We visited with family over the weekend. Saturday my mom and Nick and I went to see Eclipse, the Twilight movie, and really enjoyed it. Then we got some food for a backyard BBQ. Mom and Dad and Bryce and Rebecca and Sebastian and Logan were there and we all played in the pool, which I very much enjoyed. We played in the pool so much that we were wiped out after dinner, which included a very yummy tri-tip. We only played one short game and then everyone was just kind of dragging so we all said goodnight pretty early.
Sunday we went to church with my mom and her new boyfriend, Ken. They have moved my mom’s ward to meet at another building, which happens to be the building I grew up in. I was baptized there and went to Primary there. So it was fun to show Nick all these “historic” places.
I hardly recognize the ward anymore. I knew maybe 15-20% of the people there, which is kind of sad. But it was fun to see some familiar faces and one lady, whom I had worked with as a teenager in Young Womens, said she had enjoyed my blog. I had NO idea she was reading so it made me wonder who all is reading my blog? Maybe it’s more than I think, which would be cool since I put so much into it.
After a nap back at home, we had some lunch and played a quick game which Mom and Ken. Mom won quickly and we were all so tired again. Sundays will do that to you, in addition to jet lag.
After Ken left I suggested we all go to my aunt and uncles so I could see them and some of my cousins there. So went headed down there and met up with my dad too. My cousin Nathan and his kids helped make this really yummy Asian food. It was quite a treat and we loved being with all the family. Some of us spent the rest of the evening singing karaoke and visiting. Dad and my Aunt Mariel were really curious about our trip so Nick and I were sharing some tidbits. I think it will be fun to scrapbook it and I can take excerpts from my blog to include.
We went home with my Dad who lives closer to Travis AFB than my mom and we found out that we needed to be at the base around 4:45am in order to get on the next flight out to Hickam AFB. That left us with only about four hours to sleep. So we went straight to bed and headed out around 3:30am, which was only 12:30am in Hawaii! Luckily, Dad was able to get on the base with just his drivers license and drop us off at the terminal. So we didn’t have to walk through some crazy wind they were having!
The next few hours were spent waiting and sleeping. We didn’t get into the air until around 9:00am and the flight was pretty uncomfortable because the seats were so close together. I was scrunched up and so was Nick. Still, I got a few hours of sleep.
I was so happy when we landed! It was a gorgeous day in Hawaii! The weather was so clear you could even see the mountains that are usually covered in clouds. Ah, so so good to be home in paradise. After stopping at the commissary for some food, we drove home, put everything away, and sighed a big sigh of relief.
Our trip is at an end. Although there were definitely some frustrations throughout, we are very glad for all the incredible experiences we had. I would love to write about the things I learned while on this trip but I am not sure that I will have the time. I have two weeks to get ready for my Praxis exam and get ready for student teaching. As it is, while taking a nap earlier today, I had a dream that I started my first day of student teaching and realized I had nothing prepared! Wow! So it’s time to finish up this blog and get back to reality.
Thank you to all of you who went with us on this trip. I knew I had an audience out there, however big or small I don’t know, and I kept it going for you guys. It was fun to know we were taking others with us wherever we went.
Until next time...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Day 37 - Europe 2010
Well we were lucky getting home. There was a flight going out that same morning to Travis AFB, which is about an hour away from my parents. So after just a little bit of rest in the terminal, we boarded the huge C-5 and started our long flight out there. It was about seven hours to Newfoundland where we stopped for fuel and stayed about three hours. I thought it was cool we were there on that big island in Canada, although I couldn’t go out and see anything. Funny thing is, it’s where I bought my only souvenir from our trip: a puffin! From there, it was another eight hours to California so we arrived around 8:00pm. At least the plane was very comfortable. The temperature was not too hot and not too cold and they had regular cushioned seats as well. Because there were about 40 seats but only 20 passengers, almost everyone was able to lay across the seats and get some sleep, which I certainly did.
My mom came to pick us up and we had to walk a bit to get off the base. It was actually pretty windy and cold. I was starving so we went to IHOP where I got my oh so favorite stuffed French Toast with strawberries. We came home, said hello my family there and my dog, and went to bed around 1:30am.
My mom came to pick us up and we had to walk a bit to get off the base. It was actually pretty windy and cold. I was starving so we went to IHOP where I got my oh so favorite stuffed French Toast with strawberries. We came home, said hello my family there and my dog, and went to bed around 1:30am.
Day 36 - Europe 2010
This was a terrible day and definitely the worst day of our trip. L
We had bought a shuttle bus service to the London Airport, which is about an hour away. We walked from our hostel to the bus stop, which was only a ten minute walk or so, and made it with plenty of time to spare. The bus was supposed to come at 9:20am but we waited and waited and nothing came! We saw another shuttle company coming but never the one we booked.
Finally, a shuttle came but it was there to pick up the 9:45am people. This bus was sold out and full. We, and others who were waiting for the 9:20am, explained to the driver that our shuttle never came. He just shrugged, stared at the ground, and said he would only take the 9:45am people. No apology. No help. He didn’t want to deal with us. Unbelievable.
So we knew our time was short and were out of luck with our shuttle bus so we had to pay another $30 to get on with the other company there. I thought we would still be okay on time but I wasn’t expecting that London traffic would be so horrid as to make our drive last nearly two hours instead of one!
So we got to the airport with only five minutes before our gate would be closing. Ugh, there was just no way, not with having to check in and then go through security and all that. I was still hopeful that Ryanair, our airline company, would somehow honor our tickets and allow us to go on a later flight. Or maybe they would even keep the gate open and we could hurry on through, since our flight still had 35 minutes before departing.
But this was not so. We explained our situation to them and they said it would cost us $300 to get on another flight. WHAT!? That is almost as much as all of the flights we’ve taken on this trip all put together! It was extortion. Let’s take these people who got seriously screwed in getting here and who have no other choice but to take a later flight and charge them a hefty fee for it. Unbelievable.
I wanted to explore other option so we fed this internet computer all our change in order to do some research. There was a military base about an hour away and if we could get the Bakers to get us there then maybe we could take a hop to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, our destination for the day, and have it cost us nothing. But I called the base and they said they normally have quite a few flights going there every week but they had nothing for the next THREE DAYS! Nothing at all. No flights to anywhere. Agh!
So we looked at other airlines and found something a bit cheaper but when we went to buy tickets none of our debit cards were being accepted. We would have bought the tickets at the counter but we knew they would cost more than the airline price and probably end up costing more than just buying from Ryanair. So after 45 minutes and emptying all our pockets of our change, we gave in and bought the Ryanair tickets for $300. It was painful.
Nick and I got on the flight and wrote a poem about how it all came down to easyBus that had never come to pick us up. Here is our poem:
So we arrived in Frankfurt around 4:00pm and found the information desk to be very helpful. This guy told us how we would take bus then train then bus then train to get to Ramstein. It was complicated but fairly inexpensive and at least we could use our Eurail passes again.
We went to the bus station just down from the airport but it was so hot that we decided to sit on the grass across the street where it was shady. We got on the baking bus soon thereafter and really enjoyed the countryside we passed. After about a half hour, I said to Nick, “I need my camera, this is really beautiful.” He said he last remembered giving it to me while waiting on the grass and then it hit me that I must have left it there when boarding the bus.
I couldn’t take it anymore. This day was terrible enough and I thought it was almost over. Now I realize I had left my camera, and two days worth of pictures, sitting on the grass waiting to be picked up by a passer-by. So I cried. I sobbed. I was just beaten and devastated. For me, we were already on route to Ramstein and I seemed a bad idea to go off course. Although our grassy spot wasn’t a busy area at all, I knew it would take just one person to walk by and it seemed too much of a hassle to go off course when we didn’t know if it was even there or if we could get back to Ramstein that evening.
But Nick thought it was worth a shot. So we got off as soon as we could, after riding for 45 minutes, at this cute little town but everything was closed at that point so we couldn’t figure out if there was a bus to get back. There were four people waiting there so we asked if anyone could speak English. A few of them could and they confirmed that no more buses would be going back to Frankfurt Airport that evening. See, Nick, I figured this would happen and now we just made a bad situation worse.
Then, one of the men waiting there who spoke very little English said that he was going to get picked up by a friend and that they would take us to the airport. Wow, how nice!!! We waited about 20 minutes and then his friend came and they talked to each other in German all the way back to the airport. They were both super nice and I felt grateful for the help. I prayed and said, “You’ve given us this extra help but I need one more favor. Hide that camera. If someone walks by, have them leave it alone.” I didn’t want their heroic efforts to have a sad ending with no camera to be seen.
