Scottish Parliament

Something my professor posted about our recent trip to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh: http://upspolitics.blogspot.com/2007/02/free-scotland.html.

Pictures!

I finally have (a few) photo albums up! Here's the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/autumnfaee. When the internet begins working again I'll be able to upload more albums.

Edinburgh

Our group met up bright and early Wednesday morning, at platform number nine, King's Cross Station (in London) for a four hour train ride to Edinburgh. There were a number of comments relating our trip in the British countryside to the trip to Hogwarts in Harry Potter, not least because that train left from platform 9 ½ at King's Cross. It's only 404 miles from London to Edinburgh, strangely enough. Our train ran along the coast line and it was lovely!After arriving and dropping off our bags, our whirlwind tour of Scotland's capital city began. We started at Edinburgh Castle, high up on the Royal Mile and were able to see the state apartments and the Honours and royal jewels before heading to the National Gallery where we saw a number of incredible paintings, such as Raeburn's Reverend Doctor Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch. After dinner at the newly opened five star hostel in the center of Edinburgh, several friends and I walked back up the Mile for live Celtic music at a pub. The musicians were very good, playing accordion, flute, violin and bodhran.

The next day dawned early and we took a guided tour of New Town (built in the 1700s) which is associated with the Enlightenment. Our guide (dressed to the hilt in traditional highland garb) was very knowledgeable and gave us a wonderful glimpse of that part of the city. He then dropped us off at the new Scottish Parliament where we met with MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament) Kenny MacAskill who is a leading member of the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party). He spoke to us for about an hour, outlining the key arguments of the SNP movement. He was an excellent speaker: very persuasive and polished. It will be very interesting to see how this issue plays out, especially with elections coming up in May. If the SNP gets a majority they will call a referendum and if there's an overwhelming majority calling for separation we may see Scotland as an independent nation some years down the road.

We then toured St. Gile's Kirk where John Knox preached for several years. After St. Gile's we went to the Writer's Museum which featured exhibits on Sir Walter Scot, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robbie Burns before splitting up for a few hours of free time. I walked down to Greyfriar's Abbey and to Grassmarket Street to see the Covenanter's Prison and the site where many covenanters were burned to death. I went to the Museum of Scotland early, and I'm glad I did: it was an amazing museum. As we had just a few hours there I was only able to seriously inspect the first gallery on early Scottish history, but peaked into the other galleries. The museum had obviously gone through a recent renovation and the exhibits were very impressive.

Saturday began with a hike up Arthur's Seat for a view overlooking Edinburgh. It was gorgeous. We then met up at the Scottish Parliament again, but this time for a tour of the chambers. Our guide was very informative and gave an excellent tour. A lot of thought went into building their Parliament. I especially liked the reading nooks built into every MSP office. The architecture is certainly different from most of the buildings we've been seeing: it is very modern, reminding most of us from the Pacific Northwest of the Experience Music Project building in Seattle. After Parliament we went to Holyrood House, right across the street. Holyrood is one of the Queen's three official residents in Great Britain and I think it's my personal favorite. Of course, I'm only comparing to Windsor Castle – Buckingham Palace (though unimpressive on the outside) might be amazing. Holyrood House looked like somewhere you might want to live. It wasn't ostentatious or impersonal. And the history! Coming back on the train I had just reached the section on Mary Queen of Scots in my book on Elizabeth I. Hours previously I had seen the very spot in Mary's chambers where she gave birth to her son, James VI of Scotland and I of England and there I was, reading about it. It's quite fun to have history "come alive" like that.It was a wonderful trip. A small taste of Scotland, but a fabulous taste. You can even see pictures here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/autumnfaee/EdinburghWebAlbum/.

The ILACA group

Our whole group in front of Windsor Castle.

Chinese New Year, Bank of England Museum and Thérèse Raquin

Sunday was the Chinese New Year - 2007 is the year of the pig. I came to town with a big group of people and walked around Chinatown a little bit, then watched a series of performers (martial arts, violin, dance) on the big stage in Traflager Square. After that we walked around some more, even getting absolutely stuck in one street. The papers reported that 270,000 people showed up for the celebration and I think that all 270,000 people were on Gerrard Street at the same time. I have never been so crowded! There were so many people on this street that we really couldn't move: it took at least 30 minutes to get out of the street. I have no idea why we were all stuck in that particular street at that particular time; there didn't appear to be a reason. I missed the big parade earlier that morning, but there were a few dragons that paraded around the area and danced in front of different stores all afternoon. Lanterns were hanging all around down, but in Chinatown itself some streets had so many hanging between the buildings that they created a red and gold ceiling. The festival finished off with an amazing display of fireworks in Leicester Square. Since it was still pretty early and we knew the tubes would be packed, my friend C.J. and I stayed in the area and had Chinese for dinner (what else can you eat on Chinese New Year?) then we went to Picadilly Circus and played "I Spy". Have you ever thought about how many reds, blues, whites and blacks there are in one city block?

