Getting Ready

This week has been spent primarily on paper writing, packing, and other last minute things before we go home.  Wednesday, D'Layna and I went back to the Victoria and Albert Museum because it was just such a wonderful place to look around and it really was fascinating.  We went in different section than before though.  One of the things that we saw were old altar pieces from churches.

They really were some intricate and gorgeous pieces there.  In a back room there were also these really old ornate pieces from churches.

I can't even imagine using such a thing regularly anywhere.  We also went to a few oriental sections to see things.  One was a pagoda.

Another thing we saw from colonialism in India was Tapu's Tiger.

Which was actually a mechanical toy basically made for Tipu Sultan that even did sound effects as the tiger ravished the Englishman.  If you can't tell, he didn't like the English all that much.  Along with many other items, we also saw an oak staircase from Morlaix which is exactly what it sounds like.  And oak staircase moved to the museum.

It was moved there probably when it was too structurally unsound to have people climbing it anymore.

Next we went to get chocolate and hazelnut crepes because they were just so delicious last time.  Only this time, we had one each because it was too good and messy to try to share.  Then I took my walking test after dinner before we watched All Quiet on the Western Front for class.

Today, I went to take the V02 Max test for walking again right class.  We went to this old church with its wild cemetery.

Despite its rundown and wild appearance, it fits.  The church is old and the cemetery is noticeably old.  It is also evident that it is taken care of at least a bit by the fact that you can still see anything.  It really was a gorgeous sight.

After working on our papers for a while after getting back D'Layna and I headed off to King's Cross Station to see Platform 9 3/4.  It is nowhere even near the platforms really but it was good to see.  They actually had a man there with Gryffindor scarves to put on as they posed next to it.

The line though was too long for D'Layna and I to be willing to wait.  We then went to a British store for British tea, biscuits, and chocolate.  Then back to Highbury to finish our papers and pack.  Leaving for the airport first thing in the morning. 

I'm going to miss being in London, but I am really excited to go home.  And I am just so worn out!  We really did try to do as much as we could in the time that we had left and know we are all just so tired!  Pray for safe travels and no delays!

Not much

As we come to the end of our time in London, we are doing less and less things.  Not so much because there isn't still plenty to do but more because we are all so tired.  Not to mention that D'Layna hurt her foot.  I've reached the point also that I am no longer taking over a hundred pictures each day. 

For today, Dr. Airhart wanted us to visit the two Tates with well over 50 paintings and sculptures between them.  While I don't mind it, D'Layna and I would neither be able to handle that.  Me, because there is only so many paintings that I can stand and stare at while taking notes on the possible meaning in them before I want to start catching them on fire and D'Layna because she gets overwhelmed with too much stimulation.

So with nothing to do on our schedule in the afternoon due to the Imperial War Museum being closed in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the Great War, we went to the Tate website and looked at the paintings, took notes on the ones we could access, and prepare for our visit today.  Then, after dinner, we went on the "Writer's Walk".   http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/writers/writers.php . 

I can't explain what we did fully because it would take too long but if you are really curious, here is the outline of the walk above along with all sort of interesting information.  We didn't quite make it to the church where they held the suffragette's funeral because we took a wrong turn and it was starting to get dark but it really was a good walk.  And just so you know, sunset is about 9 here right now with sunrise is at 4:50 so we have never really been out when it is legit dark. 

I did take some pictures though we only walked mainly for enjoyment.  One was of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital (GOSH). 

It was one the first children's hospital in Europe where the hospitals often wouldn't admit or treat children.  Charles Dickens wrote about it and fund-raised for it.  Also, it has the rights of Peter Pan and is funded by the proceeds from it.  JM Barrie left the writes to GOSH upon his death.

Another place that I took a picture of was of Gordon Square Garden.

Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group of which she was a part of often met here.  The Bloomsbury was a group of painters and writers.  They had a lot of little squares or even circles of gardens where we were walking.  There was stone, metal, brick, etc. and then there would be these little patches of peace before it continued into more buildings and roads and traffic. 

Today though was really rainy and wet.  We were rained on the whole way to and from Tate Britain.  But it really was much easier to go through the paintings and look at the items when we weren't thinking so much of what to get out of them but more of what we missed on our little computer screens.

One was The Resurrection, Cookham by Stanley Spencer.

