London Blogpost

 London

Jacob R. Orr

    I kept my title brief on purpose. What can be said of London that hasn’t already been said. I’ve had an absolute whirlwind of a time, which is why this blog is coming a bit later than perhaps it should. Thus far I have: gone by train across a large swathe of the UK, seen the home of Samuel Johnson, eaten at a most traditional of traditional pubs, gotten back in touch with the London Underground, visited Buckingham Palace, toured the Tower of London, and jaunted around the British Museum.

    This has all been in the span of roughly 48 hours. Starting from the top, the train ride was simply fabulous despite traveling backwards the whole way. The English countryside, particularly in the Northumberland region is simply breathtaking. Rolling green fields and quaint woodlands as far as the eye can see. We also got a peek at the Monastery of Lindisfarne on Holy Isle. For the uninitiated, Lindisfarne is one of the most significant churches in England for its manuscript making and also as the site of the first Viking raid on England in 793 AD.

    Samuel Johnson is a historical figure I personally do not know much about. Law and 18th century literature aren’t really my cup of tea. However, the walk was incredibly entertaining and informative. His home is simply spectacular and I wish I had set time aside to see it while it was open for tours. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was also a marvelous pub. It purports to be one of the oldest in England and it shows. The whole place felt like I had stepped out of time and into the 17th century. More Johnson lore unfolded before me there as well.

    Buckingham Palace was Buckingham Palace. The tour with our wonderful guide Stuart was much better than the actual location itself. Stuart’s dry British humor was spectacular and greatly enhanced the whole morning.

    That afternoon we all went to the Tower of London where I spent most of the day. I was there until shortly before closing at around 5:00 PM and did my utmost to see as much of the castle as possible. I did not see the Crown Jewels as I simply wasn’t all that interested. The exhibits and vistas around the castle were more than enough to sate my appetite for fortifications and medieval history.

    Today marks my last full day in London and I have spent it wisely thus far. I have been quite tired recently with all the moving about and wanted to take things a bit slower today, opting to make for the British museum. I arrived about 10 minutes after the place opened and had an easy time seeing all the exhibits I wanted to. I got to the Rosetta Stone, several of the other Egyptian relics, and what I was most anticipating, the Greek marbles. It’s hard to explain just how breathtaking the marble work is. The intricacies and the exceptional details blow my mind every time. Truly a treat to go and see them. I would’ve taken pictures but I was a bit hesitant with all the crowds around. Even so soon after opening the place was getting packed. By the time I left the major line up had begun all the way up the block.

    Tonight’s dinner promises to be another great social experience with the rest of the group and I hope there’s something for me on the menu. I am not a fan of fish so we’ll have to see. Either way, London has been great to me, yet again, though it is by no means my favorite place in the world.