By the time we got back to the grass at the bus stop about three hours had passed since we last left it there. I jumped out of the car and searched and found… nothing. It was gone. There was a police station right by the grass so the men asked about it there but nothing had been turned in. We thanked them for their help and offered money but they said, “You have enough problems.” Indeed!
Our last hope was that it had been turned into the airport but it was not there either and I was feeling pretty sad. What a waste that these nice men had helped us but there was no camera there. I was trying to let it go and move on but it was hard not to feel like this whole day had been pretty tragic overall.
It was already 9:00pm at that point and I wasn’t sure if we would make it to Ramstein that evening. But the information desk helped us again and we would basically be traveling overnight to get there. Oh well, at least we would get there and wouldn’t have to find a hotel or something. We grabbed some food at the airport and I went back to the grass to eat it with some strange hope that my camera would emerge from the ground there. Sorry, it didn’t happen.
After our meal, we still had some time before our bus came and I was parched. So we went back up the airport to fill our water bottles and we saw all these military people there. The information guy came up and asked if we were the ones trying to get to Ramstein. He explained that a bus was coming to pick up these Air Force troops that had just flown in and maybe they would let us get on. Hey, that would be nice!
But the Air Force troops were taking forever in the customs area and we couldn’t get to them to ask whether we might hop on their bus. Meanwhile, the time for our bus to leave was getting closer and closer and I didn’t want to take my chance with the Air Force bus only to be denied and then have missed out on my other ride down there!
There were some other Americans standing around there and they seemed to be waiting for the troops as well. So we asked them about it and they said they were waiting for their luggage that had been on that plane. I explained I was hoping to get on the bus down to Ramstein and they said, “We’ll take you!” I about fell over with joy! A free ride to Ramstein!
We left pretty late, around midnight and all five of us packed into this nice ride they had rented. Nick was quiet most of the time, I guess because these guys were pretty high rank, but I didn’t know and I wouldn’t have cared anyway so I kept conversation going on the way there. That is until the guy who was directing us to Ramstein decided to take the scenic route. We were on some really windy roads and I was starting to feel hot and car sick. I asked for some air and that helped a lot but I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
We got to Ramstein around 1:30pm, feeling nice and sick but grateful for the ride. The terminal was closed but there were a few people out there waiting to get in and telling us horror stories of waiting to get on flights for days. I said that if we were as lucky getting home as we were unlucky getting to Germany then we would be just fine.
We had bought a shuttle bus service to the London Airport, which is about an hour away. We walked from our hostel to the bus stop, which was only a ten minute walk or so, and made it with plenty of time to spare. The bus was supposed to come at 9:20am but we waited and waited and nothing came! We saw another shuttle company coming but never the one we booked.
Finally, a shuttle came but it was there to pick up the 9:45am people. This bus was sold out and full. We, and others who were waiting for the 9:20am, explained to the driver that our shuttle never came. He just shrugged, stared at the ground, and said he would only take the 9:45am people. No apology. No help. He didn’t want to deal with us. Unbelievable.
So we knew our time was short and were out of luck with our shuttle bus so we had to pay another $30 to get on with the other company there. I thought we would still be okay on time but I wasn’t expecting that London traffic would be so horrid as to make our drive last nearly two hours instead of one!
So we got to the airport with only five minutes before our gate would be closing. Ugh, there was just no way, not with having to check in and then go through security and all that. I was still hopeful that Ryanair, our airline company, would somehow honor our tickets and allow us to go on a later flight. Or maybe they would even keep the gate open and we could hurry on through, since our flight still had 35 minutes before departing.
But this was not so. We explained our situation to them and they said it would cost us $300 to get on another flight. WHAT!? That is almost as much as all of the flights we’ve taken on this trip all put together! It was extortion. Let’s take these people who got seriously screwed in getting here and who have no other choice but to take a later flight and charge them a hefty fee for it. Unbelievable.
I wanted to explore other option so we fed this internet computer all our change in order to do some research. There was a military base about an hour away and if we could get the Bakers to get us there then maybe we could take a hop to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, our destination for the day, and have it cost us nothing. But I called the base and they said they normally have quite a few flights going there every week but they had nothing for the next THREE DAYS! Nothing at all. No flights to anywhere. Agh!
So we looked at other airlines and found something a bit cheaper but when we went to buy tickets none of our debit cards were being accepted. We would have bought the tickets at the counter but we knew they would cost more than the airline price and probably end up costing more than just buying from Ryanair. So after 45 minutes and emptying all our pockets of our change, we gave in and bought the Ryanair tickets for $300. It was painful.
Nick and I got on the flight and wrote a poem about how it all came down to easyBus that had never come to pick us up. Here is our poem:
Thank You easyBus
by Nick and Andrea Taylor
We got there on time.
by Nick and Andrea Taylor
We got there on time.
Woo hoo! We’ll be fine!
But we waited and waited.
“Another bus?” we debated.
We decided to wait.
We decided to wait.
It’s not like we’ll be late.
We heard a gasp in the air.
We heard a gasp in the air.
Could it be? Is it here?
It’s true! It’s true!
Oh, but, no room for you.
Well now we can’t wait.
Well now we can’t wait.
Or for sure we’ll be late!
A different bus came our way.
Thirty bucks, fine, we’ll pay!
But now traffics stop and go,
And our driver drives so slow!
All we have to do it wait,
All we have to do it wait,
And wonder if we will be late.
So sorry you missed your flight.
So sorry you missed your flight.
300 bucks will make it right.
We fly later than expected,
Wallets empty, patience tested.
See no bus, then do not wait.
See no bus, then do not wait.
Or you’ll pay for being late!
So we arrived in Frankfurt around 4:00pm and found the information desk to be very helpful. This guy told us how we would take bus then train then bus then train to get to Ramstein. It was complicated but fairly inexpensive and at least we could use our Eurail passes again.
We went to the bus station just down from the airport but it was so hot that we decided to sit on the grass across the street where it was shady. We got on the baking bus soon thereafter and really enjoyed the countryside we passed. After about a half hour, I said to Nick, “I need my camera, this is really beautiful.” He said he last remembered giving it to me while waiting on the grass and then it hit me that I must have left it there when boarding the bus.
I couldn’t take it anymore. This day was terrible enough and I thought it was almost over. Now I realize I had left my camera, and two days worth of pictures, sitting on the grass waiting to be picked up by a passer-by. So I cried. I sobbed. I was just beaten and devastated. For me, we were already on route to Ramstein and I seemed a bad idea to go off course. Although our grassy spot wasn’t a busy area at all, I knew it would take just one person to walk by and it seemed too much of a hassle to go off course when we didn’t know if it was even there or if we could get back to Ramstein that evening.
But Nick thought it was worth a shot. So we got off as soon as we could, after riding for 45 minutes, at this cute little town but everything was closed at that point so we couldn’t figure out if there was a bus to get back. There were four people waiting there so we asked if anyone could speak English. A few of them could and they confirmed that no more buses would be going back to Frankfurt Airport that evening. See, Nick, I figured this would happen and now we just made a bad situation worse.
Then, one of the men waiting there who spoke very little English said that he was going to get picked up by a friend and that they would take us to the airport. Wow, how nice!!! We waited about 20 minutes and then his friend came and they talked to each other in German all the way back to the airport. They were both super nice and I felt grateful for the help. I prayed and said, “You’ve given us this extra help but I need one more favor. Hide that camera. If someone walks by, have them leave it alone.” I didn’t want their heroic efforts to have a sad ending with no camera to be seen.
By the time we got back to the grass at the bus stop about three hours had passed since we last left it there. I jumped out of the car and searched and found… nothing. It was gone. There was a police station right by the grass so the men asked about it there but nothing had been turned in. We thanked them for their help and offered money but they said, “You have enough problems.” Indeed!
Our last hope was that it had been turned into the airport but it was not there either and I was feeling pretty sad. What a waste that these nice men had helped us but there was no camera there. I was trying to let it go and move on but it was hard not to feel like this whole day had been pretty tragic overall.
It was already 9:00pm at that point and I wasn’t sure if we would make it to Ramstein that evening. But the information desk helped us again and we would basically be traveling overnight to get there. Oh well, at least we would get there and wouldn’t have to find a hotel or something. We grabbed some food at the airport and I went back to the grass to eat it with some strange hope that my camera would emerge from the ground there. Sorry, it didn’t happen.
After our meal, we still had some time before our bus came and I was parched. So we went back up the airport to fill our water bottles and we saw all these military people there. The information guy came up and asked if we were the ones trying to get to Ramstein. He explained that a bus was coming to pick up these Air Force troops that had just flown in and maybe they would let us get on. Hey, that would be nice!