The painting is huge and to see all of the little details that he put in is really difficult.  For example, in the back middle, a fat Jesus is cradling three babies with God behind him and to the right of that is Moses holding the ten commandments along with countless other pieces that are hard to pick out.  Can you see the two WWI soldiers?  I didn't realize who they were until I saw it in person.  I'll give you a hint though, they have no headstone like the countless soldiers who have an unknown grave.  And the headstones, there are pictures on them. 

Another painting that we looked at closer was Mark Gertler's Merry-Go-Round.

While I could see the almost terror on their faces from the computer screen, I missed the cruelty that is in the horses faces as they go around.  This one is really a commentary of the meaninglessness of the war and how they are out of control.

Now tonight is devoted to paper writing and studying for me Walking test tomorrow.  Shouldn't be too hard but it is a good idea to actually read the book before I take the test!  Lol.  Have a good night!

Rest

No pictures today!  D'Layna and I went to the Tower of London for church.  Not many people were there but it was still nice to be there.  It was a beautiful little chapel though we had to stop and ask for directions twice. 

D'Layna hurt her ankle at one point so we tried to rest that for the rest of the day since we are going to the two Tates again tomorrow.  We read a lot of Freud today for class which stinks but we need to get it done.  And I ordered some pizza for lunch down the road and went to get it.  It was good, but I've had better.  Still, today was a nice relaxing today with no noticeable perving going on.  Not looking forward to Tate Modern tomorrow though.

Dodgy

Today, D'Layna and I spent the morning relaxing before heading off to the British Museum to look around.  Primarily, as English majors, we went there to see the Rosetta Stone.

It was super crowded around it but that didn't stop us from being super excited to see it!  After that, we just wandered around the museum for a bit, not really looking at everything but seeing a few things.  They had so much old pottery there! 

I mean, I know that there would be pottery from the ancient times, but I truly didn't expect to see so much in one place.

They also had a lot of ancient Egyptian items on top of everything else.

With a really nice pillar from something Greek or Roman.

There was a lot of ancient jewelry in there.

With a lot of it wonderfully intricate and delicate.  They had quite a few sarcophagus'.

Along with a surprising amount of mummies.  This one may be Cleopatra.

And we saw so many other things that I'm not going to go on about them all because then I would never stop talking.

After that, D'Layna and I walked to Piccadilly Circus to try to do some shopping.  When we got there, we were surprised about how many people were there in football/soccer jersies with a soccer ball bouncing about.  We tried to avoid the crowd and stepped on many beer cans while walking out.  While we were buying some stuff we bought, it literally sounded like a riot was going on outside.  People were blowing whistles and yelling and calling out.  I think that they were only trying to celebrate but it sounded a bit scary and disconcerted the both of us.  It was later that we remembered that there was the English football equivalent of the Superbowl going on that night.  We decided to go back to Highbury shortly out of that and passed more people drinking and singing and celebrating. 

We took the bus again on the way back and got back to our rooms.  I have been having difficulty with the wi-fi all night though D'Layna's is working fine and now, I am sitting up in the blue room where was the only place it worked.  Right now, I only hope to publish this before it goes again!  Have a nice night all!

Cold!

Yesterday, Ally really wanted to go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace so D'Layna and I agreed to go with her.  But Ally decided that there was time for her to go to the Dr. Who museum first.  She didn't plan it out and never showed. 

D'Layna and I weren't too keen on going since we wanted to do other things more than that and were kind of ticked off at Ally when she never showed.  So D'Layna and I spent a half hour outside in the cold and wet.  I wore two hoodies yesterday and still got chilly and by the time that it was over, my hands burned for the next hour from the cold. 

But in all honesty, it was really interesting to see how much of a show they made of it thought we couldn't see it all because of the crowds.

The first group of the guards all held large weapons while the second group was the band.

I can't imagine though being in the Buckingham Palace band.  "What do you do for a living?"  "I'm a Buckingham Palace Guard."  "Oh, really?  So you guard the Queen?"  "No, I just come out playing the trombone once a day while they change the guard."  "....."  Seriously, they probably do more than that but it still makes me laugh!

