What an amazing city! London is the perfect mash up of old and new. When you walk around you can find classic and gothic architecture right next to an all glass sky scraper. Our first day in London we went to the Tate Modern a collection of modern art that ranges from trippy to minimalist, to just plain weird. The art was also less censored than it is here in that artists use their bodies as part of their art, and not just in the form of paintings. One of the art pieces was a giant set of table and chairs (large enough for me to walk under without ducking) another was a door in the exhibition room that an artist had filled with dry layered bricks. The Andy Warhol room of the museum was hard to look at it was so bright, but it echoed the artists style really well. Another strange exhibit (one that I did not get at first) was a room that look liked an artists studio while he/she was in the middle of working. There were things everywhere. Pizza boxes, tools, buckets, wood, paintbrushes, cleaner. When I read the plaque I realized why it was a work of art: all of the pieces had been made from polyethene (sorry if thats wrong) foam to mimic the artists work space.
After the Tate we walked or should I say wandered around London for a few hours enjoying the scene. There are beautiful churches, incredible facades and buildings that now house stores and businesses, the red telephone booths that everyone expects to see, and the double decker busses. I also found it funny that at every crosswalk the ground is painted with the words ''look right' or ''look left' so that you know where to look before you cross the street. This was a huge help for us since we were still getting used to the driving on the wrong side of the street. One thing I noticed about walking around London is that it is very difficult to get lost. The city is built around the Thames on both side, find your way back to the river (which is connected to most major streets) and you've found your way back to wherever you need to go.
Our second day in London was a whirlwind of tourist attractions and adventures. We woke up early and got to the Tower of London before all of the tour groups arrived. We saw the crown jewels in the Jewel House, climbed the White Tower where there was an awesome exhibit on the armor and weapons used by Henry VIII and his court, and enjoyed the relative quiet of the compound. The Jewel House was more of a vault than a house, as you could imagine. There are knives, crowns, the royal ring and scepter and of course, the Grand Punch Bowl (I wish I were kidding about that but there really is a giant bowl and ladel in the vault called the Grand Punch Bowl). The exhibit featuring Henry VIII was funny because as Henry VIII got older his body changed and so did his armor. At every different suit of armor the description tags showed Henry VIII's measurements so you could tell the difference. There was also all of the armor for the horses (which looked very uncomfortable) as well as various weapons used in Henry's wars. Afterwards we walked towards Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben and the Parliment building.
There isn't really much to say about the palace. Its gorgeous but similar to the White House it is set far behind a gate and you can't go in. I enjoyed Westminster Abbey a lot more. It is a beatifully designed church in both architecture and decoration. It also the home of every royal birthday, wedding, coronation, and funeral. Kings, Queens, and other noblemen and women (including Oliver Cromwell which I thought was interesting) are buried in incredible monuments and tombs in the chapels and hallways of the Abbey. Although this may sound odd the tombs were beautiful. The time and effort that went into the design and building of these monuments is unimaginable. The colors, the details, and the way the effigies create such great likenesses of the people the tomb contains is incredible. In another section of the Abbey there is an altar with two monuments on either side. The intriguing thing about these monuments is that one is for Newton (who is buried in the Abbey) and the other is for Darwin. I saw that and couldn't help but wonder what a monument to Darwin was doing on a christian altar. I am really upset that I couldn't take pictures in the Abbey because I really wish you all could see it.
After the Abbey we walked across the street to Big Ben and the Parliment building. Its massive. The detail in the buildings architecture makes the building even more impressive. I felt so small standing next to it and even smaller when I tried to fit the whole thing into one camera frame and realized that I couldn't until I walked to the other side of the bridge. The security is also incredible
After our day of touring we stopped for Chinese food at a little restaurant about two doors down from our Hostel. We went inside to rest for a little bit, not really sure what we were gonna do at night, but planning on possibly going to Ministry of Sound, a recommended club in our area. I walked out of the room to call home because it'd been a couple of days when I ran into two other people sitting in the hallway on the phone (which is why I didn't talk for very long). I went inside and the two people in the hallway came too (don't worry, it was their room). Well it turns out the two people were guys from Switzerland, Daniel and Tony who had come to London for the weekend. They said they were going to Fabric ( http://www.fabriclondon.com/ )(another club) and that we should join them. We did, which was a great idea. The club spun live Drum and Bass which is actually a lot of fun. Its music I have never heard, but its neat if you can hear it on the website give it a shot.
I really enjoyed London and wished we could have spent more time there. We missed so much, but its ok because (earmuffs mom and dad) I am going to go back.
Next up: Amsterdam
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
London: Nathan
London. What a city! We left the Horwitzes in Reedham and took the train to London today. We got in about 1 pm and dropped our bags off at the hostel. The Tate Modern and Globe Theater were nearby so Jordan and I scoped those out. I learned I have to tell her when she's going the wrong direction or she'll keep walking straight until she sees a random open doorway or spiral staircase.