But the Air Force troops were taking forever in the customs area and we couldn’t get to them to ask whether we might hop on their bus. Meanwhile, the time for our bus to leave was getting closer and closer and I didn’t want to take my chance with the Air Force bus only to be denied and then have missed out on my other ride down there!
There were some other Americans standing around there and they seemed to be waiting for the troops as well. So we asked them about it and they said they were waiting for their luggage that had been on that plane. I explained I was hoping to get on the bus down to Ramstein and they said, “We’ll take you!” I about fell over with joy! A free ride to Ramstein!
We left pretty late, around midnight and all five of us packed into this nice ride they had rented. Nick was quiet most of the time, I guess because these guys were pretty high rank, but I didn’t know and I wouldn’t have cared anyway so I kept conversation going on the way there. That is until the guy who was directing us to Ramstein decided to take the scenic route. We were on some really windy roads and I was starting to feel hot and car sick. I asked for some air and that helped a lot but I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
We got to Ramstein around 1:30pm, feeling nice and sick but grateful for the ride. The terminal was closed but there were a few people out there waiting to get in and telling us horror stories of waiting to get on flights for days. I said that if we were as lucky getting home as we were unlucky getting to Germany then we would be just fine.
Day 35 - Europe 2010
Our entire morning was spent at the Tower of London. It sounds like it’s just a tower but it’s not. The Tower of London is a big fortress where quite a few kings and queens have lived over the years. Although it was meant to be a residence more than anything else, it is more well-known for its bloody history as a prison and execution area for many famous people, including Walter Raleigh, William Penn, and Anne Boleyn.
There are guards there with distinctive uniforms called Yeoman Warders but also known as Beefeaters. They were paid in beef back in the days so that’s where they got the name from. Anyway, they give tours of the place so we were guided through the grounds by one of the warders who was actually quite funny. He explained that the tower, which had been built by William the Conquerer in the 11th century, had originally been surrounded by a moat fifteen feet deep. Unfortunately, the moat doubled as a refuse area and wasn’t all too pleasant after a time. So it has since been filled in.
He showed us Traitors Gate, an area where prisoners entered the fortress, including Anne Boleyn. We also saw the Bloody Tower, where two young princes were held and possibly murdered by their uncle to eliminate competition for the throne. Their bodies were found many years later in a garden nearby and still no one knows for sure who murdered them.
Then there is the Queen’s Residence by the Bloody Tower, just a small area with cute cottages protected by royal guards. Some of the warders live in this area.
Next to that is a prison area where a lot of the prisoners had etched their names or messages into the wall. You could go look at these etchings and that was pretty interesting. Quite a few of them had written messages about deliverance, patience, and justice. Others appealed to God for help. The one I liked the most was one who wrote that the more you suffer for Christ in this life, the greater your glory with him in the next. Many of the prisoners at the tower were held there because of their religious convictions. It was never too good of an idea to go against the official religion in England or you might end up locked away. Such intolerance led to American settlement of course so there’s a lot of history there.
Outside this tower is a small memorial to those executed within the Tower of London on that very spot. That includes Anne Boleyn who had been executed for having an affair. Our tour guide was being so descriptive about the history and the executions, I saw one guy getting a little antsy. The guide asked if he was alright and told him to take off his jacket. I think he was trying not to be sick, haha! So that was kind of funny.
Beyond that is a large building where are held the crown jewels and many other royal pieces. The line to get through was ridiculously long! Even though it was moving steadily, it took us fifteen minutes and passage through three different rooms before we finally got to see any of the jewelry. There were certainly some incredible pieces there, including crowns and scepters and the like, but, as I said before, Nick and I are both a little weary with that stuff so we weren’t really oohing and ahing or anything. Still it’s cool to say that I have seen the crown!
There is the main White Tower, somewhat central to the whole Tower of London and larger than anything else in the vicinity, that we also visited. Inside was a very neat museum of armor and weapons and such but, you guessed it, we were bored with it. We were also running short on time so we hurried on through looking for anything that looked new or unique. We did enjoy an old church on one of the levels, cool because it looked so old and authentic. It was really quite simple, with archways but hardly any decoration, and because of that it felt enchanting. I told Nick I would love to turn back time and be able to see people in here hundreds of years ago doing their thing.
We hurried through a few other spots, everything starting to look the same, and headed on out. We walked along the River Thames toward St. Paul’s Cathedral to meet up with a friend of mine, Roman, whom I had met on my mission in Romania.
St Paul’s was really big and beautiful and I thought maybe it was a bad idea to meet there since it was so large. But we found each other and it was fun to see Roman. We hadn’t seen each other for about five years and he hadn’t met Nick, of course.
I wanted to go inside the church there but we were all hungry and I didn’t want to make Roman do it because he already had. It cost $15 just to go inside! So we looked for a place to eat, which took some time because you are always going to pay a hefty price for even a decent meal here in Europe and in London especially. We finally settled on some pub food which was actually quite good. We visited there for a while, catching up on each other’s lives.
We did go back to St. Pauls and I thought I would just take a peak and see if the interior looked worth the money to check out. There is some history to the church as well, since Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married there. When I went inside, I didn’t see anything too unique from other churches I’d been in and a man was yelling at the line saying they were closing soon anyway so it wouldn’t be worth there time to go in. I at least tried to take a photo before leaving but the man shot his hand up in front of my camera and said, “No photos!” Wow, thanks for invading my bubble, buddy. So that was that.
We really had no plans and at that point I had seen all my must-sees in London already. So we talked about different ideas and decided we would pop in at the Natural History Museum. I had heard they have a very impressive dinosaur collection so I thought that might be fun. We took the tube over there and I was immediately struck by the building itself, which looks as impressive as the Parliament buildings with its archways and multicolored stonework. Neat.
The dinosaurs in the main area, or entrance, of the museum were very cool. It was fun to see the variety they had. One of the dinosaurs had a huge shell! I think they had that variey on the Ice Age movie, the second one if I remember right, swimming in the water. Very interesting, though not necessarily dinosaur-esque, was a large deer with enormous antlers, probably six feet wide. I honestly couldn’t fathom how a deer with antlers that big could hold up its head!
There were a lot of different sections to the museum and we started exploring but really it was kind of irritating because there were kids EVERYWHERE. Nick was seriously worried about tripping on them. So it didn’t take long before I had had my fill and headed on out. The only other thing we saw that I enjoyed was a room filled with birds, stuffed of course, and it was really fun to see the variety there. They even had a display of hummingbirds. They are so tiny! There was one bird that looked barely bigger than a fat bumblebee!
From there we walked over to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We had fun walking through the gardens and just talking and joking together. We visited the statue of Peter Pan there, which was fun. Nearby were the most apathetic swans I’ve ever seen. You could walk right up to them and they wouldn’t move. Nick stepped around one and said, “No problem, buddy. I’ll just go around.” Weird.
We ended up at the fountain memorial for Princess Diana which was actually very different. The fountain is more like a stream. It’s circular and runs from the top of the little hill to the bottom. You can actually walk through it, which a lot of people were doing, and I decided I needed to have that experience. So I walked the full length of it. The water was very cold but it felt good and the walk was very interesting because there are all these different parts to the fountain. In some areas it was completely calm and others had steps to go down or water spurting up from the ground and one area was almost shaped like a water slide. It was a neat experience and although I don’t know much about Princess Diana, I did try to think of her while walking through her pool.
Roman had to go soon and Nick suddenly suggested that perhaps he and I could go to another show like Wicked that evening. We both really loved our experience with that so we were definitely up for another. But we had very little time to figure things out. So we said goodbye to Roman and went back to Leicester Square to look at tickets. I was up for a few different shows but Nick was more picky. In the end, we decided we would give Lion King a try – we love African music - but that sent us to another area. So we were hustling through town and when we got there the place was full of kids and they only had very expensive seats left. They did have some “standing” seats available for pretty cheap but I wasn’t about to stand for two and half hours, especially when my feet were already tired. So we gave up on that possibility.
We checked out Piccadilly Circus but we didn’t understand what the buzz was about. It had a little statue in the middle and shops all around and that it. Oh well. So we called it good and went back to the hostel to get ready for our departure the next day.
When we passed through the pub, we saw that a World Cup game was on so I thought it appropriate that we join the Londoners and get a real European experience. So we took our laptop downstairs and surfed the web while watching Spain vs Germany. It was fun to feel the energy there, especially when anyone got anywhere near the goal. Haha.
So that’s it! Our trip was at a close and now we had the journey of getting home ahead of us.
There are guards there with distinctive uniforms called Yeoman Warders but also known as Beefeaters. They were paid in beef back in the days so that’s where they got the name from. Anyway, they give tours of the place so we were guided through the grounds by one of the warders who was actually quite funny. He explained that the tower, which had been built by William the Conquerer in the 11th century, had originally been surrounded by a moat fifteen feet deep. Unfortunately, the moat doubled as a refuse area and wasn’t all too pleasant after a time. So it has since been filled in.
