Tabor College European Seminar Journal

We stayed in London 5 days, making it the longest stop of any city. Given the number of things to do and see, however, the length of time was very nice.

From upper left: City of London, Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Tower of London (Wikipedia photo)

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Sunday we were able to attend St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is a high Anglican church. The Cathedral is huge and has wonderful acoustics, so being there for an actual service was a great experience. One thing I noticed immediately upon entering the church was that nearly every one else flooding into the church was also a tourist. I do not think I have ever been to a “tourist” church before so that was an interesting aspect of the service. Most people were reverent and respectful before the service and many seemed familiar with the order of service, but there was no sense of community within the church. One of my favorite parts of visiting other churches is getting a sense of the community among the members of the church so I was not able to experience that aspect of the service. Other than that, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the service. Anglicans allow any baptized Christian to participate in Communion, so those of us who chose to were able to participate in Communion with believers from around the world. I was very thankful for that experience.

The British Museum

The British Museum has almost a dizzying array of artifacts and displays. Because of its dominance in the 19th century, Britain was able to obtain countless artifacts at a “fair price”. This created a museum that is incredibly extensive. The museum is also free so there were a lot of people there. The museum also offered free 30 minute tours of specific areas of the museum that were very informative and helped me to enjoy my time there. I realized throughout the trip that I enjoy museums more when there is a storyline that I can follow. The one tour I took helped me to understand the story and connection behind the exhibits in the Enlightenment room. One interesting thing I learned about the museum is that it started as more of a natural science and history museum with artifacts donated by individuals. This means that it has been a “people’s” museum since it inception and has never been owned by the Royal Family. The tour guide seemed to imply that that makes the museum somewhat unique.

ROME TO LONDON TO DALLAS TO WICHITA

We awoke at the crack of dawn, herded our luggage together, and boarded a bus bound for the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport outside of Rome. The two-hour flight to London passed without incident, only reflections of the past trip.

After our layover in the familiar Heathrow Airport in London, we hopped on board the 11-hour flight to Dallas against the jet stream.  I passed the time by reading and trying to get multiple Cokes from flight attendants every time the drink carts went by the middle aisle to pass out drinks.  If I timed it right, I could get a Coke from the drink cart on one side of me and drink it by the time the drink cart on the other side arrived, thus ensuring that I would get another one.

We arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with tired eyes and bored legs.  The thought of being back in the states but not yet being home was difficult.  After a two-hour layover, we took the one-hour flight to the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.

My family waited to greet me.  It was great to see them.  We had finally made it back.  My three-hour drive to Topeka with my parents passed like nothing.  Though part of me missed Europe, it was good to be back home.

REFLECTIONS

I really enjoyed my international experience on this trip.  It also helped me appreciate some things that I previously took for granted in the United States of America.  However, it worked the other way too.  The trip revealed some things in other countries that I liked better than in America.  Food, transportation, people, sites, history, and architecture were some of the objects of comparison for me.

I liked being able to converse with the people of the countries we visited.  I was also able to get a taste of the cultures of the people groups living in these countries.  It definitely was a good thing for me to see how other people go about their daily lives on the other side of the world.

I really enjoyed London, probably the most out of all the cities we visited.  The shared language helped, no doubt, but I appreciated the structure, organization, and cleanliness of the city.  There was so much to do in there.  Of all the cities we saw, it was basically the only one in which I felt like I missed out on seeing some really cool sites that were on my to-see list.  I realize that I missed some amazing places in other cities as well, but London seemed to have an abundance of good locations to see that I missed.

Paris was interesting.  My first impressions held it to be dirty and rude, but over the four days we were there, my opinion shifted somewhat.  I saw that, though there was a dirty/rude side to Paris, there was also a clean/cosmopolitan/friendly part of the city.

Zurich was clan, affluent, and beautiful.  The stone buildings, the river, the swans, and the rain will leave a lasting impression in my mind.

Munich was highly cultured and sometimes this culture seemed to focus on beer.  However, that’s not one of the images for which I’ll remember the city most.  The old buildings and churches, the harsh-sounding language, the snow, and Dachau stick out in my memory.

Venice was a romantic place with its canals, gondola rides, blown Murano glass, and picturesque city squares.  It was perhaps the most tourism-oriented of the cities we saw.  This fact made it very user-friendly for us.  The ubiquitous canals in the city are a unique feature that I will probably never see anywhere else, so it will be easy to single out my Venetian memories.

Rome was full of ancient ruins, fountains, and the ever-present pillars and columns.  The sunshine and warm temperatures on our free day there will make Rome a bright spot in my mind.

