Last night I woke up in the middle of the night for the second straight time. I suspect our room is haunted. Yesterday the tv magically turned on and said hello Mrs. O'Brien, welcome to the hotel. Creepy. Then last night I left the air conditioner on cuz it was so hot in our tiny room and I slept to cool air blowing down on us. I woke up a few hours later to the heater cooking us to death. I fumbled blindly with the settings but was confused. Ghosts is the only obvious explanation.
After another nice meat filled breakfast (I'm starting to get used to drinking tea, the best alternative to coffee here) we now rent a car and head to limerick, where my dads work is. Lets see how well my dad does driving on the wrong side of the road
So we arrived in limerick alive and have since traveled on to glib, a small town on the west coast of Ireland. After touring my dads company in limerick and meeting his workers and eating really good pizza, we headed to king johns castle, a site of historical significance in the history of limerick and Ireland. And its a freaking castle. It was pouring rain and we got drenched exploring the parapets, towers and little secret walkways and stairwells. We also got our history lesson in the museum including how king john never actually saw it and the riots and battles that occurred in limerick. Very cool stuff.
We are now at my dads chief manager in Ireland's gorgeous house. The trip was beautiful, with greenery everywhere sheep horses and cows scattered amongst green pastures, leafy trees and castle ruins. We drove the hour out here along the Shannon river, which widens to look like a lake out here. Again gorgeous countryside.
Let me talk a bit about driving on the left side of the road. You don't want to have an accident while traveling. They say driving is much more dangerous than flying. So it stands to reason that traveling by flight is safer than driving while on vacation.
But we chose to drive across Ireland. My dad has driven on the left side on some of his other Ireland trips. But never in the complicated Dublin. So after 2 hours trying to get the rental car company from ripping us off, my dad and I went back to pick up my family from the hotel. We took the windy. One way rodes, remembering to make wide right turns and sharp lefts, but the rodes took us all around the hotel, never next to it. We drove right by my family but couldn't get to them getting stuck on another one way rode and having to find a route back to them. Its pretty scary being frustrated lost and trapped by the roads traffic and people and having to focus on driving right. So after a long run around an illegal turn off a roundabout and a quick pickup outside the hotel, we were on our way.
Of course we didn't have an accurate map and I was navigating from memory of a map I looked at while waiting in the rental car place. There are also no street signs along the roads. And a streets name changes every few blocks. And there was traffic. Wat a pain! We finally found the right freeway after a few u turns (due to the freeway sign not telling us which way to go) and hit the open road. My map of Ireland in the car then guided us to limerick. at the office we got a gps to guide us to Glin and the home we were staying at.
We noticed that since my dad drove from what we in the us consider the passenger side of the car, he was veering left toward the curb. I had flashbacks of my dad telling me to hug the left side of the road because that's where the driver sits and he has better sight and knowledge of that line. I used to veer right. I told my dad he should veer right based on that knowledge. My mom and brother in the back of the van also told him he was veering. My mom keep yelling at him to straighten out. He kinda would be soon veer again. Now I have a great deal of confidence in my dads driving. And he navigated Dublin streets like a boss, to use my staffs words. But I was nervous with all the veering. And he just couldn't keep the car straight. Oh and did I mention it was pouring rain? The whole time? And we couldn't tell how fast we were going cuz the car was in mph but the signs in kph. Fail. We managed to not hit anything on the curb. That is until right before we arrive at the house in Glin. In the last 500 meters, in a road wide enough for 1.5 cars in the countryside, my dad veers too far left. Despite our nagging and teasing and straight up yelling, he hits the bushes along the dirt bank on the side. I yell and he pulls back onto the road. Of course we then miss our turn and have to u turn on that 1.5 road or travel another mile. We finally arrive, avoiding oncoming traffic in this tiny road and reach this beautiful Glin house. I looked at the car as we unloaded our bags. Big chunk of grass lodged under the bumper. Oh stress! Well we got here. Now I'm relaxing before heading down to socialize. Enough blogging, I need a drink.
Well I got more than I bargained for. The employee whose house we are at in the Irish countryside had some good french wine. I am currently 5 glasses in and struggling to stay awake. We had a lovely dinner of fresh lamb with mint sauce, mashed garlic potatoes, whole potatoes, fresh carrots, fresh brussel sprouts and fresh broccoli, and some amazing desserts. We also went out and saw a cave in his front yard dated 1859 and used for extracting limestone. Its amazing how old this town is and yet how modern too. I don't feel cut off from the world like I would in the rural parts of the states but I also don't feel entirely connected. Its really awesome.