He showed us Traitors Gate, an area where prisoners entered the fortress, including Anne Boleyn. We also saw the Bloody Tower, where two young princes were held and possibly murdered by their uncle to eliminate competition for the throne. Their bodies were found many years later in a garden nearby and still no one knows for sure who murdered them.
Then there is the Queen’s Residence by the Bloody Tower, just a small area with cute cottages protected by royal guards. Some of the warders live in this area.
Next to that is a prison area where a lot of the prisoners had etched their names or messages into the wall. You could go look at these etchings and that was pretty interesting. Quite a few of them had written messages about deliverance, patience, and justice. Others appealed to God for help. The one I liked the most was one who wrote that the more you suffer for Christ in this life, the greater your glory with him in the next. Many of the prisoners at the tower were held there because of their religious convictions. It was never too good of an idea to go against the official religion in England or you might end up locked away. Such intolerance led to American settlement of course so there’s a lot of history there.
Outside this tower is a small memorial to those executed within the Tower of London on that very spot. That includes Anne Boleyn who had been executed for having an affair. Our tour guide was being so descriptive about the history and the executions, I saw one guy getting a little antsy. The guide asked if he was alright and told him to take off his jacket. I think he was trying not to be sick, haha! So that was kind of funny.
Beyond that is a large building where are held the crown jewels and many other royal pieces. The line to get through was ridiculously long! Even though it was moving steadily, it took us fifteen minutes and passage through three different rooms before we finally got to see any of the jewelry. There were certainly some incredible pieces there, including crowns and scepters and the like, but, as I said before, Nick and I are both a little weary with that stuff so we weren’t really oohing and ahing or anything. Still it’s cool to say that I have seen the crown!
There is the main White Tower, somewhat central to the whole Tower of London and larger than anything else in the vicinity, that we also visited. Inside was a very neat museum of armor and weapons and such but, you guessed it, we were bored with it. We were also running short on time so we hurried on through looking for anything that looked new or unique. We did enjoy an old church on one of the levels, cool because it looked so old and authentic. It was really quite simple, with archways but hardly any decoration, and because of that it felt enchanting. I told Nick I would love to turn back time and be able to see people in here hundreds of years ago doing their thing.
We hurried through a few other spots, everything starting to look the same, and headed on out. We walked along the River Thames toward St. Paul’s Cathedral to meet up with a friend of mine, Roman, whom I had met on my mission in Romania.
St Paul’s was really big and beautiful and I thought maybe it was a bad idea to meet there since it was so large. But we found each other and it was fun to see Roman. We hadn’t seen each other for about five years and he hadn’t met Nick, of course.
I wanted to go inside the church there but we were all hungry and I didn’t want to make Roman do it because he already had. It cost $15 just to go inside! So we looked for a place to eat, which took some time because you are always going to pay a hefty price for even a decent meal here in Europe and in London especially. We finally settled on some pub food which was actually quite good. We visited there for a while, catching up on each other’s lives.
We did go back to St. Pauls and I thought I would just take a peak and see if the interior looked worth the money to check out. There is some history to the church as well, since Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married there. When I went inside, I didn’t see anything too unique from other churches I’d been in and a man was yelling at the line saying they were closing soon anyway so it wouldn’t be worth there time to go in. I at least tried to take a photo before leaving but the man shot his hand up in front of my camera and said, “No photos!” Wow, thanks for invading my bubble, buddy. So that was that.
We really had no plans and at that point I had seen all my must-sees in London already. So we talked about different ideas and decided we would pop in at the Natural History Museum. I had heard they have a very impressive dinosaur collection so I thought that might be fun. We took the tube over there and I was immediately struck by the building itself, which looks as impressive as the Parliament buildings with its archways and multicolored stonework. Neat.
The dinosaurs in the main area, or entrance, of the museum were very cool. It was fun to see the variety they had. One of the dinosaurs had a huge shell! I think they had that variey on the Ice Age movie, the second one if I remember right, swimming in the water. Very interesting, though not necessarily dinosaur-esque, was a large deer with enormous antlers, probably six feet wide. I honestly couldn’t fathom how a deer with antlers that big could hold up its head!
There were a lot of different sections to the museum and we started exploring but really it was kind of irritating because there were kids EVERYWHERE. Nick was seriously worried about tripping on them. So it didn’t take long before I had had my fill and headed on out. The only other thing we saw that I enjoyed was a room filled with birds, stuffed of course, and it was really fun to see the variety there. They even had a display of hummingbirds. They are so tiny! There was one bird that looked barely bigger than a fat bumblebee!
From there we walked over to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We had fun walking through the gardens and just talking and joking together. We visited the statue of Peter Pan there, which was fun. Nearby were the most apathetic swans I’ve ever seen. You could walk right up to them and they wouldn’t move. Nick stepped around one and said, “No problem, buddy. I’ll just go around.” Weird.
We ended up at the fountain memorial for Princess Diana which was actually very different. The fountain is more like a stream. It’s circular and runs from the top of the little hill to the bottom. You can actually walk through it, which a lot of people were doing, and I decided I needed to have that experience. So I walked the full length of it. The water was very cold but it felt good and the walk was very interesting because there are all these different parts to the fountain. In some areas it was completely calm and others had steps to go down or water spurting up from the ground and one area was almost shaped like a water slide. It was a neat experience and although I don’t know much about Princess Diana, I did try to think of her while walking through her pool.
Roman had to go soon and Nick suddenly suggested that perhaps he and I could go to another show like Wicked that evening. We both really loved our experience with that so we were definitely up for another. But we had very little time to figure things out. So we said goodbye to Roman and went back to Leicester Square to look at tickets. I was up for a few different shows but Nick was more picky. In the end, we decided we would give Lion King a try – we love African music - but that sent us to another area. So we were hustling through town and when we got there the place was full of kids and they only had very expensive seats left. They did have some “standing” seats available for pretty cheap but I wasn’t about to stand for two and half hours, especially when my feet were already tired. So we gave up on that possibility.
We checked out Piccadilly Circus but we didn’t understand what the buzz was about. It had a little statue in the middle and shops all around and that it. Oh well. So we called it good and went back to the hostel to get ready for our departure the next day.
When we passed through the pub, we saw that a World Cup game was on so I thought it appropriate that we join the Londoners and get a real European experience. So we took our laptop downstairs and surfed the web while watching Spain vs Germany. It was fun to feel the energy there, especially when anyone got anywhere near the goal. Haha.
So that’s it! Our trip was at a close and now we had the journey of getting home ahead of us.
PHOTOS:
(Again, these photos are not my own. Details can be found on Day 36)
This is a view from the outside of the Tower of London. Where the grass is on bottom is where the moat used to be.
Here is a view of Traitors Gate on the right. There was water on bottom so I'm not sure if they crossed the moat or came in from the River Thames or what.
The Bloody Tower! Those poor kids were only 12 years old. I am a bit confused at how many family members have killed one another for power but I suppose family relations weren't the same as they are today.
This is the Queen's House. I am not sure whether the current queen actually stays there but I know some of the Warders do. Notice the guard on the left.
This is the memorial where the chopping block used to be. Anne Boleyn and many others lost their lives (and their heads) here.
This is the entrance to see the royal jewels and such. There was a line coming out of it when we went.
And here is a Yeoman Warder, called a beefeater. I got my picture with our beefeater guide but sadly that is lost now.
St. Paul's Cathedral has the second largest dome in the world, or so I've been told. I only peaked inside but the outside was plenty impressive enough.
The very cool Natural History Museum building. It was like a church and castle and government building all put together.
Just one example of the cool dinosaur bones they have in that place. I would have liked to explore more if my feet weren't killing me and the place wasn't flooded with kids.
The Peter Pan statue. It had all these fairies all over it and Wendy - I think that's Wendy - seems to be peaking up his skirt? Hmmm...
The Princess Diana fountain memorial. I walked all along it and enjoyed the cool water. I had my picture taken here. Too bad.
Another view of the fountain. I climbed up those funky little rivets.
Day 34 - Europe 2010
Today was pretty awesome. We got to see quite a few cool things and experience the best of London, I think.
We started out heading to the Parliament buildings where we saw could see the River Thames and the London Eye and the Big Ben all from one spot. After a photo shoot there, we walked through the Parliament buildings which were really impressive. You can go inside and watch Parliament in session, which would have been really interesting, no doubt, but the line to get in and watch was a bit too long and we had too many other things to do today. Just the outside was fascinating enough and I thought it must be cool to work in such a fancy district of London.
