Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Theatre, of course!

Saturday's planned activities included guided tours of both houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey! These (and most of our tours) are lead by Blue Badge Guides. These people are amazing! They can walk around and talk about these various places like they lived it all! One of the guides that did groups for both of today's tours had was also one of our guides for yesterdays trip to Bath and Stonehenge. The Blue Badge is to tour guides as the CPA is to an accountant. They spend nearly two years studying and training to get their badge. They are just amazing!

Parliament was amazing! Did you know that it was built along the river so that angry mobs could never surround them? For the tour, we followed the route that the Queen takes when she appears to open Parliament, starting in the Robing room. This is where she gets dressed for the ceremony and is the only room in Parliament that doesn't have cameras! From there, she proceeds through the Royal Galley. This is the room that is often used to greet heads of state. The last one to visit was French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. What is funny about this is is that on either side of the long walls in the Royal Gallery there are two huge painting. One is the Battle of Waterloo and the other the Battle of Trafalgar. In both cases, the British defeated the French. I wonder if he noticed!

The walked through the House of Lords, which is a little over the top with all the gold trimmings. This is where the Queen sits (with her husband sitting next to her on a chair that is 1 inch shorter) to give her speech, opening Parliament. From her seat, you can see right through the chambers, through the Central Lobby and in the House of Commons. The Queen has never been in the House of Commons; she is not allowed past the House of Lords. The word lobbying, we were told, comes from the fact that commoners are permitted to come to the Central Lobby and talk to their MP (Member of Parliament). If the member is in, they will come down to talk. Talking to your member, stating your interests, in the Central Lobby was called Lobbying!

They don't allow photographs inside, so this is the hallway off of Westminster Hall, which by the way, is currently undergoing preparations for President Obama's visit at the end of the month!



















Westminster Abbey was simply glorious! I found it interesting that there are little statues that have been added above the doorway, including one of Martin Luther King with a child at his feet. Within the Abbey, there are some people buried there and many more memorialized there, including FSU's own Paul Dirac! It has been said that if he had more social skills (they now believe that he was probably on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum), he would likely have been more famous than Einstein as he is credited with laying the foundation for the microchip! My favorite statue was of William Wilberforce as he just had a wonderful smirk on his face!

The Abbey has been the site of all the coronations since 1066! Also, it is the site of some notable weddings, the most recent being of the the William and Catherine (as she is being "re-branded"). The guide pointed out that these wedding weren't always so elaborate, because before television coverage, it didn't much matter.

After all that, I was exhausted, but after a rest, couldn't let an evening be lost. So I decided to wander out and ended up at the theatre (surprise, surprise!). I saw "Blood Brothers" which was very sad, but really good. I could particularly relate to the final song, "Tell Me It's Not True."

Bath and Stonehenge

Today we took a trip to Bath and to Stonehenge. Both are amazing in different ways, but only one was I able to really appreciate. It might be like the theatre in that I just don't get it.

Bath was fascinating as we were able to see Roman structures that date back something like 5000 years! It had been buried and was just discovered around 300 years ago (I think). I enjoyed hearing about the thinking when the city of Bath was built. There was a concerted effort that homes should be "palaces on a human scale." To accomplish this, they made the attached houses look very regal and designed the roads to maximize the view as the homeowner approached. For example, the Circus (a road that is like a big round-about), only had three roads so that as you entered, you always saw the full view of the homes. another interesting piece of trivia, is that the diameter of the Circle ws to match the diameter of Stonehenge!

While that was interesting, my great accomplishment in Bath is that I climbed the 212 steps to the top of the tower of the Bath Abbey! I may never walk again, but what a view! In the pictures to the right, you can see the clock near the top of the tower and a picture of the back of that very same clock! After that, we climbed another 30 steps, or so, to the tower that you can see beyond the Roman Bath. The most humorous part of the day is that I got a sausage roll for lunch. It had a real flakey crust, which kept dropping as I stood outside and ate. The next thing I know, I had my own personal pigeon waiting at my feet to collect my crumbs! Kind of reminded me of Dutchess!

After Bath, we headed to Stonehenge. I have to admit that I don't understand the fascination here. I can appreciate that it is a huge deal that someone felt compelled to move these huge stones to this place and configure them like they did, but if we don't now why they did it, then why is it so interesting? Maybe I was just tired and someday, I'll look back on this and appreciate more having been there.


After all those steps and all this time travel, I'm tired.

About Last Night . . . .

Blogger was in a read-only mode for maintenance. Actually, it was a good day for it to be down since not a lot happened since I had class. The cool thing about class, however, was that we went to the British Museum as a group to see the Life and Death Exhibit. That's certainly not something you do everyday!

I did get to the theatre again! (I've decided that my goal is to see 20 plays while I am here! I've seen four so far! Wish me luck!) I saw "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg." I kind of liked it, but today I was told that it wasn't very good. I guess there are benefits to be ignorant as to what makes for good theatre! I was able to just enjoy it because I, apparently, didn't know better. Oh well!