Monday is, as already noted, my crazy day of classes. I finished up the day, though, at the Bank of England Museum with my politics class. The Bank is the second oldest national bank (the Bank of Amsterdam being about 80 years older). I even saw the very first bank note there, dated 1697. It was an excellent museum, but I didn't have time to see everything there so I need another trip. It makes me laugh how much I notice about museum exhibits and presentations now. It's a direct result of working at the Washington State History Museum. And there are so many museums here! That's one of my favorite things about London.

Tuesday I talked to my parents and siblings for the first time since I've been here, which was, of course, wonderful. What wasn't so wonderful was the news that one of my llamas had died on Sunday, but I'm glad that dad told me now instead of waiting until I get home. After classes we went to see Zola's Thérèse Raquin. The play, though well acted, was quite depressing, actually. Frankly, I didn't like it. It was at the National Theatre though, which is absolutely gorgeous. I love going to the theater here; that there is so much available is another of the many aspects of London that I appreciate.

Stonehenge and Bath

Our entire group met up and boarded a "coach" for an hour's ride to Stonehenge, early Friday morning. It was actually really strange - the highway passes within a few feet from the heel stone (just 20 feet from the henge itself)! Stonehenge isn't quite as austere or grand as professional photographs make it appear, but was nevertheless amazing. To imagine people bringing these huge bluestones to the site (whether all the way from Wales or not), probably across the Avon River, and then standing them upright and laying another several ton stone on top is astounding! Once out of London it began to look like the green, picturesque English countryside that you hear about and see in books or movies; London, though impressive in its own right, is rather dingy.

After Stonehenge, we drove another two hours to Bath. Bath is 99 miles west of London, so we almost drove all the way across southern England in just three hours. I always forget how small England really is. Bath was wonderful. The city is built on top of the only natural hot springs in the United Kingdom. Though people were in the area before the Romans, the Romans built baths and a temple in the area. People flocked to the "spa" from all over the Empire until the Romans left in 409. Saxons moved in, but the Romans buildings disintegrated and were largely forgotten until they were rediscovered in 1880. Beginning in the Elizabethan era, Bath was considered a resort city for the wealthy. In the 1700s there was a conserted effort to build Bath into an elegant and fashionable pleasure resort. Aristocracy and gentry came from all over England to Bath for entertainment. The city was supposed to set a model of proper behavior and manners: the city's Master of Ceremonies even drew up a code of behavior for the city. It is the only planned city in England: the streets are laid out in blocks, more or less, and the palatial Georgian buildings (which were primarily all designed by John Wood and his son) are all built from a golden brown stone. The Circus and Royal Cresent are particularly incredible. Notably, Jane Austen lived in Bath for five years and set a number of scenes for her novels in the city (Persuasion especially).

We had an hour for lunch on our own when we arrived in the city, so after eating quickly the group I was with went exploring. We went to the Jane Austen Centre, but didn't have time to go inside the museum. I've heard that the museum itself is disapointing, though, so I suppose it wasn't too much of a loss. After walking around a bit more we met up with the whole group and went on a walk with Martin around Bath. He took us to The Circus, Royal Cresent, Assemly Rooms and other such places around town. We then went to Roman Baths and the museum there. Both were really impressive: I'm still in awe. I felt like I was in Rome, actually. A colder Rome, but Rome nonetheless. The museum was very informative and had a good collection of artifacts.

All in all it was an excellent day. I really like the group excursions the program has planned for us. They're always so interesting and give us a taste of England that we probably wouldn't get on our own.

Valentine's Day, Twelfth Night and Ghosts

Wednesday, after a leisurely morning of devotions and breakfast I got all dressed up and took the tube to the British Library. After walking around and peeking into the reading rooms I went to the Treasures Gallery and listened to someone read an excerpt from Jane Eyre while looking at the original manuscript of the last chapter and then listened to "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" while looking at the papers, napkins and greeting cards upon which Lennon and McCartney penned the lyrics of several of their most famous songs. Very romantic, I know. I had lunch in the park across from school, and opened a letter from my sister and a Valentine's package from my friend, Charissa, (with a cd full of songs with "love" in the title). I then went to class and listened to a lecture on the Tudors and then went to the only medieval church in England that Catholics still worship in (when Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church and declared himself head of the newly created Church of England he took over all churches and made them Anglican). After dinner in town we went to the Old Vic for another Propeller performance, this time of Twelfth Night. It was certainly a very strong and very enjoyable performance, but I can't say it was the best play I've ever seen like many of my classmates did. Good, yes, incredible, not especially.

