So, as planned, I spent today in London. I have to be honest about my opinion here... some people I know have gone to London, and have come back totally in awe. I can't say I had the same dramatic reaction, but I did enjoy it immensely. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had gone off the very beaten path, and if I had gone a day earlier... basically, if I had planned better and less last-minute. Ah well. The way I see it, I'll have more chances sooner than later. I also found myself missing Rebz, who I think would have absolutely loved to have been there, and I have to admit... some things are better done with company.
Anyway. I walked up to Saint Paul's Cathedral from King's Cross, and of course, it wasn't open to visitors, but I managed to get a few minutes inside by going in during one of the services. I have even more admiration for Christopher Wren now...
I didn't feel comfortable staying too long, so I walked down Ludgate Hill, down Fleet Street, and down the Strand towards the Westminster Complex.
The Royal Courts of Justice
Twinings! I didn't go in, but I was very tempted to go in and show them all the tea bags of theirs I had stuffed in my bag, and in my pockets.
Samuel Johnson
William Gladstone
Horatio Nelson (in Trafalgar Square, of course)
At this point, I ducked into the National Gallery... of course, it's one of those museums that one really needs a week or so to go through completely. I spent most of my time in the 17th-19th Century Painting rooms, and even with that limited focus I was overwhelmed! I had a few short moments of intense happiness upon recognizing certain paintings... the equestrian portrait of King Charles I by van Dyck, for one, and a few by Turner...
The statue of King Charles I in the "island" named for him, just next to Trafalgar Square.
Downing Street! The security was immense, of course, blocking off both sides of the street.
The Houses of Parliament at Westminster
Robert Clive... I don't know why I was surprised to see a statue of him. I mean... he did essentially turn India into a British colony. But... he was just... I mean, as you can probably imagine, he wasn't... well. He's not my favorite figure in British history, we'll put it that way.
I also visited the Churchill War Rooms, which is just off the Mall... I would definitely recommend it. It can be a bit repetitive, but I'm not sure how much of that is my already having a lot of information... anyway. It's a great museum, and the Churchill Museum (which is oddly placed in the middle of the War Rooms tour) is just fantastic. The organization is a bit unclear, but it is one of the few examples of a museum that uses technology to its benefit that I have seen.
After that, I collapsed somewhere in St. James' Park. I got really lucky with the weather... it was looking rather dark and stormy all morning before I headed into the War Rooms, but by the time I left, the sky was blue, the clouds were white and very non-threatening, etc, etc... So I spent quite some time lazing around the park. It was absolutely lovely, except for the sounds of a beach volleyball tournament being held on the other side of the park... some credit card company or another was sponsoring it. Anyway.
Of course, as I was right there, I couldn't very well not go by Buckingham Palace. I'm afraid this is the only really decent picture I took there, but there are plenty of perfectly decent ones all over the internet.
So. That was my rather non-exciting trip to London! As much as I wish I had done more things that were less tourist-y, I think it was sort of necessary that I did the whole St. Paul's-Westminster-Buckingham Palace circut. And I'm looking forward to going back to St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey when they're open. It really would have been best if I had a few days to spend in London... unfortunately, I suppose it will all have to wait for another time. I can't very well take a day off of classes to run away to London.
... speaking of. My resident tutor, Emmet (sort of like a C.A. or R.A. at an American university) told me something interesting yesterday about the Cambridge railway station. Apparently, when the railway was coming through, Cambridge University required that the station be at least a mile away from the colleges, and generally as difficult to get to as possible so that students would be less inclined to run off to London! So, what we have now, is a railway station that it takes me half and hour to walk to, at the end of a very obscure-looking road, and only one proper platform.
Well, I have to get up early for class tomorrow. But before I go, just a few parting thoughts about London: what strikes me most (perhaps because it is so obvious) is that London is a very alive, working city. After watching a series of lectures on the history of London, it becomes easy to expect the city to be some sort of musuem... and I'm quite happy it is not. It has been famous for its liveliness for quite a long time now, and I would hate to see that end. And yet, there's enough history there to keep somebody like me happy: even the route I took from Saint Paul's to Westminster gave me a sort of satisfaction (Fleet Street and the Strand have connected the city of Westminster to the city of London for quite a long time now).
So: hopefully, I'll have a more productive trip next time! I'll try to write again before this week is over. Until then, my love to all!
Tasha