We woke to another wonderful Irish breakfast with the usual staples of bacon sausage and eggs, only this time it was homemade and our brown eggs were poached, something I've never seen done before. We also had potato waffles and Irish soda bread and beans. More staple foods and so good. And that was a light breakfast!
We then headed out for the Muckross house, a wealthy home built in 1861 that queen Victoria stayed in in 1869. Besides beautiful gardens with hundreds of winding paths, gorgeous trees and a view of Lake Killarney, there is Ireland's first national park, 22000 acres of pure beauty. We took a tour inside and I was reminded of the game of clue as we passed through the foyer, dining room, library, drawing room billiard room and fantastic bedrooms. We saw things like an old bath, toilet, chessboard, these little screens to keep the heat from the fireplaces from melting the lady's lead and wax makeup and the grand woodwork tables drawers and dressers built for victories stay and the three rooms she stayed in (complete with fire exit, because she was terrified of fire). We also saw the servants quarters in the basement with 32 pull bells connected to each room in the house hat rang different notes. The servants who couldn't read the labels for the bells, had to memorize the notes to know which room to run to. Pretty amazing.
We had a more American lunch at Eddie Rockets, who I am convinced is Johnny Rockets brother and Ruby's cousin. Jamming to Beach Boys we had traditional american burgers that tasted of freshers meat of course. Actually music around here is almost exclusively classic rock. Its been kinda cool hearing Tom Petty or Areosmith in most stores we enter.
So after wandering around Killarney where I bought most of peoples souvenirs, we left for Bunratti castle. On the way we stopped in Adare, which is an old school village that has building with thatched roofs and a giant manor house. Originally we were just going to pass through but my dad remembered that this was the location of the manor house, so we stopped in for a drink. This place is like a country club complete with golf course. Except its in a manor house with is like a combination castle and noble home. You can feel the wealth in the building and they turned this place into a hotel that carries on the tradition. We feeling very out of place, especially after having to ask the gatekeeper for permission to enter, wandered nervously in (except my father who felt right at ease, even when he tripped upon entering the foyer). We were underdressed but treated very nice. The rooms were 3 stories tall with arched ceilings and carved fireplaces featuring stained glass of all things in each section of each room! The view of the hedgegrove and gravel garden walk was visibly from the library and we had drinks in what looked like a side ballroom. I had my straight red breast whiskey again to keep it classy. We also toured the surrounding area, seeing the flowing river alongside and the oldest Lebanon cedar tree in the British isles. All in all it was very amazing, especially the detail in the stone building with gargoyles and words and phrases carved straight in. Each part of this home was a work of art.
Bunratti CastleBut we had to move on because we had a date with a castle. Bunratti castle is an old Irish castle from the Thurmond era of Irish kings before full British takeover occurred. They explained how the castle was built by wood but soon after burned to the ground, so they built it again. But that burned down so they built it a third time. At this point my dad brother and I were laughing because it reminded us of a Monty python and the holy grail sketch where the king of the singing groom describes building a castle in a swamp. Anyway, this giant rectangular tower called a castle had a throne room up top, which we climes a long windy original staircase to and were served mead, a honey wine that was ok. Def. an squired taste. This event is like a renaissance fair or medieval times if you know of that. Instead of jousting we were just in a real castle. So no fighting. We had a madrigal feast with a talented harpist and violinist and several singers who sang great Irish songs among other things.it was really good. We ate downstairs in the original banquet hall with our finger's and all the wine we could drink. It reminded me of the Hoffbraugh house in Vegas. Except this was real. That much mead and wine though and I was sleepy.
There was also a celebrity there. Kevin something from desperate housewives. He was cool and even sang after his buddies elected him to spend the meal in the dungeon. He sang for his freedom. Overall very fun good company and good food. But now I'm beat! To bed!