Thursday night we went to see Ibsen's Ghosts at a small theater in Notting Hill. The play is, of course, quite bleak, but it was very well acted. It was quite a change from all of the Shakespeare we've been seeing. Also, The Gate is a very small theater and had a very intimate, almost local theater feel; again different from the Old Vic or the Novello which are both enormous, elaborate, beautiful theaters.

Windsor Castle, Church and Antony and Cleopatra

Friday our entire group met at the Waterloo train station to take an hour long train ride to Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. You can read more about the history and importance of the castle here. Once we had gone through security and received our (free and very informative) audio guides we were able to tour both the state and semi-state apartments. The State Apartments were very formal and very elaborate. It was easy to imagine royalty both conducting official business and hosting extravagant balls in the rooms. Each of the rooms boasted dozens of famous paintings – Holbein, daVinci, Rembrant, Van Dyck – that were hung on the walls or painted on the ceilings.

However, without a doubt, my favorite part of the castle was the chapel. St. George’s Chapel was started in 1475 and finished fifty years later by Henry VIII. It’s awe-inspiring to see such a beautiful place of worship and to think of all of the people who have worshipped God in this gorgeous gothic chapel through out hundreds of years. In addition to being the Chapel of the Most Noble Order ofthe Garter (which you can read about here), it is the burial place of ten monarchs, most notably Henry VIII. Henry VIII (d. 1547) was buried, in the choir of the chapel, next to his favorite wife, Jane Seymour, who died ten years earlier giving birth to Henry’s only son. Tudor England has always fascinated me – it’s certainly one of my favorite periods to read about – so I find it especially exciting to see Tudor homes or chapels or graves!
As beautiful and historic as the castle is, I forgot that it is actually one of the Queen’s favorite residences until we walked outside the castle and saw the Royal Standard flying where the Union Jack had been an hour before, signaling that the Queen was now on the premises.

After the tour we walked down the hill (it’s on a high bluff overlooking the Thames River – very defensible, as all good castles should be) and walked across the river into Eton. There wasn’t much to see in Eton besides the college and the Lancastrian counterpart to St. George’s.

Saturday I went to a mall with Hannah and Charlotte for a little while. Then Charlotte and I met up with the girls at the museum and went to dinner. We got home rather early and watched the BBC before Alice got home. But then she told us about growing up in Germany during the war. In 1945 (when she was only eight) the Russians swept into Germany and, wanting revenge, forced hundreds of people living on the border into concentration camps in Czechoslovakia. She told us about that and then how and when her family reunited in Berlin and about the partition and airlift.

Sunday morning I went to church with Alice. She sat me next to her daughter in the front pew before heading up to the choir loft. I’ve never been to a Catholic service before, so the processions, incense and unlocking the bread were new, though not surprising. We kneel and have responsive readings at ERC so those things weren’t new. I really didn’t know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised to sing familiar hymns, be reminded of my sin and Christ’s atonement and read the Apostle’s Creed. It was a good service. The rest of Sunday was rather uneventful; we went to the grocery store and did homework.
Monday began our first full week of classes. Mondays I have Shakespeare, UK Politics and Empire, so it’s a pretty full day. We also have our meeting on Mondays to talk about upcoming events and receive our theater tickets for the week. After my last class I took the tube with some of the girls to Covent Garden for dinner and then to the Novello Theatre for RSC’s production of Antony and Cleopatra, staring Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter. It was a good production; more traditional than the Propeller’s Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night (which we’ll see this Wednesday).

This week should be full of classes and theater but will culminate with a trip to Stonehenge and Bath of Friday!

My Roommates

Meet my two roommates, Hannah (middle) and Charlotte (right). This photo was taken in front of Big Ben (which you can barely see behind me) while we were on the Thames River.

First Week In London

Hello from London!

I just finished writing pages about my first few days here in London (which you’ll find below,) but here are the less detailed bullet points:

-After arriving safely Sunday, I went to our general orientation Monday, met everyone and toured the neighborhood around our school building.
-Tuesday we met our professors and took a boat ride on the Thames River to the Tower of London.
-Wednesday I began exploring the British Museum and went to Taming of the Shrew.
-Today I have my first class (UK Politics) and tomorrow am going to Windsor Castle.

