London Blog III

Where to begin? The blessing and curse of trying to keep a blog while in London is the sheer amount of things one can see and experience in only a matter of days; the blessing being I always have something to write about, the curse being I feel like I have to write a short novel in order to sufficiently relate all that has happened. I suppose there’s no other way to go about it then to put my head down and just start from where I left off. I’ll try my best to be concise if at all possible.

            Beginning a few days back, a few of us paid a visit to the British Museum, being drawn in by the rich collection of artifacts and history preserved there and by the free admission at the door. The building itself was amazing to look at by itself, opening up into a massive lobby area and skylight overhead with totem poles and Roman statues standing right alongside pastry kiosks and visitor information maps. The contrast was almost surreal. The size of the place was a precursor to the incomprehensible volume of artifacts that the museum contains from nearly every time period and culture in human history. If truth be told, the displays were so extensive to the point of being overwhelming, and though I looked at thousands of displays, I probably only scratched the surface of what all can be seen there. The two most memorable things, at least for me, were the Rosetta Stone and a Pablo Picasso exposition which displayed many of his early sketches. I think what I found so cool about both of these was the fact that I was close enough to see each individual etch, each little mark up close. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, I was only feet away from the markings that unlocked the Egyptian hieroglyphic system and proved to be one of the most significant unifying factors in language in history. And with Picasso’s drawings, I felt I could follow each line of ink as he would have drawn it, and though I am by no means an artistic person, I felt a certain connection with one of the most influential artists of his time. I guess what I would say in both of these cases is that being up close to historically significant art or artifacts made me feel more intimately acquainted with, not only the objects themselves, but the histories and stories attached to them as well.

            The next expedition of note would have to be out journey to the city of Canterbury. Though any Chaucer fan will immediately recognize the name, I am sorry to say we did little in regards to Tales while there other than read on shop windows and signs the town’s obvious regard for the literary work bearing its name. We did, however, visit the cathedral at Canterbury, which I was informed is the oldest cathedral in England. Of course the architecture was breathtaking, and of course the history surrounding each stone and room was astounding, but the thing that fascinated me the most was the spot on which St. Thomas a Becket was murdered by order of King Henry II. They had a memorial built in the exact spot he was killed, and I couldn’t help but look around and think all this, all the caverns and windows and columns were the last thing he saw on this earth. Apart from the unpleasantness of being stabbed to death, it probably wasn’t a bad view to go out on.

            Now, finally, I can tell you about the past few days which have been, dare I say it, the most fun up until this point on my trip: the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. We began our festivities by staking out a place in the middle of street running along the Thames in order to catch a glimpse of the royal family when they rode by on their boat during the river pageant. We took the time we had to wait for the ceremony to being as an opportunity to picnic, which I must say was very nice. The streets were nothing short of infested with people brimming with activity and patriotism with Union Jacks being waved, worn, and generally flaunted about by any means available. There were large viewing screens set up periodically on the streets so we could all see the goings on of the pageant no matter where we were standing. Thus, I was able to see the Queen, Charles, William, Kate, Harry, and all other royal members proceed onto their boat while they were only a matter of walking distance from where I stood. When the boat finally passed our little section of river, I was only able to glimpse the family over the throngs of people, but it was still pretty hard to believe that I was in the actual presence of the Queen and her family at that moment.

            The following day we joined the mob of Londoners that gathered at Hyde Park to watch the Jubilee concert taking place at Buckingham Palace only a short distance away. For anyone who knows much about English culture, you will know that British people are usually content to keep to themselves and not necessarily reach out in friendship to strangers. On this night, however, everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing like we were all best friends at one giant party. It’s understandable, though, when we were enjoying such talents as Will.I.Am, Jesse J, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Paul McCartney just to name a few. I even got a little taste of home when a duet sang Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” which just went to prove that there isn’t anywhere in the world that doesn’t like a little country music. There’s nothing quite like dancing around like a crazy person with a park full of people, and I highly recommend everyone try it at some point. The night finished off with a few words from Charles and the Queen coming on stage and lighting the last of a series of beacons meant to commemorate the occasion followed by an amazing firework display. We were close enough to the palace that we turned around and watched the fireworks explode over the tree line behind us, and I don’t know if I will ever be able to say that the Queen and I were watching the same fireworks display ever again. This description of this night cannot ever hope to do it justice, but it will remain in my mind as an irreplaceable and truly unforgettable time, not only because of what I got to see and hear, but also because of the people I got to share these experiences with. My only regret is that all of my friends and family from back home couldn’t be there to experience it all with me. If they had been able to, then I think it really would have been the perfect night.