We walked through St. James Park a bit, which had a lot of different kinds of ducks and geese resting and playing on the ponds there, some I’d never seen before. I love all the big parks in the big cities and London has quite a few.
We were right by Buckingham Palace after our walk and were ready to see the changing of the guard. The whole experience was slightly disappointing, actually. Buckingham Palace was much smaller than I expected. See how jaded I am? Not even Buckingham Palace can faze me now. It was still an impressive building but the Victoria Monument in front of it was more interesting, with a beautiful golden winged woman on top. I took a ton of pictures of that monument and just a few of the palace.
The street was completely flooded with people to see the changing of the guard so I really didn’t get that great of a view. The guards in their red coats and fuzzy hats went marching through the street with a band accompanying them. That part was neat. Inside the gates of the palace, more guards were all lined up ready to change over. Once the marchers got to the palace and inside the gates though, I couldn’t really see enough to enjoy it. There were rows of people in front of me blocking my view. I heard there wasn’t all that much to see anyway so we just left and I was happy enough to see the guards marching.
We headed back toward the Parliament area and popped into the Cabinet War Rooms museum. This is a set of rooms underground where Churchill and other government officials made plans and preparations for WWII. The cool thing about this place was they left it undisturbed from its previous use so a lot of the furnishings, wall hangings, and light fixtures were all original and untouched. They had wax figures dressed in 40s clothing doing the various jobs in the rooms so that made it more interesting and more real too. There was also a very good audio guide included in the price and it explained the purpose of the rooms and what went on there. It was very informative.
I especially liked the maps on the walls. These still had pins in them showing where ships were going or troops were stationed. I also liked the room with the typists where they had to write out things that Churchill said. On the audio guide you could hear what one of the typists wrote about Churchill and how difficult it was to work for him. She said if you misheard him and you weren’t sure what to type then you could either ask him to repeat himself and risk getting your head bitten off, leave it blank and hope it came to you later, or leave it blank and take your best guess at what he probably said based on what you had already written. Anyway, it sounded pretty stressful.
There was one room that was very interesting because on the door it said it was a bathroom and the lock showed it as always being occupied. But inside was a room where Churchill could call the president of the United States and others without risk of being overheard or his call being traced. I guess almost everyone working in the war rooms there thought it was a bathroom always occupied or out of order when really it was one of the best kept secrets of the place. How cool is that? Overall, we really enjoyed that museum as it was a great look at history.
From there we went just down the road to Westminster Abbey which ended up being my favorite of all the churches I have visited here in Europe. Like the war rooms, they also had a fantastic audio guide explaining a lot about the church and its history, including the many different rooms and tombs there. Wow, it was all so fascinating and the church itself was so very beautiful. Too bad I couldn’t take any photos inside, agh!
What I loved about this church was that it was big but not overwhelming big, beautifully decorated but not distractingly so, and it was so much more lit up than other churches I’d been in. I really enjoyed the colors and decorations in the center of the church. There was a lot of red and gold and a rich blue too. There was a glorious golden altar with an impressive tile floor before it. A barefoot priest was walking along the tile floor cleaning it and looking for spots he had missed. This is where kings and queens of England, including the current Queen Elizabeth, had been coronated. There was a feeling of quiet and respect there and I sat on one of the chairs to experience the atmosphere for a while.
Along the back of the church were a great many tombs all decorated with sculptures. Many of the tombs were topped with a sculpture of the dead figure within which was slightly creepy but more fascinating than anything since I got to see what Queen Elizabeth looked like along with many others. Other tombs told more of a story about the dead, including a man and woman lying on a bed with their six sons holding it up, only one looking up to heaven as only one son outlived his father. It was fun to hear the different stories about the tombs on the audio guide. I love history!
There was a really neat room at the back of the church with an incredible ceiling. It kind of made up for my bummer Cambridge experience since the fan vaulting inside this room was similar to that of Kings College. The columns of the room come up along the walls and spread out into a web of white lines when reaching the ceiling. It is much more beautiful and impressive than I am able to describe. Adding a lot of color and interest to the room were hangings of different flags along each wall, most likely representing different royal houses though I’m not really sure. At the back of the room was a beautiful stained-glass window that was built to commemorate the soldiers of WWII.
In another area very near the center of the church was a collection of tombs and memorials for writers and poets, called the Poets Corner. There was a statue of Shakespeare there and I especially enjoyed the statue of Handel, composer of the Messiah. There were a lot of memorials on the floor there but most of the names I did not recognize as I’m not much of a literature buff.
From there we went out into the cloisters which I really loved. There was a little square there and all along it ran this hall with arches looking out onto the square. It felt like something out of a story book or a movie, especially with that medieval feel and the light coming through the archways to light up the shady halls. There was another room off the cloisters called the Chapter House with a domed roof and very old frescoes covering the greater portion of the walls. This is where the monks would meet to hear and recite the scriptures.
There was a quiet garden there and we stopped for a quick break, taking in the beauty and quiet of the place. I was very much enjoying my experience in the abbey and there was only one more part to see: the nave! So we went back through the cloisters and into the abbey to the long hall leading up to the golden altar. This is where you appreciate the height of the building and its golden interior, along with its peaceful atmosphere. Like the Triumphal Arc in Paris, there was a memorial to an unknown soldier who had died in the Great War. Then we exited having fully enjoyed our experience in that very unique, beautiful, and historic church.
We walked back up along the Parliament buildings to Trafalgar Square which really isn’t all that impressive when it comes to squares. The monument in the middle is pretty lackluster compared to others I have seen, the great lions on bottom outshining it by far. But that wasn’t our destination, really. By the square is the National Gallery, our final art museum of this trip. Not nearly as extensive as the Louvre, it is still home to a few famous works that we were excited to see.
I suppose I most enjoyed seeing the Ambassadors the most. You would probably recognize this painting with the two men standing in front of a green background with a variety of objects, including maps and globes and such, in between them. Most recognizable is the very odd elongated skull at their feet. It was a much bigger painting than I expected and yet another that is so much more impressive in person. I also got to see the Arnolfini Marriage which is so detailed I just couldn’t stop staring. Way to go Jan van Eyk! I mean, the woman’s hand, though maybe the size of a quarter if that, had these tiny little lines along it to show the creases and wrinkles. I was especially impressed by the grainy texture of the sandals on the floor. Wow.
There were a few other famous works but nothing that got me to stop and stare as much as those two. I was a little frustrated because we were short on time and my feet were killing me at this point. I was trying to see everything so we were running through as efficiently as possible but I was still short on time. Unfortunately, we got to the really good stuff last, which were the Impressionist rooms. We were able to see Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres, which was very large and so neat to study. I am telling you, these prints you see in books do not even compare to standing in front of the painting when you can really see the brush strokes and appreciate the colors.
We saw some more Renoir but were suddenly shooed out of the room when getting to the van Goghs. I admit, I was really mad. I still had five minutes before closing and that would have been enough to fit in the last two rooms. But they started lining us up and kicking us out and I got cheated out of my five minutes. I started walking up to the van Gogh, his sunflowers, mind you, and this woman told me to stay in line toward the door. I wanted to say, “Really? I think I have five more minutes and I only need 20 seconds to look at this painting, lady.” So, if you know there is something you want to see in a museum and you’re limited on time, go there first and see if you can fit in the rest after. I was going for efficiency and it cost me my Impressionism experience. Darn!
We rested our feet for a bit and watched this man walk his crazy pet ferret. No London experience is complete without a bit of ferret watching, right? Anyway, we had a bit of time to kill so we took our time heading toward the theatre and enjoyed a bit more of the London scenery. We decided that we really liked London. It has such neat historic buildings but is still very modern and very clean. And hey, everyone speaks English so that’s a plus! We were feeling glad to be there.
We headed toward the theatre to watch Wicked and were getting pretty excited. Right away we could tell this was going to be quite the production. The theatre was big but we were happy with our seats and had a decent view of the stage. The stage itself was decked out. There were multiple levels to it and on top was a huge mechanical dragon. Wow.
I suppose I should give a little synopsis for those who aren’t familiar with the story. Wicked is about the Wicked Witch of the West, as seen on the Wizard of Oz, and how she came to be where she was on the movie. She was born green and went to school to learn magic and sorcery where she met the much less talented but very popular Glinda, the White Witch in Oz. They become friends and the story goes on from there but I don’t want to get into details.
