Trip #6: London, England
14 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in Study Abroad, Travel Tags: cities, famous landmarks, food, markets, museums, Travel Writing
Compared to the nightlife that raced at 60 mph, London by day moved at a pace of 30 mph. But we saw so much between 11am and 3:30pm that writing it out will be just as exhausting as our race through London. To make things easier, here is a list:
Big Ben: The famous clock tower was the first English landmark I laid eyes on the night we arrived. There were green lights illuminating the face. The first thing that came to mind was Peter Pan, when Pan, Wendy, and her brothers are flying through the night sky towards Neverland and pass by the hands of the clock.
Parliament: Sitting along the Thames, it’s commanding presence was unmistakable.
The London Eye: From inside a bulb at the top of the carousal, you can see all of London. It circles so slowly that it never looks like its moving. On a flier stuck to the door of the hostel bathroom stall, I learned that it costs 17 to ride or 28 to skip the queue. I think seeing it from afar was enough and walking the streets of London was more rewarding than getting a bird’s eye view.
British Museum: If I had to describe it in one word, I would choose ‘enormous.’ The British Museum houses 8 different collections, as well as The Great Court, Reading Room, Enlightenment Gallery, Wellcome Trust Gallery, and Clore Education Centre. It would take more than a handful of visits to see everything. Our group chose to take the first self-guided tour in a map we bought. We saw the collections of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Middle East. The highlight was the Rosetta Stone.
The Globe Theatre: We only saw it from the outside. I love Shakespeare. I plan to go back in a few weeks to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The Millennium Bridge: It looked like a silvery web of spider silk, spun into a bridge for people to cross the River Thames. It’s a steel suspension bridge with two entrances that zipper into one. Once called the Wobbly Bridge, it got refurbished for 2.5 million.
London Bridge: I only saw it from far, far away, but I hope I get a closer look the next time I go.
The Borough Market: Amazing. It was my favorite part of London. There were stalls selling cheese, olive oil, sweets, meats, jams, and more. I shouldered the crowd to get a sample of everything, even Turkish deserts and baklava. If I lived in London, I would be there everyday buying my food and groceries. Out of all the markets I’ve been to, it was the best.
Clink Prison Museum: We didn’t go inside, but passed it on our way to the market. There was a skeleton inside a metal cage hanging above us in the alley we squeezed through.
St. Paul’s Cathedral: We climbed a set of stone steps and at the top the cathedral’s domed head emerged into view. It was a gigantic, white structure that didn’t look like the majority of other churches or cathedrals I have seen.
The Underground: We didn’t ride it, but we walked passed the entrances, which were few and far between.
We strolled along the Victoria Embankment, then brisk walked back down to catch the bus at 3:30pm.
~ Salma
Trip #4: Avebury and Stonehenge (England)
03 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in Study Abroad, Travel Tags: beauty, clouds, Harry Potter Bingo, Travel Writing, World Heritage Site
Avebury
That morning, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should wear my rain boots since the weather was looking up. But as soon as we got off the bus in Avebury, I was so happy with my decision to put them on. We were walking in mud all day.
Avebury is a circle of stones that isn’t as famous as Stonehenge. I didn’t know it existed myself before I signed up for the trip. Both sites are historical landmarks, yet very different. For one, the diameter of Avebury is huge, so huge people built a town in the middle. They had dug a trench around the whole area too. It was a very secretive place. There was something mystical about it because it was an awe-inspiring white pearl of land, its color caused by clay. Today, grass has carpeted the entire site.
The two largest boulders constituted the entrance, one of which was called the Devil’s Throne. None of the rocks were shaped by man, the way the ones at Stonehenge look like fish-sticks. They were all pegged into the earth, point down, rough and jagged and irregular.
We strolled around the small town, and the first place we went into was a barn that was turned into a history museum about Avebury. We also walked through a graveyard and went inside an Abbey. The door had a sign that said “Push Hard.” The irony made me laugh. Spirituality and religion aren’t things you can mosey into. They take time to understand, effort to internalize them and make them a part of your life. You do have to “push hard,” with any religion.
Chantal and I made another hit on Harry Potter Bingo. We dubbed a stone dovecote Hagrid’s Hut.
Beyond the stone circle and town was an endless stretch of green fields in all directions.
Stonehenge
After a 45 minutes bus ride, we arrived. I had dozed off, and woke up suddenly to people exclaiming, “It’s Stonehenge!”
The carved stones were grouped more closely together than I had expected. We were given audio guides and tromped the muddy circumference of the site as we listened to them. We weren’t allowed to touch the rocks as we were at Avebury.
Of course, there was a gift shop and a food stand. I drank hot chocolate for the first time since I’ve come abroad. It was delicious.
Here are facts I learned about Stonehenge:
- The name means “Hanging Stones”
- It had a religious purpose. Archeologists found the cracked skull of a 3 year old, which indicated that sacrifices were made there.
- It had astronomical significance. They used it to tell what time of the year it was, depending on which arch of stones the sun shined through.
- There were mounds around it, where the dead were buried.
- The rocks are an average of 13 feet tall.
- 1/3 of the rocks are underground
- The bluestones in the middle of the circle are from Wales.
- They used rafts to float them over water and rolling logs to travel them over land.
Honestly, I can’t remember much else. I was a bit underwhelmed. I think it’s because I’ve seen pictures of Stonehenge since I was in elementary school, and it looked exactly like all the National Geographic photographs. Actually, some photographs are even cooler because they are taken during sunrises, sunsets, meteor showers, or eclipses. The day we went was cloudy and cold.
It’s cool to have seen it in person, but it’s not like I’m going to go around saying, “Hi. I’m Salma. I’ve seen Stonehenge. What have you done?”
I think I was more fascinated with the clouds than the manmade wonder. I’m not being sarcastic. Hundreds pile upon each other in smooth, round scoops. On eye level, they are mountainous formations, sitting on the horizon as if they protrude from the ground and have watched over the land for centuries. They could be hiding an entire universe behind their backs, a world in each sloping valley of white. Above you, they are lofty palaces suspended in the sky. Because they are full and voluminous, they drift ever so slowly with an air of majesty. When we were driving back to the university, and the sky was all peach and plum and raspberry, I couldn’t stop staring. These are the skies you only see in Victorian paintings.
The sky was a glassy, blue mirror reflecting all the most magnificent snowy mountain ranges, as if to say, “Nothing you build will rival the Earth itself. Even a reflection of the land is more beautiful than what you’ve made.”
No wonder all the best artists and writers came from this side of the world. The sky and land are constant inspirations.
~ Salma
