Day Thirty Four: Two Days Left in London

I started the day off by heading to Ramsay Hall for breakfast and eating some Kellog's Corn Pops and a croissant. After breakfast it was time for class--our last class of the semester. We took a final and did a class presentation on advertising in the Underground. I feel confident regarding both of those and I don't see any reason at all why I should not make an A in my class. My grades so far have been good and even though there are still two papers left to grade for me, one of them is an extra credit paper, and the other I feel I did a good job of covering my topic. So, I expect I will make an A and I look forward to that.

After class we went to lunch. They prepared what they said was chili con carne, in fact it was just beans and ground beef with a few spices and, of course, French fries. It was all pretty decent. It was our last meal in Ramsay Hall and I can say with all honesty that I'm not disappointed. Even if we were scheduled to have breakfast there tomorrow, I'd probably go down and get some orange juice and that's about it. I think tomorrow morning I will go to Gregg's and pick up something from there for breakfast. After lunch I went to my dorm to get the silverware I pilfered from the cafeteria and bring it back. I had thought about just leaving it in the kitchen here since there's no utensils in it, but I figured it was best to bring it back to where I got it from.

I then went back to my dorm room and took a nap for a while. I was still tired when I got up, but I got dressed and then made my way to the Victoria & Albert Museum. The V&A, as it is referred, is a nice museum. It's worth checking out, if anything, for the sculptures and other works of art there. It's got a lot of pieces of fashion, furniture, decor, and just general culture of Britain. It also has a room of several large Raphael "cartoons" of Biblical scenes which are amazing. One of the main exhibits I would have liked to have seen, an exhibit on Japan, was closed. I could look in and see a suit of samurai armor and several swords, but the overall exhibit was closed to visitors. They had some Asian art work, but most of it was from India and the Middle East. I am personally more fond of the art work of Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. But, it was a pretty good museum. I only spent about an hour (maybe less) in there because a lot of the stuff in it I wasn't too interested in.

Not to mention: I am getting a bit tired of museums. In the past five weeks I've seen a lot of museums and art galleries and as much as I love and respect these places, they get a little old. I am always amazed by some of the sculptures and things of that nature, but when you see an enormous room full of them, they start to lose their luster and I don't care for that. I'd rather be impressed by them. That's one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to live in London. I imagine that most of the people here at not impressed with South Bank, the Globe, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, etc. I would hate to feel like that towards those places. I would hate to pass by them and see them so much that they would just become normal buildings to me. I'd rather be in awe of them. But, I guess that is just what happens.

Once I got back to the dorms, I chilled out for a bit and just took some time to relax. I watched a few old Full House episodes on my computer and didn't really do a whole lot. At 7:15 p.m., several of us got together and made our way to our restaurant destination. We had decided that tonight we would do one final hoorah as far as meals go and go all-out and have a nice, expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant. So, Amanda, Katie, Donald, Gideon, and I all went to a Spanish (not Mexican) restaurant called Camino. We got a little bit lost getting there, but we managed to still find it and make it on time for our 8:00 p.m. reservation.

The restaurant itself was beautiful. It was dimly lit and very elegant. The wait staff was fairly friendly and very helpful. We started the meal off with some bread and extra virgin olive oil. We had intended on ordering "pan con tomate", but it would have required us rubbing in garlic on the bread and squeezing tomato on it, so we decided we would go the more simple route. Donald also got a latte. We then ordered our main dishes. Amanda and Katie had lamb, while Donald and Gideon ordered a rib-eye, and I ordered a fillet. Donald, Gideon, and I also ordered a dish of roasted potatoes, onions, peppers, and a free-range fried egg (and of course spices) all in a skillet. It looked and sounded a bit unappetizing, but once the waitress mixed it all together it was outstanding. Gideon dubbed it the "Spanish hash brown". It was a perfect compliment to my fillet (which all came with three potatoes). I ordered my fillet well, but it came out quite pink and in retrospect I'm glad I ordered it what I did. Apparently their version of well is not the same as ours back home, so if I ordered it any less than that I know I would have been disappointed.

We all shared a little bit of each other's meals. The lamb was quite tasty. The rib eye was good as well. I forgot to mention it, but Donald also ordered a dish of peppers stuffed with crab meat. It was also very good. The meal itself was fantastic. The fillet was great. The Spanish hash brown was awesome. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that everything was very good. After the main meal, the ladies and I ordered a dessert and Gideon ordered a beer while Donald had another latte. The dessert we ordered was somewhat like a chocolate muffin filled with melting chocolate on the inside. It was great. It also came with a scoop of orange sherbet and a raspberry side garnish. The orange sherbet was a perfect compliment to the chocolate dessert and a nice way to finish the meal. Even though it was rich, it wasn't filling in the sense that after all of the food you felt too full. The sherbet was light and the chocolate dessert was somewhat fluffy, so that it didn't feel like too much.

They brought us the ticket, and we spent a few minutes doing the math to figure out how much each of us had to pay. If I have no mentioned it yet: they don't divide up the tickets here. Every restaurant I have eaten at, they bring out one ticket and it is your job to divide it up if you so chose. I'm under the impression that dividing up the ticket by person is not how most people dine here. I'm thinking that people either go out to eat and one person pays, then another person pays the next time, or people order several different dishes and share, then just divide the check by how many people are there. Either way, I think its a very inefficient way of doing business. They've got the right idea by paying ahead of time at the pubs, but when it comes to meal tickets at other restaurants they really have made it more difficult than it should be. I don't think actually dividing the ticket up is that much of a chore, but that's the British for you.

It seems to me, from what I've witnessed, either we do a lot of things back home more efficiently or the Brits do some things that are just plain bizarre. I frankly think the Brits just do some things just to be different from everyone else. Not using the Euro even though they are in the EU, driving on a different side of the road, the ticket thing, I think are all just little ways for them to stand out. Of course, I suppose you could say the same thing about America. If I'm not mistaken, the U.S. and the U.K. are the only two countries not to use the metric system. Which, the Brits will sometimes use the metric and sometimes use the English system over here. Go figure. Also they way they do door swings can often times be confused. What you would think would be a pull door is a push door and vice versa. As Gideon asked tonight, "Why would you put a pull handle on the push side of a door?"

Either way, this is my next to last day here in England. It's been a phenomenal trip and I've had a wonderful time. It's strange to think that tomorrow will be our last full and final day here. It's looking like I might (finally) go to a show. Someone bought an extra Lion King ticket and I think I may go see that tomorrow evening. People told me that time would really go by fast while I was here and I wasn't too sure about it. The first week seemed to last a while, but then it seemed like all of a sudden I only had three or four days left. It's really something how it all works. This trip has really been a different, and fun, experience for me. It's like most things, there are some things I have not cared for and then some things I really have enjoyed. Overall I've been very pleased and grateful that I've gotten to have this experience. Getting to actually spend time in another country, with another culture, is really enlightening.

I suppose one of the things that surprises me most is that when people think of America, they can very easily associate us with the Brits. And even though we do have a lot of similarities, it's worth saying that overall we are so very, very different. The attitudes, the lifestyles, the culture, the way of doing things, are just so different from the U.S. even though our roots are founded in the U.K. I just can't help but think of what a culture shock it would have been for me if my first international experience was in a country like China or Italy or Peru, places that we don't historically draw our roots from. Even though most of my time here I've tended to bash London, I must say that I do love England. This is a very pretty country and the people outside of London that I have met have been nothing short of great. I think London, as a city and the people that live in it, have been a healthy reminder of just why I don't like what happens to humanity when it gets flung into metropolitan situations. I suppose I just prefer a more simple, slow and laid-back lifestyle to the face-pace of the city.

I guess I just can't help but feel that considering how short our lives are, it just becomes so difficult to truly stop and smell the roses when there are five million people around you, car horns blaring, and everyone (yourself included) is being forced to rush everywhere. That, and I like to be able to look into the sky and see stars. Sleep is a normal, natural part of human life. It's way for the body to rest and regenerate. Cities never sleep, and ultimately I think they suffer for it. But who knows. I may just be rambling and I may not know what I'm talking about. One thing I do know though that God has certainly taught me with this trip: be thankful.

Photos of today's excursions can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

Day Thirty Three: The Odd Side

I woke up this morning and ate some Pop Tarts for breakfast. Ramsay Hall was not open to us today. I'm not really sure why. It didn't really matter though, because it was around 9:00 a.m. by the time I woke up. Since I had finished all of my papers and the places I intended on seeing wouldn't open until 10:00 p.m. anyways, I figured it best to sleep in. I honestly don't remember the last time I slept until 9:00 p.m. It was nice.

After breakfast though, I got my things together and headed down towards Oxford Street. I stopped and spoke to Dr. Ross and his wife on my way down there and he mentioned that he planned on going to Hyde Park. He said he had never been there. You would think that a man who has been to England as many times as he has would have been to Hyde Park. I was a bit astonished. Nevertheless, I continued to Oxford Street and went into the store I was looking for, then walked to the Tottenham Court Road station and then rode down to Blackfriars to go to the Tate Modern art gallery.

The Tate Modern is an enormous art gallery sitting right on the Thames River. Much of Tate Modern is open space and the building itself is a great example of modern art. With high reaching ceilings, vast expanses of exposed steel and concrete works, the actual home of all of these fine pieces of modern art is in and of itself a work of art. I spent a good bit of time there in the morning walking around and seeing some really fantastic pieces of art. I saw several pieces that I had seen photos of in my art appreciation class several years ago. I saw work by people like Picasso, Pollock, Lichstein, Monet, and Warhol. I also saw a room filled with some spectacular works of art by artists from the Democratic Republic of Congo--it was quite beautiful. The thing I love about art is just how subjective it really is. A lot of the things in there, most people would not consider art at all--some where as simple as mere pieces of steel and PVC welded together to form an unrecognizable object. But, that's the thing about art work, isn't it? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and just because one person may look at a piece of art and think it's silly, ridiculous, or just plain ugly doesn't mean it's not art. When you look at an enormous canvas that is simply red with a purple line going down one side, is that art? To some, it is, to some it is not. But I'd say whether you like it or not does not make it any less artistic. Of course, I don't always agree with the analysis that certain pieces of art are groundbreaking and are speaking volumes about the artist's theories on life, but I respect them for the art they are.

