The Rest of the North Trip

So I keep getting further behind, but I'm trying. These pictures are the remaining pictures from our North trip and include the Preston Temple, the Lake District, Haworth, and Chatsworth. The scenery was amazing and it was an awesome trip. Stay tuned for Scotland, Canterbury and Chartwell, and of course Halloween. Cheers!

Catching Up ...Part 2

I'm learning the hard way that once you're behind it's hard to catch up, but I'm still trying. So these pictures are from Liverpool where we stayed for the first part of our trip North. It was really fun and we got to go through the Maritime museum where we found out about how our ancestors left for America. I was very grateful for their decision.

Hampstead and Hampstead Heath Walk

Flora of Hampstead
1. Graveyard Path
2. Willow in the Heath
3. October Tree
4. Autumn Afternoon
5. Where Ivy Creeps
6. Last Glimpse of Summer
7. Overgrown
8. Fall Treat

The walk book talked about how Hampstead was once a spa and good walk if one wanted a break from the city and I heartily agree. Though the walk took about six hours due to getting lost in the heath, it has been my favorite walk so far. The sunny autumn day and old brick buildings brought out the natural beauty that had started to change with the season. A walk in an old churchyard seemed the romanticized image of the overgrown and spooky graveyards of horror movies and the heath seemed like a forest where Ichabod Crane would run into the Headless Horseman. These spooky sites only added to the autumn charm. The brisk air and warm glow of the sun enriched the changing leaves. Add the crisp apples I bought from the backyard of the Fenton house and it was the perfect Fall day.

Catching Up...Part 1

So I've been so busy these last few weeks. These photos are from Oxford and the Tower of London.

Walking Through the City

Towering London
1. Classical
2. Coffee House & Spire
3. Lloyd Building
4. Great Gherkin
5. Le Bow
6. HSBC
7. Modern
8. Future
If there is one architectural theme that is true for most of London, especially downtown London it is tall buildings. Throughout its history, London has been a large and growing population, but there isn’t much room to grow out on an island so the city has grown towards the sky. It’s hard as a tourist not to look up the whole time you’re walking because not only are the buildings tall but beautiful. Even older buildings seem to pierce the sky with marble spires—like stark clouds against the blue sky. One cannot help but feel miniscule next to these structural giants.

Walking the Walls of Londonium

Stone Memories
1. Remembering London’s History
2. Roman Walls
3. Memorial for Heroic Efforts by Ordinary Citizens
4. How the Walls Have Changed
5. Emperor Trajan
6. Memorial for Soldiers
7. Remembering Religion
8. Turkish Bath…now a restaurant
What was so interesting about the Londinium was seeing how London has grown since its beginnings as a Roman town and how buildings have been saved as a memorial to its past. Coming of the tube I saw the remains of the Roman wall and was almost taken back to the time when London was an outpost of a massive empire. I say almost because still the cars drive by and airplanes fly over head and the wall stays as a memory of the past. From there I go up to the bustling streets and find more memorials, these are for soldiers who died protecting their country. Again and again I see memorials-some explicitly for the memory of people, some to mark a time in London’s history, and one in particular, the Museum of London, to remember all that has transpired within the walls of Londinium.

Poet's Corner

Yesterday morning as I was scrunching my hair, some poetic lines entered my mind. Why? Well I really do not know why, but I imagine it had something to do with a girl in my dorm reciting Tennyson and the day that lay ahead. You see, yesterday I visited the Globe Theater and Westminster Abbey. The Globe was not overly impressive --neat --interesting, but not awe-inspiring. Westminster Abbey, however, was so very ancient and full of the tombs and memorials of historical and great people that I was half-way between awe and a sickness at the idea of all the dead bodies. My favorite part by far was poet's corner--literary greatness gathered in one area. So to their memory or in spite of their excellent example here are the lines that came to my mind. (Please remember they are very much under revision.)

The very sight of he brought to my heart enmity.
Twas not a young lad fair that I did gaping stare... (to be continued)