A Sunny Weekend in Londontown

I’d like to think that I’m a history buff. Ever since I was young, I’ve enjoyed history lessons in all their various forms: classes, projects, educational tours, research, documentaries, etc. When I was in 6th grade, I had to face the biggest school project of my young life. Kids worked in pairs or individually to research any country of their choosing and create a presentation of magnanimous proportions, which included writing a paper, using an interactive and partly entertaining demonstration, and making food particular to the country. My best friend Gillian and I chose to present England. I can still remember sitting at my kitchen table, which was covered with encyclopedias, books, and printouts, as we sifted through the overabundance of British facts and history. We decided to act out our presentation as if we were going on a tour of England, throwing in random facts where appropriate. We cut out a huge cardboard double-decker bus, spray painted it red, and used the vehicle of legend to transport us to all the sights that were thrown up on the classroom projector screen. At the end, we treated everyone to an English tea. Needless to say, it was a spectacular project. We got a 98… the highest score in the class. (Yes, I still gloat over that trivial academic triumph.)

Thanks to my sixth grade project and subsequent history classes, I have a fairly thorough understanding of England’s history—one that I have never tired learning about. This past weekend, I took my first trip to the “Motherland” and I was delighted to walk along the same paths as my previous history lessons.

Shenning and I flew to London early Thursday morning. A Furman XO sister, Brianna, has been living and working in London this year, and we went to visit her and see the town. Since we only had two full days, Shenning and I hit the ground running. Really, we just walked; but we walked a lot. Now, for those of you have never visited, you must understand that London is a large city and the sights are not exactly very close to each other. But did that stop us from seeing the vast majority of them? Heavens no!

We caught the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. (There was such a hubbub and a massive crowd that at first, we thought it must have been something extra special. No. It’s just a big ordeal everyday. ) We passed by Westminster Abbey, the House of Parliament, and said what’s up to Big Ben. Did you know that you can’t actually see Big Ben? Big Ben is not the name of the clock tower; rather it is the nickname of the giant bell inside the tower. (Guess when I learned that fact.) We strolled along the Thames multiple times. The Thames is a pretty large and swiftly moving river; I thought it rather impressive. On the south bank, the mammoth London Eye lazily spins in place. Dozens of bridges connect the northern and southern halves of the city. Taxis look like they belong in the 1920s and fire-engine red double-decker buses zoom along on the wrong side of the road. I found that the large round-abouts, like the ones at Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus, were particularly confusing when it came to looking out for traffic. Thankfully, “Look right” or “Look left” signs painted on the ground were cues to get us safely across the streets.

The London Eye on the Thames

One of the great lions at Trafalgar Square, the memorial to Lord Nelsen who defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 (the Spanish never recovered...)

St. Paul's Cathedral, the second largest church in the world

London holds so much to see and do, and there is no way that two or even ten days would be enough time to see it all. Thus, Shenning and I opted to only tour the notorious and somewhat sinister Tower of London. We followed a Yeoman Warden (the title of the guards, who are also called Beefeaters) around the grounds, listening to his stories about kings, traitors and beheadings and chuckling at his saucy British humor. Touring the Tower of London—part castle, part execution site, part torture arena and part safe-house for the crown jewels—was such a delight for me, because I was finally seeing with my own eyes and standing in the place where so much well-known history happened.

Above: The Tower of London

Below: The Tower Bridge

One thing you must do in London is take advantage of the fabulous theaters that feature a variety of shows. Shenning, Bri, and I saw “Chicago” on Friday night. We had great seats in the little Cambridge Theater, and although I was exhausted from such a long day, I really enjoyed the show… and all that jazz.

Saturday afternoon, the three of us made our way towards Kensington Palace, the preferred place of residence for the royal family. We lingered over iced English tea on the terrace of The Orangery. Afterwards, we strolled through the parks before arriving at Harrods, the highly-esteemed, super-chic, pompously-posh, over-priced, and incredibly-unique designer department store. I loved it!

Apparently, this was the best weekend weather London has seen all year long; I could tell that Londoners must have had spring fever. Everyone was wearing flip flops, sundresses, tanks and skirts—but I thought it was chilly in the shade and when the sun went down! One of the coolest things was how in the early evenings, people stood outside of the pubs crowding the sidewalks as they stood around drinking beers. To walk through the small circles of friends telling jokes in fun British accents and enjoying themselves created a very pleasant atmosphere. The parks, too, were full of people picnicking and taking advantage of the gorgeous weather. Waiting to visit London in the spring was definitely a good idea.

Simply put, I loved London, and I’m already planning what I’m going to do on my next visit!