Video Montage

I've been working on these for a while, but finally got them to a point where I'm sort of satisfied with how they came out. I had to break it into 3 parts because I had so many pictures and footage. So, enjoy!

Part 1:



Part 2:


Part 3:

A Look Back

Still working on uploading most of my photos, but here's about 500 of them (out of about a total of 2,500!). More later!

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (and chips!)

This is it. Tomorrow I embark on a 16 hour journey home. I can't believe this trip is almost over.
In some ways, I feel like I only just got here yesterday. There's no way I've been living here almost 4 months! There is still so much about the culture and the city I haven't gotten used to; I feel like I've only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

Then...

And in other ways, I feel like it's been years since I've been home. I found this picture of Mom and I that was taken at the airport right before I left. Looking at the picture, I feel like I have changed so much, both inside and out. The one thing I'm not sure about is to what degree I have actually grown; I feel as if I have changed, but how much of it is the influence of my environment? I guess the true test will be when I get home and return to normal life. Will there really be any difference?

Four months ago I had never traveled by myself or left the US. Now I can say I've been to 4 new countries, traveled thousands of miles on my own, and experienced life in so many new ways I never thought possible.

I am so sad to be leaving. There were a lot of things I wanted to see but never got to, so I know I'll be back. I'm going to miss just being able hop on the tube and jump off anywhere. I'll miss packaged sandwiches from Tesco. I'll miss walking through the street markets on weekends and watching the street performers in Covent Garden. I'll miss crumpets and tea, black cabs, double-decker buses, cross-country train rides, endless stairwells, ginormous museums, castles and cathedrals, fish and chips, and yes, even cold rainy weather.

And at the same time, I cannot wait to go home. This is the longest I've ever been away and I miss the family so much. I'm coming home with a completely new appreciation for my own country and sense of place in the world and I look forward to experiencing everything in a new light. This is certainly not the end the blog, or my own travels, but rather just the beginning.

I'm homeward bound tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what the future holds in store. Until next time!

...and now.

Get lost! (in Hampstead Heath)

All semester I've been wanting to go to Hampstead Heath, a renowned 300-some-odd acre park in North London. I've been sick all weekend, but today I was finally feeling better, so, ambitiously, I planned to spend the morning hiking around the Heath, ride the tube back down to Hyde Park by noon, and go see Speaker's Corner (which I also still hadn't seen yet).

I guess it should have been a sign to give up and go home early on, when I got off the tube at Hampstead and found myself walking back and forth down the same three roads trying to find my way to the park for about 15 minutes. Eventually I found my way there, of course taking the longest possible route and finding myself at a completely different entrance than I expected to be at.

The park was gorgeous though, and very crowded considering its massive size. There were tons of families, dog walkers, and joggers.

I wandered around for about an hour, weaving in and out of forest and field, up and down huge rolling hills that offered sweeping views of the foggy city in the distance. It wasn't raining today, but it was about 48 degrees and rather damp outside, and on the hills in the meadows there was a stiff, frigid breeze.

Eventually I decided to head back even though I knew I had only seen a fraction of the park. Speaker's Corner is only active on Sundays starting at 12pm, and seeing as this is my last weekend here I didn't want to miss it. The only problem? I had no idea where I was at this point. Hampstead Heath has a terrible lack of signage, and by a lack of signage, I mean it has no signage whatsoever, despite the fact that it has dozens and dozens of criss-crossing trails that wind around for miles.

At last I found a playground with a restroom and a map on the side of the building. I was shocked to realize that I was on the complete opposite side of the park I wanted to be on, and pretty much as far away from the tube station as you could get! I mentally kicked myself.

At this point, I should have done the boring thing and gone back the way I came, but NO, I had to go down what looked like a parallel trail to check out this strange white monument thing in the middle of a field. The map had said it was "The Stone of Free Speech" or something, but when I got up to it I was sorely disappointed. All it was was a crumbling, white-washed concrete pillar without any sort of markings. If that's the best tribute we can give to free speech... how sad!

But alas, I did not turn back and go the way I had come -- instead I followed the trail up into the forest, taking in the splended views, watching the birds, and ignoring how late it was getting.

The birdlife at the Heath was quite impressive I must say, and had I planned on being there longer I would have enjoyed some very fruitful birding. I saw several Eurasian Jays, Grey Tits, Rooks, and even a Great Spotted Woodpecker along the way.

But I still couldn't find my way out of the darned park. I could swear I was heading back south west towards the Hampstead tube station, but about 40 minutes later I found myself at an iron gate in the woods marking the entrance to Kenwood House, a place I had not even planned on visiting because it was so far north!