Once I was done browsing around, I stopped in the cafe there to grab a light snack before taking a boat ride down to Tate Britain. I bought a chocolate muffin that was horrible, so I threw it away. I then walked outside and got an ice cream cone that was far more satisfying. I stopped in a little art book shop nearby, took a look around, then made my way to the boat. I just barely made the boat, as they don't make very clear where you're supposed to get on at. From there I rode for about ten minutes up the Thames, taking photographs, and enjoying the beauty of the whole situation. The weather was lovely today. It was without a doubt a great day to ride a boat down the Thames. Finally, I arrived at Tate Britain and did much of the same looking around as I did at Tate Modern.

I hate to say it, but I'm not entirely sure that I gave these galleries the respect they deserve. There is simply so much art work on display that, frankly, I didn't have the time or the interest to observe all of it. With so many rooms and so many works of art in each room, one could easily spend hours, if not days, just looking around and admiring the art works. But even though I rushed through the galleries, I did thoroughly enjoy them and I believe that counts for something. I don't feel like I've missed anything or somehow not gotten the full experience the galleries had to offer.

After Tate Britain, I took the Victoria line from Pimlico Station back to Warren Street station then walked back to the dorms. Once back in the dorms, I piddled around a bit then took a nap until a little bit after 5:00 p.m. I then walked down to Samurai and got the same spicy chicken and sticky rice dish I got last week. It was just as delicious as it was last week. The woman at the counter really hooked me up on the food. It was more than enough to eat. Gideon, Gabe, and I sat around and talked while eating dinner. They were having Kentucky Fried Chicken and according to them it was pretty good. The KFCs here don't served mashed potatoes for some reason, but they do serve French fries. Also they don't serve biscuits and I don't think they serve macaroni and cheese or cole slaw. But, they do serve corn. I guess you can't have everything, can you?

Earlier today, after dealing with three frustrating telephone booths, I made a call from the lobby of the dorms to a restaurant called Camino. Five of us are going there tomorrow night for a nice dinner out. Camino is a Spanish restaurant (not Mexican) that serves steaks and lots of Spanish dishes that sound pretty tasty. I'm glad we were able to get reservations and I'm looking forward to going.

It occurred to me today that we only have two days left here in London. I suspect tomorrow will go by pretty fast since I have a presentation and a final to take in class. I plan to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I may also ride down to Abbey Road, although I'm not a very big Beatles fan so I may just end up skipping that. I don't really have anything planned for Thursday except that Donald and I may be going to an Italian restaurant down the street that is supposed to be really good. Dr. Ross recommended to us in the meeting yesterday that we get at least four or five hours of sleep before our plane ride on Friday morning. As I've mentioned earlier, we will be leaving here about 4:15 a.m. (which means we have to be downstairs at around 3:45 a.m.) to get to Heathrow Airport and fly to Frankfurt. I personally disagree with this. I don't plan to sleep at all that night, but instead sleep on the plane from Frankfurt to Atlanta.

The plane ride from Frankfurt to Atlanta is actually supposed to be longer than the flight coming out here (which was eight hours long) and if that is the case, I don't want to be awake for the entire nine hour flight. I didn't sleep at all on the way out here and I know that if I go to bed early and wake up at 3:45 a.m., I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep on the plane. I'd much rather just stay awake through the morning and then sleep on the way back to Atlanta. I don't think it would mess with my typical sleep cycle too much, since we will be back in the States in the early afternoon anyways. I had considered taking something to help go to sleep, but I'm not sure how I'd handle it so I'm just going to try the natural method.

Photos of today's time in London can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

P.S. I'm currently working on my 31st day of Internet access here at Astor College. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I do suspect it will be going out sometime soon. I'm actually surprised I've had it this week and if it lasts to tomorrow or Thursday I'll be amazed. Nonetheless, I just want to remind people so you don't think I'm rude or that I've forgotten you if I don't respond. Thanks a lot for all of you keeping in contact with me.

Day Thirty Two: The Final Week in London

I was surprised when I woke up this morning and found my Internet connection still working. I expect it will go out any day now. I ate some breakfast down at Ramsay Hall. The hash browns, which are usually pretty good, were terrible this morning. Thankfully I had brought my trust Kellog's Corn Pops. Once breakfast was over with we went to class.

Yesterday and today I've been quite stuffed up. I think it is sinuses related to the weather in Southwest England, although I may be wrong. My head actually hurt a bit today and I started feeling sore after I took a nap this afternoon. Class was all right. We filled out our evaluations of our teachers and the program itself. I feel Dr. Martin has done a great job teaching us and I've loved her class. The program has been nice, although I feel the facilities are really lacking. If my math is right, at six meals a week costing 5 pounds each from Ramsay Hall, we spent 30 pounds ($60) a week on meals, which comes to 150 pounds ($300) on meals during the entire trip. Considering the poor quality of the food, I think this was a total rip off and I made a suggestion for fixing it. I also have not enjoyed taking a shower every morning in a tiny box and having to re-use the same towel for a week. This, too, I made mention of. But, I did have to say the location has been great and the dorm rooms themselves are not bad at all.

Once I was done with lunch, I came up to my room and messed around a bit before going to Dr. Martin's classroom and organizing our newspapers. I also gathered my information for a paper I had to write in her class. I then went back upstairs and went to sleep for about forty-five minutes. I had to get up soon and go down to the Indian YMCA where we had a meeting about our plane rides back home and what was and was not acceptable at the airports. I had purchased a small, second bag to be checked while I was out this morning (and I negotiated with the merchant on the price of some scarves, which I got the price I asked for). I ended up packing the bag later this evening.

After the meeting, we walked a few feet over to Fitzroy Square and took a group photograph. We then made our way back to Astor College, went to the lower ground level TV room and had wine, took photographs, and prizes were given to groups for their work on the scavenger hunt. I forgot to turn my photos in. Oh well. I also didn't drink the wine. After that was over with, Donald, Gideon, and I went out for dinner. We walked down to an Indian restaurant called Lord's, which was closed until 6:00 p.m. It was closed yesterday (Sunday) when Gideon and I went as well. So, we walked down Tottenham Court Road and stopped at a suitcase vendor, where Donald purchased a suitcase. The vendor (who I had bought my suitcase and scarves from earlier) was a bit annoyed when Donald asked for another bag because the one he was given had a bent wheel. The wheel still spun, but Donald was not comfortable with the idea of having a bent wheel, and I can understand that.

We then walked back to the college, dropped off the suitcase and some newspapers we bought while we were out for Dr. Martin's class, then made our way to Lord's. Lord's was a very lovely, quiet place and we enjoyed the meal quite a bit. I had Chicken Korma and both Donald and Gideon had some chicken dishes as well. Everything was quite tasty and I wish I had written the names down of the dishes, as I can't remember any of them. We all enjoyed our meals though. They also brought out some mint chocolate after we payed, although I was the only one who ate mine. Once dinner was over with, we all made our way back to the dorm rooms.

Which brings me to right now. So far I've finished off the two papers I had to do for Dr. Martin's class, and now I've updated my blogs. Today was a good day, although I feel like I did very little. Tomorrow I'll have the entire day free to roam around and I plan to finish off a few things I have been meaning to do. Anyhow, I am going to get some rest and try and take it easy.

Photos of my time in Taunton can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/page3/

Day Thirty One: Back to London

I woke up early in the morning and, after reading a bit of Harry Potter, I made my way to breakfast. Connie, again, fixed an outstanding meal. Shortly thereafter, Ray and I made our way to the Taunton train station and waited for a few minutes for the train to arrive. He and I said our goodbyes, I thanked him yet again for his hospitality, and before too long I was on a train riding out of Taunton. The trip there was amazing, and I would easily say it was the highlight of my trip. Besides being able to spend time with family members, it was also great to get out of London for a bit and enjoy the English countryside.

The ride back to London was pleasant. I snacked on some Pop Tarts during the ride. A woman next to me was reading her copy of the latest Harry Potter, something I didn't care to do since I had the feeling someone would probably stroll up to me and tell me something about the ending. By the time I arrived back to my dorm room I was exhausted. I unpacked my things and spent much of the afternoon either reading, sleeping, or lounging around and not doing anything at all.

Gideon and I went to Leicester Square and ate dinner at a place called La Chanelle. I had a pizza that was pretty tasty and Gideon had some chicken which looked pretty good. Once dinner was over we went back to the dorms. I spent a little time sitting and chit-chatting with some of my friends here at the dorms for a while before heading to bed. I went to sleep around 1:00 a.m., as I was enthralled with the last Harry Potter book and wanted to get as much done as possible.

I know this post is short, but Sunday was pretty uneventful--which is not at all a bad thing.

Day Thirty: To Great-Aunt's House We Go

We started the day off again with another delicious breakfast from Connie. After that, Ray and I made our way to the Western Somerset Railway, where we took a genuine steam locomotive to a seaside resort town called Minehead. It was quite overcast and not all good weather for the beach, but Minehead seemed like a great place. The train ride over was awesome and Ray shared some great stories about his days taking trains through countries and how slow they used to move.

I bought two copies of the new Harry Potter book while I was in Minehead and while we walked over to a place called the Wellington Hotel. At the Wellington, Ray and I ordered and ate what is known as a carvery. That is, you pay a flat rate for your meal, then you go up and someone carves meat off of a slab for you and you buffet-style any side items you want. It was a tasty roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, as well as roast potatoes, broccoli, and green peas. Lunch was outstanding, and very reasonably priced.

Once lunch was over with, Ray and I messed around Minehead for a few minutes. Ray bought a copy of the Somerset Gazette, which had a picture of Sam (the son of Andrew's girlfriend, Tina) in an article about cleaning up his neighborhood. We then made our way back to the train station and caught a diesel engine home. We got delayed at a little station called Crowcombe Heathfield. It started raining on our ride back, but luckily it was dry the whole rest of the time. Once we arrived back in Taunton, we went back to Ray and Connie's home, picked up Connie and Andrew, and the four of us headed to Exeter to see Nana's sister, Val.

It was about a fourty-five minute ride to Exeter, and on the way I got a little bit car sick. I felt great once I got to Val's and was able to drink and eat. Ray and Connie went and picked up fish and chips while Val showed me so really great old family photographs. I especially enjoyed one she of all of the siblings (Nana, Ray, Mick, Ivor, Val, and June) all together taken at Sunnyside. Once Ray and Connie got back, we enjoyed a very tasty helping of fish and chips. We then sat around a bit and chatted, took some photographs, then it was time to leave. The ride back was much more pleasant as I didn't feel light-headed. We also passed by a large monument called the Wellington Monument, which resembled the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. It wasn't lit up at the time, but Ray and Connie said they usually use it as a beacon when they come back from a trip because it is typically lit up.