The show was really quite the experience. Right away I enjoyed the very creative costumes which were definitely fantasy. The sets and props were also very impressive. But the cast and the music were the best! Both Elphaba, the green witch, and Glinda, the white witch, were incredible singers. Nick and I loved the music and the acting talent! They were busting out these incredible notes like it was nothing and the characters were so believable! We have since bought the Wicked album but I think the cast we had in London sounded better. Anyway, if you have a chance to go and see that show, do it! Although I would say the story itself was more like a ‘B,’ I still gave the whole show an ‘A’ because of the incredible soundtrack, acting, and costumes. It was a really good time through and through.
So we went home very happy with our day and what a great ending it had. Only one more day left of our trip before heading home!
We started out heading to the Parliament buildings where we saw could see the River Thames and the London Eye and the Big Ben all from one spot. After a photo shoot there, we walked through the Parliament buildings which were really impressive. You can go inside and watch Parliament in session, which would have been really interesting, no doubt, but the line to get in and watch was a bit too long and we had too many other things to do today. Just the outside was fascinating enough and I thought it must be cool to work in such a fancy district of London.
We walked through St. James Park a bit, which had a lot of different kinds of ducks and geese resting and playing on the ponds there, some I’d never seen before. I love all the big parks in the big cities and London has quite a few.
We were right by Buckingham Palace after our walk and were ready to see the changing of the guard. The whole experience was slightly disappointing, actually. Buckingham Palace was much smaller than I expected. See how jaded I am? Not even Buckingham Palace can faze me now. It was still an impressive building but the Victoria Monument in front of it was more interesting, with a beautiful golden winged woman on top. I took a ton of pictures of that monument and just a few of the palace.
The street was completely flooded with people to see the changing of the guard so I really didn’t get that great of a view. The guards in their red coats and fuzzy hats went marching through the street with a band accompanying them. That part was neat. Inside the gates of the palace, more guards were all lined up ready to change over. Once the marchers got to the palace and inside the gates though, I couldn’t really see enough to enjoy it. There were rows of people in front of me blocking my view. I heard there wasn’t all that much to see anyway so we just left and I was happy enough to see the guards marching.
We headed back toward the Parliament area and popped into the Cabinet War Rooms museum. This is a set of rooms underground where Churchill and other government officials made plans and preparations for WWII. The cool thing about this place was they left it undisturbed from its previous use so a lot of the furnishings, wall hangings, and light fixtures were all original and untouched. They had wax figures dressed in 40s clothing doing the various jobs in the rooms so that made it more interesting and more real too. There was also a very good audio guide included in the price and it explained the purpose of the rooms and what went on there. It was very informative.
I especially liked the maps on the walls. These still had pins in them showing where ships were going or troops were stationed. I also liked the room with the typists where they had to write out things that Churchill said. On the audio guide you could hear what one of the typists wrote about Churchill and how difficult it was to work for him. She said if you misheard him and you weren’t sure what to type then you could either ask him to repeat himself and risk getting your head bitten off, leave it blank and hope it came to you later, or leave it blank and take your best guess at what he probably said based on what you had already written. Anyway, it sounded pretty stressful.
There was one room that was very interesting because on the door it said it was a bathroom and the lock showed it as always being occupied. But inside was a room where Churchill could call the president of the United States and others without risk of being overheard or his call being traced. I guess almost everyone working in the war rooms there thought it was a bathroom always occupied or out of order when really it was one of the best kept secrets of the place. How cool is that? Overall, we really enjoyed that museum as it was a great look at history.
From there we went just down the road to Westminster Abbey which ended up being my favorite of all the churches I have visited here in Europe. Like the war rooms, they also had a fantastic audio guide explaining a lot about the church and its history, including the many different rooms and tombs there. Wow, it was all so fascinating and the church itself was so very beautiful. Too bad I couldn’t take any photos inside, agh!
What I loved about this church was that it was big but not overwhelming big, beautifully decorated but not distractingly so, and it was so much more lit up than other churches I’d been in. I really enjoyed the colors and decorations in the center of the church. There was a lot of red and gold and a rich blue too. There was a glorious golden altar with an impressive tile floor before it. A barefoot priest was walking along the tile floor cleaning it and looking for spots he had missed. This is where kings and queens of England, including the current Queen Elizabeth, had been coronated. There was a feeling of quiet and respect there and I sat on one of the chairs to experience the atmosphere for a while.
Along the back of the church were a great many tombs all decorated with sculptures. Many of the tombs were topped with a sculpture of the dead figure within which was slightly creepy but more fascinating than anything since I got to see what Queen Elizabeth looked like along with many others. Other tombs told more of a story about the dead, including a man and woman lying on a bed with their six sons holding it up, only one looking up to heaven as only one son outlived his father. It was fun to hear the different stories about the tombs on the audio guide. I love history!
There was a really neat room at the back of the church with an incredible ceiling. It kind of made up for my bummer Cambridge experience since the fan vaulting inside this room was similar to that of Kings College. The columns of the room come up along the walls and spread out into a web of white lines when reaching the ceiling. It is much more beautiful and impressive than I am able to describe. Adding a lot of color and interest to the room were hangings of different flags along each wall, most likely representing different royal houses though I’m not really sure. At the back of the room was a beautiful stained-glass window that was built to commemorate the soldiers of WWII.
In another area very near the center of the church was a collection of tombs and memorials for writers and poets, called the Poets Corner. There was a statue of Shakespeare there and I especially enjoyed the statue of Handel, composer of the Messiah. There were a lot of memorials on the floor there but most of the names I did not recognize as I’m not much of a literature buff.
From there we went out into the cloisters which I really loved. There was a little square there and all along it ran this hall with arches looking out onto the square. It felt like something out of a story book or a movie, especially with that medieval feel and the light coming through the archways to light up the shady halls. There was another room off the cloisters called the Chapter House with a domed roof and very old frescoes covering the greater portion of the walls. This is where the monks would meet to hear and recite the scriptures.
There was a quiet garden there and we stopped for a quick break, taking in the beauty and quiet of the place. I was very much enjoying my experience in the abbey and there was only one more part to see: the nave! So we went back through the cloisters and into the abbey to the long hall leading up to the golden altar. This is where you appreciate the height of the building and its golden interior, along with its peaceful atmosphere. Like the Triumphal Arc in Paris, there was a memorial to an unknown soldier who had died in the Great War. Then we exited having fully enjoyed our experience in that very unique, beautiful, and historic church.
We walked back up along the Parliament buildings to Trafalgar Square which really isn’t all that impressive when it comes to squares. The monument in the middle is pretty lackluster compared to others I have seen, the great lions on bottom outshining it by far. But that wasn’t our destination, really. By the square is the National Gallery, our final art museum of this trip. Not nearly as extensive as the Louvre, it is still home to a few famous works that we were excited to see.
I suppose I most enjoyed seeing the Ambassadors the most. You would probably recognize this painting with the two men standing in front of a green background with a variety of objects, including maps and globes and such, in between them. Most recognizable is the very odd elongated skull at their feet. It was a much bigger painting than I expected and yet another that is so much more impressive in person. I also got to see the Arnolfini Marriage which is so detailed I just couldn’t stop staring. Way to go Jan van Eyk! I mean, the woman’s hand, though maybe the size of a quarter if that, had these tiny little lines along it to show the creases and wrinkles. I was especially impressed by the grainy texture of the sandals on the floor. Wow.
There were a few other famous works but nothing that got me to stop and stare as much as those two. I was a little frustrated because we were short on time and my feet were killing me at this point. I was trying to see everything so we were running through as efficiently as possible but I was still short on time. Unfortunately, we got to the really good stuff last, which were the Impressionist rooms. We were able to see Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres, which was very large and so neat to study. I am telling you, these prints you see in books do not even compare to standing in front of the painting when you can really see the brush strokes and appreciate the colors.
We saw some more Renoir but were suddenly shooed out of the room when getting to the van Goghs. I admit, I was really mad. I still had five minutes before closing and that would have been enough to fit in the last two rooms. But they started lining us up and kicking us out and I got cheated out of my five minutes. I started walking up to the van Gogh, his sunflowers, mind you, and this woman told me to stay in line toward the door. I wanted to say, “Really? I think I have five more minutes and I only need 20 seconds to look at this painting, lady.” So, if you know there is something you want to see in a museum and you’re limited on time, go there first and see if you can fit in the rest after. I was going for efficiency and it cost me my Impressionism experience. Darn!
We rested our feet for a bit and watched this man walk his crazy pet ferret. No London experience is complete without a bit of ferret watching, right? Anyway, we had a bit of time to kill so we took our time heading toward the theatre and enjoyed a bit more of the London scenery. We decided that we really liked London. It has such neat historic buildings but is still very modern and very clean. And hey, everyone speaks English so that’s a plus! We were feeling glad to be there.
