London Town

How does one begin to talk of travels? Of sights, of sonance, of things experienced and learned? It's almost like trying to bottle time. But, perhaps, I can succeed in at least not making a mess of it.

With my arrival in London, I was first driven around this beautiful city and found many of my pre-imaginings to be false, unreal. Thus, as soon as I tossed the little luggage I had into my hotel room, promising myself to make it even less in the future, I immediately came back down and met my friends Chelsea, Kaitlin, and Safire and off we went to the closest underground station.

After a little luck, I succeeded in getting my rail card linked to my oyster card (which is the most convenient way to travel the underground) and off we went to Kensington Gardens. London has all these gorgeous gardens scattered all around and even though I could not quite put my finger on it, I found this garden to be wonderful. We started around the pond after spending some time in the first fountain area and discovered a statue of Peter Pan as well as this random, intricate, bordering on gaudy, memorial.

Continuing onward, we made it back to the underground after passing through a few embassies (including those of Japan and the Czech Republic). From there, we continued on to the British Museum. It was... beautiful. I loved seeing the Parthenon exhibit and many of the ancient texts. However, despite being open until 8:30 on that evening, most of the exhibits did close early, so that I was not able to see many exhibits at all. But, I got to see the Rosetta Stone, as well as some drawings (including some by George Bellows that were amazing). Then I walked into this gorgeous room so full of artifacts that I had to make my way through at a fair pace--it was just too much in one room. I think one of my favorites was the world atlas made of at least 118 thick books (at least, that was the highest number I found).

After we eventually got out and found dinner at a thai place (my group having swelled some in size and having decided to eat wherever they first could find a seat, against my advice of waiting for an London pub), most of us returned back to the hotel in preparation of the long day to follow.

This evening gave me perhaps my strongest lesson in what it means to love. One of my hotel roommates, Lukas, brought up my friend Ana, my now-friend Dusty, and some beer. Well, after some insisting that they were not bothering me, and a break for ice for the drinks, we ending up having a conversation about religion and what it means to believe. This evening was perhaps one of the most touching of my life. All four of us were conversing ernestly, listening to each other, engaging each other. This made it one of the most touching moments of my life. I had a revelation that night: oftentimes we Christians spend so much time trying to convince another person of what is right that we forget to love that person. When did we get caught up in trying to be right when our purpose here is not to convert but to love and talk? That feeling of acceptance that we all shared that evening is something that I will not forget any time soon. I felt it in my gut that what happened that evening was a G-d thing.

So, the next morning started with a bit of walking around and underground traveling. We first made it to Leciester Square too early to get any theatre tickets, so we went ahead to meet the rest of our group at Westminster Abbey.

This place... it over-awed me. Going inside was one of the most phenomenal experiences of my life. I saw graves older than America, memorials innumerous. I saw dedications to Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Keats, Tennyson, Geoffry Chaucer, and even once looked under my seat to find the name Rudyard Kipling. I saw the monument dedicated to Sir Isaac Newton, listened to the boys and men choir sing, saw the most touching dedication to The Unknown Soldier (to be buried in Westminster Abbey alongside the names of the past!). In short, I found the place to awe inspiring. I may not make it back again this time, but I know that this is a place I will always want to see again and again and again.

Following this, we made a short stop by Cleopatra's Needle, an obelisk from Egypt that stands next to the Thames river. It was pretty cool on its own and I enjoyed getting to see a piece of that country so far from its original place.

After this excursion, we went back to Leciester Square again (this time finding theatre tickets too expensive for our group) and grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at a nice little Italian place, the group then kind of just scattered. One went straight back to the hotel while the rest of us played around with the idea of getting a movie ticket before I split off on my own.

Though it was a tad lonely at first, in many ways it was a relief to break off from the group for a while. There is so little privacy here at Harlaxton that it was nice to be alone and I must admit that I found a member of the group a little... caustic and enjoyed the chance to get away from complaints about traveling (such as not eating when they wanted, having to walk a lot, etc.).

From there, I caught the underground to a point across the river from the Globe Theater and walked over the Millenium Bridge, which actually has an interesting story to it. Though it was structurally sound and safe when first made, it moved too much for the comfort of the pedestrians walking across. Thus, while it was safe, it felt too unsafe and thus required improvements to fix this unfortunate defect.

As soon as I made it to the Globe, I went to the box office and was told that the groundling (pit) tickets were sold out but that I might have the chance to get one if I went outside to a return ticket area. Sure enough, someone there had a groundling ticket to give me, so for five pounds I got to go see "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at the Globe. It was truly a unique experience and I am going to try and catch a least two more productions there. Jutting out from the stage in a large circle was a little walkway and some groundlings were allowed to be inside; and, for both halves of the play, I made it inside of that area and had actors moving all around me. It was such a unique experience that I just loved it.

From there, I walked along the river until I came to Westminster Bridge. However, it was the walk that was such a blast, even though my legs and feet hated me for it afterward. I found this guy playing a cello in a tunnel and it was so amazing that I just wanted to stand there and drink in the sound. It felt so poignant and profound to me, listening to this lone player under a bridge. But, time is always against one. So, as I continued onward while taking pictures of sites along the Thames, I then found what can only be described as a Jamaican rock band. Once again, I paused and soaked in the rhythym and beat before continuing onward.

After a brief encounter with a Chinese guy who was in an exchange program, I continued to the underground near Westminster and made it back to the Holborn stop. Unfortunately, I got a little mixed up on my way back to the hotel and initially went the wrong way, adding ten to fifteen minutes on to my walking time. But I made it and fell into bed exhausted (almost literally).

The next day, on the way back from London, we made a stop by Hampton Court Palace, which had been initially constructed by Lord Chancellor Wolsey. Unfortunately for him, King Henry VIII wanted it, took it, and then it later became the home of William III and Mary II. The palace was phenomenal, albiet slightly eclectic in styles, and its gardens were gorgeous. But, that evening, I was more than glad to finally make it back home and relax for a while. All in all, this weekend had been enlightening, educating, and exhausting.

For pictures from London, here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037991&l=e345e&id=50403476

Cheers!