We stopped by Andrew's place and he left. We stayed for a few minutes and I got to meet Sam and see Tina and Gabbie yet again. Everyone was very friendly. We then went back to Ray and Connie's, where after talking to my grandmother as well as my Mom and Dad, I went on to bed. I kept waking up in the night to blow my nose, as I have started having a good bit of sinus drainage. Nonetheless, it was a very fun day and I got to see some great parts of England that I doubt many typical tourists get to see.

Day Twenty Nine: The White Lady

Connie fixed English bacon, scrambled eggs (real ones, not the stuff we get at the cafeteria in Ramsay Hall), sausage, toast, and orange juice for breakfast. It was all very delicious and is a good way to get the day started. After getting a shower and getting dressed, the four of us got into the car and began our daily excursion.

Our first stop was the church in Wiveliscombe where my grandmother and grandfather S.J. got married at the end of World War II. It was a beautiful church and it was very spectacular to be there. A man was tuning the organ in the back loft for a organ recital later that week. After we were done there, we continued up the road a little ways and came to my grandmother's family home, Sunnyside. It sits a in a great location overlooking several large hills laced with farmland. It's easy to tell the field divides because instead of using fences, the fields are broken up using large hedges. These same large hedges are against the road, often times making it impossible to see into the fields beyond. It was really something though to see the old house and here Ray's stories about my grandmother and grandfather sitting on the brick wall out in front of the house. We then continued to drive along for quite some ways, going through the moors and seeing the various cows and goats allowed to graze on the "common land" (free land for people to graze their animals on). The views were great.

Once we had finished there, we continued on by going to a little town called Lynton. At Lynton we stopped along the coast at an area called the Valley of the Rocks. Which, as the name implies, is several large, rocky hills that line the coast. We parked in a car park there and had some lunch (sandwiches) and then Ray and I walked along the seaside walkway. My legs were a bit sore from playing football (American) a few days prior, but the walk was still quite a lot of fun. It was quite breezy outside, but looking out into the Atlantic from our viewpoint was fantastic. On of the main rock formations at the Valley of the Rocks is a large piece on the sea that, when view from a certain angle, allows you to see a large hole in the rock which, with the clouds beyond, looks like the white silhouette of a lady, aptly called The White Lady. I didn't get to see it, but I still liked the story.

Once we finished walking along the trail, we stopped for a quick bathroom break and then road into Lynton. There, Connie and I took a small water-powered lift down into a seaside town called Lynmouth. Lynmouth was crawling with visitors. It was a very lovely place, very quaint and quite an ideal little English seaside village. Andrew bought two walking sticks, I bought some fudge for us to share (as did Ray) and then a little bit later Ray bought him, Andrew, and Connie some ice cream. They offered to me, but I was still full from lunch and the fudge. Ray also bought me a book called Lorna Doone, which is a story written by a local English writer about events that supposedly took place in that area. It's a classic I've heard, and I look forward to reading it. Lynmouth, Ray told me, was destroyed a massive flood in 1952 that killed a good many people and wiped the town out. You can imagine it easily from seeing the place, as the hills flow down and the idea of a huge wall of water just breaking through and destroying the town must have been devastating. Thankfully, now that it is not a problem. The town is thriving and is a very lovely place to go.

After Lynmouth we continued to go driving along. We kept riding on through the countryside, gathering up some very beautiful views of England. The weather, like it was on Thursday, was pretty while we were out riding around. Once we started riding late in the afternoon it began to get a bit rainy. We stopped by a church were a major scene in the aforementioned novel, Lorna Doone, takes place. We went inside and looked around a bit. It was quite an interesting and old place.

After touring the countryside a bit more, we arrived back in Taunton and sat down for a meal at a place called The Cross Keys (a pub). It was a nice little place. I had some steak and ale pie that was very good, though admittedly, not as good as the steak and ale pie from The Eagle and Child in Oxford. But, it was a very nice meal and I appreciate very much Ray and Connie treating me to it. After dinner we all went back to the house and settled in for the evening. According the weather reports there was some severe flooding in the area, especially in an area called the Midlands, and the track from Newquay to Reading was closed. That presented a problem, as that meant the train from Taunton to Reading was closed, meaning I'd have to find an alternative route back to London. We didn't really worry about it though, instead choosing to just wait until Saturday to sort it all out and see what the weather would do.

P.S. I will continue updating blog for Saturday and Sunday tomorrow (07-23-07). Again, please remember that my Internet is set to expire any day now. When it does expire I will not be responding to e-mails nor will I posting on here. With that said, please be aware that if you log on and I have not updated anything or replied to your e-mails, understand it was simply because my Internet is no longer available. Thanks and God bless.

Day Twenty Eight: A Taunton We Will Go

I started the morning off with a quick breakfast and I packed my bags then left to Euston Square station where I rode to Paddington and boarded a train to Taunton. The train ride was pleasant an I spoke to a girl from the University of Florida who was staying in London as an intern for the next few weeks. Her and a friend were headed to Newquay, a popular beach town, if I'm not mistaken. Upon arriving in Taunton, Ray and I recognized each other immediately. I hadn't seen him in some time, but he looked as I remembered. After greeting each other, we got in Ray's automobile (which doesn't use a key, but a strange card-like device to unlike the doors and start the vehicle via a push-button) and rode over to house of Ray's son, Andrew.

There, we picked up Andrew and his things for his stay over at Ray and Connie's house for the weekend. I got to meet Andrew's girlfriend, Tina, and their dog Gabbie. We then rode back to Ray's home where we unloaded everything and I got to meet Connie. We sat down to a quick lunch of sandwiches (which were delicious) and then the three of us (Ray, Andrew, and myself) set out on our trip around Somerset.

One of our first stops was a place called Cheddar Gorge, where you drive through a rather large granite, I think it was, gorge. The rock-face walls reach high above you and the views are amazing. We stopped and ate some ice cream before proceeding on. We drove for a quite while and got to admire the views. We also rode by a placed call Wells Hill where, one winter, 300 sheep died by being buried in the snow. Keep in mind that we were at quite an elevation. Somerset, unlike much of the rest of England, has some rather large hills and whatnot. On our tour around we also rode through a town called Glastonbury, a supposedly very "spiritual" town, where they have a well that people used to believe ran red with the blood of Christ. It is in fact the effect of water running through iron ore in the hills. Also there is a legend of some saints arriving there then striking the ground with a staff, causing a tree to grow. We saw several odd little shops and quite a few hippies/folkies walking around there. Which, on our way out of Cheddar Gorge we saw true-to-life gypsies! Ray called "Romanies" because they roam around. They had a caravan, ponies, etc. It was something fun to see.

We arrived home later that afternoon and I found that Nana had called but I missed her phone call. She had called earlier when I first got there. After dinner (a tasty roast), Ray and I went over and saw Mick, my grandmother's brother. Ray and I went inside and spoke to Mick and his wife, Betty, for quite a while. They were very pleasant and welcoming and we had quite a good time. After talking with them, we went and saw Connie's sister, Iris, and her grandchildren Kate and Charlotte. Ray startled me a bit because he just walked into their house and yelled for the girls, then walked by a wall and into the living room. As he did so, I walked into the house as the girls were coming down the stairway. So, I stopped in the doorway as not to frighten them. Since they couldn't see Ray, I didn't want them to think some stranger just barged into their house. They were all very nice and fun to meet. The younger grandchild, Kate, had hurt her left arm in gymnastics.

Now that I come to think about it, we may have eaten dinner after we returned from Mick's, though I'm almost certain it was before. The rest of the night we sat around and chatted a bit, before I went to bed. The room I was in faced the street and although there is a streetlight that shines into the room, I slept quite well.

Day Twenty Seven: True Football

After breakfast at Ramsay Hall (Kellog's Corn Pops, hash browns, and orange juice, mmmm) we went to class. My group had our presentation in class today and it seemed like it went pretty well. As soon as I got up this morning I did laundry, so I thankfully got that out of the way. Once class was over we went to Ramsay Hall and had some sort of chicken dish and French fries for lunch. It was all right, not amazing, but decent. After lunch I went back to my dorm room and typed up my reaction paper for class that was due tonight by midnight and I went ahead and turned it in. Also read a letter from my grandmother about things going on back home. Then, I went to sleep.

Once I woke up I messed around for a little bit before heading downstairs and meeting some of my friends here at the dorms. We walked over to Regent's Park for a game of football--real football. American football. We had to use a Rugby ball, but it worked out pretty well. We played for about an hour and a half and I'm sad to say that I am getting way out of shape. The little bit of running we did wore me out. Right now my legs are very sore and I'm sure that walking tomorrow will be a real pleasure. But, we had a really great time. The weather was beautiful and everything went well. It was nice to go out and play around at Regent's Park.

We came back to the dorms and freshened up a bit. Then, five of us (Donald, Gideon, Gabe, Ryan, and myself) went down the street a little bit to a Mexican restaurant called Mestizo's. I know, the idea of a Mexican restaurant in London just sounds crazy, but believe me: it was awesome. I was a bit surprised because it was, by far, the nicest Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. It was a much calmer, much more classy place than the sort of Mexican restaurants we have back home. The service was good and the food was outstanding. I had some enchiladas with refried beans and rice. The refried beans were stellar and the rice, although quite different from the usual Mexican rice I am served, was very good. Once we walked into the place it was quite apparent this was a much more swanky Mexican restaurant--they asked if we had reservations. We did, and with five of us I was afraid we wouldn't get to eat there. But, they had a table for five, we just had to get done by about 8:45. Thankfully we finished our meal in plenty of time.

I was very pleased with the food tonight and it was nice to just go out and sit down and have a nice meal some friends. We've been doing a lot of meals inside lately and, while it is fun since we still get to socialize, it's even more when you're out at a restaurant. After the meal was over we went back to the dorms. We made a quick stop at the Tesco Express (a smaller version of the Tesco Metro we usually stop at). I picked up some orange juice for tomorrow morning since I won't be able to make it down to breakfast and I'll have to eat in my room.