We headed toward the theatre to watch Wicked and were getting pretty excited. Right away we could tell this was going to be quite the production. The theatre was big but we were happy with our seats and had a decent view of the stage. The stage itself was decked out. There were multiple levels to it and on top was a huge mechanical dragon. Wow.
I suppose I should give a little synopsis for those who aren’t familiar with the story. Wicked is about the Wicked Witch of the West, as seen on the Wizard of Oz, and how she came to be where she was on the movie. She was born green and went to school to learn magic and sorcery where she met the much less talented but very popular Glinda, the White Witch in Oz. They become friends and the story goes on from there but I don’t want to get into details.
The show was really quite the experience. Right away I enjoyed the very creative costumes which were definitely fantasy. The sets and props were also very impressive. But the cast and the music were the best! Both Elphaba, the green witch, and Glinda, the white witch, were incredible singers. Nick and I loved the music and the acting talent! They were busting out these incredible notes like it was nothing and the characters were so believable! We have since bought the Wicked album but I think the cast we had in London sounded better. Anyway, if you have a chance to go and see that show, do it! Although I would say the story itself was more like a ‘B,’ I still gave the whole show an ‘A’ because of the incredible soundtrack, acting, and costumes. It was a really good time through and through.
So we went home very happy with our day and what a great ending it had. Only one more day left of our trip before heading home!
PHOTOS:
(Sadly, these photos are not my own. See Day 36 for details)
We saw the Big Ben and heard it chime too! I thought of Peter Pan landing on it in the Disney movie.
Here are the Parliament buildings as seen from across the River Thames. You can see the Big Ben there too.
Buckingham Palace was much smaller than I expected but the grounds around it were beautiful with this big red carnations. You can see the Victoria Monument in the front, which I thought was gorgeous.
Here is another look at the Victoria Monument. I loved the golden winged woman on top. Her wings were beautiful.
The changing of the guard included a band and that was fun to hear. We loved their outfits but it must have been so hot!
On the lower right, you can see the entrance to the Cabinet War Rooms which go down underground.
Here is a wax figure looking at a map on the wall. Look at the phones, light fixtures, books. Everything is authentic, including the map on the wall! So cool!
Outside Westminster Abbey. I had no idea I would love this church so much! It was beautiful inside and out!
This is the choir area just across from the golden altar. It was really peaceful in that area and the audio guide let you here some choir music which was neat.
Here is the chapel in the back of the abbey. See the fan vaulting above? That's what I was hoping to see at Kings College Cathedral but at least I got to see it here and it was gorgeous! I loved that room!
Here are the cloisters. Again, I felt like I was walking through a bit of fantasy land here because the arches and windows and lighting made it feel so enchanting.
This is the chapter house where the monks would gather to hear and recite scriptures. This was a stunning room with the stained-glass windows and old paintings along the walls below them.
Here is a look at the nave with the memorial on the ground below. I sat on those chairs for a while and enjoyed the much lighter interior than so many other churches we'd been in.
Trafalgar Square - not much to say about it. I guess if I knew my history better but on this I don't.
From another angle, you can see the National Gallery there where we were able to see a lot of cool paintings!
This is the Ambassadors painting by Holbein. I was so impressed with the textures in this painting which you can't really get on screen or in print. See the funky elongated skull on bottom? Who knows.
And the Arnolfini Wedding by Jan van Eyk. It wasn't really that big but he had is jam packed with detail so I spent a good while staring at it. I am definitely an admirer.
This is one of those paintings that I wasn't a big fan of until I saw it in person. Just seeing all the brush strokes and the different colors used, it's really fun to pick it apart and see the skill involved. What a fun piece!
I found pictures of the actresses we saw in London here. I thought the cast was just too perfect. What a fun time that was. Nick is listening to the soundtrack as I write this.
And I just LOVED the costumes. They really added so much flare and color to the stage! This doesn't even show the best of it but it was the biggest I could find.
Day 33 - Europe 2010
Back to the madness! We got up at 6:15am to catch our 7:40am train to London. The train ride was quick and we were able to nap on the way. I was a little distracted by an adorable dog on the train who had half his face white and the other half black. I pet him and am proud to say that I pet a dog in every country we visited!
We arrived at Kings Cross Station, yes the one from Harry Potter, and even got out at Platform 9! Platform 9 and ¾ is where you get on to go to Hogwarts. There is supposed to be a sign there but we didn’t see it so maybe we were at a different Platform 9? We took a picture anyway.
We had to navigate our way through the “tube,” which is what they call the metro here. Like Paris, London is quite big with a lot of different lines. We found our way to our hostel, called the Green Man. Well, actually it was a pub with rooms in on the upper floors. So that was kind of different having to check in at a bar. The room was really small and packed with beds but the good news is at least it’s our last hostel!
So we dropped off our stuff and went out to find the British Museum! We got a bit lost getting there but it gave us a chance to see some of the city, which has that cool mixture of old and new. In general, however, London is very modern and seems the most well-kept of the big cities we’ve visited.
We were pretty excited about the British Museum because it’s one of the big ones like the Louvre and the Uffizi, though this museum is much more about artifacts than artwork. However, because London is our last destination and we have been to a great many museums, we were a bit spoiled at this point and much harder to impress. You can only see so much ancient Greek pottery before losing interest, which Nick certainly did.
I was definitely impressed by their ancient Mesopotamia collection, which had a lot of old stone slabs of artwork depicting battle scenes, hunting expeditions, and rituals. I was VERY proud at remembering the name Ashurnasirpal as he is depicted on one of the more famous works shooting lions from his chariot. I was wandering through the halls saying, “Ashurnasirpal should be here… He is probably here…” When I found him, I pointed to the name on the description and shouted triumphantly: “BAM!” Nick assured me that he was indeed impressed. I mean, come on. Ashurnasirpal? Only someone as awesome as me would remember that crazy name.
They did have a pretty crazy Egyptian collection as well with lots of huge statues and so many sarcophagi it blew my mind. We saw a few more mummies there as well and I said to Nick, “Who knows, maybe your dead body will end up in a museum one day. I bet these guys never expected that and here they are.” They had descriptions about the mummification process but I had to stop reading after awhile because I started feeling a bit light-headed, especially with their little brain-extraction tools on display in front of me. Yikes.
There were a few other highlights, including the Rosetta Stone which wasn’t all that exciting to me actually. We also saw an impressive collection of Asian works with the oldest known woodcut and a dizzying array of Buddhist statues and Hindu figurines. They also had a really neat Native American display with clothing and artifacts from the different tribes, which I found very interesting and very well put-together. We especially liked seeing some of the Mayan statues and tablets which were really so different than anything else we’ve seen on our trip. That whole culture has this dark enchantment about it, scary and mysterious.
The ultimate highlight of the British Museum, however, is its collection from the Parthenon in Athens. In seeing all these works from the building itself you get an idea at how large and grandiose this building is and once was. There is a section of sculpture that stretches all around the Parthenon above the columns, called a frieze, and these are broken up into individual scenes called metopes. The metopes were scattered around the room and were very large. Some depicted scenes of centaurs and humans fighting one another and others showed an army on horseback. These metopes were originally painted so that must have been quite an impressive site to have this building, already impressive with its large columns, be topped all the way around with grand and colorful friezes.
Most impressive and most famous are the statues from the pediment, the triangular space above the columns and friezes. These statues, larger than life, depict gods in various poses, most often enacting a scene from Greek myth. The Parthenon was built for the goddess Athena, patron goddess of Athens, so she is depicted on one of the pediments defeating Poseidon in a battle of power and skill. It takes a bit of imagination but in putting together all the pieces of the Parthenon on display in the museum, you can certainly wish you were there to see it at its creation so many years ago. Even today, this building would have wowed its viewers. I would have liked to visit the Parthenon in Athens but Greece didn’t make the cut, unfortunately. Still, the British Museum delivered in that department.
We finished up quick, feet hurting again from another day spent walking and standing, and hurried over to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester for some reason) so that we could look into getting tickets for a musical. We so enjoyed seeing Riverdance and Nick was really hoping to catch a show while in London as well. London is indeed a perfect place to be for a good show as our options were a bit overwhelming. There must have been a good 20 different shows to choose from, including the old classics like Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera!
Nick was hoping to see Les Miserables but Nick Jonas from the oh so popular Jonas Brothers would be cast in the show for the next few weeks so tickets were scarce and we weren’t sure we wanted to deal with the screaming teens. I voted to check out Wicked, which I knew very little about except that the book and the musical are quite popular. We went to the theatre there and they had two seats available for the following evening. The seats were on the first row of the balcony, not too far from the stage, and were around $60 each. Okay then, let’s do it! We were excited about our new plans, though not sure what to expect since we weren’t familiar with the story or songs. We hope it’s good!