We didn't stay the whole time because we were getting bored.  But after that, D'Layna and I went to see the Sherlock Holmes Museum!  So excited.  There was a long line and we weren't sure if we had to pay to go in so we didn't but it was awesome to be there!  Though you can't see it in this picture, there was a constable in the doorway to control when people went in.  I'm not sure if he was supposed to represent Lestrange or something but that was what I was thinking of!

 They even had a restaurant next door to commemorate Mrs. Hudson! 

  

Still worn out from our two days of rushing around like our heads were cut off, D'Layna and I were done after that.  We were freezing cold and we had done what we wanted to do and we still had Saturday and Sunday to do more.

Thursday

What I forget that we did on Wednesday was that we went to a cemetery for the British Commonwealth, the Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery.

Can you spot the difference between the other one from Wednesday?   This one is just a bit smaller than the German one and it contains 1157 graves in it rather than the 25,000 is the German one.  They are obviously well taken care of in neat rows with .  There is no grass growing up near the headstones like at Vladslo.  Not even that, they contain more than just the most basic of information on each man in addition to a symbol representing their religious affiliation.

Here is one that was obviously meant for a Jew since it has the Star of David and not a cross on it. 

These three marker are above the remains of four different men.  All of them died on the same day.  The graves are situated above the remains of the people and the ones who died on the same day were often buried closer to each than otherwise.  The two people on the middle headstone were likely close to a shell that went off so that they could not differentiate between the body parts of the two men but they knew who they were.

Thursday morning, we woke up and went upstairs for breakfast.  What I forgot to say yesterday was that we had entered another time zone and into the Eastern Hemisphere so that was new for me.  They had frosted flakes for breakfast which I was very excited about and partook generously of them.  They also had this chocolate cereal that was like mini bowls so all of their cereal was very sugary.  They had these large rolls that were like burger buns in size with some meat and cheese both for breakfast and for us to pack for lunch.  I made two cheese sandwiches along with the apple, apple juice, and candy bar that was in the grocery bags that they had out for us.  Then we packed the stuff we brought along with us, stripped the beds, and got back in the van with our stuff.

We went to the Kemmel American Monument first that was set up for the Americans who died there.

These men mainly fought here so that the general could begin to understand what was expected of his men in this war.  Most other Americans who died in Belgium were already pushing the Germans out of Belgium so that they were nowhere near where we were.

As we drove to the next sight, I could not help but take some pictures of the beautiful, Belgium countryside.

It is hard to believe that just under a hundred years ago, almost all of it was a barren battleground.  A lot all of the trees and buildings we visited were built after WWI because they had been destroyed by shells and mortars while trenches used to fill the landscape.

The next place we visited was the Spanbroekmolen.  By July 7, 1917, the British army had successfully planted 21 mines deep under the German lines and set them all off at the same time though 2 did not explode.  People in London could hear the detonation.

This was the crater that was created by one of the explosions.  Having dug deep into the clay and dug across the clay to the German lines, it formed a large pond.  I cannot imagination how terrifying that would have been for the German army to just suddenly have a hole, this big, where a trench used to be.  And not only that, there were men who looked perfectly fine without a scratch but were dead to due to the concussion of the blast.  While we were still discussing what was there, it started sleeting.

So we huddled under a tree and finished our discussion.  One of the undetonated mines has not yet exploded.  But the other, while they were putting some electricity lines in the ground, they unknowingly but one in the ground near the mine.  The next time that lightening struck, it detonated.  It only killed a few cows but it must have been frightening.

We then proceeded to rush back to our van in order of who was getting in first before we drove to the next sight.  The rest of the day was characterized by it raining at random points throughout it. though it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

We next went to one of the sights of the Christmas truce.

Men were rumored to have played football (soccer) there so many people had stuck soccer balls at the foot of the cross alongside the Christmas ornaments on the cross.  Some people had even put cigarettes in plastic containers there to remember how they had traded them about.

Next, we went to Ypres again.  It marveled me to look around that town which looks so old and gorgeous and remember that it had to be entirely rebuilt after WWI.  With all of the shells going off, only a few bricks were left standing on top of each other by the end of the war.

We went there specifically though to get some Belgium waffles and more Belgium chocolate. 

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  The waffle was so freaking delicious!  From what I understand, they put crystallized sugar but in the waffle and outside of it so that when a cooks at a very high temperature, they caramelize.  So good!

Next we went to the Essex Farm Cemetery

and Flanders Field. 

