London, Day 16: The British Museum

The British Museum is one of numerous national museums in London. Like all of the other national museums, it is, of course, free! Our class took a trip to the museum. We arrived by way of the tube. Oddly, they had us meet at the Gloucester Road tube station, which is the station nearest our hotel. This means that all 40 of us then tried to cram ourselves onto the train all at once. Sure, they're big trains, but sometimes they're already pretty full when they get to the station. And we weren't the only ones trying to get on!

So, after a fun game of Sardines (and trying to keep Dr. Bruhn's 4 year old son Sam under control--I was sitting near them), we arrived at the tube station by the museum. After a bit of a walk (made slightly longer by Sam's insistence on clinging to various students around him), we finally got to the museum. We had a guide there. She didn't work at the museum, but was one of the Blue Badge guides around London.

The British Museum contains historical artifacts from around the world. I guess that's one of the advantages to having a world-wide empire. Lots of souvenirs.

We saw marble carvings from the Parthenon, statues from the Mausoleum, and a bunch of Egyptian mummies. The mummies were probably the coolest. There were several decorated caskets, actual mummies, an unwrapped mummy, and mummified animals (including a baby crocodile!). The Rosetta Stone was perhaps a close second. We even got to get up close and personal with a copy. They keep the real thing in a glass case.

After the mummies, I got separated from my group. I wandered aimlessly in the beautiful entry room of the museum until they got done. I missed just one exhibit, so the guide took me back and showed me what I had missed.

Since we had just taken the tube to the museum, we didn't all have to go back as an organized group. I actually ended up getting dinner with Theresa and Erika near the museum. We had some wonderful Greek food.

You can see all my pictures of the British museum here: http://flickr.com/photos/shigosei/tags/britishmuseum/

London, Day 15: Walking Tour

Tuesday afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the Jewish quarter. This area of London straddles the riches and poorest boroughs of the city. We saw a few synagogues and sites where synagogues once stood. There are many places in London where the original building no longer stands. Some were torn down, and others were destroyed during the Blitz.

The tour was an interesting way to see that area of London. We also learned about the role that Jewish people played in English history. In 1290, England expelled all of the Jews, the first country in medieval times to do so. In the mid to late 17th century, Jews were officially permitted back into the country and began resettling. Over the years, various rights were returned to them. They began to build synagogues and often provided social services and education to other Jews.

I wonder if charity must always be linked either to the government, large organizations, or religious groups. Would it be possible for, say, football fans to all get together to ensure that the children in their community receive an education and medical care? Or is religion the only idea strong enough to bind a group together and impel them to help others on a day-to-day basis?

London, Day 14: Dover

After leaving Canterbury (see entry below), we headed to Dover, famous for its white cliffs. Dover is the point nearest France, which was actually just visible across the channel. Dover Castle has been an important defense point for England over the years. Historically, it has held off French invasions. It was also the site of a World War II underground command center, which was recently declassified after officials noted that chalk cliffs would no longer provide adequate protection given modern weaponry.

The grounds of Dover Castle are also home to a first century Roman lighthouse and an Anglo-Saxon church. The lighthouse is little more than a stone cylinder and is not exactly in the best condition after 2,000 years. It certainly is no longer functional as a lighthouse. I narrowly escaped serious injury at the hands of Dr. Facinelli for my (according to her) "terrible" pun: It can't be a Roman lighthouse! It's standing still!

The view from the roof of the castle is exquisite, and well worth the climb. The city of Dover is visible. I saw a theme park with several rides in motion. I could even hear the screams. Dover Harbor and the channel could also be seen. And, far off on the horizon, a little dark smudge that was probably France. The water of the channel was suprisingly blue. I guess I'm not used to the water looking so clear outside of Hawaii. It was nice that we got a fair amount of sun that day. Dr. Facinelli mentioned that of the many years she's been to Dover, this is only the second time she's seen France across the English Channel.

There was a trebuchet near the castle. Unfortunately, it was not in use. It also wasn't terribly large. It seems questionable that a trebuchet of that size would be able to hurl stones large enough to bring down a castle. In addition to the trebuchet, an audio-visual show inside the castle simulated a bombardment. The castle has survived several sieges.