The Problem with London

Today was a perfect example of the problem with London. I set out a little after 11:00 to head to a park where I would do some reading for school. I figured there was no sense in sitting in my flat to read. So I headed out. I meandered through town. Along the way, I noticed a matinee of a play that I thought sounded interesting. Eventually, I came to the The Green Park, which was not my intended destination, but it worked. I found a bench and sat down when I heard a marching band. Of course, I had to go see what was going on! Boy was I surprised to find that I was right next to Buckingham Palace! Of course, I had to scope things out around there and came back through St. James Park. The picture is Buckingham Palace from the bridge in St. James Park. By this time, it was after 1:00, so I decided to head back towards that theatre I saw. I was surprised that I found it again, even though somehow I came at it a totally different direction. The cool thing is that from where I came, I noticed that this theatre was next to The Queens Theatre where there was a 2:30 matinee of Les Miserables! This was on my must do list, so I bought a student ticket and went to that production!

Les Miserables was amazing. I had never seen a turn-table style stage. I now understand (thanks to Katie, my MFA-Theatre student roommate) that this is one of the signature characteristics of this play. I was amazed by the entire thing! The theatre was virtually packed which is amazing since I believe it is in its 25th year! It was fun to see that there was a group of school kids - probably about fourth or fifth grade there. What an experience!

As I was walking today, I realized that there were some unuque things about London that I want to be sure to remember. First of all, I find it fascinating that there are sandwich shops everywhere. They are kind of like Panera or Atlanta Bread, but the sandwiches are pre-made. These places (PRETs, Eat. Eat. Eat., and Costas) are everywhere! People here don't appear to sit down as much for lunch as we do. They are walking along the streets eating sandwiches!

Another thing, I have now seen two bookstores that, along with medical books, sell scrubs and stethoscopes! One was near a college so that kind of made sense, but the other one had a display in the window! I think that is so odd. It is like you are going to buy a book about being a doctor and then dress the part.



Today for the first time, I was the London version of AAA for Black Cabs, which, by the way are not all black, but they are still called Black Cabs. It was so cool looking. Here I am next to Buckingham Place and there is a guy under a car making repairs! I could easily have imagined Christopher doing this!

There so much more, but I need to call it a night! I actually spent quite a bit of time this evening getting ready for class tomorrow. I never did get to read my book. That's the problem with London; it's so hard to stay on task! It sure did make for a fun day, though!

Classes Begin!

Well, classes started today! That's okay . . . I'm still in London! I am very fortunate to have a professor who believes that classes in London should not be like classes on the Tallahassee campus. As a result, class will include field trips around the city! Another great thing is that my professor has been teaching here since like 1972! To here her tell stories is quite amusing. You'd think she'd met everybody along the way! Today, we walked to a bookstore to pick out a book that we'll read for class. Those who know me well, will appreciate the title of the book that I'll be reading: "Women Who Think Too Much" - Quite a hoot, isn't it!

When we broke for lunch, I checked e-mail and found that they had extra tickets for sale for "Rocket To The Moon" at the National Theatre! Following my brother, Jim's, advise, I am taking advantage of every opportunity and bought a ticket. Once again, I was amazed at the power of the simple. There were seven cast members and the whole play was done on one set. Of course, it was an amazing set, though it was simple. It rained out the window for much of the second half. It was so real that I overheard someone on the way out comment that they had expected to find it raining!

Today we also had a meeting regarding how to travel around London, the United Kingdom, and Europe, in general. My weekends are generally already planned, but it was fun to hear how to do things for the next time I come over! In response to the meeting, I took a huge step. Drum roll, please . . . . The big accomplishment for the day: I took the bus for the first time AND I did it all by myself! Of course, it wasn't perfect as the night bus didn't stop at the same please that I left from, but I ended up someplace with which I was familiar and made it home safe and sound!

The picture below is the view from the theatre over the River Thames! The building you see is the same building that I was at the other day after I walked to the river. It is hard to not feel blessed when you come out of the theatre to this view.

Classes tomorrow . . . Walking today!

Because my classes are on Tuesday and Thursday, even though classes started today and therefore, there were no organized activities except for the "The 39 Steps," a comedy at the Criterion Theatre. I was amazed at what they were able to do with a cast of four!

After lazing around this morning, I set out on my walk. I had a mission in mind: I needed by buy a train ticket for my trip to the countryside on May 20. I walked to a place where I was told that I could get a student discount. No such luck as they only discount trips out of the UK. So, I walked some more to a train station and was fortunate to get a guy helping me who was very patient with all my questions. As I was leaving, I was looking at my map and for the first time a Brit came up and offered help! I was so impressed! He, too, was very patient. He gave me directions to the British Library! I didn't go in (surprised?), but though it was quite impressive! The red sign quoted Stephen Fry, "An original idea can't be too hard. The Library must be full of them." Then it encourages you to step inside for "a spot of free thinking."