It was a medical area there and John McCrae, the author of "Flanders Fields" had been caring for a friend there who died.

This cemetery was probably the most unorganized of cemeteries.  Possibly because the people were buried as they died here of their wounds because they were too far gone to be sent back to a better medical area.  It was there that we saw the grave of a fifteen year old

and of a man who was awarded the Victorian Cross.

We also saw a temporary marker where the stone had been removed due to damage and they were going to make a new one and install it.

Then we went to Tyne Cot cemetery for the Batttle of Passchendaele.  People often said that if Somme was a mistake, then Passchendaele was a crime.  It was a hopeless battle that many men were sent to their death for almost nothing.

There are almost 12,000 commonwealth soldiers buried there along with almost 35,000 more names of soldiers who they don't know where they are buried along the wall in the back

They were working in this cemetery fixing some of the headstones.  some were being re-engraved.

While others were being replaced.

There were a lot of graves there were they knew about the soldier but not who the soldier was.

Also, you can see the difference between a newly engrave headstone and one that needs work.  At each common wealth cemetery, they have the sword of sacrifice with the sword on it which is the only military symbol in each of these cemeteries.

And if the cemetery has over 1,000 graves or names in it, they also have a block memorializing them.

For the most part, these items are uniform to each cemetery just like there is a uniformity to the headstones and how they look and are arranged.  But at Tyne Cot, it did not follow this normality.  First, the Cross of Sacrifice is placed on a much higher platform than any other.

This is due in part to the fact that King George III said that he thought it was a good idea to put it there when he came to visit while it was being constructed.  Then, each of the headstones face the Cross of Sacrifice.

Also, there are German pill boxes there where the Germans set up their machine guns to mow down the soldiers who were trying to push them back.  We could still see a bit inside of them from the observation rooms out of which they could look.

You can still see what little damage was done to them by the Allied forces as they shot their shells at the enemy.

Just looking at the uphill battle the Allied soldiers struggled on, we can see why so many died there and why it was considered a crime.

The final thing that we did was go to Talbot House in Popperinge.  Unlike all the other places we had been, this town was never destroyed by the troops and was in fact where the men stayed when not working.

The Talbot House was where any soldier could go without being turned away because of rank or anything else.  It even admitted people of any race because it was every man's club.  This was a place that the soldiers often went to relax.  There was a place where they would put on plays and shows for the men.  Some of the last veterans of WWI went there and said that the reproduction of a show that may have gone on was really accurate and they enjoyed it.  It also had a small chapel that was often filled going down the stairs of people

Where our organ major, Nick, played on the old pump organ.

They also had a garden that looked so fantastically green and alive to the men who had been living in mud and death for who knows how long.

The house was named after George Talbot who was the younger brother of one of the founders.  He died in one of the battles nearby in No-Man's-Land.  His older brother went to retrieve his body and it took two days.  The way that he knew it was his brother lying there is the field was that he recognized the lay of his hair on the back of his head.  As he told this story, I was not the only one who got a bit misty-eyed.  They have the cross from the man's grave marker before they got more permanent ones.

Before we left, we had tea and a picture taken.  Then it was off to catch our train.  But, due to the recent beheading of a soldier by some Muslim extremists, they were being more strict at Passport Control.  Mark said that it was the first time that they had us empty out the van after taking our passports and made us go through the lines.  It wouldn't have been so bad if there hadn't been buses of schoolchildren going through.  And then, they didn't tell us that we had to fill out these cards before we went through so we had to go to the end of the line.  If that wasn't bad enough, they didn't even have pens back there and we ended up stuck between two different schools of elementary kids going through.  I'm not saying that they were wrong to be careful but really?  Elementary kids?  They were young enough that they many of them only had these little official papers to send them through.  then they were asking the little kids questions without any adult by them.  The one poor kid was so nervous that he forget the year he was born. 

Needless to say, we were all very annoyed and we missed our train and had to wait a half hour for the next one.  Though Dr. Airhart gave us 10 pounds each to buy dinner when we got back, D'Layna and I had been eating all throughout the day and weren't that hungry.  There was a bit of an issue with room assignments but it was quickly resolved.  D'Layna and I got the same room and, thank goodness, we think our rude neighbor is gone!  Yes!  I am all caught up!