Sam, Dr. Bruhn's young son, bought a sword and spent most of the afternoon gleefully stabbing Dr. Facinelli with it. At least Dr. Bruhn did not permit him to buy a wooden sword. Foam rubber doesn't hurt too much.

London, Day 14: Well, not actually London...

On Monday, the entire class took a day trip to Canterbury and Dover. Because there are so many of us, a double-decker bus was required to transport everyone. I took a seat on the top level in the very front. Sitting in front of an unobstructed windshield at a high that allows you to look down on the top of most other busses is a wonderful vantage point for watching the scenery. Dr. Bruhn's four year old son Sam was sitting in the front as well, and provided a bit of entertainment. He pretended to be a baby kitty-cat, and spent about fifteen minutes meowing songs. Sam tends to make a wide variety of noises and likes to move around a lot.

It took us perhaps an hour or two to reach Canterbury. We went to see the cathedral there. It was the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in 1170. Pilgrims came to Canterbury Cathedral from all over, because it was believed that miracles occured near Becket's body. There were apparently portholes in his coffin where people could stick afflicted body parts in in the hopes of being healed. Canterbury Tales tells the story of some pilgrims on their way to Canterbury to see the relics of St. Thomas.

We walked through the city to get to the gate of the church yard. The cathedral is not simply set in the middle of the city. It is a bit secluded behind walls and is surrounded by grass and buildings attached to the cathedral. I found it highly amusing that next to this old gate is a Starbucks. When we passed through the gate, we heard the incessant ringing of the church bells. I do mean incessant. They aren't really audible inside, but they were still ringing when I left the cathedral. We didn't really stick together once we entered the cathedral. Instead, we all received audio guides--the little devices that play a recording of someone talking about the sights you are seeing. The audio guide directs you around the cathedral to all of the interesting things to see.

Canterbury Cathedral is massive. The nave runs a long ways east and west. Cathedrals are often built in the shape of a cross, with the long axis running east-west and the altar at the east end. The ceiling is incredibly high, and the architecture is beautiful. There is stained glass everywhere. We viewed the actual site of Thomas Becket's murder--the very stones where he fell. It was fascinating seeing this place after reading a fairly detailed account of the incident. I could see the door that the other monks dragged him through in an attempt to protect him from the knights. I saw the steps he descended to meet the knights. It was odd to think that this spot has not changed all that much in nearly 900 years.

After seeing the place where Thomas was killed, we viewed the spot where his shrine once stood. Henry VIII ordered the shrine destroyed in 1538 as a part of the destruction of Roman Catholic art and imagery which took place during England's rocky split from the church. Today, only the stone tiles remain and the place where the shrine was is marked with a single candle. Nearby is a chapel for modern martyrs. Additionally, there is a great deal of stained glass around that area, depicting miracles associated with St. Thomas.

We viewed a great deal of other art and artifacts as well. These can be seen here.

London, Day 13: Hyde Park

On my way back from the National Portrait Gallery, I got off the tube a bit early and walked back to the hotel through Hyde Park. Hyde Park consists of 350 acres of grass, trees, and water in the middle of London. New York's Central Park was apparently modelled off of Hyde Park. In addition to the open space, Hyde Park is home to a number of trails, plants, and statues. It was a sunny, warm afternoon, and the park was crowded with people playing football (and by that I mean soccer), volleyball, and frisbee. Boats may be rented, and several people were on the lake in the middle of the park. Others were sitting with family or friends on the benches or underneath trees. I saw a couple couples kissing. Many people were just walking along the numerous paths, as I was.

It may have been slow, but was far more scenic than taking the tube.

London, Day 13: National Portrait Gallery

As part of an assignment, I went to see a Shakespeare exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. This museum collects portraits of famous British people. They had a large exhibition about Shakespeare, which included items from that era in addition to portraits. There were records regarding him and his family, clothing that the actors might have worn, items found during the excavation of a theater from that period, portraits of people Shakespeare interacted with, and several likenesses of the Bard. However, most were not thought to be authentic portraits done of Shakespeare during his lifetime. The one shown here (image stolen from Wikipedia) is thought to be one of the better ones.