The Tate Modern hurt my head. There was an exhibit called 'Stutter' that reminded me of Churchill's marching band show: Symphonic Schizophrenia. The other big exhibits covered basically everything from Picasso on to now. Some of the works were interesting. There was a VW Bus with sleds coming out of it and survival equipment on the sleds. There was a cool work where the artist stapled a bunch of aluminum strips together and twisted them around. And there was a huge table. I could walk under it. Unfortunately, I couldn't climb on it or take a picture of it. You have to see it to believe it. Then there were the weird ones, ones that the artist had to be really famous to pull something like that off. One was a mirror. That's it, a mirror. Another was a canvas with a rip in it. If I were painting and I ripped my canvas, I'd say oops and get a new one. Apparently this guy is famous enough to pull it off. I definitely don't understand modern art.
We continued our wandering around London while staying near the Thames. We visited St. Paul's Cathedral and then continued down the street until we got to Fleet Street, location of Sweeney Todd's barbershop. I would have gotten a trim, but I was the kind of out-of-towner he's kill and turn into meat pies.
Learning from my previous experience earlier that day, I subtly directed us back toward the hostel and we basically made a big circle. We saw some good stuff today and will be going out later tonight.
Until next time.
P.S. I'm watching cricket and I think it's sinking in.
The Tate Modern hurt my head. There was an exhibit called 'Stutter' that reminded me of Churchill's marching band show: Symphonic Schizophrenia. The other big exhibits covered basically everything from Picasso on to now. Some of the works were interesting. There was a VW Bus with sleds coming out of it and survival equipment on the sleds. There was a cool work where the artist stapled a bunch of aluminum strips together and twisted them around. And there was a huge table. I could walk under it. Unfortunately, I couldn't climb on it or take a picture of it. You have to see it to believe it. Then there were the weird ones, ones that the artist had to be really famous to pull something like that off. One was a mirror. That's it, a mirror. Another was a canvas with a rip in it. If I were painting and I ripped my canvas, I'd say oops and get a new one. Apparently this guy is famous enough to pull it off. I definitely don't understand modern art.
We continued our wandering around London while staying near the Thames. We visited St. Paul's Cathedral and then continued down the street until we got to Fleet Street, location of Sweeney Todd's barbershop. I would have gotten a trim, but I was the kind of out-of-towner he's kill and turn into meat pies.
Learning from my previous experience earlier that day, I subtly directed us back toward the hostel and we basically made a big circle. We saw some good stuff today and will be going out later tonight.
Until next time.
P.S. I'm watching cricket and I think it's sinking in.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
British Airways, Norwich, and Reedham: Jordan
British Airways: Well, as far as the flight goes I can't really complain. As expected it was 8.5 hours long and aside from there being one or three to many little kids, the flight was relatively painless. Not to mention 8.5 hours is totally worth the 5 weeks we will be spending here.
Norwich: Was much better the second time around. Our first trip through Norwich was our attempt to find the train station from the bus station which ended up being half an hour (actually forty minutes if you consider we went the wrong direction first). Today we went to Norwich and it was incredible. The town has a castle and too many churches to count and architecture that has been around for a really long time. It very different than you see here. I love the idea of pedestrian streets though, it made for a really relaxing walk around. We also stopped at a church about 15 min. outside of Norwich which has an amazing view of the countryside (that is if you climb the 89 ridiculously steep and uneven steps, climb 2 ladders, and brave the wind), but let me tell you, the view was completely worth it. Its green all around and the houses have thatched roofs with either goats or horses in the backyard. Not to mention everything is green as far as the eye can see. After that we went into Acle (another village) to pick of Jack (Ann's son) and grab Indian food from a new take out (fine, take away) place called Acle Spice.
Reedham: Reedahm is about the smallest town I've ever seen, and also one of the prettiest. Everyone has gardens in front of their houses which are all brick and unique. You can walk in the middle of the street and not really run the risk of getting run over by a car (in fact, you probably won't even see one). After dinner at the Horowitz's house we went down to a pub called Lord Nelson's (which of course being the nerd I am made me think of that one chapter in Ulysses where we talked about Nelson's Pillar) where we listened as the owner sang folk music (along with a very upbeat version of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues) and drank guiness with black currant (something I highly recommend). It was a nice relaxing way to start our trip and the area is absolutely gorgeous which makes it even better. Our hosts have been absolutely incredible and have made this part of the trip all the more enjoyable.