Scrutinizing the barely-adequate map, I decided that I could head back down another trail (obviously I didn't learn my lesson from the first time I chose not to retrace my steps!). Well, the next thing I knew, I was in a totally different place that I had never seen before. A young woman coming towards me stopped and asked if I knew where Kenwood House was, and after telling her I had just passed it I asked if she knew to get out of the park (note to self: never ask for directions from someone who just asked YOU for directions! Lesson learned). She vaguely said it was back where she had come from so I followed the trail, but soon got lost again when it branched out in half a dozen new directions.

I walked on and on, completely disoriented, always thinking I had finally found the right path and then realizing I had gotten nowhere. It was extremely frustrating looking back on it, but surprisingly I managed to keep my cool the entire time, even when I found myself right back at Kenwood House 30-40 minutes later.

By now it had been over 2 hours, my legs were aching from climbing up and down hills, and my shoes were soaked through from the cold dew on the grass. Eventually I found my way out to some fields and finally stopped and asked an older couple how to get out. They said they had just come from the Highgate entrance, straight down the path and turn right after the pond. Thank goodness! I didn't even care that it was the wrong entrance, I was just tired of walking in circles. I knew once I got out on the street I could use my own map to get back.

And so I did. It fel like the longest walk ever (halfway around the outside of the park), but at least there were street signs! At last I made it down to the Belsize Park tube station and collapsed exhausted onto the train. It would be after 2pm by the time I got back, so, tired and slightly annoyed, I rode it straight home.

To be completely honest, I am really disappointed I didn't get to see Speaker's Corner, although at the same time I'm glad I got to see Hampstead Heath. I'm not sure it was worth all that hassle but I guess it was just another adventure in the long run (and on the upside, I got to see almost the ENTIRE 300 acres of the park)!

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben

As I climbed the steps out of the Westminster tube station, a massive structure rose so far into the sky I couldn't even see the top. Craning my neck, it took me a moment to realize I was standing at the foot of Big Ben tower and the Houses of Parliament.

When I looked up, this was all I could see, only you can imagine how much more enormous it is when you're right there. I was traveling solo today, out for an afternoon by myself at Westminster Abbey. Before going in however, I walked around Parliament and got a few shots of the area.

It really is a truly grand building. It is guarded by heavily-armed policemen with their funny hats and serious-looking guns, scrutinizing you suspiciously as you walk by. I was tempted to see if I could go in, but it was a little intimidating and I was more intent on using my time in Westminster Abbey.

The Abbey, too, holds the same grandeur of its neighboring buildings but unfortunately photography wasn't allowed inside. As a building, its interior wasn't all that different from other churches and cathedrals I've visited; it had the same Gothic architecture, sweeping ceilings, intricate decor, and what seemed like hundreds of tombs, memorials, and plaques commemorating historical figures.

It was crowded, as would be expected, but nonetheless gorgeous. I explored every corner of the place and found the Shrine to Edward the Confessor; Henry VII's Lady Chapel; the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I and Mary Queen of Scots; and the tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer. At this last grave, there was a tourist idly resting on Chaucer's tomb -- I stared at him for an awkwardly long time until he realize he was leaning on a coffin and got out of the way!

I snapped a couple pictures outside in the Cloisters, and Chapel and College Gardens, as there were far fewer people around and no robed church officials to shoo me and my camera away.

My favorite part of Westminster Abbey was actually a relatively small wing known as the Poet's Corner. It was laden with dozens of graves and memorials to famous writers, including Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Lord Byron, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, the Bronte sisters, and even the composer G.F. Handel.

My two disappointments were that I wasn't able to find the grave of William Wilberforce, and I didn't realize until I got back home that Charles Darwin was also buried in the Abbey! I guess I can't complain though, considering I'm living on the same street where Darwin used to live.

Well, I explored the whole Abbey in about an hour or so. All things considered, it was a little overpriced for what it was, but I'm glad I saw it and once again, it was a lovely trip out into the city on my own.

Tower of London

Last weekend I went with a couple friends to the Tower of London, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city, but also one of the oldest and most famous structures here as well. Built and used by Kings Henry III and Edward II in the 13th century, the Tower certainly has a long and fascinating history.

We spent the majority of our visit exploring the numerous towers and rooms on the site and learning about the different events that took place within the castle walls. I hadn’t really thought about it before, but there was actually a lot of violence associated with the Tower of London and the various figures who resided in it. Some of the famous incidents that occurred included the execution of Anne Boleyn, the murder of the two princes (William and Edward I think?), and countless prisoners held for crimes ranging from adultery, to religious disobedience, to simply ticking off the King.

Although some of these prisoners led fairly comfortable lives while refined to the castle, others did not fair so well. While taking a tour at the end, it was explained that underneath the White Tower in the center of the castle was essentially a torture chamber. The tour guide proceeded to tell us – in gruesome detail – about the various ways in which prisoners were tortured and executed.

