9.22.2015

OXFORD UNIVERSITY

I always wanted to read the Harry Potter series.  Really I did.  Harry was absolutely everywhere for a good number of years and I knew nothing about him.  I picked up that he went to wizard school and I'm sure he was a very good wizard...in all senses of the word.  For one thing, his glasses were great (I'm still trying to find some just like his); and, I did watch a short segment of one of his movies in which he showed a tremendous understanding of flight dynamics as they apply to a broomstick.  At least, I think it was a broomstick.  Now, we're heading to Oxford, which provided actual shooting locations for the films as well as overarching atmosphere,  and I don't know what  to look for.  Once again I have procrastinated my way into complete ignorance.

Kevin is discussing the British education system as we leave London and enter the Chalk Hills.  I sense that it's a complicated system as I'm madly scribbling notes and trying to keep up.  England is a class-based society, per Kevin, and I think he is suggesting that English schools, much like our own here in the US, may provide a better education to a middle or upper class neighborhood than to a lower class area. I'm disappointed about that--I had expected better, but I think I understood it right. Admissions become more complicated at the University level--where public schools are actually private.  I've stopped writing.  I'm missing too much scenery.

It is raining cats and dogs when we arrive in Oxford with a bit of thunder thrown in now and then. My camera is safely packed away and my umbrella is providing a bit of protection, but not much.  I am cold and wet.  But so is everyone else, so I decide to put on my brave face and be a big girl.

Because of the weather, Kevin is forced to scrap some of our plans, but we do manage a bit of a walk-around before climbing the stairs to the Great Hall of Christchurch College.  The very steps Harry Potter used in one or another of his movies.


A grand banquet will be held at the Great Hall this evening and tables are set accordingly.  I'm counting at least four wine glasses at each place, and wishing I'd been invited.  The Hall is huge, poorly lit, and impossible for me to photograph, but it serves as the model for Hogwarts Hall.



Proof that we are indeed here--although I see they spell Christ Church as two words, where much of my research combines it into one.  I really wanted to pick up the program and read it, but I knew not to.  And, perhaps it's just as well we weren't invited, as that many forks have a tendency to make me just the slightest bit nervous.



Our Christ Church guide really shouldn't have let us into the Great Hall since it was set for the evening festivity, but she has some seniority and Road Scholars are trusted not to steal delicate crystal and highly-polished silver from the tables.  And, she and Kevin appear to be on a first-name basis.

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After our tour, we enjoyed a late lunch in a nearby nicely trendy restaurant, and then visited the Ashmolean Museum which turned out to be really interesting from top to bottom.  The exhibits there are so diverse, everyone can find a favorite.  The museum dates to the 1670s when Elias Ashmole gave Oxford University a "Cabinet of Curiosities".  That tale involves much (and detailed) intrigue, but was the beginning that led to the historic building erected in the 1840s that has become tied to Oxford.  Besides more exhibits than could be seen in a day (pick and choose as you go), the Gift Shop rates five stars.

9.18.2015

QUINTESSENTIAL LONDON--DAY 2

According to my beloved iPhone, it should be partly cloudy today and for the next few days.  However, the weather map on TV is showing an unrelenting  mass of rain moving in from the west, and I have just remembered my very preppy bright green raincoat is hanging in our Arizona closet. Exactly where I had put it so I wouldn't forget it.  I sense discomfort and dampness ahead.

Today's itinerary will take us to The Tower of London, followed by a cruise on the Thames to Westminster, and Westminster Abbey.  Following that, we will walk to the London Eye and experience the view from that most controversial but not-to-be-missed attraction. Finally, we will have dinner in the Sherlock Holmes Pub which, we are told, has a number of authentic Sherlock Holmes' connections.  It's a full day. 


After watching  the entire series of "The Tudors" again and again on Netflix,  I feel a bit queasy as we approach the Tower of London, passing very near The Traitors Gate.  I have witnessed way too many scenes of unlucky souls being rowed into the Tower under this ominous portal.