The pictures actually weren't that interesting. I did enjoy seeing the various 16th century artifacts. One of the striking things is how different the handrwriting style is. The writing is quite flowery. It's a bit reminiscent of the writing see in the Constitution, only with more embellishments. It was nearly impossible to read.

London, Day 12: ZzzzZZz

On Saturday, I rested. Unfortunately, I rested so well that I missed the bus to go to Stonehenge and Bath, so I guess I'll have to go another time. It irks me that my body seems to want 10-12 hours of sleep every night. At least I've gotten my sleep cycle under control enough that I can be reasonably productive. I'm still amazed that I got A's this semester, given that I slept through my classes half the time.

I hope this does not become a trend.

London, Day 11: Trafalgar Square

After returning from Wimbledon, I walked around Trafalgar Square for awhile. Nothing in particular happened, but I did get some lovely pictures. Trafalgar is full of fountains (appropriate for a spot commemorating a naval victory). Big Ben is visible from the square, and there are a few museums and diplomatic buildings nearby.

London, Day 11: Wimbledon

On Friday, a couple of us went to Wimbledon. Yes, that Wimbledon. It was a bit of a longer tube ride than normal. Interestingly, the Underground isn't exactly underground outside of central London. It was quite a pretty view, going through the suburbs. At any rate, we arrived at the Wimbledon tube stop. The way to the tennis courts was well-marked. It was a long, hilly walk. Most of London is flat. I guess even the hills have moved out to the suburbs.

We checked out the museums, which had a number of trophies, videos, uniforms, and artifacts from the early days of tennis and its predecessor games. However, I didn't find the museum that interesting. The tour, on the other hand, was quite cool. We got to see the huge arena where the big matches are played, as well as some of the less important courts, which we could get quite close to. We saw Henman Hill, built with the soil dug up during the construction of Court 1. It was gorgeous, with an arbor sort of structure at the top, a pond, and flowing water. The hill has a clear view of London (Big Ben and the London Eye are visible) as well as many of the courts. Spectators sit on this hill during the tournament and watch either the courts or a big screen TV. We saw the press room where the BBC broadcasts the tournament and even got to sit in the chair where the athletes sit to be interviewed.

It was odd to see the grass courts. I always think of the rubbery clay surface that most recreational courts seem to have. I would think that the ball wouldn't bounce all that well on grass. I guess that's why they keep it so short and care for it so meticulously. There's a staff of 16 people just to maintain the grass, plus even more during the tournament. If it rains, the court is covered and huge blowers dry the grass so that once the rain stops play can resume immediately. In addition to the grass, the grounds truly are beautiful, especially since they're preparing for the tournament next month. I guess we came at just the right time.

Wimbledon Village appears to be a very wealthy suburb. There are country-style homes with large gardens. Apparently, many people can afford to live there only because of the money they make during the tournament by selling things to spectators or renting out their apartments or homes to athletes and officials. Rental fees can net an owner of a large home £10,000 (about $20,000) per week.

After the tour, we bought some refreshments. So if you ask me whether I drank a lot on my birthday, the answer is yes: I had a entire (small) pot of tea. It was very good.

London, Day 10: MI-6

Not much to report for Thursday. I hauled myself out of bed for class. Dr. Bruhn decided to have us do a little activity this weekend. There was a bit of a big-brother sort of culture in Shakespeare's time -- people were being executed for treason and heresy (being Protestant or Catholic, depending on who the monarch was) right and left, and everyone had to be careful to keep up appearances, lest they end up detached...from their bodies. So, Dr. Bruhn decided that we should all spy on each other this weekend (not in the bathroom, and no breaking and entering) and then try to guess on Tuesday who's been spying on us.

Just call me James Bond.

London, Day 9: Wednesday Night at Sunday in the Park With George

On Wednesday night, I went with two other students to see the musical Sunday in the Park with George. It's about the life and art of painter Georges Seurat, the developer of a technique called pointillism, which uses a mixture of colored dots to create the image. In particular, the musical focused on a painting with an excruciatingly long name, which is featured to the right in an image I stole from Wikipedia.

