Oxford

We began the day at Paddington Station, whose name you may recognize because of the iconic Paddington Bear.

Paddington Chilling with Pigwidgeon

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.

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

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.

Tom Quad in Christ Church

Camden: A Study in Contrasts

Our trip to Camden was a poignant study in contrasts today.  We began by taking a boat ride down the canal.  While pretty enough in its way it was also a reminder of the social divide in this country.  Opulent mansions with beautifully manicured lawns with only stone and graffiti separating the grandeur from the common walkways.  The graffiti a rebellion against what separates the super rich from the middle and lower classes.

In London, it's easy to get so overwhelmed by the sea of the beautiful, the unique, and the rare that we miss the less glamorous side of life.  What is life like for the average person?  Where, I've wondered, are the homeless?  I don't have an answer for you on the latter but we know that they're there.  While it may be convenient to ignore or simply not to care, the fact is we should.  They are just as much a part of the real London as palaces and museums. 

This picture nicely illustrates symbolically the larger contrasts we see in London.  The new and beautiful building in the back, modern and reaching for the sky.  The stone, castle-like structure old but unique and the graffiti on the structure's door in its shade, almost hidden but still visible.  In the corner of the picture, average people walking on the canal paths, overshadowed by the grandeur of the old and the modern buildings.

Today was a reminder to look beyond what's in front of me and to look around.  There are other facets to London.

Today reached a high of 92 F so I'm happy that I had the chance to visit the British Museum yesterday. I have been looking forward to seeing the British Museum for years. It's something we talked about frequently in both my anthropology and history studies and it has amazing collections, particularly in the areas of Egypt and the Middle East. The museum was impossibly crowded even though I went in the late afternoon/evening. Tour groups and individuals were everywhere! Some people were so tired from their trip that they were sleeping on the ground in the entrance hall. With that many people there it was also incredibly warm. I kept asking myself why they didn't have AC if not for people than the artifacts until I realized they did. There were just so many people it didn't make a different. I'm telling you this for two reasons and neither of them is to complain. First, to stress the importance of going early and two, the importance of setting up a plan for meeting others in your group. You will, inevitably get separated from your group.

 

So now that you have an idea of what the atmosphere was like, let's talk about the museum and its artifacts. The museum is set up in an interesting way. Generally it's organized by geographic area but the placement of the doors allows you to jump all over the place. I absolutely love Middle Eastern artifacts. However, one minute I was in Nineveh and the next I was in classical Greece and I almost missed most of the exhibit. Really, there is a method to the organization but you had to move wherever there was room so my own journey zig-zagged a lot. They did have some amazing collections though. They have the world's largest Egyptian and Iranian collections outside those countries. They have the Rosetta Stone and one of the few remaining complete Medieval chess sets as well.

Rosetta Stone

Lewis Chessmen

 The other major notable is the sculptures from the Parthenon. They were amazing and thanks to a display showing what they would have looked like in their original glory, it's easy to get a good idea what they would have looked like in one piece.

 If I had to choose my favorite area though, it would be the ancient Middle East exhibit. The reliefs and other sculptures were simply amazing! I can't stress enough that if you're going to visit the British Museum, visit this area. Not only does it have astounding artifacts but it's also less crowded. The people who go there seem to really appreciate what they're seeing and I heard quite a bit of thoughtful conversation between people about what they were seeing. Check it out!
 

Below is a mosaic of some of the other things I saw (in the theme of red).  Truly an awesome trip!

Lazy Summer Day

Well, not exactly.  I spent most of the day doing classwork in preparation for a trip with Crystal to Wales tomorrow (I'll have more for you on that tomorrow or Monday).  I promised myself I would get out of the flat today though and took 2 trips.  The first was a simple trip to the grocery, Salisbury, where I got some yogurt and meals for the next couple of days.  The interesting thing about grocery stores here is that they use so little preservatives in the food they sell that they spoil quickly.  A couple of us bought loafs of bread on our first day and some of it already had to be thrown out.  It's definitely a different way of thinking to only plan for 2 or 3 days of food instead of a week or more.