My train leaves London from Paddington Station at 9:05 a.m. tomorrow. I should arrive in Taunton at around 11:00 a.m. Ray has all ready said he'll meet me there at the station around that time tomorrow. I really look forward to seeing him. It's really great that he and his family are willing to put up with me for a few days. I don't doubt my time there will be great. With all of that said, it should be expected that I won't be making any blog posts for a few days. I should arrive back in London at around noon on Sunday. So, I'll most likely make a blog post on Sunday night talking about my time in Taunton. Also, as another note: my Internet may be expiring shortly. When we got here I bought a four-week long pass to use the Internet. I'm not 100% sure on exactly how long it will last. I don't know if that means I get to use it for 28 days, or it means one month, or just how it works. I was charged for it on the 25th of June, so if it is 28 days then it should expire on the 23rd. Whenever it does expire I won't be bothering to renew it. Four weeks of Internet is about 12 pounds ($24) and since it'll expire so close to the time we leave, I won't pay the money for just a few short days of Internet.

I could always go down to one of the many Internet cafes here in London, but I'm hesitant about logging on at places like that. So, please don't be surprised if I suddenly stop e-mailing or writing on this blog sometime early next week. If I should stop writing, just know that when I get back to America I'll post up what happened on the necessary days just to keep people updated. We fly back to America on Friday, July 27, 2007 early morning. We will have a layover in Germany for about an hour or two and we'll arrive back in Atlanta around 2:00 in the afternoon on Friday (that in Eastern Standard Time). I just wanted to give everyone notice in case I stop writing so that no one begins to wonder where I am.

Midway through this blog post we got interrupted by the fire alarm. The annunciator panel downstairs said it was a smoke detector on Second Floor North in Bedroom 221. From what I heard it was because someone was using their hair drier and it started smoking. I also heard while I was outside that one person has all ready been sent home from the program for putting a plastic bag over their smoke detector in their room. Welcome to college.

I didn't take any photographs today, but I'm sure I'll take plenty while I'm in Taunton. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Day Twenty Six: The Bloody Trail

I didn't go down to Ramsay Hall for breakfast this morning. Instead, I slept a little bit later than usual (not by much) and ate some Pop Tarts. They were magnificent. I just hung around the dorms until around 9:30 this morning then I made my way to the Odeon cinema at Leicester Square. I had to see a movie or go to a play today for class and since I was going to attend the Jack the Ripper Walk this evening, I was left with no choice but to go and watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix first thing this morning.

Let me say, I'm not sure if it was watching it with so few people in such an amazing theater, or the idea that just a week or so ago the cast of the movie itself was in the theater watching it, or just the fact the movie was awesome, but I loved my movie-going experience here. Granted, tickets were 9 pounds which converts roughly to $18 for one movie ticket early in the morning (they can get up to 14 pounds, which is $28). The movie was truly amazing. I'm not going to go into all of the details about the story or anything like that, but I personally believe it was the best Harry Potter movie to-date. The acting was awesome, the scenery and feeling of the movie itself was well done, and the story was superb. It makes me excited to think the final book will be coming out in just a few days.

After the movie I went back to the dorms to pick up some cash and eat a bit of lunch before my afternoon field trip. I had intended on eating at Gregg's, but all of their meat pastries were still baking and I didn't want, nor did I have time, to wait. So, I made my way down the street to a Japanese place called Samurai that two people happened to be eating on the steps of the dorms when I left. They said it was really good and inexpensive, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Wow, am I glad I did. For less than five pounds I got a chicken dish that was amazing and a little spicy (not very hot, but flavorful) as well as some "sticky rice" (steamed rice) and three little plastic fishes that hold soy sauce. The food was fantastic. It was also cheap enough that I had enough money to stop by Gregg's on the way back and pick up a Belgium Bun. It reminded me of a cinnamon roll (except with raisins) with a thick frosting and a cherry on top. It was good, though I've had better sweets here.

Virlinda stopped by and showed me some photographs of her trips to Barcelona, Spain and Paris. The folks that went to Paris last weekend had a great time and it sounds like they couldn't have gone a better weekend. It was Bastille Day, so they got to watch the spectacular fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower. Anyhow, once 3:00 p.m. came by it was time to go to CNN London for our tour.

Our tour guide, an American named Wayne (who was from Columbus, Ohio) was excellent. He's a producer at CNN London and quite a funny and entertaining guy. He provided us a lot of good information about their operation and made it all very interesting. He then showed us around and we got to see a bit of the inner-workings. London is the largest CNN hub outside of Atlanta. So I suppose now I have seen both of CNN's major operating centers. It was a fun field trip and we learned a lot.

After the field trip, I went back to the dorms and had a light supper. I was still full from lunch; it was that good of a meal. Once supper was over with I took the train down to Tower Hill to wait on the start of the Jack the Ripper Walk. I was confused a little bit on the train situation, so I ended up walking a fair bit, but it wasn't too bad. There was a large amount of people on our tour, which luckily broke up into two groups. The guide, a man named Adam, was very informative and very entertaining. He did a great job of explaining the conditions of the East End of London at the time as well as the social and economic factors that would have led to the rampant prostitution and given way to a criminal like Jack the Ripper. Going to the sights of the murders, although few, if any, actually remain how they once looked, I felt was quite macabre. It just seems to me quite disgusting, I suppose that is a good word, to be touring the locations of such brutal murders. We paid 5 pounds to go and see where 5 women were horrendously killed. It doesn't seem right in my mind.

Yet at the same time I suppose that's a part of our culture, isn't it? People love to study Gettysburg, where over 100,000 men (I believe it was) lost their lives. True-crime books and movies are always big sellers. Of course, shows like CSI get huge ratings. It just seems like an odd thing to endorse or glorify with our patronage. I write all of this, of course, having enjoyed learning about the murders and learning why and how someone like Jack the Ripper was able to get away with the things he did. It gave me an entirely different perspective on the whole situation of London's East End during the time.

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I know I'll have to pack for my trip to Taunton and get some laundry done. I may go to the Victoria and Albert Museum tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not quite sure. Someone said today that we have nine days left here in London. It's amazing how fast time goes by.

Photos of today's trips around London can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

Day Twenty Five: Lions, Tigers, and Dinosaurs

I ate some Kellog's Corn Pops for breakfast this morning as well as some hash browns. The cereal came in the care package I received the other day, and I must say the cereal was quite a welcome, and delicious, change. After breakfast we went to class, which was just like any other day of class. For our field trip tomorrow I had planned on attending Monty Python's Spamlot (a play), but it looks like now because of a Jack the Ripper Tour I am attending tomorrow, I will have to go see Harry Potter. I'll be seeing the Harry Potter film at 10:10 tomorrow morning. I still plan to watch it when I get back to the states though. By the way, the movie ticket will cost me $18. I'll be sure to remember that the next time I complain about paying $8.

After class though, I made my way to Knightsbridge and walked down to the Natural History Museum. I spent about an hour and a half to two hours in there just taking brief glimpses of everything. Like the British Museum, one could easily spend several days in there because they do such a great job of cataloging everything, but I didn't have that sort of time. It was quite an impressive place though and I really liked it. The building itself was marvelous, but the real treasure lies in all of the artifacts they have. Besides tons and tons of animals (from lions and parakeets, all the way to elephants and zebras), there is a massive exhibit on dinosaurs, and a huge array of dinosaur fossils. It truly was a very impressive place.

Once I had finished at the Natural History Museum I went back to the dorms and took a nap. I slept for quite a while then woke up and ate some dinner. On a side note, it seems I won't be able to keep my window open in my dorm anymore. With the weather warming up, I found a mosquito in my room today. I killed it on my comforter, which now bears a reddish brown streak from it's carcass. I also have several bites on my neck, arms, and legs. I think it's due to having the fountain outside of my window. Also at Highgate the other week I noticed mosquitoes were quite bad.

After dinner, and up until I started writing this, I spent five or so hours just sitting around talking with some of my dorm mates. We made a quick run to the Tesco where I bought an éclair that was not very good at all. We came back to the dorms and hung out for a bit more and right now I'm preparing to go to sleep. Photos of today's adventures around London can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/page2/

P.S. I made a video of the animatronic T-Rex, if you want to see it just e-mail me and I'll be happy to forward it to you.

Day Twenty Four: All's Quiet

I woke up a bit earlier than I had wanted this morning, again, around 6:30 a.m. I messed around the dorms for a little bit, ate a bit of breakfast and took a shower. I then left and made my way to Westminster Abbey. I attended the matins as Westminster Abbey, which was a very beautiful service. I thoroughly enjoyed looking around Westminster. It's a truly amazing church. Once the matins was over I went to St. Margaret's, which is right next to Westminster Abbey and went to their 11:00 a.m. service. St. Margaret's felt more like an actual church, as there were parishioners who you could tell come every Sunday.

The people at St. Margaret's were quite nice and I really enjoyed myself. The pews were very uncomfortable though. I can't imagine having to sit in them more an an hour. I'm quite glad that pew technology has changed enough in the last 500 years to at least provide some sort of support. I was a little thrown off by the order of worship at St. Margaret's since it kept jumping between an order of worship book, the Holy Bible, a hymn book, and the program/bulletin. I tried not to look too disorganized, but I don't think it really mattered. I still enjoyed myself. They took holy communion, which I opted not to take. Their communion service is done in a more Catholic style, with someone handing the bread to you and using a communal cup. Simply for sanitation reasons I refrain from doing that. I get uncomfortable shaking people's hands and hugging people. Having to share the same cup with them would make me quite bothered.

Once the service at St. Margaret's was over with I took the Tube back to the dorms. I've basically been in the dorms ever since. I ate some lunch and then took a quick nap. I did a bit of reading and basically have lounged around all day and done a whole lot of nothing. I gave some consideration to just walking around the streets (like I did last night after I wrote my post; it was quite fun) and taking a look around. Instead, I just hung out inside of my dorm room and have not really done anything special. I did go down the street to a place called Thai Metro for dinner. It was tasty, though I prefer the Thai food back home.

I expect I'll go to sleep rather early tonight and probably get up really early in the morning--not because I want to, but simply because of force of habit. I'm not really at a point where I'm running out of things to do in London (far from it, actually), but I'm trying to take it a bit easier. I still want to see the Tate Exhibits, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Museum of London, and the Natural History Museum as well as Regent's Park before I leave. I also plan to row The Serpentine one day before I leave. But, I'm not in a real big hurry to do that, and if I end up not doing some of it I'm not going to be upset about it. I had planned on rowing The Serpentine today, but the weather has been pretty overcast and quite rainy. I suppose it's just as well. As of right now I have exactly 12 days remaining on my trip. That means my trip is 2/3 of the way over with right now.