Airport in Shannon and Traveling to LondonDay 5
We slept at a hotel next to the airport and wandered across the street to Shannon airport. After one last Irish breakfast we entered the terminal, bought a few more duty free gifts and boarded the plane. I learned about duty free things a little more. In an airport, you can buy goods without paying the taxes on them. In Europe where sales tax is included and a bit high, this makes for significant discounts. However, flying from Ireland to England, I would have been required to pay those duties out of England, or so I was told for certain larger items, like the alcohol I was buying. I therefore, did not buy my Irish whiskey because the price would have doubled (which was already 1.5x an American dollar. $70 for a bottle of whiskey was a bit high I thought. If I buy it in the Heathrow airport on the way out though... I should be fine :) (postnote: I got the whiskey) USA wont make me pay the duties. If I had flown straight home that woulds been fine too. That said, noons checked my stuff so I dunno.
We are now in London. I'm on my first subway line and courtesy of Brock's many good tips, we bought oyster cards for the week (subway/bus passes) and are now set to explore the city. Our train runs until Cockfosters, which I can only imagine made Brock chuckle every time.
Its definitely 80 degrees here. We brought the sunshine with us. It had been creeping out in Ireland but its in full force here. My dad said he's never seen London this warm. This subway is cooking. Good thing I decided to bring some shorts too. I'll report back later tonight.
The trip was beautiful, with greenery everywhere sheep horses and cows scattered amongst green pastures, leafy trees and castle ruins.
Wandering Covent Gardens and Westminster Areas-Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham, Wellington Circle
By tonight I mean tomorrow. But i'll pretend I wrote this yesterday. It was an amazing day. After finding our hotel we ventured out for a little exploring. Every building here looks old but solid. We are in the Covent Garden area which is like the heart of London and a major tourist area. The roads are narrow and winding with 6 and 8 way intersections with some kind of historic something in the middle of each and beautiful streets stretching in as many direction. As brock once said to me, there's literally a statue of some famous person or another every 50 feet. We walked from our hotel on Drury lane and Highborn to Leicester Square where we had lunch in a spaghetti house.
After a nice meal of spaghetti bolognese, the real fun began. We wandered down to Trafalger square named after the famous british naval victory over napoleon led by Admiral Lord Nelson. After passing a few more amazing buildings like st martins church, the square opens up and let me tell you, it is huge! The tower in the middle where Nelson stands way on top of is a good 200 feet tall surrounded by 4 metal lions each the size of a car. The two fountains on either side of the tower are gorgeous spraying water 20 ft into he air. The square was packed with people sitting in the fountain cooling off. The national gallery completes the backdrop, a very large pillared building framing the square. There's a statue of George Washington of all people outside the gallery. There are huge steps leading down to the fountains and the tower, each with a huge piece of artwork towering over the stairs. On one side standd King George I, I think. On the other was a large model of Nelson's flagship in a bottle. My dad says that one keeps changing. Oh yea and in the distance you can see Westminster abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. Words or pictures do not do this justice.
We continue on toward Parliament. On our way we passed the calvary building whose name I can't remember but its where the royal guards horses stand guard and apparently where William and kate rode out of after leaving Buckingham. I didn't watch the wedding. We also passed all the government buildings where the prime minister works.
We reach parliament at exactly 6pm, so we heard big ben toll. It was simply perfect. We walked around the courtyard toward the Abbey, passing a statue of Abraham Lincoln on the way. The Abbey and Parliament are very pretty. In pictures they look brown but they really are a deep golden color with such intricate artwork you can never really see in any photo. The abbey is this complex web of arches and spires that curl around one end and feature two prominent towers on the other, reminding me a bit of the main building at my university. My brother said it reminded him of castlevania and indeed the Abbey looks like a primary influence to how castles and mansions are depicted in movies and video games. We couldn't go inside the abbey on a late Sunday afternoon but we did walk on to Parliament. With statues of Oliver Cromwell and Richard I, the lionheart, (a beautiful one on his horse with a sword raised) we were blown away by the beauty. It was huge, awe inspiring detailed and just simply amazing. We saw where the queen would enter and stared at the gold inlays on the roof and spires. This was a building to behold.
We wandered into Victoria's Tower Park behind the building and rested under the trees, watching the river Thames meander by. It was picaresque and peaceful. The London eye turned slowly in the afternoon sun and a few ships scooted up and down the river. With the shady garden, the two bridges and parliament standing ride there, I felt a serene surreality (hmm I wasn't sure if that was a word). A quick note on a statue in that park. It was 6 men from Calais who had offered themselves as hostages to counter edward the 3rds seige. it is said his wife spared their lives for their bravery. It was kinda a small side note in a little park, but what was really amazing was it had all happened in the mid 1300s. Oh yea just a side note from 700 years ago. No big. Here's a statue.
