Today was our first group outing and presentations. We all met up at an early 9:15am to head over via the Underground (London's version of the subway) to Piccadilly Circus which is essentially London's Time Square. We wandered around for a few minutes before we headed down to Nelson's Column. It was much larger than I had envisioned- I could barely see Nelson. I felt really bad because one of the girls in our class had a stomach bug and ended up getting sick while at the column, but she didn't want to go back because she really wanted to see Westminster Abbey. I felt really bad...but also don't want her to pass it around to the rest of us. Hopefully she'll be better by tomorrow. Near Nelson's Column was a plinth, which I actually found more interesting. One of the professors explained that it was, for a while, a place where performance artists would sign up for hour slots to perform. Currently, there is an amazing sculpture of a ship in a bottle. There's something innately interesting about having such a large area dedicated to rotating, large pieces of contemporary art. The square in which Nelson's Column was in was overall a beautiful little area.
On our way down the street we found two guards on horseback and while we were taking photographs, they decided to change guards so we stayed for the show. Turns out it's a lot of formal exaggeration of yelling and traditions that aren't too interesting to watch. But it's part of the culture and was still pretty neat to see. It's surprisingly that they still wear the uniforms, have swords, and ride horses. It seems out of place in such a progressive city.
Next, we went to Westminster in which we got to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. The Hoses of Parliament were very decadent and exiting to see- as was Big Ben. Those are both just things you need to see in your lifetime. Jenna presented then and I found the theory on it's name interesting: It's thought that "Big Ben" is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner for the work. People believed he had a bell figure and his name is also inscribed on the bell. I thought this was interesting and goofy.
Westminster Abbey was truly the highlight of the trip thus far. It was overwhelmingly amazing. There was just SO much to see. Between all the details on the architecture itself (the flying buttresses, stained glass windows, relief sculptures, etc) the sarcophagi, and the gardens, I was blown away. Henry VII's Lady Chapel was perhaps the most impressive with its ceiling. I couldn't stop looking at it. It seemed like it was moving due to the exquisite details and complex execution. I also enjoyed the various mirrors that were laid out so that we could see things that were not visible from our viewpoint (for instance, a knight's shield, a sculpted baby in a crib, and the ceiling). There were so many bodies buried in there that I'm shocked they found a way to get them all in there! I also enjoyed the Poet's Corner in which there were memorials to people like Lord Byron, Dylan Thomas, and Charles Dickens. I also found the artifacts to be amazing. There was Britain's Surviving Oldest Door (From 1050), which was just a strange but fun thing to see, to medieval floor tiles. These functional items are just intriguing to see because people probably didn't think anything of them- they were merely day-to-day things and we can directly relate to them. I also found the throne in the museum interesting because of all the graffiti on it from the Westminster school boys- this piece has graduated from more than just an item of royalty to a piece about street art. I'm not a religious person, but Westminster Abbey made me feel like I had a spiritual experience. It was absolutely stunning and I will definitely go back there someday. Especially since I failed to find the floor piece that Rebecca did her thesis on. I really wanted to see that- perhaps it's in Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor's room. I'm disappointed we couldn't take photographs here.
Following Westminster Abbey, and a quick lunch, Danielle and I wandered to Buckingham Palace. It was quite grandiose, as one can imagine, with gilded gates and a huge statue; however, I was kind of disappointed because there was not much to do once we walked all the way there. The guards that you see in photographs are only out in the summer...so we just stood outside the gates and took some pictures. I guess it's nice to have visited, but it was kind of anti-climatic. We also visited the Queen's Gallery (which was under construction) and the gift shop (which was just ridiculously expensive).
Perhaps one of my favorite things about London so far has been the number of parks. I love that there are so many blocks of grass with various sculptures, fountains, and playgrounds. It's nice to break up the buildings and city life. While venturing back from Buckingham Palace we saw a guy who had a granola bar and he offered it to a squirrel who climbed up his leg and began eating out of the guy's hand. The fearless little squirrel kept climbing and eating until there was nothing left...and eventually bit the man's finger. Ah well, guess that's what you get for feeding wild animals.
After our group's evening meeting, Danielle and I got dinner and headed over to the theatre right down the road for a free movie thanks to our London passes. We saw "The King's Speech" since we felt it was apropos. We were excited to see that many of the things we saw today were actually shown in the film (Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, the throne with graffiti, etc). It was also an amazing story and quite a good movie. The movie going experience was funny too- it's interesting to compare something so similar yet so different to how it is in the states. First off, they had a full bar available so people could drink alcohol during the film. Also, their commercials were just slightly different than ours (for instance, Red Bull used during a cricket game as opposed to baseball) and also longer previews. The subtle differences are perhaps the most interesting to me.
I'm still really enjoying the city. I've always said that I'm a country girl and could never live in a city; however, London could be the exception. I'm still getting used to things...but I have a feeling by the end of our time here I'll be comfortable. Today during lunch I thought the substance in a red plastic container (the same kind of containers we use for ketchup) was, in fact, ketchup...well, I was very, very wrong and it was a mayo-like substance. I didn't care for it. So, I've learned to use a test plate for such assumptions. Also, I still can't fully figure out restaurants. They all have drastically different expectations on how to order. Ah well, in time I'll figure it out. It's making me really nervous about France though...I don't speak the language nor know the customs. I was surprised how easy the Underground system was- it's pretty easy to figure out and I'm happy we have that option now (I don't think my feet could take walking for hours and hours everyday everywhere!) Although, I learned that you need your ticket getting on and off the train. Today, right after we got off the train I zipped my ticket into the back section of my bag to keep it safe- then when we needed to use it again to get out, my zipper broke, locking the ticket in that section of the bag. I tried clawing at it to get to the ticket- but alas, I couldn't get to it. Danielle passed me her card to try and use it again- but it wouldn't let me. Luckily, the security guard knew I must have had one because I was getting off, not on, the train...so he let me out. I had to stab my bag with a pen to get to the things inside. Ah well, lesson learned and, all things considered, it was pretty funny. So, overall: Successful Day.
Question of the Day: Describe an incident that you saw on the street that amused you.
While walking to Buckingham Palace, we were passing a park that had hundreds of pigeons flocking together. We were taking pictures of them because it was an unusual amount of birds just all in one spot. There was a man who was setting up a camera on a tripod and was feeding them (which was against the law) and we just thought it was so he could take a picture of all the birds. As we continued to walk, the man put on a mask of a horse head, set the timer on the camera, and began charging into the flock of pigeons, to which they all began to fly. It was a strange, mystifying sight. It was bizarre, surreal, but I'm sure his photograph was interesting. It amused me.
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