Pizza Party!--Day 61

~~~HAPPY HALLOWEEN!~~~

In honor of the holiday, this whole post will be written in orange type! Enjoy. :)

As you will remember, tonight was our little dinner party at Dr. Kivisto's flat. He is staying about 15 or 20 minutes from where we live. We had quite a large group for dinner--about 23 of us. We had delicious pizza and salad. Dr. Kivisto's flat is very nice, and he was very kind to feed all of us at this point in the term when I am sure that many of us are running pretty low on funds. After dinner, my friends and I decided to take a trip to Snog again. You can never go wrong with frozen yogurt! It was a delicious end to a darn good Halloween. I think I have to say it was one of the best ever (mostly because I got to celebrate in London).

Because today was a little thin on the photography side, I thought I'd share a few random photos I was saving for just such an occasion.

I just learned this on Friday, but actor Michael Caine lives in the witch's-hat part of that apartment building (its penthouse) that you can see in the center of the picture.

Sarah took this wonderful photograph of Amanda, Kayla, and me waiting for our snacks at the Red Lion in Salisbury.

The clock, bell, and flag above the old Chelsea Post Office. Admittedly, I'm kind of just showing off with this one, but I do really like the clock. The building is now used for everything from wedding ceremonies to antique shows to arts and crafts fairs.

Tomorrow we are having a big group photo taken at Heythrop after class. Each of us will receive a framed copy to take back to the States with us as a souvenir! I hope it turns out well...Also, my friends and I were talking at Dr. Kivisto's, and we realized that we haven't been to see Westminster Abbey (the inside, not just the outside) yet, so tomorrow after the photography session, we are going to head over there and hope that the lines won't be too long to see it! I will be glad to finally cross that off my list. I've heard it's absolutely beautiful, and there is an overwhelming amount of history there. Ticket prices are a little high, but I think I'm willing to spend it in order to see an undoubted London highlight.

Brompton Cemetery: Creepy Cool--Day 60

I had a bit of time to myself this afternoon, so I decided to take a walk to Brompton Cemetery. This Victorian graveyard is situated between Old Brompton Road (to the north) and Fulham Road (to the south) in Kensington and Chelsea (they are officially one borough, if I have not told you yet). I was pretty sure that I could get myself there, so I set off confidently after lunch. I knew that the walk would take me about half an hour, but that didn't stop me from getting a little nervous about 20 minutes into it. I was not familiar with my surroundings, having walked most of the way west along Fulham Road (the main entrance is on Brompton Road). On a whim, I decided to head north along Finborough Road--a street I did not know. I figured that sooner or later I would come to Old Brompton Road, and then I would decide which way to go to get to the cemetery. I checked my trusty London map and guide, which has been such a Godsend during my time here. To my surprise and delight, I found out that Finborough Road comes out at Old Brompton Road right at the corner of the cemetery! I trotted happily along the sidewalk until I came to the gate, then I entered the vast, beautiful cemetery.

I was immediately struck by both the age of the headstones and by the lovely fall colors on the trees. The weather was a bit misty and overcast, and blackbirds and crows were flying and cawing all around me. Needless to say, it was quite a somber and poetic atmosphere, perfect for the day before Halloween. I really enjoyed the mausoleums most. They were all beautifully carved. There is something so captivating about a cemetery in autumn. I snapped a few pictures of this peaceful place, in which I spent about half an hour. The cemetery welcomes visitors each day, including cyclists, runners, and dog owners. It even gives tours of the chapel at the south end. I would love to go back and go on one of the tours because they tell you all about the architecture, Victorian ideas about death, the symbolism of Victorian headstones, and the famous people who are buried in the cemetery.

I really enjoyed spending time at the cemetery. Like I said before, it sounds morbid to "enjoy" a cemetery, but it was so quiet there. It was a great place for reflection. Maybe one of my friends can come with me another time before we leave so we can take the tour together.

The main road with a view of the south side of the cemetery.

One of the more beautiful mausoleums. The interior is empty except for a pedestal. I wonder if it once held the deceased's ashes.

The main entrance at the north end of the cemetery.

Another beautiful mausoleum.

A covered walkway running along one side of the cemetery.

A view from the covered walkway of the other side of the cemetery (and the other covered walkway).

The chapel.

The covered walkway again, this time showing the steps leading down to what I assume is a crypt of some kind. Pretty eerie...

I just loved the color of those leaves!

I thought the yellow ferns and yellow leaves made a nice compliment to each other.

Tomorrow, as you know, is Halloween. How am I going to celebrate, you ask? I'm not a huge fan of dressing up for Halloween. I like to be myself, not someone else. Instead, my friends and I are going to Dr. Kivisto's flat for dinner (I hear it's pizza, but even if it's not, it's a free meal!). I am looking forward to a nice evening to kick off our last full week in London.

The Queen's Favorite Hat--Day 59

I had a wonderful tour of Parliament this morning. I felt so privileged to be able to see the inside of the magnificent building, especially since I am so captivated by the exterior (namely, that grand tower near the Sovereign's Entrance with all the gilding and the British flag flying over it).

The very beginning of the tour was a little nerve-wracking because the staff members make each visitor go through a metal detector, and they scan each visitor's items (bags, folders, jackets, etc) before they allow anyone to take the tour. We got our own little cards that we wore on lanyards around our necks. It felt very official. I passed through the scanners without any problem, which was excellent. Then, we all proceeded to our tour guide, whose name was Tony. He was a very friendly old man who asked each person/group where he or she was from (Dr. Kivisto went with us and spoke for all of us). Throughout the trip when anyone has asked my friends and me where we are from, we all just answer, "Chicago." It's much easier if I just play along and pretend I'm one of the bunch, mostly because we are all Midwestern and have pretty much the same culture and mannerisms. It saves me a lot of time and breath.

Anyway, on with the tour. We started off in Westminster Hall, which is the only part of the building that we were allowed to take pictures of from the inside (yay!). This was our meeting point with Tony, who then took us through some beautifully decorated halls to the Robing Room, where the Queen puts on her "best hat" (her finest crown) before the State Opening of Parliament each year. As you might expect, the room is very lavish and ornately decorated, with gilding and brilliant reds everywhere. I came to realize through the tour that Gothic Revival is basically the Regency version of Perpendicular Gothic (the traditional English style of architecture), and it's all thanks to the Royal Pavilion from  yesterday!