In and of itself, however, the Tower is quite lovely.  The grounds are well kept, the buildings are nicely maintained, and the history always interesting, if just a bit dark.  When I researched the Tower (you know I love Wikipedia) there really weren't as many executions here as I had presumed, but the ones that did occur were  high profile.  Anne Bolyn, of course, lost her head here, as did Lady Jane Grey.  Lady Jane is an interesting soul.  Edward VI, on his deathbed at the tender age of 15, named her (she did have some claim to the throne) to be his successor.  You know, we always forget about Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII. His attempt to thwart his two nasty half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, by naming Lady Jane as his successor, while well intentioned, failed miserably when she was hauled off to the Tower nine days into her reign.  She was a prisoner here for some time, but finally executed along with her husband.  Another sad story to add to the growing pile of sad stories.  Being a member of royalty isn't all it's cracked up to be
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The much photographed Yeoman Warders--actually the official title goes on for three or four sentences--wearing their familiar uniforms.  Actually, this uniform, which I think is pretty spiffy is their "everyday undress uniform."  You could have fooled me.  They have a much fancier one called the Tudor State Dress, although I don't know the protocol for its appearance.

Until I saw a few, I had forgotten about the Ravens that are kept at the Tower, under the care of a Yeoman Warder known as "The Keeper of the Ravens."  Legend has it that if the ravens ever fly away from the Tower of London, the Tower as well as the Monarchy will crumble.  Into. Very. Small. Pieces.  To avoid this disaster, the Ravens' wings are clipped and they are fed raw beef daily that is purchased at an upscale meat market.  Don't you love traditions that grow from legends.  No wonder I was a good Catholic for so many years.



I would have to think that Tower Bridge is the most handsome of all the bridges that cross the Thames.  But then, I'm a traditionalist.



We've just arrived at the London Eye after touring Westminster Abbey.  No matter how long you spend at the Abbey, you will miss a grave or memorial you really wanted to see.  Everyone who is anyone is there in some form or another--with some notable exceptions, of course. Princess Diana comes to mind and Winston Churchill.   There is a memorial stone for Winston, but I'm not sure about Diana.  Winston himself opted out of Westminster while Diana's family simply took her home to Althorp.

The line of folks waiting their turn at the London Eye is a long and winding one but, on the side of serendipity, gave us Road Scholars time to get better acquainted.  Since each capsule holds 25 people, we all fit inside, with room to spare.   The capsules provide seating in the middle but, unless you're afraid of heights, it's more fun to stay next to the glass sides.  I have absolutely no sense of direction when I'm away from home, but it was interesting to note that to my left I had a bird's eye view of historical London fronted by Westminster, while on my right I was viewing wildly imaginative skyscrapers and dozens of construction cranes.

A single circle on the Eye lasts 30 minutes, and it's a quick 30 minutes. I noticed that most of my photos were a bit hazy, so I decided my time would be better spent simply enjoying the view and savoring the moments.  I do highly recommend the Eye.


If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now.  The London skyline is pure not what one might expect.  I love history and tradition and the buildings that witnessed it all, but some of the most creative architects in the world have chosen London to exhibit their work.  Alone, each modern skyscraper is remarkable if rather irreverently nicknamed:  The Cheese Grater (on the right, above); The Walkie-Talkie (above left); and The Gherkin (below right).  I love them all (and marvel at their engineering) but they are messing up my historical imagination.

As the sun is going down, we board our coach and settle in for a continuation of Kevin's non-stop stories of London--past and present.  My notes are sketchy, but he did point out an historical pub, "Bunch of Grapes" where drunk and homesick American loyalists hung out during the revolution.  It was a very picturesque pub--as was The Sherlock Holmes.  We ate there in an upstairs dining room, surrounded by Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.  I wish now I'd taken more time to explore it, but we were busy figuring out the unknown vegies on our plates.  Research revealed it was Samphire which grows in northern UK coastal areas.  It's a beautiful green color and, if you ever find any, it goes quite well with Salmon.

We'll sleep well tonight!

9.05.2015

QUINTESSENTIAL LONDON--DAY 1

We've met our Road Scholar group as well as its two leaders, Kevin and David, and I'm comfortable we're part of a good crowd.  There are 18 of us and we hail from all over the United States. (Kevin and David, of course, are British.)  We're ready for our first day of touring and our itinerary will cover The British Museum, Guildhall, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Lunch will be on our own and Kevin has suggested the Museum lunchroom.  Right now, though, we're stuffed after the hotel's over-the-top English breakfast, so lunch is holding no appeal.  For now.