Above and beyond the shallow impressions of each of the cities we visited, the interactions I had with the people going on the trip with me and the people from the cities we visited will remain with me the longest.  It was a great experience, and one I will never forget.

BRITISH LIBRARY

Another delicious Mowbray Court Hotel breakfast greeted us in the morning.  I packed a clementine and a crescent roll for later and headed out to spend my free day.  A small group of us went to the British Library to begin the sightseeing.  Here we were able to see such momentous documents as the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible, and some of Shakespeare’s manuscripts.

Jenae and Zac in front of the British Library

WESTFIELD

We departed to the Tube to go to the second-largest shopping mall in all of Europe: Westfield.  The 4-story plus building was enormous and was home to a large number of well-known stores.  Though I was separated from my friends for an hour, I had fun wandering around the gigantic building.  I even stopped at a Mac store and checked my e-mail.  As you will find out if you continue reading, I also had a great conversation with a random Londoner while sitting in one of the mall’s lounges.

THE BUCK AND BRIDGES

Following the European shopping experience, the group took the Tube to Buckingham Palace to take some pictures that we weren’t able to capture on the previous day.  The royal residence thoroughly captured by our cameras, we walked through St. James’s Park to another Underground station.

Jenae and Stephanie in front of Buckingham Palace

We headed off to the less-than-spectacular London Bridge.  The more aesthetically pleasing Tower Bridge glistened off in the distance over the river and we decided to walk to a third bridge that we thought was nearby.  We meandered through the London streets for what seemed like quite a long time, finally coming to the beautiful Millenium Bridge.  Despite the energy-draining quality of the long walk, it allowed us to see a side of London that we had not yet seen.  The big dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral stood out clearly from the dark sky as we stood on the Millenium Bridge.

SAME NAME AND TASTE, DIFFERENT COUNTRY

We took the oft-utilized Tube to Covent Gardens to enjoy some street performers’ productions and look for a place to eat.  The Gardens area was very nice, but our hungry stomachs, empty wallets, and high prices prevented us from staying there to eat.  Having worked up quite the appetites, we decided to go where food is abundant, somewhat tasty, and cheap.  You guessed it: McDonald’s!  I hastily consumed a carton of fries and two double cheeseburgers without batting an eze.

SHOPPING AND LAST NIGHT FUN

In the aftermath of the meal destruction, we wandered around Leicester Square’s souvenir shops looking for bargains.  I bought a British flag and a Manchester United futbol jersey.  Having become quite accustomed to the Tube (and the navigation mistakes that we made on it), Jenae, Zac, and I decided to ride a double-decker bus around for our last night on the town.  We were having a great time sightseeing and cruising when all of the sudden the bus was empty and the bus driver was yelling up at us.  After two prior attempts, we finally realized that the bus driver had been yelling, “Last stop!”  We hurried down the stairs and I apologized in a British accent for not hearing sooner.  I think she bought it, but I can’t be too sure.  We went back to old faithful(ish) and Tubed back to the hotel.  I went to an Internet Cafe and spent 1.5 pounds for an hour of Internet time and then headed back to the hotel to get some shut-eye.

The train station in London

REFLECTIONS

My favorite part of the day and best cross-cultural experience yet occurred at the Westfield Mall.  I was sitting in a chair in one of the mall’s lounges when an older gentleman came and sat down close enough to say hi.  I returned his greeting and began talking with him a bit.  By the end of the conversation, I had made my best London friend yet, we had talked for a good half of an hour, and I felt that I understood the English culture and people much better than before.  We talked about World War II (he vividly remembered the Blitz on London), English and American politics (he disliked Prime Minister Brown), avoiding thievery in Rome, his trip to America (he loved the Grand Canyon), family, and the upcoming Olympics in London in 2012.  It was a great conversation and the highlight of my limited interaction with Londoners.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, WESTMINSTER ABBEY

After enjoying another hot English breakfast, the group ventured to the Tube to speed over to the Houses of Parliament (aka the Palace of Westminster).  The House of Commons and the House of Lords stood very stately in their positions overlooking the Thames River from the Parliament building.  The seat of government of the United Kingdom, the Parliament building was built in a neo-Gothic style with noticeably pointed towers.

The Eye of London across the Thames River

The nearby Westminster Abbey, the current site of the coronation of the kings/queens of England and the burial site of many noteworthy individuals, was another photographic target for our snappy-happy group of American tourists.  (Count me in as one of the ones snapping my camera at opportune moments).  It was an amazing-looking building, another in the long line of impressive ones in London.