We wandered on to St. James park and walked through to Buckingham Palace. The queen's residence was actually grayer than the imagined white but the seals on the doors were the most interesting part. They were gold inlaid and really extraordinary. The statue of an angel for Victoria outside was very pretty too and the walk from the palace to the calvary house was red like a royals red carpet.
We wandered down to the Wellington arch. The quad there has a huge arch with an angel conquering the chariot of war. It was erected after the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. Its a war memorial area with memorials to WWI Austrailian and New Zealand troops. It also features one of two statues of the duke on his horse Copernicus. He is the only man with two riding statues in the city. Can you tell I've since been on a tour since writing this?
Electricity IssuesWe hopped on he tube back toward out hotel in Coventry gardens. we had dinner at Garfunkels where I had true fish and chips. It was quite tasty and felt very british. Sad thing was a Wagamama was two doors down and that was a brock recommended restaurant. Next time perhaps.
We went back to our room to rest and started to charge our cameras and whatnot. I did briefly get internet on my sisters comp but we had to pay for it. In charging our appliances we had two adapters because the british use different plugs than we do. Well we tried to charge everything on a surge protector and maybe I kinda sorta heard a loud pop as we blew the fuse... yea. Oops. So we had to sit in the hallway to charge stuff and my sis's laptops needs a very special balance in the charger to work. So we cant This is why we can't have nice things.
Hop on Hop Off Tour-Sights in London and Interesting Facts
Day 6
We woke and got breakfast at a french patisserie, a bakery with a very good jam doughnut, a meal in itself. After buying shorts for my bro and dad, cuz its freaking hotter today, we wandered past the royal opera house and Coventry garden market back to trafalger square for the hop on hop off bus tour.
This tour was lovely. It was hot inside the crowded bus but we made it topside in time to see most of the sites we saw yesterday. I learned a number of interesting things. Like everyone in London must be married indoors because the building needs a marriage license too. Or Japan has the second largest embassy in ngland after the US. Or Victoria's husband Prince Albert was kinda a big deal designing the gold font that all royals are christened in to starting the first worlds fair in Hyde Park. When he died Victoria had a special diamond crown to wear which was nor becoming with a widows veil than her huge crown. We also heard fun tidbits like the Beatles were influenced by a man seeking Enlightment while in a 5 star hotel. Or when the London sewage system first opened they had a banquet in the sewers before they began working. We saw places where the Beatles were, Charles Dickens hung out, where the royals had their bachelors parties and the first Hard Rock, Ritz, Waldorf, and Crown Hotels were. There were so many tidbits a trivial like Churchhill didn't want a statue of him because he didn't like the thought of birds leaving droppings on his head. Or that the statue of Charles I, the shortest and only beheaded king just outside of Trafalgar square is the dead center of London. Or that the Thames is one of the cleanest urban rivers in europe despite its murky appearance. We saw where florence nightingale found her school of nursing after the Crimean war in 1850 (near st. Thomas hospital) and learned that big ben is the clock, St. Stephen's tower is the tower holding the clock (and its am architectural masterpiece as the first 4 way facing clock). We saw Sweeney toads street and st. Paul's cathedral, where Mary Poppins sings about feeding the birds. St. Paul's is huge and awe inspiring. I hope to go in it later this week. We saw the London School of Economics, which holds a special place in Brock's heart. And we saw modern buildings too like one shaped like an onion, one like a bullet and the under construction tallest hotel in western europe, the shard. In fact most of London is undergoing reconstruction for the olympics. We saw so much and more. I'm recounting as I remember but im sure there was even more.
Tower of London- Castle, Prisoners, Crown Jewels, and Tower itself
And then we got off the bus at the Tower of London (after crossing the famous tower bridge, not to be confused with the London Bridge which isn't as iconic looking) after a cool lunch in a pub where you don't get table service but order food from the bar (complete with a pitcher of long island that didn't quite taste the same) we headed into the tower. This is a must see sight, built in part by William the Conquerer soon after 1066, this thing is Ancient! We are talking a real life castle. We crossed what used to be the moat and entered 800 year old archways with defense towers. The Tower of London used to be a fortress, an armory, a zoo, a mint, a safehouse, and probably most famously a prison. The prison stuff was interesting as it wasn't a prison for very long, at least by London history standards, less than 100 years if I recalls correctly. However, the time it was a prison was during some of the most politically tumultuous periods in england history. It was a time when catholics where viewed with suspicion and prejudice,(sometimes rightly so as one catholic was the only person to plead guilty to the guy Fawkes assassination attempts.) But it seemed that often it was priests found guilty of practicing catholicism that were held there. They can tell because these prisoners carved things in the stone walls, which they now preserve.
