lankan Earl Grey tea with fresh mint and lemon. While the tea was sweet, it wasn't overwhelmingly so.
This weekend we're Paris bound and I won't have my computer. I will have some new posts for you beginning Monday though. Until then...
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| Tower of London |
The Tower of London if a place full of history. It was built as part of the Norman Conquest (1066) and since then has become synonymous with death, murder, and torture. It's hard to say which death would be most familiar to readers. Perhaps the beheading of Anne Boleyn? Perhaps the still unsolved murders of the child princes (Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury)? Perhaps Lady Jane Grey?
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| Anne Boleyn's name on the memorial to those killed at the site |
The Tower's history isn't all gruesome though. It is also home to the crown jewels. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside but the crowns, sceptres, and ceremonial swords were astonishing. The jewels in each piece alone were huge! I don't think I've ever seen anything shine so bright.
Reenacters are situated throughout the Tower (which is more a fortress with several towers) and will start reenacting things that would occur in daily life there. My timing was never quite right to catch a full scene (which would last a few minutes) but I did catch part of a duel.
It's hard to pick the best thing I saw at the tower today. It was awesome seeing the armor of Henry VIII and William the Conqueror and I loved walking around the Tower, especially exploring the White Tower (though coming down the narrow, spiral stairs was a little disorienting). I even enjoyed the military history building, particularly the part about the American Revolution and the different look at the historical events.
As much as I enjoyed the Tower though I have to admit that there was a definite eery feeling for me, perhaps because of my history background. This was a place of great sorrow for so many. Even Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth I were imprisoned here for a time. They say the ghosts of some of those who were killed here still remain. I don't know about that but I do feel for those who suffered here whether to the point of death or to the point of torture. It really sat in the air for me today.
But now for something completely different...
Towers of Food
After the Tower, we explored the Borough Market, which is a giant farmer's market. It was sensory bliss. Wonderful smells, tasty samples, and bright colors filled the market. I wish we had visited it sooner. I had to hold back because we're leaving for the weekend and most of the food I would have bought would have spoiled. I did get a treat for my family though and I'm looking forward to sharing it with them (contrary to the picture below, it's not cheese).
Some of the goodies there included:
- Artisan Cheese
- Artisan Bread
- Turkish cusine
- Bakery desserts
- Eggs
- Butcher shops
- Olives
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This weekend we're Paris bound and I won't have my computer. I will have some new posts for you beginning Monday though. Until then...
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Cardiff (Multimedia Choice)
Last weekend I took a trip to Cardiff. View my Glogster to see some of what I saw.
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Roald Dahl
Great Missenden was the home of Roald Dahl for 44 years and it is now home to the Roald Dahl Musuem. It was really neat getting to see the exhibits, which were centered more on his life and the creative process than specific books. A number of school groups were there and it was really wonderful seeing the excitement of the children as they viewed the exhibits. As an adult, I enjoyed learning about Dahl beyond reading a few of his books many years ago but for children there was a lot of interactive portions where you could dress like his characters or create your own stories. What a treat! I can easily imagine what the Story Museum will look like when it's finished after visiting today.
After the museum we took a walk around town in the direction of the church and Dahl's grave. The town itself was quintessentially British. Old buildings all in a row, colorful doors, beautiful gardens. Absolutely lovely and such a change from the atmosphere in London or Oxford. This was the part of the UK I wanted to see but was not sure how to.
Dahl's grave was up on a hill next to the church. It was a beautiful location with a great view of the surrounding forest and hills.
At first I was a little upset that people would litter his grave with papers all over the place. On further inspection, however, I saw that they were actually the booklets that the Museum passes out. These booklets encourage children to use their imaginations to create their own stories and the booklets on his grave were filled with stories from visiting children. What a beautiful tribute!
On our way back to the station some of us stopped by the public library and had a chat with the library staff there. They were curious about how we run libraries in the states and shared a little with us about their library. It was a neat experience and I'm glad we stopped. Here's their library district's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bucks_Libraries
In just a few hours we'll be seeing the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Should be great!
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| Roald Dahl was 6'5. This is where his characters measure up |
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| Church |
On our way back to the station some of us stopped by the public library and had a chat with the library staff there. They were curious about how we run libraries in the states and shared a little with us about their library. It was a neat experience and I'm glad we stopped. Here's their library district's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bucks_Libraries
In just a few hours we'll be seeing the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Should be great!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Oxford
We began the day at Paddington Station, whose name you may recognize because of the iconic Paddington Bear.
We arrived in Oxford about an hour later and met with Kathy, who was our kindly guide through the city. Our first stop was the Bodleian Library. The Bodleian is the main research library of the University of Oxford and one of the UK's repository libraries.
The library was amazing! We began a tour in the divinity school and learned a little about the history of the library before viewing it. Did you know that they used to chain the books to the shelves so no one would steal them (all the books were actually stolen from the library at one point). Apparently, no candles were allowed in the library either so scholars were forced to read by the light of the many windows. Unfortunately, the windows used to be stained glass so it limited the light. It's still dim in the library today. I am very curious how they deal with the humidity though as the library keeps its windows open and does not have air conditioning.
Part of the library was under construction so we also were offered a tour of the Radcliffe Camera. The Radcliffe Camera is actually a reading room of the library. Previously it was built to house the library collection but the rounded nature of the building was not particularly conducive to bookshelves.
Next we had lunch at the Eagle and Child. This was the meeting place of the Inklings, which included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien (a couple of my favorite authors). I was seriously craving some tea again but, alas, no one sells tea! The common excuse is "Our coffee machine is broken." I really don't understand this at all as I need is some hot water and tea. Perhaps someone can give me some insight into that.
Anyway, after that we made our way over the Christ Church. Contrary to how we would probably call it, it's not Christ Church College. Christ Church was attended by many notable persons, including John Locke and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (author of Alice in Wonderland). It was also where the staircase and great hall of Hogwarts were filmed. It's amazing how many sites around England have Harry Potter connections.
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| Paddington Chilling with Pigwidgeon |
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| Entrance to the Library |
The library was amazing! We began a tour in the divinity school and learned a little about the history of the library before viewing it. Did you know that they used to chain the books to the shelves so no one would steal them (all the books were actually stolen from the library at one point). Apparently, no candles were allowed in the library either so scholars were forced to read by the light of the many windows. Unfortunately, the windows used to be stained glass so it limited the light. It's still dim in the library today. I am very curious how they deal with the humidity though as the library keeps its windows open and does not have air conditioning.
Part of the library was under construction so we also were offered a tour of the Radcliffe Camera. The Radcliffe Camera is actually a reading room of the library. Previously it was built to house the library collection but the rounded nature of the building was not particularly conducive to bookshelves.
 | |
| Radcliffe Camera |
Anyway, after that we made our way over the Christ Church. Contrary to how we would probably call it, it's not Christ Church College. Christ Church was attended by many notable persons, including John Locke and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (author of Alice in Wonderland). It was also where the staircase and great hall of Hogwarts were filmed. It's amazing how many sites around England have Harry Potter connections.
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| Tom Quad in Christ Church |
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