We then wandered into a hall containing the portraits of each monarch since the Hanoverians took over the throne (early 1700s), with the exception of Queen Victoria. Her portrait hangs in the Robing Room alongside (who else?) Prince Albert. That same hall also has two magnificent frescoes, one depicting the Battle of Waterloo and the other depicting the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Admiral Nelson. Interestingly enough, these two battles--perhaps the most famous in all British history--signify battles over the French. Nicolas Sarcozy visited the Houses of Parliament a few years ago, and needless to say, he wasn't a huge fan of the frescoes. An interesting thing about them in that the artist wanted very badly to paint them with oil paints on canvas so that they would last longer. However, Prince Albert wouldn't have any of it, and he made the artist paint on plaster instead. As such, the frescoes have been slowly fading since they were painted in the late 1830s.

I should probably mention that the new Houses of Parliament were built in 1834 (or begun in 1834, rather) by two architects by the names of Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin. Many people come to see Parliament just to view Pugin's handiwork. It is a highly elaborate and decorative style, with lots of guilding, curvy lines, and flowery shapes. I should also probably mention that the interior of Parliament has great significance because as visitors follow the halls through the buildings, they slowly progress through British history, starting with the Normans. As such, both the exterior and interior of the buildings pay tribute to British tradition and British heritage. How neat!

Our next stop on the tour was the anteroom of the House of Lords. In the anteroom are portraits of important royals, including King Henry VIII and his six wives (oh, no, not them again!). The portraits were painted in the mid-1860s by art students from South Kensington, and each student was paid 50 pounds for his or her work (plus an extra 20 pounds for the gold-leaf paint applied to the background). The students were urged to paint the portraits after professional works and to try to achieve as near a lifelike and accurate image as possible. However, the students didn't do such a great job. The portrait of Katherine Parr is actually Jane Seymour, and the portrait of Jane Seymour is an unknown woman.

Finally, we entered the magnificent House of Lords. There are a large collection of soft, cushy red benches on either side of the room, and the ultra-ornate throne whereon the Queen sits lies at the head of the room. Michael Jackson visited the room a few years before his death, and he loved the throne so much that he wanted to buy it. Luckily, Parliamentary staff refused, and the throne remains where it belongs. Obviously, we were not allowed to sit on the benches, but we got to touch them, which was pretty cool. If you don't know, the House of Lords (HOL) is the unelected house of the British Parliament. The members of the HOL are called Peers, and they don't really have much of a duty except to read legislation from the House of Commons (HOC) and offer their opinion of it. They have very little power to completely override a bill from the House of Commons, so they mainly serve as a suggestion to the MPs to "look again" or reconsider legislation before it becomes law. Peers obtain their peerage by appointment from the Queen, who usually grants peerages based on lifetime contributions to the nation and to the community. Currently, there are about 80 hereditary peers, who gained their peerage from a family member. No new hereditary peers may enter the HOL, so when these 80 die, their title will die with them.

After we spent some time in the HOL, we entered a rotunda of sorts, said to be the busiest part of the whole complex during the week when MPs are hard at work. This rotunda is also the location of news broadcasts from Parliament. Members of the general public can come to the desk in the rotunda, request a green card, fill it out with the name of their elected representative, and then have a chat with their MP about whatever is on their mind. However, if the Prime Minister is that MP, it's best just to forget about the whole thing.

Then came probably my favorite part of the tour: the House of Commons (HOC). I already told you about Prime Minister's Questions, so you can imagine how cool it was to me to stand in the room where that highly entertaining event takes place. The general public is allowed to sit in on Parliamentary proceedings in the HOC: there is a gallery high above the floor with a piece of Plexiglas in front of it for normal people to sit. I saw the benches where David Cameron and Ed Milliband sit with their respective parties, which was really cool. I also saw the Speaker's chair. The speaker, as I told you before, officiates the proceedings, and all comments and questions are to be addressed to the Speaker instead of to a specific person (although MPs usually just use him as a prop, saying things like, "Mr. Speaker, So-and-So has..." as if that makes it any less personal and accusatory). The area around the HOC was much less lavish than the area around the HOL, for obvious reasons. It was mainly composed of deep brown wood, cream-colored stone, and green upholstery.

After seeing all of these splendors, we returned to Westminster Hall for the end of the tour. Westminster Hall is basically all that remains of the old palace at Westminster. Parts of the wooden roof are over 600 years old, and the roof has to be supported with steel beams to prevent its collapse. I was glad to get a few photographs at this point so that I could commemorate my visit.

The very stately stained glass window in Westminster Hall. I think I could have a photo album just of stained glass windows...I take way too many pictures of them...

I think this picture highlights the Gothic Revival tracery really well. (This window sits opposite the stained glass window.)

Angels in the (wooden) architecture.

I think this is a better few of the carved angels in the ceiling of Westminster Hall.

A more extended view of the ceiling of Westminster Hall (sorry if it's a bit disorienting; I couldn't really get a good, well-lit shot from any other angle).

A few of my friends are gone today and tomorrow at Hastings, so I have some time to myself this weekend. I am not worried about being bored because I have plenty of homework, studying, and other tasks to keep me busy. I am Skyping my parents again tomorrow, and I also hope to make it to Brompton Cemetery in the afternoon because England is finally getting some nice fall colors (we saw some great shades of red, orange, and yellow on the trip down to Brighton yesterday). In addition, I will appreciate the silence and the time to relax a bit and work uninterrupted (except when I need a break). Any road, I hope you enjoyed our "tour" of Parliament, and I'll be back tomorrow with more London adventures!