If you really think about it though, that last Friday won't count as much of a day. Our flight leaves out of Heathrow Airport to Frankfurt, Germany at around 6:00 in the morning, or something ridiculous like that. Because of that, we'll have to be at Heathrow around 4:00 a.m., which means we'll have to take the bus from the dorms around 3:00 a.m., which actually means we'll have to start loading and whatnot around 2:30 a.m., which of course means I won't be sleeping at all that Thursday night. I think it's probably for the best. I'd much rather stay awake that night, ride all the way to Frankfurt, then sleep on the plane ride from Frankfurt back to America. If our times are correct, we should arrive back in America around 2:30 in the afternoon, or something like that.

I just got off the phone with Ray a few minutes ago. I looked up the train times from London to Taunton and I wanted to call and touch base with him. I expect I'll arrive in Taunton around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. This coming Thursday through Sunday I will not be making any blog posts. I expect I'll make a post Sunday when I actually get back, but I don't plan on taking my laptop with me to Taunton. I'm looking forward to getting to see my grandmother's side of the family. My Dad e-mailed me just recently and let me know that my grandmother's sister, June, is going to house of her other sister, Val, on the 20th. I know that Ray was planning on taking me to see Val one day, and if he takes me on the 20th, then I could very well end up getting to see June as well. It's been about 10 years or more since I've seen Ray, and the same goes for June. I don't recall ever meeting Val, so it should all be a real experience. I hope to see my grandmother's childhood home as well as the chapel where she and my grandfather got married.

It's rather odd for me to think that in just under two weeks I'll be leaving England. This whole experience has been kind of strange. It's weird for me to wake up every day and realize that I don't have to go to work, don't have to go to school (class doesn't really count because it's so brief), and basically I have no real responsibilities at all. Occasionally I'll have one day like that, but to have five weeks of it is very strange. I expect it'll be a real change when I get back to the states and actually have things that I have to do. Frankly, I like having a bit of structure, it helps me manage my time better. It helps me to avoid days like today where I end up sitting around and doing nothing. If I don't have things planned or things that I have to do, I can very well end up sitting around and not doing anything at all.

The only photos I took today were of Westminster Abbey. I'm not going to bother uploading them right now. I took quite a few more photos last night, but they were of just random areas around London; not really tourist spots. I ended up wandering through some apartment complexes and down some roads in London I usually don't go to. I also went around Leicester Square for a bit before walking back to the dorms last night. I don't think I'll be doing that tonight, though.

Day Twenty Three: A Journey to the Weird

I woke up this morning, thinking I had slept in, only to find out that I had woken up at 6:30 a.m. Just like home, I can't sleep late. This wasn't help by the children in the courtyard below my room playing outside. I know, it's a strange hour of the day for kids to be outside playing. These dorms double as a hostel during the times that students aren't here it seems. So after a shower and breakfast I went downstairs and picked up a care package from my folks. I was expecting a few little articles from home, but it seems like my Mom made a special trip to the grocery store (or simply took everything out of the pantry and sent it). I'm thankful for the food though. I had some of the Jif peanut butter that she sent for lunch and I can say without a doubt that Americans do peanut butter much better than the Brits. The peanut butter here is good, but compared to Jif it's absolutely horrible.

After piddling around the dorms for a bit this morning, I went down to South Bank and visited the Salvador Dali exhibit. I have to say it was one of the coolest art exhibits I've ever seen. It's too bad you can't take photographs in there because there are some very amazing works of art. And, to my surprise, there's also an entire section of work by Pablo Picasso. I'm a big fan of both of these artists, so being able to walk around and look at their original works up close was fantastic. It's funny, because it would be easy to look at the work of guys like Picasso and Dali and think that their mad, bizarre works were partly inspired by perhaps a lack of talent. But truly these guys were artistic geniuses. They were erratic and strange (especially Dali), but very deliberate in the things they did. When you stop and look at the works and realize that, although they are not like the classical works of Leonardo and Rembrandt and all of the other fine artists, their works are stunning and marvelous. Guys like Dali and Picasso were perfectly capable of constructing complex scenes of classical art, but instead they chose to go a different route. And I believe the stuff they produced was outstanding. But then again, I'm kind of a weirdo, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

Once I had finished at the exhibit I made my way back to the dorms and had some lunch and a nap. I haven't been very inspired to do too much today, so for the most part I've been laying low. After my nap I went out to Harrod's and Waterstone's. I picked up some souvenirs and meddled around a bit. I wanted to go down to Bond Street to get a few more souvenirs but honestly, I was just too lazy. I'll pick them up another day. Tomorrow I'm going to go and pick up tickets to Taunton next week and also call Ray and let him know when I am coming. I hope he doesn't think it rude of me not to have all ready called, but I figure it was best to call once I actually had tickets since I know train times change a lot.

Once I got back from shopping I've just hung around and I ate dinner not too long ago. It's only about 7:00 p.m. here, but I really don't feel like doing anything. I've been going pretty strong for the past three weeks, so today I'm taking it easy. I may go out in a bit and walk around and see a few of the parks nearby. It doesn't get dark here until about 10:00 p.m., so I still have plenty of daylight left. I figure that since this is a rather shorter post than usual, I'll go ahead and fill in whoever is reading this with my thoughts on my trip so far.

Thus far I have been very impressed. I was slightly disappointed with the state of our dorms (not having utensils, the food not being very good, etc.), but it's nothing that bothers me too badly. If I was going to come to London again I would stay here again. As far as London goes, I really feel like it's just like any other big city. It has it's monuments and neat things to see, just like any big city does. I'm not a very metropolitan person, so my tolerance for big city life is quite low. The people here are seemingly quite rude. Most of them walk around staring straight ahead and just going from Point A to Point B, absorbed in their own little world and not really showing a lot of regard for other people. I guess that's the human condition, that most of us are so concerned with ourselves that we just don't pay attention to others. I could be wrong, but a lot of these people just look unhappy. I would think it's probably due to the hustle and bustle of everyday life here. I may be wrong. I just know that if I had to live here for a while I wouldn't like it at all.

On the other hand, I think England as a whole is a phenomenal country. The people outside of London are really great. The countryside is beautiful. I've enjoyed seeing the sights and sounds that England has to offer. It's a country rich in culture and history and I have found the entire place quite enchanting. The time I've spent speaking to actual English people (the people in London I consider Londoners and not very representative of England as a whole) has been some of my favorite conversation and a really great learning experience.

Overall so far this trip has taught me a lot about other people. It's shown me the importance of being good to your fellow man and just how far a little bit of love, compassion, happiness, and kindness can go. It has also shown me how easy it is for people to get caught up in the world and how running our day-to-day lives is really not that important and that enjoying and savoring each moment is. I think I have a greater appreciation for other cultures and other ways of living, though I'm not going to lie and say that I prefer them. While there are things the English do that seem more practical and I think are good, I can say without a doubt that I still love America and prefer it. Maybe I'm writing all of this prematurely. I've only been here three weeks, but I am quite glad to say that I'm from America and that I love it there.

For a few days I was a bit down on England, judging it just by the state of London. I then realized that doing that is not smart. I would hate to think that someone would come to New York City or Chicago or L.A. and think that they've properly sampled America. I don't think you can really know what a country is like until you get out there with the people and get to know the people on a personal level. The nameless faces I see passing by me on the Tube or small encounters I see people engaging in on the street are no way to judge a culture. It seems to me that there is England, then there is London. London is overall a beautiful town, but I like it a lot more when no one is around. I've been to a few spots in London that tourists like myself usually don't walk around at (Notting Hill, Chelsea residential neighborhoods, Lambeth, etc.), and I'd say I like those areas a lot more than places like Westminster and South Bank, because it gives me more of an impression of humanity. When I'm there I'm not strolling through a crowd of tourists or Londoners who are angry at all of the slow walkers, I'm actually walking by someone's home. I'm seeing kids outside playing. It's such a different feeling and I really love it.

I really hope that Columbus never takes on the personality of a city like London. I see Columbus really heading that way with the traffic and attitude of some folks, but I still have a lot of hope for Columbus. I can still stop at a red light and smile at someone I don't know and know that they'll smile back. I can nod at people in Columbus and ask how they're doing and know I'll actually get an answer. I can wave at random people, talk to people I don't know, and know that I'll get treated with some dignity and not looked at like I'm a madman. I think that human-to-human relationship is vital. The only time around here I actually see Londoners engaging with other Londoners is at the pubs (which by the way, I saw a group of men standing around drinking and dressed like women outside of a pub called The Hope today at 4:00 p.m.), and that seems to be the London culture. A few weeks ago they had a news story in the papers about binge drinking in London, and I can believe it is quite a problem. The people here start drinking once the day is done and they don't stop till they fall asleep. That's not healthy or good, but I imagine a lot of them are drinking to help escape the harsh reality that is London.

I know that has become quite long-winded, and I apologize. I guess I wanted to get a lot of that off of my chest. Please don't think I'm dogging London or trying to trash talk a bunch of people that I don't know. I'm not going to say the people of London are jerks (although I all ready have, I recant that) or that they're all rude. I think for the most part it's about being a victim of circumstance. When the price of living becomes so high and the pressures of society (materialism, etc.) become such a heavy burden on a person, they start worrying too much about themselves and tend to neglect the things that really matter. In a city with over seven million people that are on the go, constantly pushing and struggling not just to make ends meet but to get ahead and rise above the daily grind, it's expected that people will stop smiling and start scowling and stop taking it easy and turn to drinking en masse.

I just try and keep my head up and smile at everyone, hold the doors for ladies, tell people to have a good day, and treat people the way I want to be treated. That means a lot more to me now that I have found myself not being treated the way I prefer to be treated.

I don't really have any photos to upload today. The only thing I took a photo of was a carousel that has been placed at South Bank. I am thinking about going to a church service at Westminster Abbey tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have a photo or two to share. Thanks again to everyone who has read this and kept up with me. I apologize if I haven't responded to anyone's e-mails or at least not responded in a timely manner. I want to let all of you know that I love and miss you and that I look forward to seeing you all again.

Day Twenty Two: Over the Hills and Far Away

We started the day off by riding a train from Liverpool Street to Stowmart, northeast of London by about an hour and a half. We passed through several smaller towns on the way and got some great views of the countryside. Once we arrived in Stowmarket, realizing that one of our teachers simply missed the train, we went ahead and got on our pre-arranged bus and went about our way. Dr. Welford and her father-in-law, whose name I did not get, were our tour guides. We rode for quite some time through the narrow, winding roads of the scenic route to Framlingham Castle. The views were spectacular and seeing the soft rolling hills of England was truly a sight I will cherish.