The tower of londons most famous prisoners include sir Walter Raleigh (imprisoned there three times!) And ann boelin, second wife of henry viii. In fact she was married there and crowned queen, marking henry's break from the church and a huge political change for england, and three years later beheaded there. "O wonder the Tudors is so successful! She is also buried there as well as catherine? Henry's fifth wife. St. Thomas Moore is also buried there but that was in a different era. Only around 80 people were actually killed in the tower of London, as it was seen as a privilege to have a more private execution. There is a tower called the bloody tower, where it is said two boys, son of edward the something'th were killed likely by Richard III or maybe henry IV, to ensure they became king. The torture chamber that these prisoners often faced also gives the tower a bad reputation but again that was all during the span of 100 years or so, particularly during the Tudor and Stuarts reigns.
The tower today is famous for housing the crown jewels, the crowns and famous royals as well as the ceremonial pieces used for crowning royalty. The actively used pieces haven't been worn since 1953 when Elizabeth II was crowned! Among the amazing gold and silver plates, a giant punch bowl of gold swords and golden maces and many other artifacts, the highlights are easily the crowns and scepters. Diamond inlands, frosted, and covered, these heavy headgear are fantastic. Victoria had her own mini diamond down for use after Prince Albert died. And the star of african is the worlds largest diamond, set in the scepter used in the coronation ceremony. Most of the pieces are from after 1660 because Oliver Cromwell, who lead after the disposal of the monarchy, had them auctioned or destroyed. However, one piece dates back to 1300 and one gem is said to be from edward the confessor's ring, last king of england before the Normans took over in 1066 and a saint. All in all a must see site.
Inside the tower itself sits various arms, ammo and weapons used by centuries of english military. There were plates of armor worn by kings like henry VIII. There were muskets and swords from the 1800s. There were even a collection of weapons from around the world given to the monarchs by nations like Ethiopia, Japan, india, and even the us. We got to see the various floors of the original tower and how William the Conqueror might have lived. And we saw the ravens, said to have to live in the castle or england with fall.
Globe and St. PaulsAfter the Tower we went to the recreated Globe, which had some awesome souvenir stuff but was difficult to get edited for because I couldn't go in, the play was sold out and you can't wander about. Next time though...
We met another of my dads coworkers for a pub dinner. Then us kids left for the hotel after another long hot and sticky day. But along the way we walked around st. Paul's cathedral, which is huge, and so powerful upclose. We call just kinda stared at it in silence for a bit. Its really breath taking. We hope to go up in it later.
English Countryside Bus Tour- Bath, Salisbury, and Stonehenge
Day 7:
Today we take a bus to Salisbury cathedral, bath, and Stonehenge.
First stop after a hectic rush to the coach station, Bath. We got a good view of the city of bristol and wales in the distance. It was a two hour ride but not too too bad. Bath, which is known to me from the famous Wife of Bath character in the Canterbury tales, was kinda an isolated vacation spot. The city is beautiful, as queen anne fell in love with it and turned it into a vacation spot, building a lot of Georgian buildings. There's a pretty abbey next to the baths for which the city gets its name, and after a tour of the town we stopped there.
The roman baths themselves were built on the site of both a Celtic goddess and the springs where an ancient english king was said to have been cured from leprosy. It is the city of the pig because he discovered the healing properties when his pigs healed in them. The romans came in 43 a.d. and built a bathhouse around the warm springs. We toured through that roman structure and its Georgian addons and it was really amazing. The original spring and shrine is still there set to Minerva. There are several other pools and the springs still flow. We saw ruins of all the old altars and rooms. there were hot rooms like Jacuzzis cold rooms and saunas. It really felt and looked like a spa and its amazing how all of this was a thousand years ago.