As our coach pulls away from the hotel, Kevin begins his detailed, and thoroughly entertaining archeologist/historian take on London  It's unaffordable for starters, so forget about buying a flat in our South Kensington neighborhood.  Average price today is 1.2 million pounds.  Pounds.  Multiply that by 1.62 and (much to my dismay) the figure is a cool $1,944,000. I don't know about your budget, but...
  

     
 Look and enjoy, but it's probably beyond your means...

Within blocks we pass Harrods, that most famous of up-scale department stores, now owned by Qatar Holdings who, per Kevin, are snapping up most of London't real estate.  Apparently, Middle East moguls are the only folks who can afford to purchase and live in this gorgeous city.  But, moving on...Jane Austen lived right there on Dover Street during her years in London, and the Middletons have a pad here at the Ritz Hotel.  Darwin rented a flat just to our left on Gower Road and portions of Harry Potter were filmed just ahead.  We have SoHo on our left (we know because there's a Sex Shop) and Chinatown on our right.  My head is spinning, but I swivel toward the Sex Shop which turns out to look a lot like our neighborhood Victoria's Secret.   Maybe the English really are a little prudish.

Established in 1753, The British Museum was designed to hold and preserve the Art and Culture of the world for all of Human History.  It has millions upon millions of items in storage and on display, plus millions of visitors every year, many of whom are here this morning.  We'll begin with the Rosetta Stone, then move on to explore Egypt and its neighbors.



Excuse me...The short girl can't see the Rosetta Stone...and it's on my bucket list.  The Rosetta Stone contains a message written in three scripts:  Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic, Demotic Script (who knew?), and Ancient Greek.  Since the scholars of the day could read Ancient Greek, and some even knew their way around Demotic they were able, for the first time, to decipher the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics...thus opening the way to many Egyptian historical writings.  It was a major find in the very early 1800s.



This is more like it.  Rameses II.  Generally considered the most powerful and respected Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the leading contender for the role of Pharaoh in the biblical book of Exodus.  I love when I can put a face to an Old Testament character, and this one is nice looking.  Even kind of pretty.   He lived 90 years in an era (1200 BCE) when longevity was rare, and was so well thought of that eight more Pharaohs took the name of Rameses--not to copy, just out of respect.




If you visit the British Museum, or another like-minded institution, do grab a guide who can explain the ancient tablets that will be displayed in room after room after room.  Kevin was amazing. He slowly strolled from panel to panel pointing out details, explaining scenes (including the time frames and names of participants) and absolutely brought these carvings to life.  Really.  It was a new experience for me.



The glass roof of the Great Court of Queen Elizabeth II which knits the various buildings of the British Museum into a cohesive whole, while providing a welcome openness, brightness and fresh air. Obviously, this is a new addition. One which people seem to love.  The loos are here--toward the center and down the stairs.  They are clean and plentiful.  I'm beginning to learn just how important loo reports will be over the next three weeks.  Oh--the two smudges on the roof? Men doing a little repair work...or maybe cleaning.  Looks tricky.



I can't look at St. Paul's, much less walk up the same entry steps and down the aisle without thinking of Charles and Diana.  That was a gorgeous wedding--well worth getting up in the middle of the night to watch.  She was beautiful, he was (unbeknownst to us) miserable.  Why the royal family was so hell-bent on thwarting Charles and Camilla, I'll never know.  Oh, I read the reasons, but real life (as so often happens) crept in and everyone involved was left bereft.  That is very sad.

We climbed the stairs to the rotunda--250 plus steps, I think, and gingerly walked around the narrow balcony.  The view of the cathedral was magnificent but not to be photographed.  What a waste. Actually, I didn't know that until an observant guard reminded me.  He didn't know I had this one already locked up!

I have no acceptable photos of the Guildhall, although it is quite impressive, and located in the City of London.  The Lord Mayor presides there--Lord Mayor of the City of London which differs from London itself.  Lord Mayor is a woman this time around.  Good for her!



Just outside of Guildhall, this dark line on the plaza marks the exact outline of a Roman Amphitheatre discovered in the late 1980s.  Entry is through the Guildhall Art Gallery, where we descended a flight or two of stairs into the dark remains of the blood and gore of Roman gladiatorial days.  The designers of this space have used digital visuals to recreate the missing parts of the stadium to great effect.  A must see.

Our first Road Scholar Day has been a smashing success.  As we depart the coach, we plan to meet again at six for a little wine or ale in the bar.  These Road Scholars are my kind of people!