We went home fairly early that evening so that I could catch up with the blog. We had also had an early morning so Nick was happy to take a nap. I thought he would be out for good but he got up after a few more bunkmates came in and said he felt lame spending the evening indoors. So we decided to walk toward Hyde Park which was about 15 minutes south of our hostel and had quite an unexpected and unusual experience. Basically, we felt like we were walking through Baghdad. There were Middle Eastern folk everywhere, including women wearing burqas. There was even some Arab language written on a lot of the signs of the stores we passed. We also saw a ton of Middle Eastern men sitting outside smoking who-knows-what out of these huge fancy bottles, like the caterpillar on Alice in Wonderland. Call me uncultured, but I have no idea what they were smoking or what that is called. It kind of smelled like incense. Anyway, it was a very different experience for us both and we definitely felt out of place.
We made it to Hyde Park but by then it was dark so we couldn’t really explore. I just got a few shots of a cool fountain on the corner and then we headed back through Baghdad and back to our hostel for some more blogging. On to more adventures tomorrow!
We arrived at Kings Cross Station, yes the one from Harry Potter, and even got out at Platform 9! Platform 9 and ¾ is where you get on to go to Hogwarts. There is supposed to be a sign there but we didn’t see it so maybe we were at a different Platform 9? We took a picture anyway.
We had to navigate our way through the “tube,” which is what they call the metro here. Like Paris, London is quite big with a lot of different lines. We found our way to our hostel, called the Green Man. Well, actually it was a pub with rooms in on the upper floors. So that was kind of different having to check in at a bar. The room was really small and packed with beds but the good news is at least it’s our last hostel!
So we dropped off our stuff and went out to find the British Museum! We got a bit lost getting there but it gave us a chance to see some of the city, which has that cool mixture of old and new. In general, however, London is very modern and seems the most well-kept of the big cities we’ve visited.
We were pretty excited about the British Museum because it’s one of the big ones like the Louvre and the Uffizi, though this museum is much more about artifacts than artwork. However, because London is our last destination and we have been to a great many museums, we were a bit spoiled at this point and much harder to impress. You can only see so much ancient Greek pottery before losing interest, which Nick certainly did.
I was definitely impressed by their ancient Mesopotamia collection, which had a lot of old stone slabs of artwork depicting battle scenes, hunting expeditions, and rituals. I was VERY proud at remembering the name Ashurnasirpal as he is depicted on one of the more famous works shooting lions from his chariot. I was wandering through the halls saying, “Ashurnasirpal should be here… He is probably here…” When I found him, I pointed to the name on the description and shouted triumphantly: “BAM!” Nick assured me that he was indeed impressed. I mean, come on. Ashurnasirpal? Only someone as awesome as me would remember that crazy name.
They did have a pretty crazy Egyptian collection as well with lots of huge statues and so many sarcophagi it blew my mind. We saw a few more mummies there as well and I said to Nick, “Who knows, maybe your dead body will end up in a museum one day. I bet these guys never expected that and here they are.” They had descriptions about the mummification process but I had to stop reading after awhile because I started feeling a bit light-headed, especially with their little brain-extraction tools on display in front of me. Yikes.
There were a few other highlights, including the Rosetta Stone which wasn’t all that exciting to me actually. We also saw an impressive collection of Asian works with the oldest known woodcut and a dizzying array of Buddhist statues and Hindu figurines. They also had a really neat Native American display with clothing and artifacts from the different tribes, which I found very interesting and very well put-together. We especially liked seeing some of the Mayan statues and tablets which were really so different than anything else we’ve seen on our trip. That whole culture has this dark enchantment about it, scary and mysterious.
The ultimate highlight of the British Museum, however, is its collection from the Parthenon in Athens. In seeing all these works from the building itself you get an idea at how large and grandiose this building is and once was. There is a section of sculpture that stretches all around the Parthenon above the columns, called a frieze, and these are broken up into individual scenes called metopes. The metopes were scattered around the room and were very large. Some depicted scenes of centaurs and humans fighting one another and others showed an army on horseback. These metopes were originally painted so that must have been quite an impressive site to have this building, already impressive with its large columns, be topped all the way around with grand and colorful friezes.
Most impressive and most famous are the statues from the pediment, the triangular space above the columns and friezes. These statues, larger than life, depict gods in various poses, most often enacting a scene from Greek myth. The Parthenon was built for the goddess Athena, patron goddess of Athens, so she is depicted on one of the pediments defeating Poseidon in a battle of power and skill. It takes a bit of imagination but in putting together all the pieces of the Parthenon on display in the museum, you can certainly wish you were there to see it at its creation so many years ago. Even today, this building would have wowed its viewers. I would have liked to visit the Parthenon in Athens but Greece didn’t make the cut, unfortunately. Still, the British Museum delivered in that department.
We finished up quick, feet hurting again from another day spent walking and standing, and hurried over to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester for some reason) so that we could look into getting tickets for a musical. We so enjoyed seeing Riverdance and Nick was really hoping to catch a show while in London as well. London is indeed a perfect place to be for a good show as our options were a bit overwhelming. There must have been a good 20 different shows to choose from, including the old classics like Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera!
Nick was hoping to see Les Miserables but Nick Jonas from the oh so popular Jonas Brothers would be cast in the show for the next few weeks so tickets were scarce and we weren’t sure we wanted to deal with the screaming teens. I voted to check out Wicked, which I knew very little about except that the book and the musical are quite popular. We went to the theatre there and they had two seats available for the following evening. The seats were on the first row of the balcony, not too far from the stage, and were around $60 each. Okay then, let’s do it! We were excited about our new plans, though not sure what to expect since we weren’t familiar with the story or songs. We hope it’s good!
We went home fairly early that evening so that I could catch up with the blog. We had also had an early morning so Nick was happy to take a nap. I thought he would be out for good but he got up after a few more bunkmates came in and said he felt lame spending the evening indoors. So we decided to walk toward Hyde Park which was about 15 minutes south of our hostel and had quite an unexpected and unusual experience. Basically, we felt like we were walking through Baghdad. There were Middle Eastern folk everywhere, including women wearing burqas. There was even some Arab language written on a lot of the signs of the stores we passed. We also saw a ton of Middle Eastern men sitting outside smoking who-knows-what out of these huge fancy bottles, like the caterpillar on Alice in Wonderland. Call me uncultured, but I have no idea what they were smoking or what that is called. It kind of smelled like incense. Anyway, it was a very different experience for us both and we definitely felt out of place.
We made it to Hyde Park but by then it was dark so we couldn’t really explore. I just got a few shots of a cool fountain on the corner and then we headed back through Baghdad and back to our hostel for some more blogging. On to more adventures tomorrow!
PHOTOS:
Here I am at King's Cross Station near Platform 9. Didn't see Harry Potter though.
We passed this building on our walk through London to the British Museum. I am not sure what it is but I thought it captured a bit of the London atmosphere. There are buildings like these all over the city.
I took this picture because all the chimneys lined up reminded me of Mary Poppins. How cute!
I had to have my red telephone booth picture, of course!
We made it to the British Museum! Little did we know our feet would start hurting soon thereafter. All that cushy living at the Bakers made us soft!
We saw an endless amount of these Greek pots so it got old after a while. Actually, I was amazed that any museum could have so many. I would have been impressed to see that many 2000 years ago in Athens!
This is a Metope from the Parthenon in Athens. They had a lot of these with the centaurs fighting off humans. I guess they were at a party together but when the centaurs ran off with the women, things turned sour.
Nick blends in with the Parthenon pediment display. I would love to have seen the Parthenon back in the day! It must have been glorious!
Here he is, Ashurnasirpal. I guess when you have taken the same Art History class twice, you should come away knowing a thing or two.
I was just fascinated by these stone slabs for some reason. The style is just so unique.
Ramses! He could work on his pecs, I think. Kind of flappy. Looks like he's taken a bullet though so he must be tough. Actually this thing was huge so that would be closer to a canon wound.
Look familiar? This one is also somewhat famous. Size matters in Egyptian art so the wife is smaller than the husband and the slave is pretty much a munchkin.
Kind of random, but this thing was just cool. I guess it was mechanical and would slide out over a table and then it's canons would shoot. That would be a spectacle even today, let alone 200 years ago.
The Hindu religion is definitely big on the elephant.
Can you imagine having a migraine with that many heads? You'd need like 30 ibuprofens.
Those crazy Mayans. This queen is spending a casual afternoon running a barbed rope along her tongue. Check out the headdress of the man. It has a head on it! That must have been stinky!
Another Mayan slab. Their headdresses are wild with all those feathers.
We walked to Hyde Park where we saw this cool fountain that changed colors. We started out with red...
...then blue...
...and purple too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