Part of the group and I in front of Westminster Abbey

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

We later saw the changing of the guard at the Horse Guard Parade Grounds.  The stone-still guards were a page right out of London lore.

We walked along a pond at St. James’s Park and enjoyed the accompanying wildlife on the way to Buckingham Palace, the present home of English royalty (the reigning monarch is currently Queen Elizabeth II).  Fortunately, we were able to see the changing of the guard at the Buck as well.  With the Union Jack (British flag) waving atop the flagpole on top of Buckingham, the soldiers marched out to the rhythmic beat of drums, trumpets, and other band instruments.  After the military band finished playing and the guard had been switched, so to speak, we walked to the Tube to go to the Tower of London.  On our way, we were able to walk by 10 Downing Street, the home of the British Prime Minister (currently Gordon Brown).

THE TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London, a castle on the Thames River built by William the Conqueror and added to in later years by other English monarchs, was an impressive site to see.  The location of many political executions and torturings, the Tower’s history and character made it that much more enjoyable to experience.  The Tower yeoman warders (commonly called “beefeaters”) took us on a tour of the fortress.  We explored the castle palace, chapel, and original White Tower constructed by William for defense of the London area.  In our touring of the complex, we talked to a supposed English monk, a legitimate tower security guard, and a couple of Americans from Colorado and Utah (a welcome site after hearing a lot of British accents over the last couple of days).  I enjoyed getting to see the armaments located in the White Tower.  Its guns, swords, helmets, gauntlets, and cannons made me wish for a bit of target practice in the courtyard range.

View from the Tower of London of the Tower Bridge over the Thames River

The world-renowned crown jewels of the United Kingdom were also available for our viewing pleasure.  The extravagant platinum, solid gold, and cut diamonds of the royal crowns, orbs, and scepters were quite impressive.  It made me think of the movie Ernest Rides Again, in which the most excellent Ernest P. Worrell wore the crown jewels upon his kingly brow.  That is, the crown jewels were great…

WICKED

Moving on…  A group of us went to eat at a bagel shop in the entertainment district.  I, again, had fish & chips and a Coke.  Tessa, Julia, Jenae, Zac, and I then Tubed to the Apollo-Victoria Theater to watch “Wicked,” a musical portraying a different side to the Wizard of Oz story that Kansans know so well.  The singer-actors did a wonderful job and I truly enjoyed the theatrical presentation, storyline, stage setup, and special effects.  The lead character had a beautiful voice and the supportings characters were no slouches either.

FREE RIDE

After the musical, we decided on a whim to ride one of the famous London double-decker buses.  We sat on the top level (of course) and were somewhat frightened every time the bus drove by a car or pedestrian, thinking that we would hit them.  However, the skill of the bus driver and the optical illusion created by the extended second level made us realize that we would most likely avoid any major collisions.  However, we barely made it back to the Underground and to the Hotel before the Tube began its nightly shutdown.

REFLECTIONS

Some of the more interesting cultural experiences of my day simply involved engaging the English people (and others) in discussion.  A group of us talked to a worker pretending to be a Medieval monk at the Tower of London.  He was never short on jokes.  He told us to bring the “king” a monkey as a present and not to feed elephants red wine because you might kill them prematurely.  It was quite the educational experience.  Another worker at the Tower, a security guard, talked to a group of us about our trip as we were browsing through the nooks and crannies of the Tower.  These people, and others, were quite friendly and opened up another aspect of London that had previously been lacking in our American eyes.

Before we had dinner, I asked a random gentleman walking by to recommend a good dining establishment in the area.  After we had talked for a bit, he told me that he was from California.  Hearing my response to his inquiries about my hometown (Topeka, Kansas), he told me that his wife was from Topeka also!  A completely random guy… but the story gets better: he told me that his wife’s parents live on the same exact street as my grandparents in Topeka!  Our conversation revealed that it truly is a small world after all.  Who needs six degrees of separation when you can have just one?

I woke up to the smell of four guys living in one hotel room. Had I been a few rooms over, the olfactory sensors in my nose would have been able to detect the scent of a full English breakfast. After getting ready for my day, I indulged in some toast, cereal, fruit, and hot cocoa, thoroughly enjoying the meal that was to be the largest of my day.

ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, ANGLICAN CHURCH SERVICE

Under the leadership of Dr. Kyle, the group headed over to St. Paul’s Cathedral on the east side of London. We browsed the beauty of the Anglican Church from the outside, peering up at its picturesque Renaissance-style dome. The interior was equally amazing, its partially Baroque-style interior begging us to take pictures while the church attendants implored us to refrain. The crypt in the basement held the physical remains of some of the most famous of people to grace the streets and fields of England. I used some of my down time (while we were waiting for the Sunday service to begin) to buy some postcards in the gift shop in the basement to send back to family and friends.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

The Anglican service was highly liturgical and involved a lot of church member participation through responsive readings, songs, and communion. The sermon was about the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist and how that applies to our lives today. I participated in the Eucharist by taking from the bread and the cup offered by the deacons and the Bishop of London. I did my best to follow along with the choir (comprised of both boys and adult men) in the singing, despite the different style of worship and British accent. Overall, the service was highly educational and even somewhat inspiring.

HYDE PARK ‘SPEAKERS’ CORNER’

We took the Tube to Hyde Park, which is famous for the Speakers’ Corner where the freedom of free speech transforms from an idealistic human goal to in-your-face reality. On this day, there was a large amount of people gathered for a pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel/save Gaza rally. A speaker shouted his views about the precarious situation in the Middle East and people yelled back their support. The rally-goers were mostly Muslim, with the men standing in the front and the women in back. The scene was exciting and interesting to witness firsthand.

Protesters at Speakers’ Corner

A small group of us had a quick lunch at the McDonald’s across the street. It served food very similar to the American Mickey D’s to which I am familiar. I bought a few souvenirs at one of the many souvenir shops in the area, many of which were nearly identical.

BRITISH MUSEUM

At our scheduled meeting time, I joined up with the big group, which Dr. Kyle led to the Tube to ride to the world-renowned British Museum. The admission-free museum held an enormous collection of statues, busts, books, figurines, weapons, armor, paintings, structures, and artifacts from the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations to the modern United Kingdom. It was quite the historical spectacle to behold.

Me at the British Museum

When the museum closed and my camera began panting and sweating due to the workout I put it through, a small group of us (Andrew Pankratz, Zac Remboldt, Tessa Siebert, Julia Carlton, Jenae Pauls, Stephanie Friesen, Katie Chlumsky, and I) decided to take the Underground over to the Eye of London for our free evening. The Eye of London is a massive observation ferris wheel from which a person (usually a tourist) can see the skyline of London and many of its most famous landmarks. Sadly, we discovered that the Eye was closed for “annual maintenance” on this evening, and every other evening on the 4 days of the entire year that we were to be in London. It was a disappointment.

Not to be discouraged, we walked around the area looking for a place to eat. After turning down a few options due to high prices, we settled on Cucino’s Italian Restaurant. I ordered a ham & cheese panini. It was delicious and somewhat affordable as well, so I was pleased. Figuring out how to cover the tab and make change was a challenge in the group of eight (they refused to put each person’s order onto a separate receipt).

THAMES RIVER, PARLIAMENT AND BIG BEN

We walked the bank of the Thames River, gazing at the Parliament building and Big Ben on the skyline.  The visual sight was about as epic as the historical site.  After taking a few pictures across the river, we headed back over to the entertainment district.

LATE NIGHT SHENANIGANS

We decided to do some price comparisons on theater tickets in the Leicester Square area.  Having found some good seats at a decentish price, Tessa, Julia, Jenae, Zac, and I bought tickets to go see “Wicked” in a London Theater for the following night.

Despite getting lost on the Tube for a while, we eventually found the right stop to see the Tower of London against the night sky.  The famous London castle looked ominous against the night sky.  Not wanting to get stuck without a ride home (the Tube starts shutting down around 11 p.m. on weeknights), we took the Tube back to the hotel just before 11 p.m.  After swapping stories with my roommates, I settled into bed for another too-short night of sleep.

Reflections

One thing I noticed particularly about London, aside from the amazing historical and architectural sites, was the multiculturalism.  So many different colors, languages, cultures, and homelands collide (and mix) in the city.  In Kansas, the hugely predominant language is English and essentially the only color skin you see is white.  In London, I heard English, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Japanese, etc…  The faces I saw were black, brown, tan, peach, white, etc…  I appreciated this aspect of London.

(Editor’s note: I’m not doing the greatest job of keeping up on my blog here.  The Internet is slow, somewhat sketchy as to the reliability of U.S. sites, and not very cost effective in some cities.  I haven’t been able to use Flickr because paying for an Internet connection on a public computer here doesn’t ensure the use of document functions for uploading pictures.  The only reason I was even able to change the header picture was because Whitney Allen let me borrow her computer for the night (thanks, Whitney!).  Sorry!).

