Magical London

Today really was magical in more ways than one. I wasn't really planning on doing anything, but I ended up taking a self-guided Harry Potter walking tour of London with 4 other girls from school. The tour took us past some places that were used in the movies, and others that simply inspired different scenes.

This wasn't part of the tour, but I thought it was a gorgeous building -- It's the Royal Courts of Justice. Just to the left of it was St. Clements Church, which we didn't get to go in because there was a wedding in progress.

Across the street from St. Clements was Gringott's Bank (aka Australia House in real life)! This building was not open to the public, as it is some kind of government facility or something.

Aldwych Tube Station is more or les abandoned and said to be haunted. However, it has been used in many movies and was inspiration for some scenes in Harry Potter apparently.

This is looking back at the entrance to the "Roman Baths." No one really knows if they're actually from Roman times, but apparently Charles Dickens used to swim in them. To get to the bath, you have to walk through a really creepy deserted alleyway behind a bunch of warehouses and other sketchy looking buildings, and then view it through an old dirty window. Not a place to go visit alone!

Our next stop was St. Mary le Strand, a small church literally sitting in the middle of the road! It was very pretty though.

The tour also led us to Somerset House, but apparently it is London Fashion Weekend, so we couldn't get in, as the square has been turned into an exclusive fashion runway.

Following the route we eventually found ourselves in Covent Garden which was bustling with activity. A street performer was playing "Imagine" as we walked in, while magicians drew large crowds, restaurants were overflowing with guests, and a lively street market boasted colorful crafts, and foods of all kinds.

As we were about to head out after lunch, we were drawn to the sound of classical music playing in the lower courtyard of the market. It turned out to be an amazing string quintet that gave us a fantastic (and funny!) performance. Just watch:

After that, we kind of abandoned the Harry Potter tour for the day. We explored Covent Garden a little more and then headed back home, deciding to resume our tour later in the week. It was a great way to see some of the more "off the beaten path" areas of London, and was unexpectedly one of the best days I think I've had here yet!

Tales from zero degrees longitude

Be forewarned -- this post may be very long. It'll be heavily made up of photos though, so hopefully it won't be too boring.

Yesterday my class took a field trip to Greenwich, led part of the way by the British Politics professor who insisted we get there by boat. I have never had this professor for any of my classes, but he is apparently very popular and has connections all over England. It sounded like a great opportunity.

As it turned out, our boat got stuck under a bridge and arrived over 40 minutes late to take us to Greenwich. Noneheless, everyone was very good natured about everything. I mean, really, how can you complain while you're waiting for a tour boat under the watchful London Eye on one bank and the regal Big Ben tower on the other, with a bagpipest is playing Scottish tunes somewhere in the distance?

Eventually we got off the dock and the tour boat began its slow progression own the Thames. It was freezing cold and windy, but I sat on top anyway to take in the views.

Shakespeare Globe Theatre

We crossed under many of the landmarks I've seen from the shore -- it's really interesting to see them from the water, as it gives you a new perspective on where things are in relation to one another.

Picture courtesy of Christy Wright

Tower Bridge was one of the main highlights of the boat ride. I've sort of come to feel that, like the London Eye, Tower Bridge is just a little overdone; that said, it's still a beautiful and recognizable icon of London.  

Tower of London is another major attraction -- again, an impeccable piece of architecture and feat of ancient engineering, but overpriced and a bit overdone. Definitely a cool feature of the skyline though.

Prof. Mortin talking about the Hall

We arrived in Greenwich about an hour after we'd left London. The professor took us up to the Old Royal Naval College and into one of the most remarkable buildings I have ever seen. Appropriately named "Painted Hall," every square inch of the interior was adorned with massive murals. Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay very long at all, so I wasn't able to learn much about the building or its history.

Next we were swept off to the Chapel, which resembled some of the other churches I've been in recently. Again, it was gorgeous and very peaceful, but we didn't stay long.

We had lunch in Greenwich Street Market, which sold lots of antiques, silks, and vintage items. I took a picture of this booth for Ellie -- it had quite a few very old mounted animals! They didn't look nearly as good as hers, but I thought she'd get a kick out of it. :-)

For some reason, I thought of Dad when we found this place. Think of the movie Chocolat, only with every kind of candy you could imagine! Ironically called "Mr. Humbugs," the store was like stepping back in time to some Willy Wonka scene. The guy could tell you everything about every kind of candy he sold, the history of candy, and even what kinds of candy you would like.

All too quickly we were swept off again, up a tall hill, and to the Royal Observatory wherethe Prime Meridian can be found.

The famous line, above, indicating the Western (left) and Eastern (right) hemispheres!

Had to get the classic picture standing in both at once...

My whole class at the Prime Meridian (Photo by Christy Wright)

By the time we made it to the meridian, we had very little time left before we had to catch the ferry back to London. I went through the little museum at the observatory which had information about the first telescopes, clocks, and navigation systems. I didn't have time to check out the planetarium or the maritime museums though, so I think I'm going to take the Tube back sometime to check those out.

