Dragons, Flowers and Aliens

Aloha!

My, its been a busy few days. Friday was spent in my room preparing for a phone interview for a summer internship (unpaid, alas), which I pretty much have landed. Now I have to find a community college that offers a corresponding online course so that I can follow government regulations and get credit for the internship, which is slightly more difficult to do when one is in London. But that is boring information compared to the rest of my weekend!

Before the pictures start, I must give advance warning for the deterioration of the quality of my photos. Over the weekend, my flash decided it didn't want to work anymore, which means that I have to hold very still to take photos with poor lighting, which is difficult to do as it basically means that I have to stop breathing. The end result is that some of the photos in my album are blurrier than I would like, but alas, que sera sera.

Saturday Emily and I went to St. George's Gardens, a small park near the Russel Square tube station, where there was a local celebration of St. George's Day taking place. We got some free cake and sat in the sun and did some reading while we waited for the main attraction: the Punch and Judy show. For those of you not acquainted with Punch and Judy, they are a kind of puppet that has been around for centuries in England, and the shows often require the mainly-child audience to shout warnings and directions to the puppets.

Judy takes a stick to Punch's head:


The characters get progressively zanier as the show progresses. My personal favorite, the Demon from Pantomime Land, is below. A very close second is the Australian Crocodile Dundee (you may be thinking I'm making this up......)


Sunday was a gorgeous day, and I got on the District Line for the hour-long tube ride to get to Kew Gardens, located on the very outskirts of the city. This huge park was basically designed for people to take it easy and enjoy nature; I found myself very envious of the locals who could buy a season pass and pop over whenever they wanted. One can stick to the asphalt path, or one can go off exploring. "Grass Paths" (essentially straight areas of grass that are free from trees or other foilage) criss cross the park, and there are dozens of small glenns and randomly scattered benches that allow the visitor to find a secluded area in the park and curl up with a good book or take a nap in the sun. Given how large the Gardens were, however, I couldn't indulge in this luxury, as I was anxious to see as much of it as I could. I saw about 90% of the park, sadly not being able to go to the roof of the famous Palm House as it closed before I could get to it (a full two hours before the rest of the Gardens closed, oddly enough.

A sampling of the flowers:


One of the more charming secluded spots:

And the park was not without its wildlife:



Monday was devoted to a geek pilgrimage to Cardiff, Wales. For those who don't know, I'm a big fan of the British sci-fi show Doctor Who, based around a time-traveling alien who travels in a ship disguised as a 1960s police telephone box. The show started in the '60s and ran for roughly 20 years, with 8 different actors playing the Doctor over the show's progression. A few years ago, the show was reborn.

What does this have to do with Cardiff, Wales? First, several episodes have been set in Cardiff. More importantly, there is a exhibition currently going on in Cardiff with props and costumes from the new generation from the show. Quite conveniently, the exhibition is located right next to prime shooting locations for the show. After a two hour train ride to the city, I had fun in Cardiff, though do to rain I didn't explore as much as I would have liked.

Nearly everything in Wales is translated into both Welsh and English.


This giant waterfall fountain is actually the secret headquarters of Torchwood, an organization that stars in a spin-off show of Doctor Who.



Tuesday I went to the London Transport Museum, which documents public transportation in London from the 1800s. Everything from horse-drawn trams to underground rail-cars were on display in the museum. It was definitely a fun exhibit.


After the museum, I wandered about Covent Garden a bit, having not been in the area before (I always overshoot it for Leicester Square). Grabbing a pasty from the West Cornwall Pasty Company (a favorite of mine), I saw myself down on the edge of a small square where street performers rent space to entertain the shoppers and watched a comedic duo perform juggling tricks. By far, the highlight of the show was the six or seven-year-old boy from the audience they picked to help with a couple of the tricks...who only spoke French. He was absolutely adorable, and which made it that much more entertaining when the entertainers stumbled through their halting French to get him to do what they wanted. They had some surprising success.


Wednesday I went to Westminster Abbey. Sadly, no photos allowed, or I would show you the magnificent architecture and sculptures inside. The Abbey had one of the better audio guides I've had, and not just because Jeremy Irons provided the narration. It also had a video screen with clips of areas that were not open to the public so that you could get an idea of what the inside looked like.

