Sunday, May 29, 2011

Westminster Cathedral

After being up too late last night (ok, not TOO late, but later...), I relished the opportunity to sleep in this morning and relax after I woke up. I finished my blog post from Saturday, and spent the rest of the early afternoon working on classwork  or relaxing.

Around 5:30, Jen and I headed to Westminster Cathedral, to catch the evening mass at 7. Now, most people know about Westminster Abbey, but Westminster Cathedral is also an amazing sight to behold.

Nestled in between several city buildings, the cathedral doesn't drawn near the crowd the Abbey does, which was relatively nice for a tourist who doesn't like big crowds (like me!)

I didn't take pictures inside the cathedral, both out of respect for those who came to pray, and so I didn't appear to be a crazy tourist. But, I did some research on the internet and picked out a couple pictures that show how magnificent the cathedral is on the interior.
 The seating within the church is incredible and expansive.
 These pictures don't do the cathedral justice, especially since they're a little blurry.
It's difficult to describe the awesome power of the cathedral. The ceilings are incredibly tall, and the small chapels to both sides are beautiful and serene. I'm having trouble coming up with ways to describe how spectacular and splendid the entire experience was.

The mass was also a very unique experience. Instead of singing, the entire mass was spoken, and a couple parts were said in Latin, but what amazed me throughout the service was the constant echo. At first it was extremely distracting, but after a little while, my ears grew more accustomed to it and it was not near as distracting. I would love to come back to hear a mass that is sung, as I'm sure the sounds would be interesting and beautiful to hear.

The cathedral is definitely on the list to visit with Mom, so get ready Mommy dearest!
Last night, Jen, Alex, and I all decided to check out Buckingham Palace in time to see the changing of the guard. We got up a little early for a Saturday and caught the tube to the closest stop. When we got close to the palace, we realized something was going on. 
 Instead of being allowed outside the gates, the entire street was sectioned off, and policemen were patrolling the line. Since none of us, including those around us whom we asked, had any idea what was going to happen, we were all on high alert for whatever was going to next. 

Normally, the changing of the guard is at 11:30, but by 12:00, we were still waiting for the big event. So I took pictures of two finely dressed gentlemen with tophats who stopped to talk to a couple mounted guards.
There were also several cars that came and went rather quickly, and with motorcycle escorts, so needless to say, I had to take some stalker pictures....
both of cars....
and people!
At 12:15, our first sign of movement were six guards marching out of the the palace.
They arranged themselves strategically in front of the palace, with three guards flaking each side of a small podium located centrally in front.
There were several empty carriages that came and entered the palace grounds quickly. I know because I took about a million stalker pictures to see if anyone was inside.
Soon, we heard the sounds of a band approaching from the distance, and around the bend came several dozen mounted soldiers.
This first group of mounted men were soon followed by several entire regiments! I was completely in awe of during the entire procession.
All the while, a select group stayed mounted and still in the center of the circle.
In addition to mounted militia, there were also soldiers marching on foot.
They were quite impressive dressed in the entire formal uniforms, with their huge furry hats.
After both mounted and unmounted military members had left the circle, the original guards lefts their posts from in front of the Palace. The crowd started to disperse at this point, so I was able to move a little closer to the front.
Some of the higher ranking officials (or those I would I would assume were higher ranking officers) still remained outside of the palace gates as the procession concluded.
Before long, the public was allowed to approach the gates of the palace to see the actual changing of the guard, though it was somewhat delayed and shortened.
The palace is truly remarkable though, and provided a beautiful backdrop to our walk.
On our walk away from the Palace, we headed down an wide Avenue, which was lined with flags flying for whatever occasion we had just witnessed. I really liked the top of the flagpoles, which we decorated with crowns
We walked through these gates to reach Trafalgar Square on our way home.
Once we got to Trafalgar Square however, we realized something else was going on. Many fans from Barcelona were celebrating in anticipation of the upcoming game against Manchester which was to be played this evening.
Some of them were quite jovial, singing songs in support of their team. I thought it ironic that this group decided to purchase souvenir policemen caps to wear with their colors.

