Even though our last day was mostly unscheduled, I spent most of my last day in London finishing up school work. We ended our trip with a class dinner at an Indian Restaurant in Brick Lane. Although I had no idea what most of the items on the menu were, I really liked the meal that I ordered. Right before we left the restaurant some of my classmates serenaded the Professor with a spirited rendition of Jimmy Mack (originally by Martha and the Vandellas). I think everybody had a good time.
5/27/15 Twinings
We spent the morning at a tea tasting at the Twinings shop in London, which was really fun. We tried six different types of tea including white tea, green tea, yellow tea, black tea, oolong tea, and puer tea. The tea was brewed in a mug and then poured into a bowl. To properly taste the tea we had to take note of the smell, appearance, taste, mouth feel, and aftertaste. In order to taste the tea, we scooped the tea out of the communal bowl with a spoon and then we slurped (the louder the slurp the better) it from the spoon. Everybody had a lot of fun and we had the opportunity to buy some Twinings tea after the tasting.
After that, we visited the Albert Memorial and the Victoria & Albert Museum. The memorial was extravagant and gigantic. Unfortunately we only had time to see a small portion of the V & A museum. We ended our day by eating, the tradition British food, fish & chips.
The tea tasting at Twinings.
Posing in front of the Albert Memorial.
Albert Memorial.
5/26/15 Canary Wharf
In the afternoon we went to Canary Wharf and visited the Museum of London Docklands. This museum was built in an old warehouse building. The museum was interesting but it paled in comparison to most of the other museums that we visited.
5/25/15 Chelsea Physic Garden
We started our day in the Chelsea Physic Garden which was small but diverse. The garden was originally created in 1673 in order to train future apothecaries in the art of plant identification. The garden was opened up to the public in 1983 and now visitors can come explore the collection of natural medicine/remedy plants that the Chelsea Physic Garden has to offer. The garden was fun but much smaller in comparison to Kew Gardens.
We spent our afternoon on a tea and coffee walk in the City of London. During this walk we saw some of the old warehouses, original coffee shops, and much more. Along with learning about the historical buildings, we also saw some of the newer buildings including the Gherkin Building (30 St Mary Axe), Lloyd’s of London (1 Lime St), and the “Walkie-Talkie” Building (20 Fenchurch Street). Apparently the Walkie-Talkie Building used to melt cars accidentally due to its concave shape. If you want to find out more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675 .
Chelsea Physic Garden.
5/24/15 St. Paul’s Cathedral
I began my day by attending the Choral Mattins service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The service was nice and the inside of the cathedral was incredibly ornate and beautiful. After that I strolled through the Camden Market which is a cute combination of food stands, craft stands, and clothes stands. I bought some lunch and some bracelets while I was there. Then I visited some more museums including the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.
The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The Giant Ground Sloth at the Natural History Museum.
5/23/15 Globe Theater
We started the day off by going to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing the Guard Ceremony. The actual ceremony was not that exciting except that the marching band played Thriller (or at least something that sounded very similar to Thriller) at one point which was hilarious. After that we went to the Globe Theater to watch Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It. And I must say, I did like it. The cast did a marvelous job of portraying their characters in a funny and unique way.
Waiting for the play to start at Globe Theater.
5/21/15 & 5/22/15 Art & Architecture
For both Thursday and Friday I spent the morning in class and the afternoon at the British Library researching for my paper. Once I finished all my schoolwork I had the chance to explore London! On Thursday I went and saw the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. I really enjoyed the Houses of Parliament which were extremely grandiose and awe-inspiring.
On Friday I started with the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. From there I went to Tate Modern (a modern art museum) which I really enjoyed. Two of the displayed works really struck a chord with me. The first was a documentary called Blindly which shows scenes from painting workshops with visually impaired participants. The film showed some participants who were born blind and some who lost their sight due to an accident or condition. These participants were asked to paint self portraits and pictures of animals. It was interesting to see how they viewed the world while not being able to see. If you want to learn more: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/artur-zmijewski. The other work of art that I really enjoyed was called Tree of 12 Metres by Giuseppe Penone (see picture below). Penone carved industrially produced sticks of timber while following the natural knots and rings of the wood. This technique exposes what the tree looked like when it was much younger and smaller. If you want to learn more: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/giuseppe-penone-1754.
On my way back from the Tate Modern museum, I stopped by the Tower Bridge. I really enjoyed standing on the bridge and looking over the Thames. Even though the Tower Bridge is in the middle of a very busy city, I found it to be quite relaxing and serene.
Big Ben & the London Eye.
Posing in front of Westminster Abbey.
Tree of 12 Metres by Giuseppe Penone.
Tower Bridge at night.
3/20/15 Liverpool
We spent the day exploring Liverpool. We started at the National Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. I found the Slavery Museum to be unique and powerful. Growing up in Illinois, I’m very used to the American perspective on slavery and how slavery affected American history. The thing I liked about this museum was that it offered the historical perspective from many countries.
After that emotionally striking museum, we visited a very different type of museum: the Beatles Museum. This museum did a good job of conveying the importance and overwhelming popularity of the Beatles. On our way back to the train station we stopped by the Cavern Pub where many popular bands, including the Beatles, have performed (and still do). Our trip to Liverpool was fun and packed full of activities but it was not nearly long enough to fully appreciate the city.
A mural in the Beatles Museum.
3/19/15 Kew Garden
We spent the day exploring Kew Garden. First we received a tour of the gardens available to the public and then we received a tour of the economic botany collection. Kew Garden reminded me of a combination of Garfield Park Conservatory, Morton Arboretum, and the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
Kew Garden.
3/18/15 Regent’s Park
After class and research in the British Library, I set off on my own to explore Regent’s Park. On my way there I stopped at 221b Baker Street (aka the Sherlock Holmes Museum) because I am a big fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The gift shop was fun but I felt like the museum was underwhelming. Maybe I just have a hard time appreciating a museum for a fictional character. I much prefer museums displaying artifacts with historical relevance.
After the slightly disappointing Sherlock Holmes Museum, I walked through Regent’s Park which is beautiful and filled with extraordinary water fowl. After researching why Regent’s park has such a large population of waterfowl, I discovered that the park has an ornamental waterfowl collection containing more the 90 species of birds. They collect the bird’s eggs, place them in a hatchery, and once born they trade them with other parks to prevent inbreeding. I’m not sure how they manage to keep all those birds from leaving the park, but they definitely make the park special.
221b Baker Street.
Water fowl in Regent’s Park.
Glorious Regent’s Park.
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