We left for Salisbury, which left peter gabriels song stuck in my head. We saw this horse carving on the side of the hill that the guide said was as big as 4 coach buses. It was pretty cool. We then saw in the distance the Salisbury cathedral, also called Marys cathedral. It has the uks tallest tower, over 400 feet tall. You can see it from everywhere. Outside was literally monumental with buttresses and statues everywhere. Inside was even more impressive with grand stain glass and super high ceilings. As people used to be buried in churches, there were hundreds of tombs inside. There were also several side chapels and altars, hopefully demonstrating to you how big this place was. Salisbury has the worlds oldest working clock, which has no face but tolls the hour on a bell. I also saw the best preserved original copy of the magna carts, one of only 4 left in the country. For those of you who may have forgotten, the magna carta is basically the first bill of rights and established how the government (in this case monarchy) serves the people and these laws can be written and held to. Yea, kinda a big deal.
Finally we went to Stonehenge which I thought was going to be underwhelming but was actually pretty cool. We had an audio tour and they basically all said the same thing, we don't know why its here but here are some guesses and observations. The stones are pretty massive and impressive, and we saw it in sunlight, which I don't think most people can say. There were also mounds all around that once were tombs of the beaker people, call this because they were buried with swords and beakers, to drink with death. Overall we had a tour that spanned thousands of years and covered most of england history. Very well worth it. I especially would like a longer trip in the beautiful city of Bath someday.
Wagamama and More Exploring- Chinatown and Soho
For dinner we did finally reach wagamama which was recommended by Brock and a very good asian fusion cuisine. I had the ramen which to me reminded me of a combination of udon and pho. I then bought a ticket for the mousetrap, but I was rather privy because here in the theater district everything is sold out days in advance. I felt lucky to even get that. But the rest of the family opted out, which was ok because one im the english person and appreciate this stuff differently and two im starting to feel the strain of spending so much time with everyone stuck on a schedule that befits 5 people, not just one or two. Its hard constantly pleasing everyone and in a family, sometimes its hard to admit that we can do things separately. I just need a little space.
We wandered around after that, stumbling into Chinatown and the the Soho district. Both were exciting though I was hoping for a bigger more impressive Chinatown. Soho was full of bars gays Pam sex shops. I don't remember if Soho is a traditional gay area or just happens to be but it was crowded and seemed to have a lot going on.
British MuseumDay 8
Today we went to the british museum. After a quick english muffin breakfast, we wandered around looking for a bank or post office to change money. The bank turned out to be around the corner but their rates were high. So we went searching for a post office. after wandering and wandering and everyone being a bit cranky, we found the post office. Across the street from our hotel. Fail.
Then on to the museum. Unlike yesterday, where I felt the need to describe as much as possible of my trip, I am not going to do that with the british museum. You HAVE to see it for yourself. I walked around the maze of wings until my feet felt like falling offs. And then I walked some more. From 11 until 5 with an hour break for lunch I walked around. Some exhibits I just wandered through. Others I devote a large chunk of time reading and learning. I wont go into, but here are some things you shouldn't miss: the Rosetta stone, the mummy wing, the pieces of the Parthenon, the Sutton Hoo artifacts (Anglo Saxon stuff think Beowulf) the walls of ninevah, and the clocks of all things. That is the basic highlight reel. The amount of greek and egyptian artifacts alone are worth a day. The roman and Mesopotamian and Anglo saxon and Assyrian and everything in between stuff is awesome. They have modern exhibits too, in my case african and austrailian artwork. There's even a section on american including us canada and Mexico. All in all it was a blow you away you can't believe all this is here kind of place. See it. You must.
The MousetrapSo after walking my feet to death, we grabbed a drink at a pub, I went back and changed and then we went to an italian restaurant. I had a glass of wine and a potato cake and then left my family dining as I went to see the Mousetrap. I had heard of this play from Clarks recommendation. It is the longest running play ever. It is in its 59th year! And the theater was still half full! Its a whodunit play based on? Influenced by? Written by? Agatha Christie. So you know its going to be a good murder mystery. And it was quite good. Kinda suspenseful, but it was the kind of anxiety during which you are smiling. I really enjoyed it. And I walked back out going yea, I just saw a historic play in London.