When I came back to the flat, Jessica and Katie mentioned a remarkable spectacle down the street.  Men and women dressed in all kinds of unique garb, including top hats, turbans, and pith helmets all doing crazy things like a steeple chase with people dressed up as the horses.  With a description like that I simply had to see for myself!  Surprisingly, it was all happening a block away in Bedford Square Garden.  The event is called the Chap Olympiad (http://www.thechapolympiad.com/next-event) and includes all kinds of crazy, fun sporting activities.  When I arrived, a full out 1940s dance was going on and In the Mood was playing.  It was absolutely delightful!  Excuse the shrubbery in the photo.  The park is surrounded by a fence and this was as close as I could get.

I wish I would have known about it.  I would have loved to have dressed up and gone!  Unfortunately, the price was a little steep (20 pounds) and the event was already sold out.

What I love about London is that you never know what you'll found around the next corner. 

Royal Birth: a Waiting Game

Still waiting for an announcement but it should be coming soon.  While you wait, check out my podcast on what to expect when the event comes.



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Let's Go Fly a Kite

Parks and music were the theme today.  We started the day off at Regent's Park, a 410 acre park that holds not only the London Zoo but Primrose Hill.  Regent's Park is a royal park, meaning that the land was owned by the monarchy for their recreation (mainly hunting). The name Primrose Hill may ring a bell as it is the place they fly kites in Mary Poppins (books).  The photography theme of the day was flowers so we spent time taking pictures of the beautiful gardens in the park.  I was amazed at how many of the same flowers we also have in the States (such as begonias, bee balm, and geraniums) but certainly found a few that were new to me.

Bee Balm, a favorite of mine and something we have in the states

New Flower (the picture isn't blurry, the flower was furry)

My favorite part of the gardens had to be the rose garden, however.  So many gorgeous roses, rose bushes, and wild roses.

After that we took a pleasant walk around other parts of the park and finally made our way to Primrose Hill.  It was a bit of a steep walk but not bad and the view when we made it to the top was amazing.  I can see why this park is a favorite of some of the celebrities who reside in the area (including Chris Martin of Coldplay).  You could see so many of the city's landmarks!  To pay homage to the nanny herself, we took out our kites and had a go atop the hill.

 As you see, some of us were successful.  I was able to get my parafoil kite to fly a little but
don't think I got it very high.  Still, it was a lot of fun trying and the many people who were watching us seemed to enjoy it :)

After our park excursion, we walked over to the studio the Beatles made all their records: Abbey Road.  It was a long walk but we had the chance to see the rather posh looking neighborhood (the kind of neighborhood where milk still gets delivered to your door) where some of the Beatles lived when they would be recording.

Artists still record at Abbey Road Studios and you can still walk across the zebra crossing to reenact the famous Beatles cover.  It's pretty amazing to think of all the history that has occurred here.  I thought of friends who have visited and written their name outside the wall to the studios and wished I'd brought the Sharpie I got on the way to the airport!

Speaking of reenacting the cover image though, let's talk zebra crossings.  The nifty thing about zebra crossings (what we would think of as a usual pedestrian crossing in the US) means that the pedestrian always gets the right of way.  In the UK you either get a zebra crossing or, more usual, you get a dotted intersection.  The dotted intersection does not give the pedestrian right of way and vehicles will keep going.  I'll write more about transportation soon but crossing the road is a very serious endeavor.  That said, because this is a zebra crossing you can walk across and take photos and vehicles must stop for you.  Yay!  The only thing is that it was uncomfortable holding up traffic, especially with so many standing there wanting to do it.  As I was walking, I didn't get any pictures but some people in our group did so I'll hopefully have some to share with you when I get home.

Till next time...

Hogwarts Students Travel by St. Pancras

Another eclectic day this side of the pond. The heat let up today, leaving us in the beautiful 70s for our walk to St. Pancras Station and the British Library. We started out fairly early so the city was unusually quiet. No emergency vehicle sirens, shouting tourists, or any of the other usual loud sounds you hear in our neighborhood. It was a peaceful walk until we got to the bustling train station. You may recognize St. Pancras as the outside of the Hogwarts station "King's Cross". The real King's Cross is the less beautiful building next door and it houses the wall they used for platform 9 3/4. Apparently, JK Rowling chose to include King's Cross in her books because it was where her parents had met. 

St. Pancras Hotel and Train Station 

King's Cross

Getting this far, we couldn't not try to get through platform 9 3/4, right?

