Sickness and Amazingness.

February 4, 2010

I’m sick. Don’t worry Mom, I’m not that sick. Just enough to bug me. Runny nose and cough. Luckily, I had no class on Wednesday so I could just lay around. I watched a bunch of movies including Elizabeth, The Young Victoria (again), and Pride and Prejudice (again). All English movies… I’m obsessed. They are so much better with more context. I know the places and some of the back-stories. They may not always be the most accurate, but it was a decent way to spend the day. I think I even learned a few facts that will help me in my history class! Yet, I felt so bad just lying around all day. I’m in freaking London! And I’m just sitting on the couch… It was a good thing to do once. I’m rejuvenated and ready to go. Ready for more adventure. Bring it, London.

And then I woke up today crabby. Don’t know why, but everything just irked me. Through my annoyance, I realized that everything is just a bit backward here. The light switches switch down to turn the lights on. The locks turn left to lock. And if you haven’t heard yet, they drive on the left/wrong side of the road here… And then I got over my crabby mood and found all this kind of cute and charming. There is always something to remind me just where I am. Always something very British to make me smile. Or frustrate me!

Moving on. Today is Thursday. This weekend is packed, so I decided to check in before I get too overwhelmed and forget something or put off writing in here for a week…again. The day started off pretty great. Viv and I rushed down to the office to buy Billy Elliot tickets. We got ‘em! I’m probably in the nosebleeds, but I don’t care. I’m sooooo excited to see this musical. So excited.

Next, we grabbed the tube to Westminster and met our history class there. We toured Westminster Abbey along with our history professor John. He is fantastic. Full of dry, witty British humor and knows absolutely everything about the UK. I always enjoy class time and the class trips are great. Possibly, my favorite class. But we’ll see if this opinion stands after our first exam next week. Ugh.

Anyway, we toured Westminster Abbey. No pictures allowed, but I don’t think I could have captured the magnificence of that place in any amount of photos. Everything was over-the-top, loaded with history, and interesting to see. We walked around for about two hours. First, we hit up a few burial sights. It is quite quirky because they separate the burials by occupation. And people are buried everywhere! In the floors. The walls. The columns! Most of the burial sights are a big black slab amongst the tiles on the floor dedicated to some significant figure in British History. Kings and Queens. Poets and scientists. Radical politicians and saints. Each occupation has its own corner or hallway. We found Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, John Keets, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary I, Handel, Charles Dickens, and many more. Most I didn’t recognize, but a few were interesting to see. The abbey is actually full now, so they don’t accept any more… bodies? Our professor focused on the history of the abbey and a few funny stories about people buried there. The abbey was built over several decades. He showed us the different architecture throughout the church that I wouldn’t have noticed before. The church dated back to about the 10th century, I think. But the original building was demolished and rebuilt in the gothic style. They usually run out of money, halt construction for a few years, and then begin again a few decades later. My favorite part… Henry VII chapel in the back of the building. It is beautiful. Full of light, stained glass, and fan-vaulted ceilings. It was bombed in WWII, but restored with a memorial to deceased pilots in the back. Professor John liked that part, too, but I think his favorite was the coronation chair. It is this beat up, graffiti-ed, rotting chair that has been used since the 9th century I think (over 1000 years!) and we saw the place where all coronations have taken place since. Where Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and where Prince Charles will be crowned. The abbey was nearly empty, but it was hard to imagine 1500 people packed in the see the four hours ceremony. Yes, four hours. And the abbey’s layout isn’t suitable for such a theatrical event. Most attendants to the coronation won’t even be able to see the king/queen unless they are exiting or entering. But the building is magnificent regardless. Edward the Confessor, one of the first English kings and now a saint, is buried in the middle of the church. Its layout revolves around his tomb.

So much information… A bunch of us decided to walk home. It was actually a nice day out and it gave us time to digest and discuss. On the way to the abbey, while riding the tube, I almost felt like the novelty of the city was starting to wear off. I’m getting used to everything, and city life, British life isn’t as fascinating as it used to be. But just as that feeling sets in, I’m blown away by something new. And I love that feeling. Staring with a big grin or an amazed look on my face, stunned by some sight or fact. Getting really excited and taking a million pictures. I just love it. Just as I’m getting bored or settled in, London throws something new and fascinating at me. For example, as we walked home from the abbey, we saw Knightsbridge, a borough of London, lit up at night for the first time. The busy intersections, Harrods, the hotels, and Hyde Park. Wow. I love city life. I took a picture next to a huge poster of Emma Watson (Hermoine from Harry Potter) modeling for Burberry!

Day trip to Oxford tomorrow! Can’t wait.

Cheerio,
Kelly