Pubbin' in LondonUpon my return my dad brother and I went out to a pub. While the first one we tried was closed (at 11!) The second one still had an hour left. This trip I've been basically drinking wine, and various hard ciders. In ireland it was bulmers, here its been strongbow and then something I cant remember the exact name but it was like alpasser or something like that. We were chatting with the bartender from austrailia and she and one of the others noticed that they had poured three tequila shots but the customer didn't actually buy them. So they took the shots! we joked with them that it must be late at night and they laughed. The australian then offered me the third shot and my dads like yea take it. So I got a free tequila shot leftover from the bartenders drink lol! They then encouraged us to have this cocktail called a hemmingway daquerie. It was strong and tasty but too much grapefruit juice. All in all a good time and you can bet I slept well that night. I was on a virtually empty stomach after all.
Westminster AbbeyDay 9:
Today may well have been one of the best days of the trip. And that's especially good because it was the last. Tomorrow at 530am we leave for the airport and return home. Its been a jolly good time but im ready so see tenshi and the rest of the crew.
Today we slept in a bit and had breakfast at the hotel. Then we ventured out back to Westminster abbey, this time to go in. After a few tube changes we made it.
I think the abbey might be my favorite building in the whole world. It is spectacular. Breathtaking architecture a thousand years old. Elaborate tombs and graves. And its a pretty impressive and solemn (the deep, fulfilling kind of solemn) church too. Each step felt like I was back in history class, learning about complex and fascinating characters and their struggles triumphs and failures. The surprisingly subpar audio tour pointed out brief snippets of the kings queens and powerful people buried there and the important events that occurred. But it rarely went into detail about the significance of that persons life. In one sense, the audio tour left out all the reasons this person deserved to be buried there. In another sense, the abbey captured the fact that these peoples lives were over and they were just a other tomb, elaborate or simple marking something in the past to be remembered but not dominate your memory. In fact, that was so amazing about the abbey, everywhere you turned was another new exciting thing that you forgot the last thing you saw. I felt like a historian, an archaeologist, and a pilgrim seeking peace and comfort from those in the past including edward the confessor, an important saint and past king. It was a privilege to walk alongside the tombs of the henry's the Richards elizabeth I the unknown soldier and so many others.
Poet's Corner in Westminster AbbeyAnd then there was poets corner. It is for this reason that this is probably my favorite place. The english major that is me was ecstatic. I started having flashbacks to junior year english when brother Aquinas would yell at us fondly saying we must go to Westminster abbey. And when we get there we must walk through the statues and tombs, until we come to a little simple grave. And when you look at it closely, you'll see the name Chaucer inscribed above it. That was almost exactly how it went for me. Yes there is a clearly marked poets corner and a crowd in front so I knew it was coming. And yes the bust of Dryden is the first thing you see. But I felt like a pilgrim, returning to the site of the great 30th pilgrim. I felt like a first year in college taking my first true english course and deciphering the cantebury tales for the second time but with new eyes. And then I looked around. It was 15 years of english classes rushing back to me. Poets I first tasted in 8th grade, that I met in passing freshman year in high school, delved into junior year and grew to know and love like an old friend who even after years of life coming between our meetings were reacquainted and picked up right where we left off. I saw John and Sam, Thomas and Jane, Alfred and Wilfred and a hundred others. There was even a beautiful tribute to good ol Bill who's over in Stratford. I walked through it once. Then I walked through again. I left and walked the gardens then went back and walked through a third time because I had missed things on the windows! It was all so wonderful, so peaceful, so inspiring. even with the huge crowds, it was just me and my mentors, guides, and companions in the study of life.
More Westminster Abbey and Lunch
Ok I need to move on because I could ramble on and on and that would make all of these people except perhaps old charles chide me on the importance of brevity and getting to the point.
After finishing the tour which included seeing the queens throne, tomb of the unknown solider newton Darwin and a tribute to Churchill, we wandered to a Spanish restaurant for lunch. My legs, which had hated me since the british museum were angry at me for walking all morning and fought me literally every step to lunch. They forgave me after a meal of tapas and sangria and we carried on to Harrods. We had decided saint pails cathedral and abbey road were a little too out of the way for our trip (guess I hafta come back!) But my mom really wanted Harrods.