The Prince Regent--Day 58

Despite the nasty weather today, Brighton was pretty fun. I expected the town to be a little more quaint than it actually is. It is very gaudy and a bit touristy, and it reminds me very strongly of the East Coast and all of those boardwalks and piers and carnival rides by the seaside. The history of  Brighton is rather interesting. It began, not surprisingly, as a small fishing village. It was cramped and smelly, not exactly the kind of place you would want to visit. Well, in the mid-1600s, a physician proposed that salt water (such as at Brighton) was just as good as mineral water (such as at Bath) for curing a large number of ailments. Very slowly, people started to come to the seaside to partake of the healing waters, both by bathing in them and by drinking them. Very many people actually did get better, but it wasn't really a direct result of the salt water. Most people in the 1700s did not bathe, so they were breeding grounds for all kinds of diseases. Bathing in salt water helped to kill and remove bacteria and lice and other lovely creatures from the skin of many patients. Weak children also benefited because they were instructed to swim and run around the beaches, so they were able to build up muscle and partake of the fresh air. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to smell fresh sea air at Brighton because of all the other competing smells--food, diesel, and human life in general. But it was still refreshing to get away from the big city for a bit. It took us a little under two hours before we stopped to explore, and before that, our tour guide Angie gave us a lot of information about Brighton's best known resident, the Prince Regent George IV. He was the son of King George III (the crazy one, although now we know that he wasn't so much crazy as afflicted by a curable blood disease called porphyry), and he ruled in his father's stead (hence the "Regent" part and the period called The Regency) when it became clear that his father was in no condition to reign. and he happened to visit Brighton for a couple of weeks when he was 21. Well, he loved the lifestyle of Brighton, with all the debauchery and drinking and parties and such. He wanted to building a vacation house there so he could get his fill of pleasure in Brighton. The result was the Royal Pavilion, an interesting mix of Indian and Chinese styles and influences. But more about that later.

After leaving the coach, we took a quick walking tour of Brighton to see the shops known as The Lanes and to see our meeting spot for the tour of the Royal Pavilion. Then, we were released to explore on our own and grab some lunch before the 3:15 tour. I packed my lunch, so I just ate as we walked. We went into some pretty funky shops, including a vintage clothing store, a store devoted entirely to stuffed animals and other animal toys, and a weird Asian gift shop. I wasn't really into all of that Bohemian stuff, so I was glad when it was time for the tour.

The outside of the Royal Pavilion looks almost like the Taj Mahal, with those weird onion domes and minarets. We could see the stables behind the Royal Pavilion, too, which are now a museum and a theater (and I think they were a corn exchange sometime in their history, too, because I noticed "Corn Exchange" carved into the facade). However, the interior of the Royal Pavilion puts the exterior to shame.

A good view of the minarets (not to be confused with minuets).

Palaces are like onions...they have many layers.

The old stables/Corn Exchange and current museum/theater.

A detail from one of the wooden gates leading to the Royal Pavilion.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photographs in the building, so I will attempt to describe it to you with as much detail and accuracy as possible. It is important to note that the Royal Pavilion started out as a small fishing cottage with just four rooms. It was purchased by George IV in 1786, and its expansion was begun in 1787. (Just to give you an idea of the time-line, George IV was declared king in 1820 and ruled until 1830.) George IV wanted to make the palace as fanciful, exotic, and playful as possible, so it is chock full of optical illusions and ornate designs. The interior is very Chinese (a style known as chinoiserie, which was pretty new when George IV was building the Pavilion but which was soon to be very popular). The first room we saw was a grand meeting hall, with pink walls and paintings of bamboo, flowers, and birds on the walls. Glass lamps painted and decorated to look like paper lanterns hang from the ceiling, and statues of Chinese servants to the Emperor line the hall. These statues are quite interesting because each figure's head rests on a thin bamboo neck, so when a group of people enters the room, the sweep of wind rushing in moves the heads of the figures and causes them to bob up and down, as if bowing to the party-goers. George IV was all about making people feel welcome, and I'm sure that being bowed to by servants of the Emperor was about as welcoming as it could get!

Our next stop was the exquisite Banqueting Hall. The ceiling was immense, and the table was lavishly set for dessert. Most of the meals in the palace (which was quite common with the upper classes) were 20 courses or more! Nobility in those days were extremely fat. The chandeliers were probably my favorite part of the Hall, especially the largest chandelier, which has a three-meter-long dragon at the tip that is "holding" the whole chandelier between his front paws. Just behind the Banqueting Hall is the largest kitchen. It may not seem impressive to us today to have the dining room and the kitchen close together, but in those days it was quite shocking. The smoke from the kitchen could easily get into the dining room and disturb the guests, so dishes were often carried from many yards and even miles away. Needless to say, the food was quite cold by the time it got to the diners. George IV wanted hot, delicious food at his table, so he devised a high, vaulted ceiling with windows installed so that the kitchen servants could let drafts in to take the smoke out of from the kitchen and away from the diners. The kitchen also features a self-turning spit powered by the smoke from the cooking meat, which was another innovation for its time. In the kitchen was the menu for one of the most famous meals at the Pavilion, which included almost 100 courses, including starters like chicken and vegetable soup, dishes like rabbit pie and fish, and desserts like ice cream and marshmallows!

After consuming such a large meal, guests would retire to a drawing room to lounge on couches and drink liqueur and play cards. The women always preceded the men because the men would stay around the table and drink port and smoke (it was seen as disgraceful to smoke in front of women). In honor of the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Pavilion (1812), the staff have put out great examples of Regency clothing in the drawing room of the Royal Pavilion. Did you know that men would wear corsets around their legs to make them appear thin and elegant? And they wore those coats that were shorter in the front with longer tails in the back to make their legs appear longer. Both men and women would wear a lot of make-up and would cover their real eyebrows, only to replace them with mouse fur. I was shocked to hear how extravagant and vain Regency men could be when it came to appearance.

The next room was the Saloon, which I think was for drawing and taking walks inside (taking a "turn about the room," as they used to say). There is quite a lot of gilding in this room, and a lot of it is being redone to try to restore its former brilliance. The best feature of the room, in my opinion, was the sun that was painted on the ceiling above the chandelier. It was very ornate but had a lot of cool designs on it. After the Saloon, we saw a drawing room with a pianoforte in it--this room's purpose was playing music and entertaining the guests. The final room was a larger music hall with a pipe organ. This room was very Chinese, with its lotus-flower-shaped lamps and painted dragons. In China, dragons are seen as good-luck symbols. It is surprising, then, that the music hall has seen two pretty major disasters in the last few decades. The first took place in 1975, when an arsonist broke one of the windows, poured lighter fluid on the curtains, and set them on fire. The room was closed for 11 years while it was repaired, including the touching up of each of the 26,000 tiles that make up the domed ceiling. A few months before the room was scheduled to reopen, a hurricane hit South England, damaging the windows and carpet. It wasn't until a native Chinese person visited the Pavilion that the staff figured out why the room was so cursed. The room had carved snakes near the dragons, which is never seen in China because it apparently throws the world off balance and invites chaos and destruction. I thought that the explanation was intriguing, to say the least.