Above is a picture of the White Tower, looking exceptionally white with the protective covering around it at the moment. Periodically, they have to essentially scrub the entire tower of all the "pollution" particles that accumulate on the walls to keep them from deteriorating. This is evidently a long process, because the tower has been covered like every time I've passed it, at least as long as I've been here.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was the story of the ravens at the Tower of London. According to a tale, ravens have always lived at the castle, but during the 17th century the astronomers who resided at the Tower of London complained to the king that they were messing on their equipment. King Charles II was about to order the extermination of the ravens, when he was advised by someone that if the ravens left, the White Tower would crumble.

Being the superstitious man he was, the King immediately ordered that 6 ravens should be kept at the castle at all times. And now 400 years later, the tradition still holds strong (the English really are set in their ways!). It was fun to see the ravens there, especially after hearing the legend.

The man in the cage with the raven in the picture I'm guessing is one of the caretakers or "Raven Masters" who works with the birds. He was sitting in there with it for a long time scratching its head -- it was quite touching. :-)

I quite enjoyed the Tower of London, even though it was a little touristy. It’s one of those places you just have to see when you come to the city, and was definitely worth the afternoon trip.

Oxford vs. Cambridge

Today some friends and I went to watch the 156th annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge, which took place at 4:30 this afternoon on the Thames. We arrived about a half hour before the start of the race, but the viewing areas along the banks of the river were already packed and crowds streamed endlessly down sidewalks and narrow streets.

Fortunately, we managed to find a side street with an open area along a high wall that bordered the Thames. I couldn’t help but notice the atmosphere was fairly passive, as I’ve found is characteristic of other such large events in London (especially thinking back to the Chinese New Year, where it was impossible to get the crowds excited!). It wasn’t until a few preliminary rowers cruised by about 10 minutes before the start of the race that the viewers began to get excited. Most in our little area seemed to be rooting for Cambridge.

Row boats coming under the bridge

We were standing between the 1 and 2 mile markers, so we didn’t actually see the row boats until about 6 minutes after the start. You could tell they were coming though, as the roar of the crowd progressed down the length of the river and eventually the racers crossed under the Hammersmith Bridge and came into our line of sight. They were only within view for a few action-packed minutes, before they cruised out of sight at an impressive 15mph.

Once they were gone, we headed back to the park where the race was being broadcast on a big screen. We stayed long enough to see that Cambridge won (even though Oxford had held the lead for about the first half of the race) and then headed back to the tube station quickly before the masses came -- a great decision, considering there were expected to be a quarter of a million people at the event! It was a fun little excursion though and certainly an interesting exerience!

(You can see the full race here).

Waiting for Godot

Having lived in London for just over 2 months now I figured it was about time to go see a play. After all, I'm just a couple tube stops away from Picadilly Circus, the heart of the theatre scene where some of the most famous plays in the world are currently showing.

Waiting for Godot is one such play. To be perfectly honest I had never heard of it before, but the fact that it was starring such actors as Sir Ian McKellen (many know him as Gandalf from LOTR) and Roger Rees (Men in Tights, Titanic, and The Prestige) suggested it had to be something special.

And indeed it was. Godot is not an easy play to fathom. For one thing, it is described as a "tragicomedy" where "nothing ever happens." I wasn't sure how this would play out; under normal circumstances this could be extremely frustrating and tedious. I had even read some of the script before going to the play and was a little apprehensive as to how it could hold together for two hours. Yet when Sir Ian McKellen stumbled on stage, playing the wary, forgetful old hobo Estragon, it was clear the performance was going to be nothing less than stellar.

The play was basically about these two old friends, Estragon and Vladimir, who spend their days idly conversing and finding ways to pass the time. Only it's kind of like "Groundhog Day" -- every day is exactly the same. Apparently the play was written in the style of "Theatre of the Absurd," a kind of surreal story that is meant to disorient the audience and show complete meaninglessness.

To add a twist to the strange monotony, Vladimir (Roger Rees) claims that he's waiting for Godot, an undefined character who is supposedly coming to meet him under a tree. Every evening Vladimir comes and waits, Estragon joins him and the two bicker and amuse themselves. And every evening a boy comes to tell them Godot will not be there, but he'll come tomorrow.

Eventually two other characters come into the story named Pozzo (Matthew Kelly) and his old slave, Lucky (Ronald Pickup) who he keeps tied to a rope. I found this part slightly disturbing, which I think was the point. However, it was woven with some very humorous exchanges of dialogue and the actors were absolutely phenomenal.