Alright, we've got a lot of albums, starting with:

St. George's Day Celebrations
Kew Gardens 1
Kew Gardens 2
Cardiff
London Transport Museum

Those of you who aren't into Sci-Fi may want to skip Cardiff, as it is mostly exhibition photos.

Sadly, I need to start studying today...curse that final!

Cheerio!

Towers and Cathedrals

My week has just continued to be one fun adventure after another! After Monday's madness at Brighton Pier, I woke to the news that it was world wide Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. Emily, Vanessa, British friend Damien, and I went to a store near the Tower of London to secure our free ice cream (Chocolate Fudge Brownie...yuuuum). It was a gorgeous day, a balmy 20 degrees Celcius (roughly 70 Fahrenheit), so we wandered over to the Tower of London while we were eating our goodies. Much to our surprise and delight, it was time for the daily medieval weaponry display on the lawn of the Tower (which was formerly occupied by the Tower's moat). From our perch above the lawn, we were able to see and hear most everything, free of charge. We even managed to partake in some of the yelling, as the costumed actors encouraged their audience to shout "God save the King!" or to boo any mention of the French. Sadly, because we weren't paying members, it meant that we couldn't join those who rushed the castle to set up a siege ladder, or help launch the trebuchet, but it was a small defect in an otherwise perfect plan. We spent over two hours leaning on the fence watching the antics on the lawn, for long after the display was over, the performers spent time at target practice with a crossbow, which we all found vastly entertaining.

The crowd prepares to rush the castle:


A giant cross-bow fortification of some kind is prepared for launch:


Wednesday I went to the Catholic Westminster Cathedral (not to be confused with the Anglican Westminster Abbey). Built at the very beginning of the 20th century, it was the first Cathedral to be built in London after the country finally laxed some of its anti-Catholic laws (which had existed since England kicked out Catholic King James II and put on the throne the Protestant William and Mary, at the same time making it illegal for a Catholic to inherit the throne or to marry an heir to the throne, regulations which are still firmly in place today).


It also has the surprising feature of being noticeably unfinished on the inside, since the money run out before the building could be completed. If you look at the photo below, you'll see that the lower parts of the column are covered in marble, while the ceiling is bare brick.


The entire cathedral ceiling is supposed to be covered in mosaic tiled pictures, like this completed chapel on one side of the church. I believe that they are gradually trying to finish the decoration, but obviously its a struggle balancing the cost of the cathedral's upkeep, as well as seeing to the needs of the parish and the community, with more superficial concerns like mosaic ceilings.


I also paid to go up the cathedral's tower to get a view of London, one that is sadly now obfuscated by the giant office buildings that have sprung up around the cathedral over the century. Still, you can see bits of Westminster (below) and other sections of the city, if you know what landmarks to look for.


After touring the cathedral, I went to nearby St. James's Park, where I curled up under a tree with a borrowed copy of Book Seven of the Harry Potter series. I haven't had time to reread it since I originally read it the day it came out two years ago; now I can delight in actually knowing where Tottenham Court Road is when Harry and friends go into hiding in London.

That night we went to see Oliver! on stage. Unfortunately, Rowan Atkinson, a famous British comedian and actor who was supposed to play Fagin, suffered a hernia earlier in the week and was not at our performance, much to the disappointment of the Group. The replacement Fagin was quite good, however, adlibbing a few lines that brought a chuckle to the crowd including "Help me down boys, before I get a hernia," a remark which earned a clap from the audience. The show, while not my favorite, was great fun; the fact that they got 50+ kids to dance in sync and sing on key is amazing. Quite by chance, I read Oliver Twist earlier this semester, so I could compare the show to the book; if the show had a drawback, it was that the first act was one rousing dance number after another, which was wonderful, until the second act came and the author's realized that they had to cram 500 pages of intrigue into a half-hour. But it was a minor flaw that was more than compensated by the lavish sets that layered the stage and the huge ensemble numbers.


Thursday was St. George's day. Official celebrations will not take place until Saturday, but the National Gallery put on a play in front of a painting of St. George and the Dragon, with a few licenses take with the original story--the dragon, for instance, was French. Round out the day with a trip to Brick Lane, followed by a stop at Cookies and Creme, and it was yet another day well spent.