Queen Victoria, when she came to the throne, was never a fan of Royal Pavilion. She was a very serious person, so she wanted to distance herself from the extravagance and silliness of the Regency period. As such, she wanted the Royal Pavilion to be demolished. However, the people of Brighton resisted because they considered the Pavilion an important part of their heritage. In short, they bought the Pavilion outright, and to this day, it remains the only palace in England not owned by the Royal Family. Famous lecturers at the Pavilion include Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens. In addition, music concerts are held at the Pavilion even to this day.

The tour got off with a little bit of time left before we had to be back on the coach, so my friends and I wandered down to Brighton Pier, a fanciful collection of arcade games, carnival rides, and fair food that sits on a pier jutting out into the ocean. The old pier with its sumptuous gathering hall was badly burned, but its eerie skeletal remains still exist (you can see them in one of the pictures below). The day was pretty snotty weather-wise, so I'm sure it would have been more fun in the sun, but as it was, we were pretty allured by Brighton Pier. We wanted to keep exploring, but we ran out of time.

It's carnival time!

The Atlantic Ocean/English Channel with the remains of the old pier on the right.

I was really glad that I was able to capture the sign in mid-blink (half lit up, half dark).

Another ocean pic.

A close-up of the clock.

I think he just saw me! Run for your life!

A view of the ocean with the marina in the distance.

The Ferris wheel at Brighton Pier.

Brighton's rocky shore contrasted with the smoothness of the Atlantic Ocean waves.

Brighton Pier.

On our way back, we stopped to collect a souvenir from the sea, and Sarah picked out a rock for me. I don't know if I'll actually be able to smuggle this thing back into America, but it is still a fun keepsake for the rest of my time here. It's a great rock because it's multicolored and because it has this great little divot in it that I can rub my thumb over (it's supposed to be good for relieving stress).

My little pet rock. :)

I started to have more fun when we were at the Royal Pavilion and then Brighton Pier because I really enjoyed taking pictures of the sea. Even under the clouds, it was a fantastic shade of turquoise. When the afternoon got a little darker, Brighton Pier was lit up with a cool sign (and also some little lights on some of the buildings).

The buildings of Brighton Pier lit up in the semi-darkness of late afternoon.

We left a little before 5 o'clock, and we didn't get back until some time after 7. It was a pretty brutal ride because I started to get a headache (I was kind of tired today, and I did a lot of walking around and such with a backpack on my back). I also got really hungry, and when I get hungry, I tend to get carsick. But we eventually made it, and I got some food in me before taking some Advil.

Tomorrow is another exciting day because I am going to tour the Houses of Parliament. I have been looking forward to this all trip! I will be able to see the House of Commons, where the Prime Minister's Questions take place (among other things) and marvel at the fabulous Gothic Revival architecture (which I really love, and I admire the architects so much for picking such a quintessential British style to rebuild Parliament after that crazy guy blew up the old one). I don't think we are allowed to take pictures of the interior, but I will try to get some good, new angles of the building (since I have already shown you numerous photographs of Parliament from previous visits to the area). Have a good night!

"Go to It!"--Day 57

That was one of the phrases that British WWII posters used to encourage British citizens to get involved in the war effort. Amanda and I had a very productive visit to the Imperial War Museum this afternoon, and, like I predicted, after seeing the artifacts at the museum, I know that my dad would love it. We logically started with the main level, which houses many examples of French, German, Russian, and British war machinery, including tanks, cannons, airplanes, and submarines. For class, we had to specifically focus on the World War I British tanks and compare them with the World War II German and Russian tanks. The British tanks are by far the least efficient. They are big and bulky and were prone to damage because of the tire treads that circled the whole tank on either side. If they got stuck in ditches, they were pretty much done for. Not only that, but the nozzle of the gun is located on the side of the machine, and it is fairly small. It is hard to imagine that the machine did much damage, especially since it must have taken awhile to get the tank into position to fire in the first place (not to mention actually doing any damage to the enemy with the small gun).

The Russian tank had a more practical design. The tire treads ran around a set of wheels on each side instead of all the way to the top of the machine. I noticed that there were two sets of wheels inside the treads, with the second row directly behind the first row. In addition, the cockpit looked like it could rotate for increased range of shot, and the nozzle of the gun was much bigger (and I'm sure it did way more damage). However, the German model was probably the most efficient. It had tire treads similar to those of the Russian tank, but the wheels inside the treads were staggered instead of one right behind the other, which I'm sure gave the tank more stability. The nozzle of the gun was similarly-sized, so I'm guessing it was able to do just as much damage. The cockpit was set low within the machine, which must increase stability and safety for the gunman. Finally, the German tank used diesel instead of coal or steam, so it was able to travel further distances.

Next, we took a look at the German V1 flying bomb and the V2 rocket. The V1 flying bomb was also called a "doodlebug," and it was notorious for sputtering through the sky, running out of gas without warning, and then dropping down on unsuspecting citizens below. As you can probably tell from the picture, the V2 was absolutely enormous. It used alcohol fuel in its combustion chamber, so I assume that the damage was pretty great. Reading about these incredible weapons was one thing, but seeing them in person helped me understand so much better how destructive they could be and how innovative the German engineers were.

This was seriously so much bigger than I expected it to be (the V2).

 On the main level is also a small display to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The museum has a piece of twisted steel from one of the windows of the North Tower, and it was really interesting and significant to see. Amanda and I thought, "We should probably look at this because this is our history." So, you can see a little bit of history yourself:

Then, we went up a small flight of stairs to the mezzanine level, which contained the little boat "Tamzine" used in the evacuation of British and French soldiers from Dunkirk. If you didn't already know, the German army had surrounded the troops at the port of Dunkirk, including notably the British Expeditionary Force. In an operation nicknamed "Dynamo" both British and French troops stationed in Dunkirk were evacuated across the English Channel in small vessels like Tamzine. What is so surprising about Tamzine is that it is an unassuming, very low-tech little wooden boat that had a big job to do in the war. Over 300,000 British and French soldiers were saved by their evacuation from Dunkirk.