I can't say the musical was that exciting. I've never been a huge fan of musicals, except for Fiddler on the Roof. Still, the story was engaging enough, and the positioning of the actors to mimic the painting, as well as the spectacular background animations which appeared on the white walls behind the actors, was quite original and fun to watch.

Some of the major themes of the play are the way that various elements of color (as well as the human elements such as commissions to pay for the art) are brought together to create art, obsession with art and the isolation it can cause, and the need to make something original.

The theater (or theatre) was pretty small and elaborately decorated. Also, they sold ice cream in the lobby. It wasn't all that different from seeing a play in Phoenix. However, outside the theater was quite different. There's an entire section of town that is a kind of theater district. The roads are completely lined with theaters and bright lights, as you can see in the photo to the right.

London, Day 9: Parliament

After alighting (as they say here) from the London Eye, I headed across Westminster Bridge to the Parliament building. One of the most famous features of the building is its clock tower, known as Big Ben.

As I wandered around the outside of the building, I noticed that people seemed to be entering one of the gates. Normal people, I mean, not politicians. So I joined the line -- er, queue -- and went inside. Security is pretty tight. I got patted down twice, and I couldn't take anything into the viewing gallery of the House of Commons.

The House of Commons is the elected half of parliament. The part of the building accessible to the public is full of murals and statues of people who I assume are famous British statesmen. To enter the viewing gallery, I had to fill out a short form telling them who I was and where I lived. The House of Commons was pretty ceremonious: all of the staff were wearing tuxedos, and some guy down in the room itself appeared to have a powered wig (or a rather odd hairstyle). Some people (the politicians, I assume) read the results of the vote, then handed it to the woman who appeared to be in charge somehow. She read the results again.

After all the voting, there was debate on an education amendment regarding selection criteria for schools and whether schools themselves should apply those criteria or whether a more impartial body should take charge. Really, it was much like the debates I've seen on C-SPAN in the US Congress. It was pretty polite, too. The whole experience wasn't really that interesting, but I did enjoy getting a glimpse of the halls of power in the UK.

London, Day 9: Eying London

The London Eye is an observation wheel, the only one in the world. It is 135 meters (443 feet) high and provides an excellent view of the center of London. It's on the River Thames, across the water from the Parliament building.

I took a ride on the Eye, which lasted about 30 minutes. Passengers revolve slowly around the wheel in enclosed clear capsules. It's an extremely gentle ride, and it hardly seemed like I was moving. I don't have much to say about the experience, except that it was a breathtaking view, particularly at the top. Instead, I'll share some of the best pictures from my trip.

London, Day 8: Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare's worst plays. We went to see it Tuesday night at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, a modern reproduction of the theater where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed.

The theater is round, with seating to the sides of the stage as well as the front. It is open-air, though the stage and the seats are covered. Those standing in the yard--the groundlings--get wet. Much of the play was performed in Elizabethan style, although the women were in fact played by women, not boys. The actors were enthusiastic, and the comedy aspects were played up, even though the play is a tragedy.

One of the interesting aspects of the play was being a groundling. While it was nice to have a place to sit, especially during the rain, I enjoyed getting up from my seat and walking down to the stage. The actors often used the area around the stage and interacted a bit with the audience. Mostly, they just pushed through the crowd. There was no directional lighting in the Globe--originally, the plays were performed in the afternoon because the highly flammable theater could not be safely lit--so the audience was clearly visible. My favorite part of being a groundling was doing a bit of interaction of my own. Apparently Elizabethan audiences used to throw things onto the stage. This may be the origin of the phrase "peanut gallery." Well, I didn't have any peanuts to throw, so during intermission, I grabbed a few brochures. When one of the bad guy characters came near my position at the side of the stage (he was just menacing one of the minor characters near the curtain and wasn't the center of the action), I participated in true Elizabethan fashion by tossing a wad of paper at him. He grinned and threw it back at me.

My professors, who were standing nearby, were extremely amused. So apparently were the other students, who were delighted to discover after the play that the thrower was one of their classmates.