Framlingham Castle was an neat a place, though not exactly spectacular. The castle was in ruins for the most part, although a poor house still existed and you are still able to climb up and walk along the castle walls. There were some very nice views from the castle and I'm quite glad I got to see it. I assume that most tourists rarely go there as opposed to places like Windsor, Eltham, Kensington, etc. After Framlingham came the part of the day I came to dislike: the riding. We rode for nearly an hour along the winding rodes, bumping up-and-down in the bus as we went, until we finally reached Lavenham. In Lavenham we, literally, had enough time to find a place to eat and then look at the church for a few minutes before leaving.

Most of the restaurants in Lavenham were either closed, over priced, out of food, or going to take too long, so after walking down the street a ways, we had to turn around and eat at the only pub we could find, which was called The Cock. I ordered a steak and mushroom pie with mash (mashed potatoes) and I was quite pleased with it. It was a bit on the pricey side, but the portions were good and it was a very nice meal. Once we had finished lunch we went up to the castle there at Lavenham, took a few photographs, then had to climb back on the bus and go to Bury St. Edmunds. It's probably just as well that we spent very little time in Lavenham because frankly I didn't see anything of much interest there.

Bury St. Edmund's on the other hand, was quite a different story. The supposed birthplace of the Magna Carta, Bury St. Edmund's is home to the ruins of an old Abbey that, had it not been destroyed by angry peasants, would have been one of the most spectacular sights in all of Europe. Even today, although in ruins, one can begin to grasp an idea of the scale and beauty of the Abbey, and feel a bit of disappointment in that it is not still standing today. We did manage to go inside of the St. Edmund's Cathedral and look around for a few minute. Inside were several hundred kneelers that were hand-stitched with symbols of various towns in Suffolk to commemorate the twenty-five year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

After I got a hold of some soft serve ice cream, it was time to leave Bury St. Edmund's, and I'm sorry to say I didn't get to look around the town as much as I would have liked. There were some gardens there (award winning, I hear) that were very nice and the park where the abbey used to be is very impressive and well maintained. Once we left there, we made straight for the home of Dr. Welford's father-in-law (our tour guide) for some English tea and snacks. Considering we had eaten lunch at around 3:00 and it was just after 5:00 when arrived for tea and snacks, I wasn't very hungry. I skipped the tea, but I did eat some scones, digestive biscuits (I don't know why they insist on calling them that), tiny meat-pie like things, and a nice dessert called lemon sweet that reminded me of a key lime pie. Everything was very tasty and Dr. Welford's in-laws were great hosts. They had a lovely home and a lovely garden, as well they have a great view of some farm land behind their home. I truly enjoyed the experience of meeting them.

We took the bus back to the train station at Stowmarket and found out that our train was delayed by about fifteen minutes. We sat around chit-chatting for a bit before boarding the train back to London. I'm pleased to say that our train ride back to London was a little bit shorter than our ride from London (only by about ten minutes or so, but still) and we made it back to London before 9:00 p.m. We all went to the Tube and rode back to the dorms, where we are all now relaxing for the rest of the evening. Overall I'd say it was a very eventful day. We got to see a side of London that I doubt a lot of foreigners get to see, and we certainly got some amazing scenic views of the rich farmland that England has to offer. It seems like everyone had a great time; I know I did.

Photographs of today's trip around East Anglia can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/page2/

Day Twenty One: R.O.C.K. in the U.K.

Today was perhaps one my most interesting and productive days here in London. After eating a non-too-wonderful meal at Ramsay Hall, I immediately made my way towards London's less-popular side to visit a place called Anti-Slavery International. I met one of their fund-raisers on the streets the other day, and I planned on visiting their headquarters anyhow. Anti-Slavery International is the oldest abolition organization in the world. They were petitioning for abolition back when Britain was still participating in the African slave trade, and slavery was abolished in Britain before it was abolished in America. Their founding year was 1834, so that should give you a better idea.

I showed up uninvited and without an appointment, and honestly I was surprised they even talked to me. I was even more surprised in that they were willing to show me around and fill me in on a lot of details. They provided me with a good bit of literature and other free information on their work, as well as let me buy a t-shirt. The man that let me in, Jacob, was an intern who had only been there for about two weeks, but he provided me whatever information he could. Everyone was really nice. Another intern, Fernando, was from Argentina and had been working there for about two months. They were both great and provided a lot of good information. They even gave me the names of people to contact for further information. Fernando showed me around the vast library of slavery that they had their. Their library is open to scholarly research and he mentioned that recently they had a woman from New York come in and do some research there. It's no real wonder why. Pretty much anything about slavery in the past three or four centuries was present there. They had original works from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as well as a host of other statistics about slavery from around the world. It was quite amazing.

After I had finished there (it took me a while to find the place because I didn't properly follow some directions I was given and overlooked a green pub I was supposed to be looking for), I went to the international headquarters of the Salvation Army. Everyone knows the Salvation Army for their thrift shops and their bell-ringers, but it is also important to realize the Salvation Army is one of the largest, if not the largest, charitable organization in the world. They have people in pretty much every country on the planet and are available at a moment's notice for any disaster. They rank right up with the Red Cross, if not above the Red Cross, in the amount of assistance they distribute every year. The people at the Red Cross were very nice and helpful and allowed me to take some literature with me. Their headquarters was a lovely building and inside they had a few artifacts from their founding such as old Bibles and some other interesting things.

Once I had completed my time at the Salvation Army, I went towards the Tower of London. My mom had asked that I get a Liliput Lane house for her if I could find one, but after I saw this particular item a few weeks ago, I knew she'd like it a lot more. If I know my mom's taste, then I know she'll really enjoy the souvenir I've gotten her. Shortly thereafter I went back to the dorms to put down my payload and eat some lunch. I got a sausage roll (sausage in a flaky pastry) and a chocolate brownie from a place nearby called Pain Du Jour. It's an odd name, but the food was good and inexpensive. I hung out for a little bit then made my way to the Notting Hill / Chelsea area of London a.k.a. "the rich people part". Amazing that I went from the area around Lambeth (where there are several housing projects) out to Chelsea, where I'm pretty sure a house there can run in a few million pounds.

The first place I checked out was the place where Jimi Hendrix died. There wasn't a monument or anything like that. In fact, it had been a hotel when he died, but now it was just a house. Me personally, if I owned it, I would at least put up a plaque or something to commemorate that one of the greatest rock 'n' roll artists of all time died there. Then again, this isn't the sort of neighborhood that really seems to welcome onlookers. I even felt kind of bad taking pictures of the place. After checking the house out though, I went over to a record store near Portabello Road (which is famous for its market) called Rough Trade. It's an independent music store that also used to be a record label of the same name. They specialize in indie rock, punk, reggae, and ska music. It's a lot of obscure stuff that most likely you won't find anywhere else. It was a really neat little place and I picked up a reggae CD and a t-shirt. I really want to go to a reggae bar here in London, but I'm not sure if there is anyone else here who would be interested and going to one by myself might not be a good idea. So, I got the CD and I'm happy about that.

I walked back up through Portabello Road and stopped in a few little shops. There was a place called Mimi FiFi which sold a lot of neat old retro toys (one collection of little Smurfs was really awesome), but they were pretty overpriced. There was a lot of cool stuff over in this area of town and anyone who is into shopping would really get a kick out of it. I think Saturday is the big market day on Portabello Road, so I think that is the ideal time to come. But, I won't be able to make it on a Saturday, so I just enjoyed my time today. Once done there, I got on the train to Bond Street to check out what I thought was a house that Jimi Hendrix used to live in which was supposed to now be at the Handel House Museum. I didn't see it there (photos online showed a little plaque and I searched everywhere and couldn't see one) but I did get a chance to walk around Oxford Street and New Bond Street. Oxford Street is the London equivalent to Rodeo Drive, and New Bond Street is fast becoming the main expensive shopping area in London. It's the place to go if you're looking for something trendy and pricey.

When I arrived back at the dorms I just kind of hung out for a bit and rested. I ate some dinner (a microwaveable sausage and pasta meal that was good, some plain roasted peanuts which they call "monkey nuts", and Tottenham cake, which is a cake with pink frosting, and a yum-yum). It was all pretty tasty. I then hung out for a little bit more before getting a call in my room from Gideon inviting me to hang out downstairs. It is Ryan's (Sunshine's) birthday and I think they'll all be going out tonight. I hung out for a while but decided not to go out. I wanted to get my journal entry typed up and also I have to be up early tomorrow to go East Anglia, Framlingham Castle, and Bury-St. Edmund's. It should be a pretty fun trip. I didn't go to the Tate Museums today because I wanted to take the Tate-to-Tate catamaran up the Thames and the weather was a bit overcast today. I'll have to do those trips another day.

Photos of today's trip around London can be viewed here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

Day Twenty: A Taste of London

Breakfast this morning as not very appetizing. It's getting pretty old, like most of the food here, and really I'm completely at a loss as to why the food here is so bad. Do these people not take cues from other cultures? And it's just the meals--the desserts here are phenomenal. At breakfast though, is it too much to ask that they make some pancakes or waffles one day? Or instead of doing bacon (which is just fatty, salty ham) and eggs, maybe make some omelettes? I don't know, it's just getting annoying and to the point where I'm just going to eat my own breakfast in my room.

I did laundry while I sat in class today. The laundry room has been packed the past few nights, so I decided I'd get it out of the way while I was doing something else anyways. It worked pretty well. After class we went to lunch and my culinary frustration just got worse. They were serving some sort of curry over rice (that looked like vomit, I am not kidding) and ham (what is it with these people and ham) with, get this, apricots, on top of it. I'm beginning to think they're choosing the most unappetizing dishes possible just to mess with us. I chose just to eat a few French fries. I then walked down the street to the Greggs and for 1 pound and fifty pea, I managed to get a steak pie (which was awesome) and a doughnut (also good).