Harrods
Im actually glad we did because that is a really cool place too. On one hand its a big mall. Im not a big shopper though I don't hate malls as much as some guys I know. However, while I can see how its a teenage girl with a no limit spending cards dream, it is very impressive. The architecture on the building alone suggests an embassy or nice hotel and in other countries may be called a palace. Inside the stores blend right into each other and they are all posh, brand name, and high end. In the us, our malls have their individuals rooms and walkways between them. This was more market style, with 4 floors escalators and super expensive goods. You could FEEL the wealth and pride in the building, a fashion trend setter, much as one would in NYC, LA's Rodeo drive or many places in paris, I would imagine. And the stores were all fantastically decorated. It reminded me of like a rainforest cafe, except classy and tasteful not gaudy and children focused. You name it it was there, with whole rooms devoted to things like expensive pens, candy, oyster bar and seafood. I was literally overhwlemed by the smells combing from the connected chocolate, tea, and perfume rooms. Id love to wander there longer, with happy legs and a little more income. You could find some decent deals there if you looked and were expecting to pay even more.
Convent Gardens Market
We returned to Covent Gardens and shopped for souvenirs for a bit and then went for food. We realized we had spent so much time exploring everywhere else that we had only walked through Covent Gardens and never really took advantage of the areas many pubs, stores, and sights. We wandered to the Covent Gardens Market, which proved the perfect ending of our trip. Here the cobblestone street was filled with vendors selling food and fruit and jewelry, all with a large grecoroman building in the middle. This was the covered part of the market which made the whole thing a permanent fixture. It was like a blend of daily market and outdoor mall and it all added up into a perfect European venue, one id imagine in Rome Florence or Paris. The cobblestone the pillars and the market and the street performers all were quaint, appropriate and lovely. We went to the Crusting Pipe, an "outdoor" venue within the main budding. We were in a lowered patio area with shoppers wandering above us. It was both quiet and intimate while still in the heart of the marketplace. We ordered a bottle of wine and had great steaks and it was simply grand. Added the 4 violinists and cellist in the corner playing classical music and it was picture perfect. That's right some of the street performers were a classical music band. A-mazing! We finished out meal and wandered around a bit, stopping to watch the end of a mime show that was chaplinesque and amusing. His message at the end was a day without laughter is a poor day indeed. We teased and joked out way back to the hotel and packed for our journey home.
Leaving
Day 10
5am we left the hotel, bleary eyed but ready. Only to find the tube station didn't open until 530. We had a brief wait but are now pulling into heathrow as I write this, so I guess this may be my last entry. When we land in dallas, im going to record this and then hopefully publish this at least as a draft. I'll make some user friendly edits so people can skim through this, but overall it was been fine keeping track of my adventure. I loved the trip. Ireland was lovely and London seemed to be my kinda city. Im so privileged to have had this chance and I thank God for it and for safe travels. See you next time London!
Extra Notes on London Culture and Random Facts
Notes on London culture: pigeons fly right at your face. Everyone jaywalks but the cars and bicycles seem to have the right away and will exert it. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, unless they are your waiter. Lots of people read and there's even poetry on billboards in the tube. Coke and other sodas come pretty much only in bottles, Rarely cans and almost never as a fountain drink. Ice is not common. Tea usually includes milk, coffee does not. Tube is super efficient, though sometimes the volume isnt up very loud on the announcer voice and you either can't hear or it sounds like the voice is whispering creepily.
Londinia 43 ad by romans. Now 14th largest city in world, 14 million 85 miles wide.
Stonehenge, henge meaning circular construct or hanging, the hanging stones. Blue stones (blue inside) weigh 6 tons from wales. Larger stones on outer circle 44 tons dragged 20 mi. 4000 years ago. First henge was wood and in a ditch around it made 5000 years ago. Not built by druids, predates them 1000 years.
Sister quotes from the whole tripThat's what cheeky monkey said, a running tally of moments my sister says something silly:
I want to go to Westminster avenue!
Gentleman at an airport asks: cheeky monkey, what's you surname?
CM: uh I don't know
My dad: your last name
CM: oh! York y o r k
Gentleman: oh all you spelled it y a r k.
What do they call elevators here? Lifties?
Can anyone read those... Cows!
CM- I'm the angel in the family
Dads coworker: just dressed like the devil for the last 18 years or so?
CM- I wanna rice hordes.
Me- You mean ride horses? (Funny thing was we were all a bit drunk at this point except her who hadn't drank anything.
My sister was singing random songs without music in the car and making weird faces doing so. My mom asks my brother why hes not singing along like he sometimes does. My brother says he's too busy resisting forming memories he'll have to repress. Burn :)
CM: Who is big ben named after, ben franklin?
Me: an american? Really?
My mother literally 1 min later: maybe its named after ben franklin.
Me: I just stare at her in disbelief.
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