While Titus Andronicus is technically a tragedy, with nearly all of the main characters dying in the blood-bathed fifth act, the actors played up the comedic aspects. The titular character goes quite convincingly mad (though it's clear to the audience that he's faking), one of the evil characters does an excellent job revelling in his vileness, and the emperor Saturninus is a hilariously childish weakling. Also, the bad guys sang "Hey, Saturninus" to the tune of "Hey Baby." And while several characters lose body parts, the play wasn't half as gory as the movie Titus which we watched before we left. In particular, the character Lavinia, who is raped and has her hands cut off and her tongue removed to prevent her from identifying her attackers, is not half as horrible-looking as she was in the movie. I think it was the twigs she was given in place of hands that made the movie version so disturbing.

Anyhow, the actors did a wonderful job. Afterward, I gave them a hand.

Coming of Age in London

Well, not coming of age in the typical sense. Rather, today is my 21st birthday. I am no longer a minor in any sense. It's sort of funny turning 21 in a country where the drinking age is 18, but it's not as though I was planning to go out and get drunk anyway. I wish I could have celebrated with my family, but I guess it will just have to wait. Meanwhile, I did have some ice cream to congratulate myself for surviving 21 orbits of the sun.

Here I pass the last major milestone birthday in my life for the next few decades. Only 44 years to go until retirement!

London, Day 7: Harrod's

Harrod's puts the mental in departmental store. It's huge, with seven floors filled with just about every kind of merchandise you can imagine. And it truly is a department store. There's an entire room devoted to candy, another to meat, another to CDs and DVDs, another to pianos and musical instruments, another to perfumes and so on. There are several restaurants, numerous lifts, and room after room of things I can't afford and probably wouldn't want to buy anyway. I saw a refrigerator playing Toy Story 2 on a screen set into one of its doors. So many luxury goods that have little practical use.

I did get some raspberry gelato. Here in London, you have to pay extra if you're going to stay in the store and eat your food. So I stood just outside and ate. I still think the gelato in Corvallis is the best I've had.

I spent a significant amount of time just wandering around, looking at all the crazy things for sale. I think I liked the room with the fossils best. (Yes, there were fossils for sale). A giant slab of rock with a palm leaf fossil in it would certainly be a pretty cool decoration for someone's living room. That is, if said someone had a lot of money to burn.

London, Day 7: The Globe

Along the River Thames stands the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's plays were once performed. Of course, this is not the original Globe, but a modern reconstruction, finished in 1997. It is true to the original--as true as can be when no blueprints or drawings survive and when modern fire codes prohibit certain features of the old building. The new Globe does have a thatched roof. While this was common in earlier times, London has not permitted this sort of roof since the 17th century, mostly due to the fire hazard. After all, the first Globe burned to the ground during a play because the roof caught fire from a cannon shot. The city required the building to have sprinklers to wet the thatch in case of an emergency. Still, despite the occasional anachronism, the theater is an interesting and reasonably accurate. There is even a yard in front of the stage for part of the audience to stand--these were the cheap seats back in Shakespeare's time. Well, not seats, I guess. Fortunately, we'll be sitting rather than standing. This has the added advantage of being in a covered area, unlike the yard. So when it rains, we won't get too wet.

This morning, the entire class went to a workshop at the Globe. It included an introduction to the building itself--we were taken inside and a bit about the structure and construction of the theater was explained. Then we all went inside, where our guide, professional actor and director Nick Hutchison, told us about the ways in which theater was different back then. For starters, they performed a different play each day, given that there wasn't an influx of new people into London ("There weren't busloads of American and Japanese tourists keeping your theater afloat"). This means that they had a few days to learn their lines and just three hours each morning to rehearse a three-hour play. Additionally, no one wanted to write out the entire script 20 times, so each actor received only their lines and the three words before their lines as a cue. These lines are written on a scroll which is rolled up, and are only part of the play (hence, apparently, "role" and "part"). There really aren't stage directions, either. So these performers go out, not knowing the details of the play, and perform it. Many of the stage directions and settings are given in the lines. When a character talks about it being night or dawn, it's because there's no lighting to indicate time of day (plays were performed in the daytime, and lighting would most likely have caused the Globe to burn down even earlier than it did). And if the character says, "Bring me the book in the orchard," it tells the other actor to bring a book, and it tells the audience that the setting is an orchard. Rather clever. It does mean that the actors have to be very quick on their toes, because they don't know when their cue line is coming, and they have to react quickly to stage directions in another character's lines. Furthermore, if the script calls for one character to hit another, the hittee might not know it's coming. I guess that results in a very authentic performance. Ouch!