Just past the library is the rail station where I will be traveling out of. Wow! The St. Pancras station is quite the place! From the outside (pictured) you would never guess that it is a train station! But, inside, it is as modern as can be! There is a huge set of the olympic rings overhead. They are quite excited about the Olympics. Without exception, everybody who I've heard that have entered the lottery for tickets hopes they don't get all they requested because they spent way too much! The international train station used to be at the Normandy stop. On our bus tour the other day, someone said that they had heard that the French were offended when they came into Paris that they had to arrive at a stop called Normandy! The guide laughed and said that it really was just to better accommodate the traffic for the Olympics!

From there I walked all the way back near the Study Center, but cut across. I was determined to get to the River Thames! I passed the "Goodenough College" (I thought that was hilarious!) and a park that had a sign that indicated that adults were not permitted unless accompanied by a child! Can you imagine? Of course, being the compliant one that I am, I didn't go though!

I made it to the river at the Waterloo Bridge! Unfortunately, it wasn't until after I walked down the 64 steps to get to the edge, I had the sick reality that I'd have to walk back up! Fortunately, I walked a ways up/down river and after enjoying the Victoria Embankment Gardens, I was able to find a way up avoiding all those steps! I think that the gardens throughout London might be my favorite thing when walking. I am just so glad that they have kept this space set aside and, for the most part, people use them! I may have mentioned that the parks in the squares used to all be private, allowing only the residents of the square to use them. Most are now open to the public.

During my walk, I saw two memorials to the July 2005 bombings. One was at the site and listed the names of those who were killed. The other was in the Victoria Embankment Gardens. I was most touched by the one at the site. It had flowers which clearly had been placed several days before. There was just something about the two flags, side by side, at such a place.

Sunday . . . Not a Day of Rest When Visiting London!

Sunday started out with a couch tour. As you might expect, I was lost with most of the history stuff. Besides, I figure I can always google those facts, if I need them. I did, however, learn the most important dates in British History 1066 (the invasion of Normandy), 1666 (the great fire of London) and 1966 (the year London won the World Cup). I found it fascinating that to visit museums in London is generally free while it costs money to visit the churches.
We went by the Tower of London (pictured) and heard of some gruesome stories about executions. I didn't know details about chopping people's heads off, that it was done by butchers whose knives may not have been too sharp! Then they stuck the heads on a pole and put it on the London Bridge. This was a conspicuous place where those condemned to death would pass under on their way to the Town of London! Talk about a reality check!

If you weren't important enough to be beheaded at the Tower of London, there were other places where they had public gallows! I learned that the expression "one for the road" came from the fact that on the way to your execution that they would stop at a pub and you could have you last drink! Afterwards, you were "on the wagon" which meant that you would have no more drinks! I wonder of those on traveling to executions ever "fell off the wagon?"

We then stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral. In case you don't remember, this is where Charles and Diana were married. This is this the only church named after a saint; all the other churches are named after the city. A little trivia - It took 35 years to build! It is in front of this Cathedral where Mary Poppins fed the pigeons! From there, we traveled up Fleet Street which used to be known as the Street of Ink as that is where all the newspapers were located. They've all since moved away, but on the news, you'll still here, "Fleet street says . . . "

On the way past the National Museum, we saw a statue of George Washington. Apparently he once said that he would never again step foot on British soil. So, the dirt under his statue is dirt that was brought over from America. We also saw Nelson Mandela's statue in Parliament Square. This was placed in 2007 and was the first statue of a black man in London. In that same square are statues of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. Churchill is placed facing a pub because, apparently, he was quite a drinker. We learned a couple of interesting quotes by him. I learned that when asked if he was drunk, he replied yes, but that in the morning he would be sober and the woman who asked would still be ugly! Another woman once said that if she were married to him, she would poison his drink. To this he replied that if were married to her, he'd drink it! Quite the witty fellow!

After all of this, I came back and then went to church! Church was followed by our flat meeting, which I would suggest is really designed for the 18-21 crowd. It was all about being respectful as roommates and keeping things clean! The three of us, with an average age near 40 were not impressed, but were polite. We are all playing well together! I did learn that the reason that they have co-ed flats (not bedrooms, but flats) is because they have found that if you have an all-guy flat that the place gets really messy! Can you imagine that?

Because I didn't have a scheduled walk today and fearing that my legs might get out of the habit, I walked quite a long way of my own volition! The highlight of my walk is that someone asked me for directions and I knew the answer! This was quite the thrill and boost in confidence! The history of this area is remarkable and they want you to know it! To that end, there are markers indicating where notable people have lived.

Along the way, I stopped by an Anglican Church that advertised a contemporary music performance and found myself in the middle of contemporary liturgical music! In this context, I soon realized, contemporary meant that it was recently written, not that it was contemporary stylistically!

I did stop and buy a map because, while I have toured around and have been walking a lot, I had no idea where anything is in relation to "home." I am quite excited now! I have hope of getting quite comfortable here in London!