Our next stop was the John Singer Sargeant room to find his painting Gassed, which depicts two groups of blindfolded soldiers being led to a medical tent by orderlies as their comrades lie also blinded and suffering on the ground. An interesting feature is the group of people playing some sort of game with a ball in the background, like they don't even notice or care about the pain going on right in front of them. These soldiers had obviously been subjected to mustard gas, which actually causes only temporary blindness (as well as vomiting and headaches). Amanda intelligently pointed out that the painting stands for being "blindly" led into war. I think it is more generally about the suffering of war and the nonchalance that people who have been around war too long inevitably adopt.

Afterward, we wandered down to the basement to watch a video of blitzkrieg and look at British WWII propaganda posters. We also saw some very powerful photos with accompanying quotes that generally illustrated how war is part of the human condition. In a poignant move, the Imperial War Museum has installed a clock in the basement gallery that charts the number of war dead from the beginning of the 20th century to now. The plaque near the clock states that an average of two people die in combat every minute. We were asked to ponder the significance of this clock, and I think that it shows the staggering number of lives that have been destroyed by war and also reprimands people who think of war casualties as numbers instead of real people with families and friends who are severely affected by their loved ones' injuries or deaths.

After we finished looking at the things we were required to by our history professor, we decided to check out the Holocaust gallery on the third floor. I felt like I was pretty much obligated to see it. It is such a dark and important part of the world's history. As I expected, the experience was extremely sobering and even put me in quite the melancholy mood. The gallery has your usual run-of-the-mill information about Hitler, the Nazis, eugenics, and the like, but I think that the Imperial War Museum has a done a good job of picking very emotionally-affecting images and videos because I was overwhelmed by the sheer evilness of the Nazis ideas and practices. In addition, it has a very haunting model of Auschwitz, the likes of which I have never seen. The model is stark-white, which is very fitting considering the bone-chilling things that went on there as well as the "winter" it imposed on those who were imprisoned there (by way of death and suffering).

On our way out of the building, we were instructed to look at the inscription in Latin above the doorway, which states "Hen VIII Rege Fundatum Civium Largitas Perfecit," which is roughly translated as "The King Henry VIII Foundation for the Achievement of the Bounty of the Citizens" or, in less wordy language, "for the Health of the Citizens." That means that the building was once a hospital--Bethlehem Hospital, to be exact. That was really cool to find out!

We spent a little less than two-and-a-half hours at the museum, and I think we hit most of the major things there. I definitely have a better understanding of the UK in World War II as well as a deeper understanding of the Holocaust. I just cannot believe how the Nazis could treat people like that! It definitely convinced me that I need to start truly loving my neighbors.

I am so looking forward to tomorrow because we are going to Brighton for the day! I really hope that we have nice weather because I am so excited for the seaside and Jane Austen country! A lot of students are traveling this weekend, so only 17 of us are signed up for the trip. It should be a pretty intimate and fun group. We get the whole coach bus to ourselves. :) I feel like the sea air will do me some good (it will be so nice to get away from smoke-filled, sometimes-smelly London), and I really think that I'll get some good pictures out of it. We will be seeing the Royal Pavilion and will have some down time to explore the shops and the general area on our own. Ooh, I can't wait! Until then... :)

Two Weeks' Notice--Day 56

Ah, day 56 in London. This means that after today, I have just two short weeks until I return to the United States. These last 14 days will be very interesting and exciting, full of great activities and last-minute sight-seeing before the great flight home. I fully intend to take complete advantage of every remaining hour to cross off some of the must-see items on my list.

The morning was pretty slow because I basically did some apartment research and a few homework tasks. I went to History class in the afternoon, where we finished the student presentations, talked about the Blitz, and went over some of the features of next week's final. Unfortunately, we did not take the field trip to the Inns of Court because of bad weather. It would rain when we had something interesting planned. But, no matter. The presentations were really interesting. The first one was about the Great Exhibition of 1851, which as you probably know was spearheaded by Prince Albert. After the Great Exhibition, the Royal Commission that came out of it bought a lot of the land that is now used for "The Museums"--the V&A, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

The next presentation was about the London Underground. We learned a particular gruesome detail about the construction of the Tube lines, which was that some of the excavators came across old mass graves from the Plague! I think I would quit the job then and there if I found something as awful as that. I also found out why the District and Circle lines of the Tube follow almost exactly the same route. They used to be owned by separate private companies, but the two companies formed a merger, so now there are basically two sets of trains running on almost the same track system. I've provided a map of the Tube network below so you can see what I'm talking about.

The District Line is in green, and the Circle Line is in yellow.

We also heard a pretty interesting presentation about London in the 1960s, but it was very similar to what I already knew about the US in the 1960s, so I felt like I didn't learn much.

The last presentation was on the 2012 Olympics in London, so it brought us right up to the present, and it was really a cool topic. I was a little jealous. I'm interested to see if the development and regeneration of the East End really brings about some meaningful change in the area or if it's all just the pipe dream of urban planners.

I am so excited because tomorrow I am finally going to the Imperial War Museum! I really hope that I can take pictures because I just know my dad would absolutely love it, even though I haven't been yet. I am eager to learn more about London during The War, and I've heard that there is also a display dedicated to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I hope that the experience is meaningful. I think that war is awful but inevitable, so I think that studying it is very important. I think that the true character of a nation and its people comes to the forefront in times of trouble. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to an enriching experience!

The Firm--Day 55

No word yet on the grade I got on my British Politics paper. I'm really hoping to find out next week! We had a very interesting class again this week all about the Kray Twins. If you are unfamiliar with the Krays (Ronnie and Reggie), they were a pair of brother gangsters who lived in the East End of London and operated an underground crime empire called The Firm during the 1950s and 1960s. Interestingly enough, The Firm is also the nickname for the royal family (one that they gave themselves). Not surprisingly, the Krays got a lot of their inspiration from American gangster films. The Krays were intriguing characters because so many people admired them--when Ronnie Kray died in 1995, his funeral was the largest since Winston Churchill's 30 years earlier. They created these outward personae of glamor, gentlemanly conduct, and sociability, but they were in fact cold-blooded murderers. As young men, they were both boxers, Reggie the technical boxer with tons of potential and grace and Ronnie the brutal boxer who was once disqualified for head-butting his opponent. They dodged the draft (the laws back then required boys aged 18 to join the National Service--the army basically--for 18 months) and even when they did show up, it wasn't for long. They went AWOL and were found drinking tea in their mother's home, then they were sentenced to three years in prison. Amazingly, they spent a short bit of this time in the Tower of London! Talk about harsh punishment...