We'll be seeing a play in the Globe tomorrow night. They cram a lot of people into that little theater--though only half as many as would have been there in Shakespeare's time. Speaking of crammed, the tube was absolutely packed on the way to the Globe. It's been awhile since I last played Sardines. I wasn't exactly hoping to ever have to do it again.

London, Day 6: A Rest and a Walk

On Sunday, I slept in and spent much of the day lying around, recovering from all the energy I'd spent this week running around. In the evening, I decided to try one of the London Walks, a guided two-hour stroll around a part of London, complete with stories about the history of the area. Well, the most interesting one running on Sunday night was the Jack the Ripper walk. We walked around an old, somewhat run-down part of London and discovered what transpired during the few months that Jack the Ripper was active. The serial killer, whose identity is a subject of fierce debate today, brutally murdered several prostitutes in a seedy part of London in late 1888. In addition to finding out about the murders and possible suspects, I learned a great deal about Victorian London. We were able to see some buildings that were much like London had been in those days--the roads were narrow and dark. For those in poverty, London was a squalid and horrible place to live. Many women, a majority of them middle-aged, had to work as prostitutes to survive and afford alcohol to drown their sorrows.

Of course, the entity responsible for these murders eventually ended up on Argelius III, where it was apprehended by James T. Kirk after killing several more women there.

London, Day 5: Birmingham

I spent much of Saturday visiting some friends in Birmingham. My former youth pastor and his wife had moved to England awhile back, and we decided to meet up for lunch. They graciously paid for my food, and we had a wonderful time catching up on everything. They showed me a bit around downtown Birmingham. We were downtown, where there were a large number of shops, a cathedral or two, an open-air food market, and a ton of people. Much of the area was closed off to cars, so there were wide streets to walk along. The city appears to be a bit more modern than the parts of London I've seen. It was interesting to look at the city, but I don't think I'd bother going back to visit again.

I traveled to Birmingham by train. It was pretty simple. I bought tickets online, took the tube to the station, got on the train, and that was that. I did have a little difficulty getting to the station. Parts of the tube were shut down due to engineering work, so I had to take the long way around. I actually missed the train that I had intended to take. Fortunately, trains run to Birmingham from London about every five minutes, since Birmingham is also a major city. And most of the tickets available are flexible--you take whatever train is convenient on that day. In fact, the return trip could be taken any time within a month. I guess this wouldn't work so well in the U.S. with our infrequent trains, but it was convenient, and something I wish we had available. I was also suprised that no one really checked my tickets. It looked like they were doing a few random checks, but I still have my return ticket because no one took it. In short, I love British mass transportation.

One of the interesting things about the train was getting to see the English countryside (something which is not exactly readily available in the middle of Kensington). Strangely enough, it looked a lot like Oregon. In fact, I was reminded of a train trip up the Willamette Valley that I took last year. How odd, that I should find something so familiar so far from home.

London, Day 4: Victoria and Albert Museum

I've been so busy that I haven't updated in awhile. I'll do a few posts to tell about what I've been up to.

On Friday afternoon, after going to Buckingham Palace, a group of us went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's a large art museum right by the area where we're staying. Best of all, as a national museum, it's free!

The museum houses a fair number of sculptures, many of which are amazingly realistic. There are also paintings, plaster casts of architecture, copies of famous works of art, and other random interesting pieces. Some of the exhibits were even a bit interactive.

The rest of the museum photos I've uploaded can be found here.

London, Day 4: Changing of the Guard

This morning, a couple of us students went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. When we got there, a large crowd had already gathered. Two guards in bright red uniforms with fluffy black hats were standing in front of the palace. They stood very still and occasionally marched back and forth very stiffly. There were police officers all over the place to keep everyone where they wouldn't get in the way.