Next stop... London
Norwich: Was much better the second time around. Our first trip through Norwich was our attempt to find the train station from the bus station which ended up being half an hour (actually forty minutes if you consider we went the wrong direction first). Today we went to Norwich and it was incredible. The town has a castle and too many churches to count and architecture that has been around for a really long time. It very different than you see here. I love the idea of pedestrian streets though, it made for a really relaxing walk around. We also stopped at a church about 15 min. outside of Norwich which has an amazing view of the countryside (that is if you climb the 89 ridiculously steep and uneven steps, climb 2 ladders, and brave the wind), but let me tell you, the view was completely worth it. Its green all around and the houses have thatched roofs with either goats or horses in the backyard. Not to mention everything is green as far as the eye can see. After that we went into Acle (another village) to pick of Jack (Ann's son) and grab Indian food from a new take out (fine, take away) place called Acle Spice.
Reedham: Reedahm is about the smallest town I've ever seen, and also one of the prettiest. Everyone has gardens in front of their houses which are all brick and unique. You can walk in the middle of the street and not really run the risk of getting run over by a car (in fact, you probably won't even see one). After dinner at the Horowitz's house we went down to a pub called Lord Nelson's (which of course being the nerd I am made me think of that one chapter in Ulysses where we talked about Nelson's Pillar) where we listened as the owner sang folk music (along with a very upbeat version of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues) and drank guiness with black currant (something I highly recommend). It was a nice relaxing way to start our trip and the area is absolutely gorgeous which makes it even better. Our hosts have been absolutely incredible and have made this part of the trip all the more enjoyable.
Next stop... London
Metric vs. English
Nathan:
So it took me awhile to figure it out, but Britain is still on the English system. Their speeds are mph, measurements in feet and inches, so yeah. It also still throws me that the drivers sit on the right and drive on the left. "Shotgun!" takes on a whole new meaning here.
So it took me awhile to figure it out, but Britain is still on the English system. Their speeds are mph, measurements in feet and inches, so yeah. It also still throws me that the drivers sit on the right and drive on the left. "Shotgun!" takes on a whole new meaning here.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Day One
Nathan:
Day one actually encompasses two days. Jordan and I left Houston at approximately 8 pm on Monday, June 15th and arrived in London at 11 am on Tuesday, June 16th. It took a 9 hour flight and 6 hours of time zones, but we were finally in Europe. I was quite honestly amazed at how quickly we breezed through security in Houston and customs in London, but I'm definitely not complaining.
From London, we immediately boarded a bus for Norwich, England, a 3 hour drive east from Heathrow. Our host family actually lives about 20 minutes outside of Norwich in Reedham, so we walked from the bus station to the train station. We arrived in Reedham and were greeted by Mrs. Horwitz. She drove us to her nice little house and introduced us to her sons Jack and Sam. We all talked and got to know each other over a nice dinner, my first sit-down meal since Sunday night. Anyway, it's getting late, I'm tired from traveling, and I smell like a plane + a bus + a train. But I can fix that tomorrow morning. G'night y'all from Reedham, England.
P.S. Jordan will be gaining access rights to the blog to post her own stuff shortly, probably tomorrow.
Day one actually encompasses two days. Jordan and I left Houston at approximately 8 pm on Monday, June 15th and arrived in London at 11 am on Tuesday, June 16th. It took a 9 hour flight and 6 hours of time zones, but we were finally in Europe. I was quite honestly amazed at how quickly we breezed through security in Houston and customs in London, but I'm definitely not complaining.
From London, we immediately boarded a bus for Norwich, England, a 3 hour drive east from Heathrow. Our host family actually lives about 20 minutes outside of Norwich in Reedham, so we walked from the bus station to the train station. We arrived in Reedham and were greeted by Mrs. Horwitz. She drove us to her nice little house and introduced us to her sons Jack and Sam. We all talked and got to know each other over a nice dinner, my first sit-down meal since Sunday night. Anyway, it's getting late, I'm tired from traveling, and I smell like a plane + a bus + a train. But I can fix that tomorrow morning. G'night y'all from Reedham, England.
P.S. Jordan will be gaining access rights to the blog to post her own stuff shortly, probably tomorrow.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Last Supper
So today is my last full day stateside. I'm making final preparations for the trip, basically collecting papers, packing stuff I won't need today, and a couple other things.
We still have some days where we don't know exactly what's happening. Something involves Switzerland and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (go watch the rap on Youtube!) and another involves Jordan and me splitting up so I can go watch some bulls gore drunken idiots in Pamplona, Spain.
That's it for now. First stop, Heathrow and after gathering our luggage, we'll head to Norwich to stay with a member of the Katims family.
We still have some days where we don't know exactly what's happening. Something involves Switzerland and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (go watch the rap on Youtube!) and another involves Jordan and me splitting up so I can go watch some bulls gore drunken idiots in Pamplona, Spain.
That's it for now. First stop, Heathrow and after gathering our luggage, we'll head to Norwich to stay with a member of the Katims family.
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