You can find more pictures in this album.

Cheers!

Epic Day!

When I made plans with Hilary to visit Brighton, I had no idea what I was in for. I imagined that it would be another trip where I would visit a historic site and see another part of England, have a good time, and come home satisfied at getting out and about. While all of the above is true, the trip turned out to be one of the best I've had during my stay in London.


The outside reflects the huge Asian/Eastern influence on the design of this palace. But even this is subdued to what's inside. Every room is decorated with dragons and other fantastical creatures; railings are made of wood carved to look like bamboo, giving a decidedly tropical feel to the place. Sadly, photographs are forbidden inside the pavilion, so I have to make do with images I've found on the internet, none of which do justice to the Pavilion when seen in person.

This is the Long Gallery, which features many Chinese statues and paintings.


A painting of the banqueting hall from the Royal Pavilion website (click to enlarge). The centerpiece is the amazing Dragon Chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A large green dragon (see below) holds the chandelier in its claws; the chandelier in turn has multiple dragons holding lotus flower shaped lanterns in their mouths.


This is the kitchen, where you can see the palm tree decorations:



After the Pavilion, we headed to the beach, which at first glance looked quite similar to the ones at home:

Until you got closer that is....they apparently don't have sand in Brighton!




When what to my wondering eyes should appear, then the glorious site of Brighton Pier!


The weather, FYI, went back and forth between sunny and cloudy all day, so it wasn't as dismal as it may appear in some of these photos.

The pier was the absolute epitome of a seaside boardwalk. Although not everything was open (it was a Monday afternoon, after all), I could just imagine what it must look like in the summer. Several stalls selling everything from hot dogs to Belgium Waffles were spaced out along the walkway; a giant arcade is housed behind me in the picture above; your typical carnival games are below:



And then there were the rides! Sadly, the big coaster was not open, as there weren't enough people on the pier, but we found plenty else to do. We started on Booster. The beam seen in the photo below rotates, sending the cars at either end of the pole out over the ocean as the beam spins faster and faster. Oh, and did I mention the cars spin too?


Then we went on the smaller, "wild mouse" style coaster, where the cars actually spin on different sections of the track.

Afterwards, it was time for a cheesy, yet effective, ride through the Horror Hotel.


Then it was time for Galaxia. Think of it as the Dumbo ride from Disneyland where you don't have control of when you go up and down. Add in a soundtrack that changes with each different phase of bounciness, and you've got a pretty fun time.



Before we headed back to the train, we stopped for hot dogs from the "American style" Burger Bar.

But the fun didn't stop when we got to London! That night Hilary, Vanessa, Emily and I went to see Les Mis:



The show is still amazing after all these years. We were higher up then I would have liked, but we got to make use of a handy feature found in most balconies in London theatres. In the back of the seats are are cheap binoculars. Deposit 50 pence and it's yours for the show.

Well, I'm off with friends to go take advantage of Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. While I go enjoy that, you have fun with my album.

Later all!

Britain at War

On Thursday, my day ended up being dedicated to exploring the history of Britain and World War II. I started out at the Britain at War museum, which explores the home front life of the British, including what it was like to live through the Blitz. It was a very small space, but still interesting. In one area they had a bomb shelter set up; when you went inside, audio was played that mimicked the sounds a family would have heard during the bombings of London: the air raid sirens, the engines of the planes, the whistling of a bomb before it struck its target. Another room was a two story reconstruction of a bombed out building. In between, there were displays about everything from fashion to rationing during the war.



After grabbing hot chocolate to warm myself against the drizzling rain (and scalding half of my taste buds in the process) I walked a few hundred yards to the Thames and the HMS Belfast, a decommissioned Navy ship that, among many other things, was present at D-Day.


This exhibit was a lot of fun, despite the rain. The self-guided tour took you all over the ship, including down into the maze of piping in the engine room and into the gun turrets on deck. Wax figures recreated the life of soldiers stationed on board during the war--though sometimes what I first thought was a wax figure turned out to be an on-duty officer, as the ship is still staffed with Navy personnel. To encourage children to explore the exhibits, there was a kind of "treasure hunt" game: the premise was that "rats" had escaped and were scattered about the ship, and the children needed to find them all to win the game. Needless to say, once I figured out what was going on, I became just as interested in finding the rats as listening to the information from my audio guide. Here are a few of the ones I found:



After all this WWII information, I found myself watching Mrs. Miniver that night, which I thought was quite good.