We headed back to the flat for some supper and rest, before striking out to explore a little more of the night scene. We didn't stumble across too much that was crazy. We walked across the Thames and admired the lights of the city, and stopped by the Tattershall Castle (the boat featured earlier) for a drink. The atmosphere on the boat was still relaxed and nice. There was also a nightclub on board, but only allowed those over 21. Since Jen's not yet 21 yet, we skipped the club and headed to Leischester Square, where we had been told the night life was a little more intense. Boy, was it ever!

The streets were filled with people, and it was 12:15 in the morning! Several people offered us deals to get into clubs without waiting in line, and tried to sweeten their deal in several different ways. Jen and I were both a little overwhelmed, and decided to forgo actually going into a club, considering the late hour. We walked around a bit more, checking out some of the options for next weekend, then caught one of the last tubes back to Holburn station.

Needless to say, it was an interesting experience, that will hopefully have helped to prepare for next weekend, when plans to go out are in the works to help Alex celebrate his birthday.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Gardens, Museums, and Boats Oh My!

After class on Thursday, everyone was free to go out on their own and do their own things for the weekend. I decided that I was interesting to going to Kensington Gardens to have a look around. Jen and Alex decided to accompany me, and we set off on Friday morning to find the park and gardens. The day was cool, with patches of sunshine in the morning, which sadly disappeared later in the afternoon. However, the gardens were beautiful, even without some sunshine. I loved the opportunity to get away from Camden Town and out where there was more open space.

Not all the pictures have a story or meaning behind them, since most pictures were taken to capture the atmosphere of the park. So, this post is more of a slide show, although I'll add little comments here and there. Please, enjoy the trip through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. 


This amazing tree is a child's (and some adults) favorite in the park, since the branches create an amazing little cave.
Many people carve their names into the trunk of the tree, and the signatures stretch towards that top fo the tree.


Hundreds of flower gardens decorate the park
Circular rose garden  - the scent was awesome!
Me in front of the Serpentine

Babies!



Alex feeding a squirrel, only to be freaked out after he touched the squirrel.

Peter Pan sculpture. The author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barre, lived near Kensington Gardens and it was in these Gardens that he met the Llewelyn Davies family, who inspired him to write about Peter Pan.
I loved the chance to regress to childhood a little! Jen and I decided that once we got back to the apartment, we would watch Finding Neverland, a movie based on the creation of Peter Pan. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. It's not groundbreaking by any means, but the imagination and youthfulness that permeates the entire film is quite fun. (Same as the movie Miss Potter, about the author Beatrice Potter, but that's a tangent)
The Italian Gardens, far end of Kensington Gardens

 
Overall, the park was beautiful! I'm hoping to visit next weekend as well, with hopes that it's sunnier and a bit warmer. There are lawn chairs throughout Hyde Park that visitors can use for a small fee, and I think it would be perfectly lovely to sit and read a book along the Serpentine. 

After visiting the park and gardens, we walked a short way over to the Science Museum and had a look around. My favorite floor was one featuring flight. The picture is dark, but the entire room is hung with old aircrafts. It was incredibly interesting!
There was also a display of clocks spanning over 600 years. This was one of my favorites. The seconds are counted by a ball rolling down the incline.
After a quick look through the museum (we might go back this weekend), Jen, Alex, and I headed down to the Thames to meet up with some more of the group for supper. Here's my supper. Whatever sauce was on the chicken was delicious, and as always, the bread was amazing!
The restaurant is completely wonderful. It's an old boat that permanently docked. So, while you never float off, the boat does rock a little bit, especially after a boat has passed by. The atmosphere is fun and laid back, with seating both on the open, upper deck, and below decks. Music plays in the background, a more upbeat/hip-hop sound, and many people seem to come from work to meet their friends for a drink. The prices are reasonable, which is also a plus
Needless to say, we had a good time!
To top off an already long day, some of the group went for a little walk along the Thames, and looked at Cleopatra's needle. Notice the marks beneath the sculpture.
All the marks were caused by bombs dropped in the war.
I was amazed by the size of some of these marks. The strength of the bombs astounds me, and adds a bit more meaning to this site of London.
Gilchrist was quite jolly after supper, and decided to baptize himself in the Thames. We all enjoyed laughing at his antics.
After our walk, we caught the tube and headed home to our flat. I really appreciate the tube system in London. It's not too difficult to use, and it's very convenient.

Tomorrow, we're planning on going to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. Look forward to some more pictures!