It was one of those plays where you get what you want to get out of it. Some of my friends who I talked to thought that Godot was actually God, but I had actually read that was not the original intent of the metaphor. After seeing it for myself, I had more of the impression that Godot is exactly what it seems: the characters giving purpose to an otherwise meaningless existence. By insisting that he's waiting for Godot (whatever that might be), Vladimir is giving his life some sort of meaning, whether or not he's actually imagining everything that is happening. Well, that was just my interpretation of it. It was incredibly thought-provoking, but you really have to see it for yourself to understand.

After the play, my friend and I went around to the back theatre doors to meet the actors afterwards. There were about 20 other people waiting, and after a half hour or so the actor came out in their street clothes, armed with Sharpies to give autograps. It was mass chaos, but I managed to jump in and meet Roger Rees, Matthew Kelly, and very briefly, Ian McKellen.

Ian McKellen leaving before I could get his picture. :(

Roger Rees was much more engaging and actually stayed for a photo. He was very friendly, but it was quite an honor to meet all of the actors who did such a phenomenal job on the play.

I got most of their signatures on my ticket, which made a fun souvenir from an incredible night at the Royal Haymarket Theatre.

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!

Changing of the Guards

You can't live in London without going to see the Changing of the Guards at least once. So that's what I did today with a group of girls from the house. I must say, it wasn't quite what I expected (especially for all the hype there is about it) but it was definitely worth seeing if for no other reason than to say I saw it.

We were told to get there at 11:15, but even when we arrived as early as 11am the crowds were unbelievable. The nice thing was that very few people stood along the sides of the gates -- most wanted a head-on vew from the queen's monument in the center -- so my group staked out a spot in the corner and were able to get an adequate view and decent pictures sideways through the iron fence.

And so we waited. And waited. And waited. The guards were mildly entertaining to watch. A group of 3, one with a serious looking gun, were having a conversation on the sidelines, but they were too far away to hear. And the 2 main guards alternated marching back and forth in front of the palace.

For more than an hour of waiting, we got a total of around 8 minutes of action, edied down to 5 minutes, below.

 

It was definitely interesting to see! I'll try to post more soon. 

City sight seeing

On Saturday I went to Camden Market again with some friends to see what it's like on the weekend, rumored, we heard, to be completely different than a weekday experience. Indeed this was true.

The market was easily twice as large, and packed with people -- almost enough to send me into claustrophobia-panic-mode at times. Punk-rockers, hobos, hippies, tourists, families, and everything in between filled the narrow streets and market stalls from end to end.

In the middle of the market is Camden Locks. If you can weave your way through the maze of exotic-smelling food stalls you'll find the canal, full of riverboats and bordered by old brick buildings. It can spark a sense of the poetic into anyone.

The next day, a few of us decided to do the Bankside Walk, a route along the south bank of the Thames and recommended by my Rick Steves guidebook (always a good resource when you're looking for ideas). 

Can you guess which bridge is pictured above? Believe it or not, that's London Bridge. Yes, THE London Bridge.  I know, I was a little underwhelmed too. But I suppose the fact that it was burned down, built, and rebuilt several times gives it ample excuse to be rather ordinary looking. 

Downriver the sights are significantly more impressive. The HMS Belfast stands against the backdrop of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the city skyline. Ritzy restaurants offering all the most popular "British" dishes line the boardwalk.

We stopped into the Hays Gallery for a moment, a grand atrium with a surreal statue in the middle and swarming with tourists. Interesting place, and seemed popular with the family/upperclass-tourist demographic.

Following the signs along the walking route, we found our way to Southward (pronounced SUTH-uck) Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral south of the Thames. It was significantly smaller than many of the others I've seen, but gorgeous nonetheless. In the churchyard was the grave of the architect who built it, and apparently William Shakespeare's brother is buried inside, along with several other playwrights.

Beyond the church, we found ourselves in a maze of old alleyways and tunnels -- definitely not the kind of place you'd want to be at night, but super neat on a cold, drizzly day. Everything seemed oddly deserted, except for a few other travelers also following the Bankside Walk.

The weather was continuing to get worse, but made for some great pictures over the river.

At one point, it started to hail on us, so we hurried under the Millenium Bridge for cover. Then we noticed some crowds and odd-looking people. One looked like a man dressed as a king, but when he got closer, I realized he looked like a Klingon. Several moments later, 3 men walked by wearing Star Trek uniforms, and a blue alien dude stood in a crowd being interviewed by some journalists.

The best I could gather was that there was some kind of Star Trek convention going on at the Tate Modern museum. I was amused.

Once the weather cleared, we headed back across the Millenium (passing a couple more aliens) and returned home on the tube.

Quite a relaxing day, and a great way to get to know yet another part of this fantastic city.