I flew in safely Sunday afternoon and took a cab from Heathrow to Harrow (just northwest of central London) where Alice, my “host mother,” lives. She opened the door and kissed me, saying “Autumn has arrived!” and then introduced me to not one, but two roommates, Hannah and Charlotte. Hannah is a communications major at PLU and, though loosely affiliated with the ILACA program, is interning at St. Marin’s-in-the-Fields. Hannah has a little pink room next to the frilly blue room that Charlotte and I share upstairs. Charlotte, who I e-mailed before arriving, is an English lit and theater major at UPS. The three of us girls talked a little as we unpacked, but were quickly called to our “welcome feast” downstairs. When we finished dinner Alice gave us our keys and the grand tour of her home, after which the three of us girls took a walk around the immediate neighbourhood. When we returned we went upstairs and promptly fell asleep!

Monday morning dawned much too early and we stumbled through showers and breakfast before boarding the infamous tube. It’s a nice commute, actually, taking about 45 minutes to an hour one way. Once at our stop it takes about 10 minutes to walk to our building. We accidentally walked right by our turn Monday morning, but soon realized that and changed directions. Once everyone made it to the center orientation began. We were introduced to the staff and given a general overview before a sandwich lunch was brought in and before an officer of the Metropolitan Police came in to give us some personal safety tips. After that all twenty-eight students and three interns followed Martin, our program director, and Don, the visiting professor and advisor for this term, for a short walk around the neighborhood. The center is right in the heart of the Bloomsbury district and is surrounded by so many fascinating places. On our walk from the tube to the center we pass the Holburn Library and Charles Dickens Museum. Gray’s Inn Square, a private garden that is opened for the public every afternoon, is just kittycorner. Dozens of cafes are squeezed in between shops along the streets. The British Museum is just a few minutes east. It’s wonderful! Our 18th century Georgian building is even listed (on the National Registry of historic buildings).

After our walk Monday afternoon we went home and managed to stay awake a little later than the night before, but again fell asleep pretty early. Losing eight hours was difficult. Tuesday morning came in to town for our academic orientation. Each professor spoke about their class(es) and handed out syllabi. My Shakespeare professor even assigned us to read Taming of the Shrew before the performance the next night. Then, at 12:45 we hopped on a bus headed for the Embankment and boarded our boat for a cruise down the Thames River to the Tower of London. We had two hours at the tower (long enough to give everything a cursory look but not long enough to really read everything, unfortunately) and then Martin took us to the Hung, Drawn and Quartered pub nearby to taste English ale on the program’s budget, if we were so inclined. Hannah, Charlotte and I then came home to yet another delicious meal and were treated to Alice’s story of how she met her husband. That night we finally stayed awake long enough to get our room all organized.

Wednesday we didn’t have to be to class until 3:00, but Hannah, Charlotte and I came into town early anyway, and toured the British Museum. Once inside I began my systematic tour of the British Museum with Roman Britain and got all the way to the Viking invasions of the island before I had to meet up with the two of them outside for our walk back to school. At school we had our very first Britain Today class and covered British history up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Yum. After class we had an hour to get dinner before we all met up at the Old Vic for the all male production of Taming of the Shrew. It was expertly done (though I didn’t fully appreciate their interpretation of the Petruchio and Katerina’s relationship) – a good first play.

Yesterday, in the beginning of class, Martin talked a little about the geography of Britain, major newspapers, and so on, mentioning that it never snows in Britain. Then, guess what it did this morning? It snowed! We had a good four to five inches in Harrow, but in central London it’s just a dusting.

Today Charlotte and I came to town early (-Hannah began her internship today-) so that she could go to 19th and 20th century British Novels and I could catch up on all of my e-mails. I have Politics in the Era of Thatcher and Blair in a few hours. I’m really excited about all of my classes actually. I have our mandatory Britain Today class as well as Shakespeare, UK Politics and History of the British Empire. In addition to our readings and papers we have a number of field trips that tie into our classes.

Tomorrow, for instance, we are headed to Windsor Castle. Since we just talked about the Norman invasion in class yesterday, it’s quite timely to go see the original site where William the Conqueror built the castle in 1070. It was originally one of several wooden forts built around the area to defend London from the enraged and conquered Saxons but has since become one of the primary royal residents in GB. Since Eaton is nearby I think we’ll probably pop in there too later in the afternoon. And then this weekend we’ll probably explore more of London proper, but spend a lot of time in Harrow too. I’m not yet sure which church I want to go to this Sunday – it’s between the Baptist church in Harrow and Metropolitan Tabernacle south of London in Elephant and Castle.

Okay, that’s all for now! I'll post photographs later.

Safe Arrival

I'm in London! We arrived safely yesterday and are all settled in. It's 9:52 Monday morning, and we're about to begin orientation, so I'll check in again later.