After two solid days of studying biological profiling, trauma analysis, and bone cell histology, we took our final on Thursday morning. It was a relief to be done with our test, but I was sad to think it could be a long, long time before I ever return to the classroom in the Botany Building of Regent's College where we held lectures.
Though I'd spent five weeks in London, I still hadn't seen Westminster Abbey. What better way to spend my last day in London then to see the famous, historic landmark? Between instinctively knowing which Tube line and stop to get off for the Abbey and not feeling the urge to take pictures of Big Ben when I passed it, I felt like a real Londoner. Entering Westminster Abbey, however, that feeling passed. Entering the Abbey completely takes your breath away. Grand, imposing, and lavishly decorated, these walls have seen a thousand years of English history: it has seen monarchs be crowned and wed (some more than once), and many, many, important people be interred in its floors and walls upon their deaths. Similar to St. George's Chapel in Windsor but on a greater scale, Westminster Abbey feels in many ways like a giant mausoleum. We saw the final resting places of Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I, Mary, Queen of Scots, many Edwardian kings, and James VI of Scotland and I of England. We saw the graves and memorials of poets from Chaucer to Keats to Shakespeare; of composers such as Handel; of actors the likes of Sir Laurence Olivier; and of the famous scientists Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Everywhere you look in Westminster Abbey, there are inscriptions, tombs, and monuments to the dead. Some are plain and simple stone, others are gilded and brightly painted. Many of the coffins and tombs bear death masks of the people inside them. In every corner and on almost every inch of ground you can step on, there are plaques in memory of the individuals buried there.
It wasn't only famous dead people; we also saw the grand, mosaic-tiled stage where monarchs of England have been crowned for hundreds of years. It was a sobering moment thinking about how many centuries of history this building had seen and wondering how many more it would see in the future.
In the afternoon, all of us on the program met up for the last time in London at the Larrik, the pub around the corner from our flats where Mallory, Holly, and I had eaten dinner our first night in London so many weeks ago. We all got our grades from the final (all my studying paid off, I 4.0'd the class!), bought the professor a pint, and reminisced about our summer abroad in London. I couldn't believe it had gone so fast and that it was time to say goodbye to all my new friends until the fall.
On our last outing in London, some of us went to Hyde Park to wander around the scenic Serpentine and listen to the concert that was being thrown in honor of the Olympic Torch finally making it to London. The sun was just beginning to set as we waded through the Princess Diana memorial fountain, snapped pictures of the swans floating serenely down the Serpentine, and sang along to the concert in the distance. It was a perfect last night of an amazing summer in London. I hope to be back soon, but at least for the next two weeks I'll be able to live vicariously in London through watching the Olympics!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Time I Sailed Down the Thames and Followed in the Footsteps of Jack the Ripper
Our last week in London turned out to be a week of excellent weather. It was finally warm and sunny, and we were thrilled when we got out of our Monday lecture early to take a river cruise down the Thames. We got on near Big Ben and the Parliament building, and enjoyed the sunshine on the top deck of the ship as it sailed to the Tower of London. On our way down river, we saw the London Eye, London Bridge, the original location of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the glass monstrosity that is the new Shard building, and, according to the tour guide, "Christopher Wren's last erection": a comically tall and shiny monument commemorating the Great Fire.
For dinner, some of us had the brilliant idea of going back to the Westfield Mall at Olympic Park for sushi. Little did we know, not only was it the rehearsal for Olympic Opening Ceremonies, one of the two Tube lines going to Olympic Park was shut down. The Tube, the Mall and the Park were beyond crowded, and we were seriously concerned about getting crushed in the throngs of people. The only plus was that it was impossible to get lost on the way. At every Tube station near Olympic Park, as well as at every corner above ground, there were police men and volunteers with megaphones and neon jackets pointing everyone toward the Park. That was in addition to the hundreds of bright pink signs that with arrows pointing "OLYMPIC PARK THIS WAY." Our efforts were rewarded with a Monday sushi special - every plate only 2.40! Score.
After dinner, we made our way to the East End of London for a Jack the Ripper Tour. Although it wasn't quite dark yet, it was still a little creepy as we followed our tour guide through back alleys and narrow streets to the locations where the bodies of four of the five Victorian-era prostitutes viciously murdered by the infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper, were found. Our tour guide projected the gory police photos of each of the women's bodies onto the sides of buildings, and we became aware that there are people in this world creepier than budding forensic anthropologists: some of the lovely people who were also on our tour snapped a worrisome amount of pictures of the disturbing crime scene photos.
After that tour, it was dark in the East End, and we were happy to travel home by Tube in a large group with our classmates.
For dinner, some of us had the brilliant idea of going back to the Westfield Mall at Olympic Park for sushi. Little did we know, not only was it the rehearsal for Olympic Opening Ceremonies, one of the two Tube lines going to Olympic Park was shut down. The Tube, the Mall and the Park were beyond crowded, and we were seriously concerned about getting crushed in the throngs of people. The only plus was that it was impossible to get lost on the way. At every Tube station near Olympic Park, as well as at every corner above ground, there were police men and volunteers with megaphones and neon jackets pointing everyone toward the Park. That was in addition to the hundreds of bright pink signs that with arrows pointing "OLYMPIC PARK THIS WAY." Our efforts were rewarded with a Monday sushi special - every plate only 2.40! Score.
After dinner, we made our way to the East End of London for a Jack the Ripper Tour. Although it wasn't quite dark yet, it was still a little creepy as we followed our tour guide through back alleys and narrow streets to the locations where the bodies of four of the five Victorian-era prostitutes viciously murdered by the infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper, were found. Our tour guide projected the gory police photos of each of the women's bodies onto the sides of buildings, and we became aware that there are people in this world creepier than budding forensic anthropologists: some of the lovely people who were also on our tour snapped a worrisome amount of pictures of the disturbing crime scene photos.