At about 11 am, a bunch of guys in red coats riding horses passed by and entered the park. They were followed by a bunch of guys in red coats on foot. After awhile, the men on foot came back around and marched into the palace grounds. Then a marching band in red followed by a group in modern uniforms went around the street and into the grounds. The marching band was playing some pretty typical marching music. The men in charge of the red group and the modern group yelled a bunch, and walked around. Occasionally some other men walked around too. Eventually, the two guards were replaced. After that, the marching band began to set up to play. Strangely enough, they began to play a song that sounded like a modern soft jazz song--the sort of thing one might hear at a formal dance with good music (i.e. not hip-hop or rap).

The whole ceremony was long, thoroughly confusing, and hard to see because of the crowd in front of me. I'm enjoying looking at my pictures, because that's the best view I've had. You wouldn't believe the number of people holding up various recording devices over the crowd.

It's amazing, all the ceremony and ritual required to replace two guys. Well, I guess marching around in front of the palace every day in a silly uniform is better than being sent off to Iraq.

London, Day 4: Riding the Tube

I rode the London Underground for the first time today. It was far easier than I expected. We all received rail passes as part of our trip package, and all I had to do was stick the pass in a slot that let me into the station. From there, we selected the appropriate rail line and boarded the train. The trains were pretty crowded, but the ride was short. I noticed that the tunnels were very dusty. The trains come pretty frequently. When we got off, another train had arrived at the station before we left the tunnel. So to sum up, riding the tube is fast, convenient, and easy.

The view, however, is lousy.

London, Day 3: Class

I had four hours of class this morning. I'm taking two classes. One is Religion and Culture in Shakespeare's Britain, a study of the life and times of William Shakespeare. We'll be reading several of his plays and examining their relationship with the environment in which they were written. The other is Culture and Society in England, Ireland, and Scotland, which are the three countries we'll be visiting on the trip. So far, we've talked about the early history of England, beginning with the Roman invasion in 55 BC. Turns out that this little island has been invaded several times. The classes were relatively interesting this morning. Facinelli, the professor teaching the culture and society class, makes these great sarcastic comments. She told a story from the guide for the tour of London yesterday. Apparently the guide had once asked a bus full of schoolchildren who had invaded Britain 2000 years ago. Their answer?

Jesus.

Sometimes, Jesus is *not* the answer.

London, Day 2: The Rest of the Day

As you might have noticed from the many pictures on my flickr account, we went on a bus tour all over the main part of London. Turns out that London proper is only about a square mile in the middle of the city. The rest is technically Westminster. We saw Buckingham Palace (alas, the Queen is around right now, so there won't be tours), Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, the Thames, the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Harrods, and the Globe Theater, as well as a bunch of other buildings that I don't remember because there were so many. I'm not even sure what all my pictures are of anymore, so if you know, be sure to tell me!

One of the things I've noticed about London is how tall it is. I'm not sure that I've seen a single-story building yet. Most of the buildings in Kensington are four or five stories. It's an odd feeling having all those buildings looming over me, particularly since they're so close together.

London, Day 2: Westminster Abbey

This afternoon, we all went on a tour of London. Specifically, we went to Westminster Abbey, the site of many royal ceremonies and the burial place of kings, brilliant scientists, and literary geniuses, many of whom I've never heard of. My first impression upon entering the building was how tall it was. It's over 100 feet high, taller than it is wide. It's in the English Gothic style, apparently, and it is extremely ornate. I have never seen anything so elaborate. The stained glass windows are quite detailed and colorful.

One of the amazing aspects of Westminster Abbey is its age. The building certainly is not modern; many of the tombs are worn. Another striking feature is how close people are allowed to get to much of the Abbey. Few of the tombs are roped off, though many are so tall that no one could easily reach them. I was very surprised at the accessibility.

Despite its function as a tourist location, Westminster Abbey is a functioning church. There are apparently services there, and during our tour a minister came on the sound system and asked everyone to stop and be silent for prayer. Queen Elizabeth had been there that morning to knight three people, and because of that, he prayed for God's guidance for the leaders of all the countries represented by the people visiting the Abbey. The whole place had a sacred feel to it. It was well-lit due to the profusion of windows, but there was little internal lighting. There were religious depictions everywhere. Interestingly, the abbey does not allow photography, out of respect, I suppose.