Greenwich was totally a worthwhile trip -- I just wish we could have had more time there. Great experience though!

Churches

After class today I went on a little adventure around London with one of my roommates to find Temple Church, a cathedral near the north bank of the Thames that was used in the filming of the Da Vinci Code. The walk from the tube station took us a little ways along the Thames, and then up through a strange cobbled street.

It took a couple map references and doubling back once or twice, but eventually we found our way to the 800 year old church nestled between brick office buildings, cloisters, and what looked like private residences. They were just opening the doors for the daily 2-hour visiting period.

Inside it looked much like it did in the movie -- albeit a little smaller than I expected. Yet the high ceilings, stained glass windows, Gothic arches, and massive columns made the sanctuary feel huge.

As a little historical background, the church was built in the 12th century by the Knights Templar, an order of monks founded to protect traveling pilgrims on their way to or from Jerusalem.

In the Round there were 16 tombs laid in the stone floor. Some were knights, and others were important people to the church. According to their website, "The Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by the patriarch of Jerusalem. It was designed to recall the holiest place in the Crusaders' world: the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem."

Although the Temple Church was badly damaged in WWII, it was repaired and still maintains a feeling of arcane ancientness that could strike anyone speechless.

Afterward, we headed out and found our way to the infamous Fleet Street. I've never seen all of Sweeney Todd, so I suppose some of it was lost on me, but for the most part it looked like any other busy road. Protruding out from the rows of shops, however, was a large bell tower, which of course called for closer inspection.

It turned out to be a church called St. Dunstan-in-the-West originally established in 1000AD somewhere along where Fleet Street is today. In the 1800s however, it was rebuilt in its present location. It was quite beautiful and peaceful (at least until a group of tourists came in snapping pictures left and right..).

I am still amazed by the sheer age of so many of the buildings and establishments around here. People just keep building on, over, and around these ancient treasures, living modern lives in this ancient city.

Tomorrow I'll be getting up early to see the city from a different perspective -- my class is apparently headed to Greenwich by boat! We'll be traveling down the Thames and spending the day in the town where East meets West at the Prime Meridian.

So, cheers!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Although last week was officially the Chinese New Year, London Chinatown celebrated just this past weekend with an event that reportedly drew in tens, if not hundreds of thousands of spectators. Living only a miles from Chinatown and Trafalgar Square, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

We arrived around 11:45am just as the firecrackers were dying down and the opening ceremonies began. Trafalgar Square had been transformed into an overflowing, jam-packed sea of people that put the Buckingham Palace crowd to shame. The only thing I can think to compare it to would be a more condensed version of Times Square in NY on New Years.

Tagging along with my usual travel buddies, we dove headlong into the masses (not my choice course of action, but seeing as there was no other way to get out, it seemed there was little to lose).

It was rather terrifying to be crushed in between hundreds of bodies for a few minutes, but it paid off when we found our way down into the lower square where the crowds were considerably thinner on the sidelines. The view wasn't great, as there was a large fountain spewing cold spray standing between us and the amphitheatre, but it was far better than being squashed in the crowd.

After about 45 minutes of long speeches, failed attempts at rallying the cold, wet audience, and more speeches and rituals, a lion dance commenced. And it was definitely worth the wait.

Leaping to and fro on top of 6-10 foot tall poles, I can honestly say it was the most impressive lion dance I have ever seen. I'll be posting a video of it later, from what I could shoot between the heads of a couple very tall tourists standing in front of me.

After watching a couple more performances on stage, we decided to check out Chinatown and see what festivities were taking place there. After squeezing our way through the crowds once more (this time we had mastered the art of holding on to each other so as not to get separated) we found ourselves in -- if possible -- an even worse crush crowd as thousands of people attempted to squish their way through the narrow cobbled streets.

I think this gave all of us a little fright, because we quickly turned around and "swam" back to the main road intent on finding the nearest tube station and getting the heck out of there. Every shop was bulging with consumers, every street vender swarmed by shoppers looking for a little memento by which to remember the occasion. (I think it was memorable enough without a little plastic trinket, thank you very much!)

We went home for a couple hours and then came back to watch the fireworks show in Leicester Square. The crowd wasn't bad when we got there a half hour early, but by the time it started, the square was packed again and my little group of three was stuck on the edge with a couple telephone booths blocking the view.

But, fireworks are fireworks. They make loud noises, bright colors, shoot around in the sky and go boom. In other words, it worked out fine and the show was spectacular (video to come!).

We tried to get out fast this time, but the masses were faster (how is that even possible?) so we found ourselves yet again crammed like sardines in the slowly moving mob making its way towards the tube station. Thinking ahead this time, we went for Chinese food back on our own end of town. Although it was way overpriced for a couple of poor college students, it was a wise choice in terms of getting out of the bustle of the Chinese New Year madness.

All in all, it was a day I'll remember for a long time. It's one of those things you have to do once just to see it and be a part of it. And then you can look back and know exactly why you will never feel the need to do something like that ever again. Certainly a once in a lifetime experience though!