When we touched down at Heathrow airport a week ago
today, the travel tracker on the screen in front of me read just over 4200 miles
from flight origin. Without much competition, that number confirmed that this
was the farthest from home that I’ve ever been. While waiting for our luggage
at the baggage claim, my trip quickly became lucrative when I was paid 10
pounds for lifting a lady’s bags off the carousel for her. I hoped this would
become a trend, but sadly it has not. After waiting for a time that seemed
equivalent to our recent journey over the ocean, we finally got our bags and
proceeded to subject ourselves to the questionings of British border guards. After
convincing them that my most malicious intentions were to drink all of their
tea and take pictures of all their buildings, they let me through. From there,
we hopped on a train and a short time later were faced with the daunting task
of navigating the English tube system with what now felt like exorbitantly
large bags. I wouldn’t say I stuck out like a sore thumb…I would say I stuck
out like a thumb that had been pounded repeatedly sand mercilessly by a
sledgehammer. There is no feeling quite like being thrust into a fast-paced situation
in which you are completely ignorant of what you are supposed to do but are expected
by everyone present to be an expert. Luckily, we all survived and made the
final hike to the place that will serves as both home and school for the duration
of our time here: Regent’s College.
Located
in the middle of Regent’s Park, Regent’s College is a unique place to stay because
of its immediate scenic surroundings and its proximity to downtown London. The
park is actually under the care of the Queen herself, but I am disappointed to
say I have yet to see her out trimming the bushes or pulling weeds, but I’m
sure I will eventually. The grounds really are beautiful though; from the ponds,
trails, and hordes of ducks, there is always something to draw your attention.
Just a five minute walk away, however, is Baker Street and the nearest tube
station, and this makes it very convenient to go nearly anywhere in the city.
I
took advantage of our strategic location on the second day of the trip when I
took a short ride to Piccadilly Circus. Walking up from the Underground, I had
my first “BOOM, you’re in London” moment. Something like a smaller version of Times
Square, Piccadilly is a huge open area with a fountain, LED displays, and so
many buildings that you feel sure have to have some historical significance. It
was like someone had thrown history and modernity into a blender and poured the
result all over this place. What got me though was the sheer magnitude of the
open space. I don’t know how to really explain it, but I just got the sense that
everything got bigger as soon as I stepped into the square. I would get a
similar sensation the next day when I visited Trafalgar Square and the National
Gallery. Of course I took my obligatory pictures with the giant lions and got
to see the Olympic clock counting down the seconds to the Games, but one of the
coolest things I did while at Trafalgar’s was stand on the front balcony of the
National Gallery and look out over the city. From that vantage point I could
see the entire square as well as Big Ben and Westminster Abbey far in
background. It’s hard to remember sometimes that so many historic and iconic things
are so close together here.
Not
long afterwards I made my rounds to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London
Eye all along the Thames. I didn’t get to go into any of the places I just
mentioned, but I plan to remedy that at some point while I’m here. I also visited
Buckingham Palace which was thronged with people when we got there. Turns out
the Queen was throwing a garden party that day, so all of her guests were
standing outside the gates with their hats and waistcoats looking very proper
waiting to be let in. After unsuccessful attempts to convince the guards that I
was, in fact, Prince Harry and needed to be let in, I moved on. Construction
was going on in that area in preparation of the Games, so I can now officially
say I’ve been in an area where the Olympics will be held.
At
the start of this past weekend, we took an excursion to the Museum of London to
view the Dickens exhibit that they have up in honor of his 200th
birthday. I got to see a lot of original manuscripts and learned a lot about
the man’s life, but by far the best moment was when I got stand just a few feet
away from the desk and chair in which he wrote Great Expectations and A Tale
of Two Cities among other stories. I couldn’t believe that I was close
enough to touch the piece of furniture that was used by one of the greatest
writers of all time to write some of the most respected stories in the English
language. It was hallowed ground for me. Sadly, I could not take any pictures
while in the exhibit, so I guess you’re just going to have to trust me that I
actually did see it. I did, however, get to take pictures when we took a trip
to Gad’s Hill, the house in which Dickens spent the last 14 years of his life. This
was perhaps even more surreal than seeing the desk because now I was standing
in some of the very same places that Dickens stood and was looking out the same
window he would have looked at while writing in his study. I even got to have
tea on his back porch.
The
day before Gad’s Hill, we went to Bath and saw, you guessed it, the Roman Baths.
The city of Bath itself is so quaint and interesting; I could have been content
to simply wander the streets all day if I could. Singers, musicians, and even
fire jugglers seemed to stand in every open space or around every corner. They
were incredibly talented too. I was lucky enough to be one of three people handed
a torch by the fire performer and asked to throw it at him to start the show. It
was by far the most nervous I had been about killing someone since I’ve been
here. After avoiding manslaughter, I began the tour of the Baths themselves. I
usually don’t associate Britain and the Romans, so it was interesting seeing
how the two cultures and histories intermingled and affected one another. At the
end of the tour we were able to take a drink from the very springs that feed
the Baths, so I’m happy to report that I will now live forever. I celebrated
the occasion by eating an entire pizza by myself at The Real Italian Restaurant
down the street. It was glorious. Soon after, a group of us took on the
challenge of trekking up a very formidable hill to get a view of the whole
city, and though we almost lost some of our companions to dehydration and foot
fatigue, we made it. We enjoyed the absolutely breathtaking view from the lawn
behind a pub which was nice enough to give cool glasses of water to us weary
travelers. With the cool breeze, blue sky, and city down below, I’m not sure
any of us wanted to leave that place.
And
finally, the last excursion I have to tell you about up to this point is the
trip we took to Hampton Court Palace. While this place served the purposes of
many monarchs, perhaps the most famous resident was Henry VIII. To say the
place was massive is a gross understatement. From the front I was thinking “Ok,
this doesn’t look that impressive,” but after spending and entire day on the
grounds I still had not been able to see everything there was to see. I did,
however, get to see the gardens in the back and I now have a solid picture of
what I want my yard to look like when I get a house of my own. Once again, I
was struck by the thought of how I was walking the same halls as the likes of
Henry the VIII and Edward II. It’s sometimes strange to try and imagine the
people we always see as paintings or photos in a European history textbooks as
flesh and blood individuals walking around in the physical world, but seeing
where they lived definitely brought the idea closer to home. Actors roamed
about the halls dressed in historical costumes and would carry on conversations
like we weren’t there, creating the sense that we were really in the midst of a
king’s court.
If
you have kept reading this far, I congratulate you on your truly admirable perseverance.
I did not realize how long this was going to be when I first started writing
it, and I will try to post on this blog on a more consistent basis so as to
avoid these marathons. So until next time, cheers from London.
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