After lunch, Alex and I went to the National Gallery. It was very impressive, although the gallery was very poorly laid out. Each room had about two or three adjoining rooms on it, so it is very easy to get turned around or lost completely. But, we saw works by the likes of people like Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, and other masters of their craft. No Donatello work, though. Anyhow, we left before we could see it all because Alex had a meeting to go to. Frankly, you'd need a day to really take in and appreciate the entire gallery, there really is just that much artwork there. One of the guard / people that make sure you don't mess with the art, at the National Gallery kept making odd noises and talking with another employee about a weird leprechaun named Shamus that visits people in their sleep. I honestly had no idea what he was talking about so we got away from him. It kind of makes me think about three British girls we saw throwing stuff at each other on the bus the other day. Are these people really that wacky or is it just because I'm an outsider? I suppose we do some pretty ridiculous stuff back home too, so maybe they're not that weird. I will tell you though, I plan to celebrate the Fourth of July with much more appreciation from now on though because, if just for the food, I'm glad we're liberated from these people.

I'm honestly amazed at how our two cultures can be so alike and yet so completely different. The way they do things here is really strange. I personally believe the American method of handling certain things tends to be much more efficient and make a bit more sense. It's funny, because everyone I talked to back in the States made it seem like coming over here would make me a much more cultured and inviting person, and I honestly have never felt more ethnocentric in my entire life. I have so much more appreciation for America and so much more love for my country that I can't even really express it. There is just so much that we take for granted. I think a lot of my complaints against some things though really has a lot to do with London itself. I don't think London is at all an accurate representation of England, just like Atlanta is not a good example of the South. Which by the way, I spoke with some women who are staying here that from Oxford the other day. They were so polite and a lot of fun to talk to. One of them knew right away that I was from the South. She asked if I was from Texas. I told her that I wasn't, that I was from Georgia. I'm just glad she didn't ask if I was from Alabama, then I'd be offended. I think overall, halfway through my trip now, the best way to sum up my thoughts are like this: I love England, but I really don't care for London. I am looking forward to spending several days next week with my grandmother's brother and his family and getting out of London for a couple days and sampling the real England.

I didn't ride back to the dorms immediately. I stopped at money changer to pick up a souvenir for someone, which ended up being an uncomfortable experience. The money changer was literally right on the street. You stand on the street, with passer-bys going right behind you, while your money is changed. Some suspicious gentleman was staring at me while my money was changed and even when I looked back at him he continued to stare. I just took the changed funds and put them in my front pocket and put my hand in my pocket and walked away. Almost immediately some guy came up from behind me and started say "Excuse me, Excuse me." It wasn't the same guy that was watching me, but I was pretty sure it was some sort of scam or con going on. I simply put my hand up and told him I didn't have time to talk to him then I just walked off. I immediately went into the nearest store (a Waterstone's bookstore) and secured my money better.

I went back to the dorms and then took a nap. I woke up and went to heat up dinner. I ended up having to throw away one of my microwaveable Tesco meals because it was about 6 days old. They don't keep long at all. I ended up heating up a curry and chicken meal and after having one bite of it I decided I wanted something else, so I threw it away and walked down the street to a Chinese Thai (whatever that means) buffet. All of the food was vegetarian, but I was able to get a to-go plate for four pounds so I loaded up with several different dishes and walked back to the dorms. Even though it was vegetarian stuff, it was still mighty good. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I ate chose to eat there. By the way, the restaurants here are kind of strange. If you buy something to go, it is cheaper if you buy it there and eat it. So if a cookie is 1 pound and 50 pea to go, it might be 1 pound and 75 pea to eat it there in the store.

After that delicious dinner I made my way out on the town. I went and saw the actual London Bridge. It wasn't very impressive. It looks like a normal bridge. I then walked a few blocks and saw the Gherkin, also known as 30 St. Mary Axe. While I was walking away from the building to the tube station at Bank, I stopped to take a photograph of a place called Prohibition Bar and Grill because I thought it was funny. As I started walking away, some man started yelling at me for me to take his photo. Judging by the way he looked and talked, I think he may have been mentally handicap. But, I walked for several blocks with this man walking a couple feet behind me yelling for me to take his photo.

I rode from Bank over to Hyde Park Corner and went over to the Hard Rock Cafe. I saw a couple of friends from here in the dorms (Gideon, Gabe, Jen, Tanya, and Ryan). They were coming out of the shop as I was going in. They told me they'd wait on me while I bought a t-shirt, so I went inside and bought one them came back out and met them. They said the Hard Rock was pretty awesome, but a bit expensive. I think I'll go there to eat one night because I really am fond of Hard Rock Cafes. Also, this is the original Hard Rock Cafe, so that's pretty cool. We then walked back to the Hyde Park Tube station and rode back to Goodge Street and made our way back to the dorms. And that brings me to where I am now, typing up this journal entry. I wrote my reaction paper to yesterday's field trip earlier this afternoon, so I'm done with all of that.

I'm thinking that tomorrow I may go to the Tate Moder and Tate Britain galleries since I didn't get to see them when I had originally planned. But, who knows what will happen. Photos of today's trips around London can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

Day Nineteen: A Jolly Good Time

I ate breakfast this morning down in the cafeteria, like usual, and, like usual, was not impressed. I'm not sure if it's because the breakfast food here is not very good or if it's because I'm just getting tired of it, but breakfast is actually starting to annoy me. If I hadn't all ready paid for it, I'd walk down the street to Gregg's and get some real breakfast. But anyhow. Not too long after that we went out for our Tuesday field trip(s).

First stop on the agenda was the Daily Telegraph. A man named George took us on a tour of the Daily Telegraph, which is England most highly circulated credible newspaper. There are tabloids that have a higher circulation rate, but they aren't considered serious journalistic sources. The Daily Telegraph goes out to about 2 million people across the U.K. and the rest of the world every day, so it's a very important paper. The tour was nice and was it quite impressive to look around and see the workings of such a place. He provided us with a lot of good information and overall I really enjoyed the tour.

Once the tour was over we rode the train to Canary Wharf and ate lunch. Dr. Martin, Michael, Alex, Ann, and I ate at a pub called the Cat and Canary. I had hoped the pub meal would be cheaper than some of the restaurants nearby, but it ended up actually being more expensive. The fish and chips though were pretty darn good, so I can't complain about that. After lunch I spent my time walking around looking for something sweet to eat and I ended up just going to Starbucks and getting a huge chocolate chip cookie. I almost felt kind of bad eating it though because when I walked outside, some people were shooting photographs for some sort of modeling thing and I walked by the model, who was quite tall and thin, and realized I was fiendishly eating something she most likely would never dare eat.

Around 2:00 p.m. we made our way to Westferry Printers, our second field trip of the day. Before we started off though we saw a man on a moped get into an argument with some police officers. Mopeds are pretty big around here, but frankly, I can't take a man seriously if he's riding on a moped. Anyhow, we arrived at Westferry Printers and got ready for our tour. Just for some background: Westferry Printers is a mass printer that handles the printing of the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, The Guardian, The Observer, and several other important newspapers. They are one, if not the, largest printers in Europe, and therefore in the world. They started us out with watching a video on their history, which although interesting, I nearly fell asleep watching because it was warm, the lights were off, I had just eaten lunch--you know how it goes.

After the video though we actually took a tour through the print and shipping rooms. It was fascinating to hear about how they operate the enormous printers and make the plates to run the newspapers. For every newspaper there are usually over 1,000 plates made. The printer wasn't very busy when we got there; most of their work is done between the hours of 10 at night and 6 in the morning. On the tour they provided us with a set of ear protection that was amazing. I couldn't hardly hear anything. They would be useful with all of the door slamming that goes on in the dorms. And truthfully, I did think about pocketing a pair of ear plugs they keep attached to the wall (they have boxes and boxes of them) for use, but I have the feeling I wouldn't be able to hear anything while I slept.

The tour was pretty extensive and impressive. At the end they gave us all a little "Press" badge and gave us a few souvenir papers. I have an insert to the Financial Times related to Nigeria that won't be in the paper until Thursday, July 12, 2007, so seeing the date on it is kind of bizarre. But, the tour was great and we enjoyed ourselves.

We caught a bus back to Canary Wharf, rode the tube back to the dorms, and then hung out for a bit. A bunch of us ate dinner in the little dining area near our rooms and we had a pretty good time. After that I stopped by the Tesco to buy some groceries. I tried to use a coupon I cut out of the Daily Mail for a free jug of Tropicana, but Tesco wouldn't accept it. I'm not really that surprised, because the way the coupon is, it only says it is valid at participating retailers, but it doesn't tell you the name of any places. It's sort of like you just have to find a shop that's nice enough to let you get a free bottle of Tropicana. Nonetheless, I came back and unloaded my stuff, then went downstairs and talked for a bit with some of the people doing laundry.

We walked quite a bit today, so most likely I'm about to just lay down and go to sleep. It doesn't even begin to get dark here until 9:30 p.m., and the sun doesn't fully set until 10:00 p.m. or later, so going to bed early is kind of difficult. But, I don't think I'll have a problem with that tonight. Pictures from today's trips around London can be viewed here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

Day Eighteen: Eye in the Sky

Today began, as many days do, with breakfast and class. After class we stopped in and at lunch at Ramsay Hall. They fixed pizza, which actually wasn't too bad. We had to wait a while on the pizza though because the staff didn't make enough. I am trying not to criticize, but the way the cafeteria is ran here is not very impressive at all. Besides rather lackluster food, they constantly run out of things and just give me the impression they're not very well prepared. It would seem much more economical and sensible to me if, instead of making us eat at Ramsay Hall, they had just taken the price of our meals off of our costs of coming over here or given us a Tesco card. I think I discussed this here earlier. Sorry for beating a dead horse.

After class I went to the British Museum. I spent a little over an hour and a half there and really ended up speeding through the exhibit. The other day it came to me just how little time I actually have left here. I have three weeks, but in those three weeks I all ready have several days planned out where I won't be able to see things around London, so I'm trying to get everything in while I can, yet still not make myself exhausted. I did get to see pretty much everything at the British Museum, though admittedly I would like to have a day or more to go through there and thoroughly examine everything. In every room, every object they have, is cataloged and they have signs in the cases which explain what everything is. Keep this in mind when you see my photograph of entire rooms and realize that it is way too much stuff to fully examine in a day.

I picked up a few souvenirs and some batteries on my way back from the British Museum. By the time I got back to the dorms and cashed a few traveler's checks it was time for our afternoon half-way point meeting. It was a bit boring and basically told us stuff that most people should all ready know. Of course, I'm glad they had the meeting because they ended up addressing some behavior issues. There are a lot of folks that keep talking in the halls at night (you can hear everything) and who seem to slam their doors constantly (again, everyone can hear it). But, I didn't see the main culprits of this action at the meeting yesterday, so it's quite possible they didn't hear it at all, which would be a disappointment.