Friday I went to the National Portrait Gallery, which unfortunately did not hold my interest as much as I thought it would. While I did manage to increase my knowledge of the succession of the monarchs for the last few hundred years, I found that the headshots of various dukes and other nobility began to blur together after the first couple dozen. I revived myself with a triple-chocolate muffin (a dessert that has been one of my greatest discoveries in London) from a local Costa Coffee Shop before ducking out of the rain and going home.

This week should be full of fun, as my friends are back from their various trips. A day trip to Brighton is being arranged, and last night we secured tickets for both Les Mis and Oliver! for later in the week, checking a few more shows off of my "Must-see" list. All that's left is Stomp and Jersey Boys.

Photo Album: Britain at War

TTFN!

Deities, Gardens, and Toys, Oh My!

I must admit that since I've been back from Paris I have overall been lazy, choosing to rest my poor legs then venture into the wet London atmosphere. But I have not been entirely devoid of activity!

Saturday and Monday I spent time at the British Museum, breaking it up over two days to make it more manageable. The museum is full of mummies, Greek antiquities and Buddhist statues and was a lot of fun. Of course, there were some more notable displays such as:

The Rosetta Stone:



The Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon:

And then the not so famous. Mummified Eel anyone?


Today I took advantage of the relatively nice morning weather to go to Kensington Gardens. I was here a few months ago, but only to see the Albert Memorial for an architecture paper. The weather was also horrid at the time, as it was literally hours before the "Great Blizzard" struck London. Today was quite mild, even if there was no sun, and the garden was in full bloom, which made the park much prettier than when I first saw it in January. As I was by myself (the rest of the Group is scattered about Europe on different trips) I was able to take a leisurely tour of the Gardens, and as I had brought a book with me (Lorna Doone), I was able to stop at benches and read for a bit whenever I felt like it.

A map of the Princess Diana Memorial Playground...much as I would have liked to check it out, it is gated, and you are only allowed inside if you have a child with you.

This sign, however, gave me the giggles (click to enlarge). It warns parents that using the playground equipment will involve their children in taking risks (*gasp*) and that this is a good thing for the children. I wish somebody would tell that to the elementary schools in the States; they've taken out all the monkey bars at my old elementary school, including the balance beam (a whole two inches off the ground)--because somebody might trip over it. As if the giant mat surrounding the beam wouldn't be a clue that it was there.


The Sunken Gardens outside of Kensington Palace.


The Albert Memorial, as seen through the Flower Walk.

The Peter Pan statue! If you don't know where to look for it, its darn hard to find. Believe me, I wandered for two hours before I came across it.



After that, I went to Oxford Circus, where I gave into my hunger and broke my "No American Fast Food in London" rule and had McDonald's for lunch, before heading to Hamleys--where I decided that if Disneyland was out of space, this would be the next place I'd build an apartment. For those who don't know, Hamleys is a toy store--a five story toy store. Every floor is stocked with employees showing kids how to work certain toys in such an idyllic fashion you wonder if this place can be real.


If the banners don't clue you in to where Hamleys is, the clowns out front are sure to point you in the right direction.

Hamleys does not just have toys. Oh no. It comes complete with a Build-a-Bear Workshop, a mini petting zoo with rabbits, and a candy corner--complete with dark chocolate fudge. Yuuum.


Oh, and did I mention the section dedicated to replica movie props? Have a look at the Harry Potter wands if you don't believe me.


And then I found the Doctor Who section. For those who don't know, I'm a big fan of this British Sci-Fi show. I was seriously tempted to get the Sonic Screw Driver Laser Tag or the Dalek Alarm clock, but faced with hefty prices and limited luggage space, I gave up the dream--though I did walk away with a mini Tardis model I picked up in the model railroad section of all places.


I finally tore myself away from all the displays and headed home...just in time too, as within half an hour of returning, it began to pour rain. My timing amazes even me sometimes.


Albums!

British Museum
Gardens and Hamleys
TTFN!