Despite the acute insomnia and minor fits of turbulence, the flight to London, England was fairly uneventful until it was time to land. Once we had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot made the announcement that “ice fog” was covering the city and there would be a delay before we could land and exit the plane.

The delay, which lasted for two hours, set us back a bit in our schedule of events. However, we were informed by Dr. Kyle, the group leader, that we could compensate for the delay on following days. That issue cleared up, we arrived at Heathrow Airport in London surrounded by a foggy, cloudy mist.

After showing my passport to the proper officials and picking up my luggage (none of which was lost), I stepped into London, England and Europe for the first time. I and the rest of the group exchanged our American dollars for British pounds. Dr. Kyle told us the station at which we should be getting off the Underground (as the Londoners call their subway) and we took off down the “Tube” (another London name for it) at a high rate of travel. Jam-packed full of people and luggage, the speeding subterranean vehicle showed me my first glimpses of the city. Though I didn’t see any buildings I recognized from pictures, I did see some snow on the ground and some seemingly typical apartment complexes.

Upon arriving at Earl’s Court Station and walking to the Mowbray Court Hotel, our accommodations for London, I discovered that my roommates in Room 1 at the hotel would be Marcus Manny, Andrew Pankratz, and Zac Remboldt. Though our room was a bit small for four people, it was nice and had a working toilet and shower, so we couldn’t complain.

My roommates and I walked a few blocks away to grab a quick lunch at the Baker’s Oven and experienced using British currency for the first time. I counted my change, just to make sure they didn’t try to swindle the silly American tourists. Dr. Kyle then led the entire group to the entertainment district, consisting primarily of Covent Gardens, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square. We checked out the prospects for our London night lives and listened to Doc tell us about the area.

NATIONAL GALLERY AND TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Dr. Kyle took us to the National Gallery, a free art museum containing paintings by Rembrandt, Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo (I couldn’t find the fourth Ninja Turtle’s paintings), and others. Though I was not able to see the entire gallery (it was massive!), I did see a number of beautiful paintings and enjoyed the atmosphere.

The National Gallery

Due to the fact that Trafalgar Square was right outside the gallery, Jenae Pauls, Zac Remboldt, Andrew Pankratz, and I wandered around the plaza taking pictures. The square was a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson, the commander of the British ships that defeated Napoleon’s fleet in the early 19th century. We walked around the cold and people-filled streets of London, snapping pictures of the Horse Guard Parade Grounds, red taxis, and double-decker busses. We eventually ate at Mermaid’s Tail, a local fine-dining restaurant in the entertainment district. I enjoyed my first plate of London’s famous fish and chips.

Jenae and I in front of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square

The Lion and I hanging out in Trafalgar Square

To cap off the night, we saw a shoplifter being chased by two men out in the street. We thought about helping in the pursuit, but our legs were tired after a long day of walking and we did not want to get in a fight on our first day in London.

Having exhausted all of our energy, we returned to the Tube and meandered back to the hotel for some much-needed rest.

My journey to Europe began with a trip to the Wichita Mid-Continental Airport in Wichita, Ks on January 9 (my 21st birthday). After checking in our bags and getting ready to board the plane, the group was informed that we would have to take our first and only test over the notes that we had studied over Christmas break. Thus, the quick flight from Wichita to the DFW Airport in Dallas, Tx was more significant than it sounds at first. Speaking of first, not only did I have to take our first (and last) test during the flight, but it was my first time to fly on a commercial airline. Thus, my “flight log” was spent answering a question, then looking out the window in awe, then taking a swig of the Coca-Cola I was given, and then repeating the cycle until both the test and the Coke were gone and the awe had worn off slightly.

The DFW airport was huge! It was filled with shops, restaurants, benches, and massage chairs. In fact, it reminded me of a big mall without the sales taxes (international space) and with the prices compensating for the lack of sales taxes with higher costs.

Prior to flying out of DFW and on to our first stop on the Europe trip, I met a geology professor from the University of New Mexico who was on his way to a geology conference in Scotland. It was quite interesting to talk to a complete stranger about his vacation plans and to see how the pursuits of higher learning can coincide in such a random meeting.

After boarding the plane, being served a meal, listening to some music, and watching part of a movie, I realized that sleeping on the plane was going to be hard to do. Nearly impossible, in fact. I spent the remaining hours of the first day of the 21st year of my life receiving a few timely presents and trying to nod off to sleep, eventually getting about an hour overall.