After the meeting I went down to South Bank with intentions of going to the London Eye. Let me say this: I can now understand why the London Eye is the most popular tourist attraction in the world. Apart from the spectacular views of London, it is so very well managed that, unlike many other attractions, it's not a hassle to deal with. It is a little on the pricey side, but I think it's completely worth it. I exchanged the voucher they gave me at Madam Tussuad's for a London Eye ticket in about two minutes, I then stood in a line which seemed really long, only for about five minutes. They usher you onto the capsule with a great deal of politeness (all of the staff was very nice) and you ride for thirty minutes. In those thirty minutes you get to see just about every conceivable angle of the London skyline. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are right in front of you. The Gherkin and the financial district, as well as St. Paul's, are to the east. In the thirty minute span you get some really great views. They put about fifteen people in one of the capsules, which are air conditioned, and I never found myself without the ability to capture a great shot. They don't crowd you in or anything like that; it's quite roomy.

Once I was finished at the London Eye, I made my way back to the dorm and ate dinner. Several of the other students and myself sat around just telling stories and laughing about some of our experiences in London. I know this sounds weird, but some of my funniest experiences have involved little girls on the Tube. There was another little girl there today that wanted to sit up on one of the side seats (it's hard to explain), but she was too short. She had to scramble up and when her mother told her we were at the stop Embankment, she replied with "Embank-what?". The English accent on little girls is really funny. Anyhow.

We ended up going to South Bank after the sun had set and walked around taking photographs. London, especially from South Bank, is amazing at night. It was a bit chilly, but the views were awesome. The lights and the whole atmosphere of the city were well-worth checking out. We spent a little time there at South Bank then decided to catch a bus back to the dorms. Donald and I got on a different bus from Katie and Jennifer. Donald and I got onto a double-decker bus and rode a bit out of the way before going to a Tube stop and getting back to the dorms. We got to the dorms a little late, which is why I didn't write here last night.

I got a card from Nana last night, which was fun to read. I've enjoyed getting letters and e-mails from everyone because it's nice to keep up with what's going on back home, and also it gives one a real feeling of maintaining connection with the people you love. So, thank you all for writing to me.

Pictures of today's excursions around London can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/page3/

P.S. My Flickr account only allows 200 photos to be visible at any time. I took 699 photographs on Sunday and Monday. Although I'm only uploading a few at a time, realize there are a lot more. I apologize for not being able to show all of them.

Day Seventeen: The Sleeping

I slept in a bit this morning (7:30--I know) and ate some breakfast, got a shower, then wrote up last night's blog entry. I sat around for a bit, got bored, and decided that I was going to go around London. The first place I wanted to check out was Speakers' Corner, where for years and years now, people have been able to come and speak their mind about any subject. They only do it on Sunday mornings, so I really wanted to check this out. Well, I went over to Marble Arch and low and behold--nothing. I walked around for twenty minutes or so, thinking I may have missed it, and just as I was about to leave, I checked one last time and finally saw the people coming out at around 10:30ish. By the way, a funny side story: two cops pulled their car up around Marble Arch, no one around except pigeons, and honked their horn ever so lightly just to scare the pigeons into moving a few feet. It was a very funny, very odd thing to see.

Well, I walked on over and checked out who was speaking. First up was a rather left-leaning white guy who sounded quite intelligent and was going on about the American health care system versus the U.K. His facts sounded a bit off. I didn't bother to correct him and let him know that it is illegal for health care providers to deny assistance to people in need and that anyone can go to a hospital and get medical treatment, whether they have insurance or not. I also refrained from telling him that there are extensive programs, not only by the pharmaceutical companies, but also by private charity organizations, that will provide reduced-cost or free medicines to those in need. But, I did chose to speak up when, get this, a black Muslim Imam started to chime in on the American education system.

Before I tell this story, there are few things you need to understand. You can interject at anytime and contribute to the conversation. Also, most of these people talk about controversial subjects for the purpose of getting people worked up. Anyways, this Imam basically made the suggestion that in America poor people have no opportunity for a higher education. I very politely corrected him that in America anyone, and I do mean anyone, can get a higher education. Those who do not have money can get grants or scholarships, and basically there is no reason why someone can't get a university degree. He then went on about how they would have to get loans, which they would have to pay back. Again, I corrected him. Now here is where things started going downhill...

He took a very pompous, arrogant attitude when responding to me. He would call me "Sir" in a way as not to show respect or simply not knowing my name, but as a way to them introduce his flawed argument. He would constantly look around at the crowd, not looking me in the eye when speaking to me, and just generally carried and air that by standing on a little box he somehow had greater knowledge than the rest of us. But what really got me was when he asked where I went to school and then what my major was. I told him I went to Columbus State University (which I know he has no idea where it is) and that I am a history major. His response: "Well, shame on you." Ok. Calm down. Time to breathe.

I responded inappropriately. I told him there was no shame on me, and that he was the one who was full of shit. I actually said that. Now in retrospect, I should not have done that because I don't believe that reverting to profanity is anyway to have a civil dialogue. I personally am not bothered by profanity, but many people consider it taboo. Nonetheless, I said it. I also told him that since I am currently in the American higher-education system, since I am from America (though from his accent I think he may have been too), that I knew what I was talking about and better suited to comment on the subject. He also mentioned that he graduated from Howard University with a degree in Public Administration. I know.

It really bothers me that people trash-talk our country from 5,000 miles away. And it's one thing to disagree with our country, or even to just down right hate America, but to get on a soapbox and insult our country with lies is unacceptable. For me not to correct him and let him know would have, I feel, been un-American and simply not the thing to do. When someone is going around spreading lies, we have a duty to speak up and correct them. Of course, we also have a duty to show that America is a civilized country and the people their are courteous to everyone, even those with whom they disagree.

Anyhow, I then wondered over to a very oddly-dressed gentleman (you'll be able to see him in the photos) who I think may have been mentally off because he was just sort of babbling to himself. I walked back to the area with the Imam, who was then going on about how Britain and the U.S. should not be surprised they are getting attacked because of all of the warmongering they've done to Muslim countries. Yeah, I know. Someone then asked him if someone in his mosque came to him and told him they had plans to detonate a bomb and kill people, if he would tell the authorities. He then began to explain that he would try and talk them out of it, but that he would not tell the police because he is not secular and that as a Muslim he is not subject to the U.K. government, basically. His words were, "I will not be a spy for this government and I will not be an informant for this government." I am relatively certain this guy probably knows some terrorists, or at least supports terrorist actions.

After this I made my way to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. It was lackluster and I really was not impressed at all. It was way too crowded to see anything of interest, and even the people with the good positions couldn't really see anything. It lasted entirely too long and entirely too little happened. I was a bit disappointed with it. But, while I was there, I was thinking about my previous actions. I began to realize that my behavior was not at all in line with Christian living, and that on top of that, I did not represent my country, my people, or just in general civilized society, very well when I used profanity at him. I was raised that you do not say what I said to people, especially in public, and especially to someone you do not know. And considering how most of the people over here think of America anyways, I realized I had made a mistake. So, I went back to apologize.

I found the Imam and politely walked up to him and apologized for my inappropriate language earlier. He made the remark, sarcastically, that earlier I had "given a good impression of America". Again, he said this sarcastically, which is fair because my behavior was not acceptable. But, I did let him know that he did deserve and apology, we shook hands, and I went about my way. He asked where I was from and when I told him Georgia he assumed Atlanta. I told him not Atlanta, but Columbus, which was about 100 miles away from Atlanta. Nonetheless, he seemed to have accepted my apology and I feel it was due. I realize this may not sit well with some, but frankly, I did some serious thinking about this and I feel I did what was right. By apologizing I wasn't admitting defeat or admitting that he was right--because truthfully, he was spreading lies and I stand by my original belief that someone needed to make clear that he was not being truthful. But, even in my attempt to tell the truth, I don't need to make an insulting remark at someone, especially someone I do not know. I could possibly get away with that around my friends, but to someone who is a foreigner and who obviously does not think highly of us anyways, I have a duty to maintain the highest level of decorum and civility. I hope that in the future I do a better job of that.

After all of this though, I went back to the dorms and ate some lunch. On the way back I ran into a group of lively, singing Portuguese women. They were awesome and funny. When I asked them where they were from, they responded in unison with a resounded "Portugal!" which had some pride that I really couldn't help but smile. From there, I rode out to the edge of Zone 2 (the Underground is divided into zones) and made my way to Highgate Cemetery. London is a fairly flat city. Today I found the hilly section. I also walked for about a mile up the hilly section. I then walked another half mile down the hilly section. I was a bit tired by the time I finally reached it, but I did arrive at Highgate Cemetery. I took a 2:30 p.m. tour of the East Cemetery and got to see the grave sites of Karl Marx, George Eliot, and Douglas Adams, as well as a multitude of other notable people. It was really an amazing looking place, though quite overgrown due to years of neglect. After that was over with I took a tour of the West Cemetery, which was even more impressive. The guide was really good and told us some interesting stories about the cemetery. I was very impressed with how personal and intricate some of the tombstones were. Again though, the cemetery was quite overgrown. It really was a rather creepy place though. There were once rumors about a vampire living in Highgate and really, I could see how things like that get started. It was strange to see pictures of how well manicured the plots there used to be, and then see what they are now. It seems more like this hallowed, elaborate cemetery in the middle of the woods.

Once I finally got back to the dorms I rested and ate a bit of dinner. I then walked down the street to find either some pastries or some ice cream. I met a bunch of the other folks in the dorms who were just getting back from seeing Stonehenge. I personally have no interest in seeing it, but they said it was pretty cool. I ended up having to buy some ice cream from a nearby new stand. It wasn't particularly good, but it satisfied my cravings. We then came back to the dorms and sat around telling stories and just being goofy. After that, Donald and I went out and picked up some newspapers for our class this week. We also decided that on our last night here we'd like to splurge and eat a really nice, expensive meal (nothing TOO expensive, but something nice) out somewhere where we'd have to dress up and really be able to just relax and enjoy ourselves. So, that leaves something to look forward to.

Overall, I feel today went really well. I learned a lot and experienced a lot. Photos of today's travels can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/

Just as a quick note: I did not upload any photos of Highgate Cemetery that show headstones or anything like. Although many of them are quite marvelous, out of respect for the deceased, because my Flickr account can be viewed by anyone, I felt it would be inappropriate to have people's headstones available for viewing. But, I did take about 150 photographs in there and I'm sure I'll show them to some folks later.