Like I said last week, my professor did a lot of his research on the Kray Twins. He spent a good deal of time in the East End talking to people who had known the Krays or who had known someone involved with the Krays. He is really an incredible person. He told us a lot of stories about his research, including its early days. In the early 1990s, he and a colleague decided to give a lecture in the East End about the Krays and their legacy. The idea was that people would come to share their insights and experiences. At first, it looked like no one was going to show up, but just a few minutes before the lecture was scheduled to begin, a crowd of 70 to 80 people flooded into the room. Professor J said he got a lot of comments and questions from the crowd, so it was a great start to his project. Then, when almost everyone had left the building, a large man standing off to the side of the lectern approached Professor J and told him that he had a friend who wanted to have a drink with him next door. Being the adventurous guy he is, Professor J agreed and met the mysterious character as he requested. This man (who Professor J called Bernie) said he knew Reggie Kray very well (Reggie Kray was in jail at the time, serving his life sentence for murder). It turns out that Reggie Kray knew that Professor J was doing this research, and he wanted to see the draft of the paper! Professor J was forced to hand over his portfolio of materials to Bernie, who then delivered them to Reggie. Incredibly, Reggie sent Professor J a letter in response, offering suggestions on how to improve the paper and even enclosing a photo of himself with both of his fists raised imposingly while standing in his jail cell. The letter was signed, "Best wishes, Reggie." How's that for amazing? If you look at it the right way, I am only three degrees separated from one of the most infamous characters in British history! That makes all of you only four degrees separated. Life is truly unbelievable.

To wrap up the story, Professor J continued his research after that night, but he eventually had to stop because all of his associations with the gangster world were effecting him personally, emotionally, and psychologically. He finished writing the article, and now he includes a lecture on the Kray Twins in his sociology and political science courses to illustrate certain concepts about urban mythologies. Needless to say, it made for a pretty impressive and memorable lecture.

Today we had a rather beautiful sun shower. I just love the mixture of sun and rain, so it was quite a treat and very unusual, to boot. I heard that one student saw a double-rainbow afterward, which would have been really cool. However, I saw my own marvel: a cloud with the sun peaking out from behind it and splashing brilliant sunbeams down to earth. London delivers again with its fantastic cloud displays! I've never seen anything as dynamic as London's weather system, and it's actually something that I will miss. Maybe I shouldn't talk, though. We have been treated to absolutely fabulous weather while we have been here, and I heard that it was awful all summer and rained almost every day. In turn, I've heard that the winters are very cloudy and damp, probably the most depressing weather I can think of. All I know is that if I come back to London, I would probably pick this exact time of year. It's perfect because it is right between summer and late fall, so you don't get rainy and hot or rainy and cold. I think London must be nice around Christmastime, too, and in the spring when all of the flowers start blooming.

What a light show!

I also have some very exciting news on the home front. I know where I will be living for the remainder of the year--in Heimdall with my friend Hannah's roommates! I am so excited, and this is such good news for so many reasons. First of all, I know from Hannah's report that these girls are nice and awesome. Secondly, I get my very own bedroom! I don't have to worry about disturbing anyone else, and I get a nice quiet space all my own. Thirdly, Heimdall is situated apart from other student houses, so its only neighbors are a middle-aged couple, so I know that the house in general will be quiet. Finally, I don't have to pay for a full meal plan, which I never used all of anyway. I am thinking that I will only need a quarter meal plan (enough for a sandwich and fruit at lunch in the College Center) and then I can eat breakfast at home and cook my own dinner still (which is great because I am really getting used to it and even enjoy it sometimes). I still need to figure out my living situation for next year, but my friend Sarah gave me a good lead on a landlord (her landlord, actually), so I will probably contact him when I get back to ask about single apartments (which is really what I've wanted all along, I guess). It's either that, or it's back to the dorms. See, at Augustana, they reserve TLA spots for in-coming juniors. If there are any spots left over after the junior class has picked, they let in-coming sophomores and seniors choose TLA spots. However, Augustana has recently started admitting more students to each class (my class size was 625, and the next class grew to an astounding 750). With all these extra bodies, it is highly doubtful that I would be able to get a TLA spot. As such, I would end up back in dorm-land, which seems like a fate worse than death right now (but I'm sure under extreme circumstances and if I were left with no other choice, I would be able to grin and bear it). But that's all stuff I need to wait on until I'm actually in the Quad Cities. It's actually been great having to walk so far for class because when I get back, walking to class will seem like nothing. Also, if I get an apartment off campus, I wouldn't mind walking half an hour to get to class, so I can increase my options (whereas other students would complain about having to live so far away).

Anyway, thanks for letting me share my news and concerns with you. I assure you that it is so beneficial for me to vent and express like that. Tomorrow we are finishing up the last few student presentations in History and then taking a field trip to the Inns of Court, the center of judicial work in London. It should be quite interesting and educational.

The Bookworm--Day 54

Alas, today was not very exciting. I did my laundry, went grocery shopping, and revised a couple of papers. I also finally got around to vacuuming our floor. It looks spectacular now, if I do say so myself (I'm hoping Lauren will notice and congratulate me, although I think I have enough self-congratulation for the both of us). These activities consumed most of the morning and early afternoon, so unfortunately, I finished them a little too late in the day to warrant going anywhere major (like a museum). As such, I contented myself with a trip to Waterstone's (again) to check out the clearance section, which I had missed a couple of days ago in my eagerness to get my hands on more of those Hamlyn cookbooks. I didn't really find anything interesting. The books were discounted for a reason.

After Waterstone's, I stopped at Waitrose because I realized after my morning grocery shopping that I had forgotten to buy olive oil for the week. This may not seem like such a big deal, but when olive oil makes up a good 10% of your blood supply, it's pretty intense when you run out. I also wanted to pick up some peanut butter because it's great for protein and for late-night snacks after dinner (so I can use up the slices of bread that I would otherwise just throw away). But mostly the former. Like many daughters, I have found that my mother is right 99% of the time. She told me that I should always have a little protein with every meal (she also told me never to pass up an opportunity to pee, which I have never since ignored). I have tried to follow her advice, and I have had the good fortune never to be anemic, which for some reason I always worry about.