Westminster Abbey is the final resting place for several monarchs, as well as people such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alfred Tennyson, and Geoffrey Chaucer. Many people were buried under the floor of the abbey, so I just walked on the graves of quite a few famous historical figures. One grave was that of the unknown warrior, much like the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington, D.C. The Unknown Warrior was killed in World War I. The plaque over his grave commemorates all who the soldiers who died during that war. "They buried him among the kings because he had done good toward God and toward his house."

Another somewhat moving tomb is that of Mary I and Elizabeth I, half-sisters who were queens of England. Mary, often known as Bloody Mary, was Catholic and killed about three hundred Protestants as heretics. Elizabeth, whose reign followed Mary's, was Protestant. While she was not as harsh as Mary, she did return England to Protestantism. The plaque near their grave is in memory of those who died for their faith and mourns those who were divided from their loved ones due to the Reformation.

Many of the people buried in Westminster Abbey played pivotal roles in English history. Therefore, I learned quite a bit about the history of England while visiting.

I very much enjoyed my visit to Westminster Abbey. The beauty and age of the building left me in awe. I just wish that I'd had a little more time to take a closer look at some of the inscriptions--we moved pretty fast.

Also, I wish they'd let us take pictures.

London, Day 1

Hello, everyone! I'm here in London, and everything is going reasonably well so far. The plane ride over here wasn't as bad as I had feared. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep much, so I was quite tired when I arrived. The plane was pretty nice, though. We got free headsets, plus a travel kit that contained socks and a nifty toothbrush and toothpaste set. The food wasn't bad, either, and there were movies playing the entire flight on individual screens on the seatback in front of us.

On approach to London, the city looked pretty much like any other city. It was hard to believe that I was in another country. However, as we got closer to the ground, I could see that the streets were lined with tall houses all run together. And the ride through London was definitely eye-opening. People drive on the left here, of course, and the driver's seat is on the right. Riding on the left side of the road actually felt somewhat natural. Must be the left-handed thing. The other weird thing was that the street signs look very different here, and apparently whoever was laying out the roads was unfamiliar with the concept of a straight line.

The scenery actually reminded me of Oregon a bit, minus all the evergreen trees. London is very green, and the houses in the less dense part of the city were surrounded by plenty of trees and grass. Even in the more crowded part of the city where we are (Kensington), there are trees lining the walkways, and most of the houses have a great variety of plants in their yards; many of the windows have planters. It's a beautiful city. Downtown had some very interesting architecture. Some of the buildings look very modern, though in this area, most of the buildings are brick or plaster and look like they were built a long time ago.

Our accommodations are less than stellar. Better than camping, worse than my dorm. The bathroom is across the hall and lacked toilet paper. The room is tiny, though it is equipped with a mini-fridge and TV. I'm on the 4th floor and there is no lift, as they call it here. I'm going to be so very in shape by the time we leave. The basement has some computers, a TV and a decent kitchen.

After an orientation where we all discovered where our classrooms will be, a few of us went looking for food. We got money out of an ATM. It was very weird seeing pounds come out instead of dollars. We went to a pub, and all had fish and chips. After all, what else could I have on my first night in London? Anyhow, it was quite good, which is amazing considering that I don't really like fish. Following dinner, we went to the local supermarket to pick up some food. I really like the labelling on the food; the nutrition information is displayed prominently on the packaging. On the whole, it wasn't much different from a typical upscale American supermarket, although I didn't recognize most of the brand names I saw.

Well, that's about it for my adventures so far in London. Not much of interest yet, although we'll be going on a tour of London later this afternoon. I have my first classes tomorrow.

Check out http://flickr.com/photos/shigosei/sets/72057594137397010/ for pictures of my trip!

It's the end of the year as we know it

My junior year of college has finally come to a close. I'm sitting here in my cleared-out dorm room, nearly ready to pack it all up and say goodbye to Tempe for three months.

On Monday, I'll be leaving for the British Isles on a six-week study abroad trip with the ASU Honors College. It should be fun. Check back here for pictures and stories, coming soon!