After that tour, it was dark in the East End, and we were happy to travel home by Tube in a large group with our classmates.
The Time I Finally Went to Stonehenge
I've been waiting all summer to go to Stonehenge, and on the last Sunday of the program, my wish finally came true. After two long days of train stations, queues, and sightseeing, I was overjoyed to be taking a lovely air conditioned, tour guide-ed, bus tour to Stonehenge and Bath. Our tour guide, Lucy, pointed out significant buildings our entire way out of the city and gave us some historical background on Stonehenge, Bath, and random factoids about London, the British monarchy, and English expressions. Having her point out buildings of interest - Harrod's and the hotel where Kate Middleton spent the night before her wedding, for example - and explaining the significance of various statues and landmarks was so much nicer than our usual method of sightseeing: take pictures first, figure out what the heck it was we just saw later. We arrived at Stonehenge at about 10:30 in the morning. For once in our entire English experience, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, the fields were green, and the sheep were grazing. It was almost even warm out; I commend the sun on making a valiant effort. What struck me about the site as I looked around was the vast emptiness around it. The stones look small and almost out of place in the center of a landscape of highways and hilly, brown and green fields that go on as far as the eye can see. It was a bit surreal to see the crowds of tourists with cameras and headphones snapping pictures as they wandered slowly around the still, stone circle.
After about an hour of admiring Stonehenge and pondering about the ancients who built it, we were back on the bus and off to Bath. The lovely Lucy informed us we had three hours in Bath - plenty of time, we thought, until we got there. There is so much to do and see in Bath: the ruins of an ancient Roman Bath, an imposing, medieval church in the center of town, a Georgian circus at the top of the hilly city, several small museums, and a sizable shopping district. We went first to the Roman Baths, where we got to see the ruins of what was once an impressive spa, heated by the natural hot springs that run beneath the city of Bath. The main bath was the largest, a huge, rectangular pool still running with hot water. Surrounding the pool were columns and archways made from the same yellowish-tan Bath stone the entire city is built from. We even stuck our toes in the water just to check the temperature - perfect for a bath, even if the water's slightly murky, greenish appearance made it a bit unappetizing. After the baths, we ran to the other side of town to visit the Jane Austen Center. The author lived in Bath for several years, and even used the city as the setting for two of her novels. We had a great time walking through the museum and looking at mannequins dressed in the fashions of Jane's time, sitting rooms set up according to scenes in the novels, and reading about the life of the famous author. We even got to have our pictures taken as we tried on bonnets and parasols, and had some almond cookies that would have been served with tea in Austen's time.
Between the Roman Baths, the Jane Austen Center, and wandering through the beautiful stone city of Bath, we had used up our three hours of sightseeing time and it was time to go back to the bus. Although it was easier and more relaxed to take a scheduled bus tour where we didn't have to worry about transportation or directions, if I came back to England, I would definitely go back to Bath and spend an entire day there. I wish I could have explored and seen more of what the city has to offer - especially the Georgian circus and the wide and varied shopping areas.
When I got back to London, my busy weekend didn't end. I met up with my good friend Craig at the Shakespeare pub near Victoria train station. Over some delicious chicken and mushroom pie, I got to have a great conversation about school, life, and England with Craig, who was visiting London on a day off from his summer classes at Cambridge.
After such a long day, I was glad I knew the Tube system well enough not to have to think about how to get home. Maybe I'm almost a Londoner after all.
After about an hour of admiring Stonehenge and pondering about the ancients who built it, we were back on the bus and off to Bath. The lovely Lucy informed us we had three hours in Bath - plenty of time, we thought, until we got there. There is so much to do and see in Bath: the ruins of an ancient Roman Bath, an imposing, medieval church in the center of town, a Georgian circus at the top of the hilly city, several small museums, and a sizable shopping district. We went first to the Roman Baths, where we got to see the ruins of what was once an impressive spa, heated by the natural hot springs that run beneath the city of Bath. The main bath was the largest, a huge, rectangular pool still running with hot water. Surrounding the pool were columns and archways made from the same yellowish-tan Bath stone the entire city is built from. We even stuck our toes in the water just to check the temperature - perfect for a bath, even if the water's slightly murky, greenish appearance made it a bit unappetizing. After the baths, we ran to the other side of town to visit the Jane Austen Center. The author lived in Bath for several years, and even used the city as the setting for two of her novels. We had a great time walking through the museum and looking at mannequins dressed in the fashions of Jane's time, sitting rooms set up according to scenes in the novels, and reading about the life of the famous author. We even got to have our pictures taken as we tried on bonnets and parasols, and had some almond cookies that would have been served with tea in Austen's time.
Between the Roman Baths, the Jane Austen Center, and wandering through the beautiful stone city of Bath, we had used up our three hours of sightseeing time and it was time to go back to the bus. Although it was easier and more relaxed to take a scheduled bus tour where we didn't have to worry about transportation or directions, if I came back to England, I would definitely go back to Bath and spend an entire day there. I wish I could have explored and seen more of what the city has to offer - especially the Georgian circus and the wide and varied shopping areas.
When I got back to London, my busy weekend didn't end. I met up with my good friend Craig at the Shakespeare pub near Victoria train station. Over some delicious chicken and mushroom pie, I got to have a great conversation about school, life, and England with Craig, who was visiting London on a day off from his summer classes at Cambridge.
After such a long day, I was glad I knew the Tube system well enough not to have to think about how to get home. Maybe I'm almost a Londoner after all.
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