Meanwhile, I am practically freaking out because I have only 17 days left in London and so much left to do. I honestly don't know how I'm going to be able to fit it all in (I probably won't, as I told you before). It's been so unreal. I know I keep saying it, but it really bears repeating.

Well, that's all for now, ladies and gents. Tomorrow I have my politics class, and I really hope that we get our papers back so that I can see how I did! I think my friends are going to the zoo, and I wish I could go along, too, but they want to go in the morning and don't really have any other time that works for most of us except Tuesday. I guess I shouldn't be too broken up. The admission price is well over 15 pounds, and I'm just not prepared to pay that much for something I have back in the States. Plus, I get my animal fill pretty much every day because there are so many dogs here! I also get to Skype my parents tomorrow, so that's always exciting. Stay fabulous out there.

Come on, Fulham!--Day 53

I had such a great time at the football match today, especially since I woke up early enough to do some homework before hand. But enough about that! We took the 74 bus out to Craven Cottage for the game.

Craven Cottage is situated in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, and it is quite an intimate stadium. I am willing to bet that there were only between 10,000 and 20,000 fans in attendance at the game today, which was against Everton.

Our seats were in rows I and J on the neutral/away side of the pitch, which was bad for a Fulham fan like me! The fans of football matches get very into the game and shout loud chants quite often throughout the game. The real Fulham fans were way on the other side of the pitch, chanting "Come on, Fulham! Come on, Fulham!" while the Everton fans chanted, "Ev-er-ton! Ev-er-ton!" and sang songs that I couldn't quite understand. It was a rather energetic atmosphere, but it was also pretty intense because there are mounted policemen outside the stadium and a large staff of policemen inside the stadium to contain rabble-rousers.  Luckily, the fans today were very well behaved. It was interesting to hear from a fellow student that they do not allow people to purchase alcoholic drinks and then take them to their seats. I feel like Americans would have a fit if they couldn't have their beer and watch the game at the same time. I don't know if this makes the atmosphere any more orderly, but it was still a bit surprising to hear, especially since the Brits love to drink (actually, what culture do you know of that doesn't like to drink?).

Craven Cottage looms ahead as we make our way through the neighborhood.

Let's root, root, root for the home team!

I have enjoyed football since the World Cup last year, and I was pleased to find out the two of the players from Team USA were in action today (though for different clubs). Clint Dempsey plays for Fulham, and goalie Tim Howard plays for Everton. It was funny because at one point during the game, Clint Dempsey ran smack into Tim Howard, and the two of them picked each other up off the grass and walked back to their positions like it was nothing. During the first 45 minutes of the match, the Everton goal was on our side of the pitch, so we got to see Tim Howard up close. As you can tell from the pictures, we had a great view of the game. It was great to watch the athleticism of the players, and I wish that American soccer teams could hold on to their players instead of losing them to European teams. I am sure that American soccer would be more popular if we actually had the good players!

The football pitch--let's play ball!

More pre-game preparations. Notice Tim Howard (#24) standing in the goal.

Sadly, Fulham lost 3-1 today, and the winning goal (the goal that put Everton up 2-1) was in the final minutes of the second 45 minutes. The two teams still played for three minutes after the second 45 minutes was up because of penalties and such, but that goal was pretty special because it really electrified the stands. Many of the Augie students were converted Everton fans by the time the game was over, jumping up and down and giving each other high-fives when they knew that the game was in the bag. I was surprised that more of us weren't Fulham fans, but I guess I can understand it considering we were on the away team's side. It was quite startling when the ball came into our section once or twice. When you sit that close to the field, you need to always be on your toes!

Soccer/football action. Where's the ball??

Lining up and linking arms to defend the goal from a penalty kick (Fulham is in black and white; Clint Dempsey is #23). The kick failed thanks to the five-person human wall. It was actually pretty comical to watch five grown men linking arms and jumping in unison.

Despite the loss of the home boys, I would say that my first professional football game was fantastic. I wish that it got more press and media coverage in the United States, but we're usually too busy with disgusting American football and basketball and other stupid sports like them.

The bus back only took us part of the way to where we needed to be, so we got a chance to walk through some areas of London that we have not seen yet. One of the best things I saw was Westminster Cemetery, a very large and grand cemetery. It looks absolutely haunting and beautiful this time of year with the yellowish leaves and dying plants (very appropriate since fall is a metaphor for fading life). As morbid as this sounds, it would be so wonderful just to take a stroll through the cemetery and see who lived and died here.

Tomorrow is the last day of my weekend before I go back to class on Tuesday, so I'm sure it will mainly consist of chores (grocery shopping, laundry) and other fun things like homework! I hope that I will be able to report something interesting, though (I'm not being coy, I'm being honest with you). Cheers.

Saturday: When These Open Doors Were Open-Ended*--Day 52

*Lyrics from one of my favorite Fall Out Boy songs. Yes, I still love them after almost five years of listening to their music...

I heard from another IES resident about a farmers' market near the Saatchi Gallery that they have on Saturday mornings, so after my roommate left for her tour of Parliament (my turn is next Saturday!), I wandered down there to see what it was all about. There were many vendors selling freshly prepared food for those looking for a meal as well as vendors of cheese, meat, olives, breads and baked goods, and fresh vegetables. I was very tempted to buy some bread and olives, but I'm trying to save as much money as I can, and I figured I didn't really need them. Plus, I was planning on visiting the Waterstone's bookstore after I visited the market, so I didn't want to spend money in both places.

My curiosity satisfied, I headed back along the King's Road to Waterstone's. If you will remember, I bought two cookbooks at Kew Gardens for five pounds (together). I really regretted not getting two other titles, so I was on a mission to find them this morning. It took me the better part of ten minutes, but I finally found the Hamlyn 200 series I was looking for. I found a book of 200 Budget Meals and another book of 200 Easy Dinners, so I now have quite the nice little collection of cookbooks for myself, each of which ultimately cost me just $6. They will remind me of London when I get home as well as help me through my early years of cooking for myself. Like I said before, I aspire to match my mother's talent, and I think that these books will help put me well on my way to my goal.