The two men taking the photos were delightful.  They showed you how to pose and even flipped your scarf in the air to make it look like you were moving all while making jokes and keeping the wait fun.  When they saw Pigwidgeon they were delighted and insisted on taking a couple of photos of us as well as one of Pigwideon alone.  Our little owl is so photogenic and happily posed for the photos.

From there we visited the British Library.  The only photos of the British Library I've seen were old so imagine my surprise when the British Library turned out to be a modern building.

Once I got my library card, I made my way to the Manuscripts reading room where I picked up my reserved letter from J.R.R. Tolkien.  The letter was written in August 1942(5) and discussed C.S. Lewis and Charles Dickens...at least, it was supposed to.  Tolkien's handwriting is hard to decipher.  If you've ever read any of the Lord of the Rings books you've probably seen his handwriting in pictures in the books.  It looked like Lewis was either teaching or leeching (off) their publisher o_O  I also didn't see any reference to Dickens but I did see a Charles Williams.  Though I found it disappointing that I couldn't understand half the letter I did enjoy the chance getting to see something he'd written.

After my reading room extravaganza I got to see the Magna Carta (!!!), Jane Austen's writing desk (!!!), some writings by Da Vinci, and some letters and lyrics form the Beatles (Lennon had interesting handwriting).  I also got to see some absolutely beautiful illuminated manuscripts.  Alas, no pictures allowed.

Tonight we'll be seeing Les Miserables so the excitement continues.  I'll be sure to bring some tissues.

Churches & Museums

Today we had the chance to review two of London's many churches and museums: Museum of London (featuring the history of London)

and St. Paul's Cathedral (which you may recognize from Princess Diana's wedding and is also the resting place of Lord Nelson)

Both were wonderful but given my love of museums I was in heaven exploring the Museum of London.  Since studying museums in undergrad I see museums in different ways.  I think a lot about the path I'm prompted to walk (even if it's only subconscious) and how the exhibit is trying to engage its audience.  The museum flowed in a natural chronological way but it was also designed that you could skip around periods of history, which was a tad confusing but overall not a problem (just made me think I had missed something).  What was really interesting to me was how the museum juxtapositioned modern materials next to historical ones (particularly those dating from the Roman period and earlier).  For instance, this Latin curse/prayer that the thief who took their things should die vs. this hate instant message on a tablet.

   

What a creative method for making history understandable in a modern context.  More to come tomorrow.  In the meantime, let me leave you with a picture of me interacting with one of the exhibits.  Consider it an ode to Trail of History.

[PS The staircase on Facebook was used in, among other things, Harry Potter (it leads to the astronomy tower)]

In the Land of Giants

From Winston Churchill to Freddie Mercury the UK is and has been home to many powerful, influential, and some downright cool cultural giants.  When I knew I would be coming here I was certain I would see many references to historical greats throughout the city.  London, after all, is a city with a long history dating back to its Roman Londinium days.  Amongst class presentations and food tasting experiences (I had my first taste of venison today), I saw some cool references to giants that...well...would have been hard to expect.

Bonham-Carter Family Outside University College

 

Giant Freddie Mercury Outside Theatre

The least expected of all:

Giant Colin Firth in Hyde Park

Just never know what you're going to see next...

Arrival

After an eight-hour flight and about three hours of sleep, Pigwidgeon and I have arrived in London. 

 

Heathrow was easy to navigate and, while the underground tunnels between terminals turn so often you lose all sense of direction, it saves you from dealing with vehicle traffic, which is a bigger deal than it sounds.  London is a city where the right of way belongs to drivers and it's unwise to assume they'll stop for you.

Some of us decided to take a chauffeur service from Heathrow to the Study Center so we had the chance to experience a wonderful tour of the city on our way.  It's amazing how close everything is.  I can't wait to explore more.  We did take a short walking tour of the staples in our neighborhood and had the chance to take a quick grocery trip but there is still very much more to see.

The Study Center where we are staying was built in the late 1600s.  Since then it's been remodeled but still has many of its old charms along with many modern amenities (such as plumbing, a stove, and internet).  That said it does not have air conditioning and the city seems to be experiencing some unexpected hot weather.  Here's hoping for some cooler weather tomorrow.