Easy peas-y, lemon squeeze-y, good when those college meals make you queasy.

I couldn't resist. This cookbook was made for me. The recipes in this book and in the other book make me so hungry.

The late morning and afternoon were mainly set aside for homework: working on my paper for Art History and organizing my notes for my term paper on gardens. The latter should be really interesting. All of my notes are falling into pretty manageable categories, so I will be able to put together a pretty well-organized paper. I will share the finished project with you if you would like, mostly because I have been talking about the paper all term! I cannot guarantee that it will be my best piece of writing yet, but why would I set the bar so low? Why not make it a stellar paper? I am eager to start composing the body of the paper and seeing how it turns out. For now, I am content to let the ideas I came up with today sink in a little before I charge in and write the paper for real.

Tomorrow is the big football match between Fulham FC and Everton FC at Craven Cottage, so Fulham is the home team. They have Clint Dempsey, who played on the US soccer team in the World Cup last summer. I know who I'm rooting for! It's going to be very cool and interesting because I don't really know what to expect, but I do really like sports, so I'm sure it will be fun. Almost everyone that I know here is going, so we'll have our own little student section. That's all for now. Have a great rest of your day.

Ye Olde Cheese Farm--Day 51

We had another gorgeous weather day for our tour of Chiswick House and its grounds. The area surrounding the manor is also called Chiswick and is home to many celebrities. As such, it is just as posh (if not more posh--is "posher" a word?) as the Kensington-Chelsea area. The grounds of Chiswick House used to be a cheese farm, which is where the very clever title for this blog post comes from. I almost wish it still were a cheese farm; that would be delicious! A fun fact about the word "ye" is that it just means "the." In Old English, the "th" sound was written as a "y," so it's not really as interesting as we all think it is.

We took the Tube from Gloucester Road to Turnham Green, then we walked the 25 minutes to Chiswick House, which was very nice because we had such good weather. It was very pleasant to stroll along the streets while families and elderly people walked around us going about their business. Chiswick is renowned for its position next to the A4 motorway, which leads directly to Heathrow Airport and makes it a very convenient place to live. Some of the most expensive properties in London are in Chiswick and sit along the Thames. Strangely enough, the roads in front of these houses are extremely susceptible to flooding. It makes me wonder how the properties can be so expensive! But lovely brick retaining walls help to guard the houses from water damage, and it's hard to argue with their riverfront locality. These are the houses in London that still have cool names--like they did in the 1800s. I can't specifically remember any of them right now, but it took me back to an earlier time and place.

Chiswick House is a great place to visit because just as we were passing alongside the A4, we came to the gate of the manor and a cute tree-lined walkway. As we continued down the path, the sound of cars receded, and we were enveloped in the tranquility of rustling leaves and twittering birds. Our first stop was the Conservatory, which holds the largest collection of camellia bushes that I have ever seen. The camellias don't bloom until February or March (it seems odd, but camellias are native to Asia, and the hothouses in which they are grown provide them with enough warmth to stimulate blooming at the right time of the year). However, we were lucky enough to glimpse a flower here and there among the mostly dormant branches, like this beautiful white camellia. I didn't get down and sniff it, so I don't know how much of an odor they have. It is often the case that the most beautiful flowers have very little aroma. But anyway, that was a cool part of the tour.

A little glen off to the side of the main entrance to Chiswick House.

The white camellia (it sounds like the title to a cheesy novel).

Then, we stopped to see Chiswick House from the side. It has lovely statues in the yard surrounding it as well as a nice variety of trees, including the two young cedars of Lebanon. Josh showed us a picture of the Beatles standing in almost exactly the same spot as we were, so we decided to do a spoof on the picture ourselves! It was silly but fun.

The Fab Four!

Pretending we are the Beatles. Elizabeth is my favorite. :)

I'm supposed to be Paul (notice the awkward attempt at a left-handed air guitar).

Another section of the park.

The statues and trees behind Chiswick House.

One of the cedars of Lebanon behind Chiswick House.

Chiswick House from the back; note the "piano nobile" style of architecture--the stairs draw the eye up to the level of the windows.

We spent most of the rest of our time wandering through the gardens and grounds of Chiswick House, including a nice secluded wooded area, a pond, and a waterfall called The Grotto. We ended up at the front of the house, which I thought was really cool. There were barriers preventing us from walking up the stairs, so Josh suggested that he should move the barriers aside, run away, and let the six of us explore the upper floor on our own. Such a bad role model! Afterward, we found ourselves near the cafe, so Josh was nice enough (again!) to give us each 5 pounds toward lunch. I had a nice roasted butternut squash and feta salad. Since there were so few of us, we all sat at the same table and talked and ate together. When we were all finished, we left the grounds and walked to the heart of Chiswick to see the Fuller's Brewery and the Brewery shop. Not too exciting. Then, we made our way back to the Tube stop along a riverfront walkway. It was very picturesque and enjoyable because of the warm sunshine and cool breeze. We passed a lot of cute pubs and old-style wharf buildings as well as an attractive bridge across the Thames.

The pond at Chiswick House.

Another view of the pond from the other side of the bridge.

A pretty tree-lined pathway. The grounds have a lot of these pathways, which are often arranged in a radiating pattern called a "goose's foot," in which the pathways converge at a common structure--be it building, statue, or obelisk.

The Grotto.

The front of Chiswick House, which was built in 1729. Look familiar? This style is also found in our own White House! Notable visitors were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and even Queen Victoria (presumably not at the same time).

A riverside garden in Chiswick.

Another riverside garden.

The London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham as viewed from Chiswick.

All in all, today was a great day. We got to pet a few dogs at Chiswick because a lot of people bring them there so they can run around and enjoy themselves. It made us all miss our own dogs back home. I'm not sure what's on the docket for tomorrow. Probably homework, mostly. But, then again, my friends and I are really good with spur-of-the-moment stuff, so (especially since tomorrow is Saturday) I'm sure we will find something interesting to do. You just never know...

Before I leave you for today, I wanted to share with you the picture of me, Sarah, Lauren, and Elizabeth at tea yesterday. :)