London...
London is a city of great and terrible history. From wonderful scientific, political, and literary advances, to terrible fires, wars, and political upheaval, the city of London is truly one of the World's great historical landmarks. Today, the city boasts an odd mix of ancient and modern. A skyscraper in the shape of a rocket towers into the air right next to a 1200 year old fortress. A brand new BMW parks next to a statue of general who conquered the same land hundreds of years earlier.
This past Saturday I rode the bus from Oxford into London (an hour long drive) and spent the entire day wandering around and looking at some of the places I just mentioned. A group of about 30 students came on this option final orientation activity. Keeping everyone together was very difficult at times due to the crowds and busy streets.
As we wandered through the streets, some of which are very narrow and windy due to the configuration of house back in the early 13th and 14th centuries, we frequently stopped at important landmarks and historical points such as the homes of famous Londoners. Simon Lancaster (Head of the Oxford program) and Jonathan Kirkpatrick (Resident Director of the Crick Road house) gave us details on each place and kept us from getting lost.
We quickly visited Buckingham palace and the house of parliament, but due to large crowds, we saw very little. The best stop of the day was to the monument of the great fire of London (1666). The monument is a slender pillar of 202 feet. It stands 202 feet from the former location of the bakers shop where the fire began. The great fire of London burned for four days and quickly destroyed 80% of the city. This was largely due to the fact that at the time nearly all buildings were made of wood and thatch.
The monument has two interesting features: The first is that inside is a tightly winding staircase which you can climb. The observation deck at the top of the monument yields a wonderful view of the city. The second feature is a scientific one in that there is a zenith telescope inside the shaft of the pillar enabling astronomers to measure distances directly above the tower.
A large number of us climbed the 311 steps to the top of the pillar and were able to see some of the other places we were to visit later in the day including the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
After walking all day, we were very grateful to sit and eat in China Town. On the ride home nearly everyone fell asleep! Sunday morning the house was very quiet as everyone rested. The sound of reading is deafening in the house as everyone is beginning to prepare for their upcoming classes this week.
I have been reading diligently, but do not have to meet with my tutors until Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday will be spent attending lectures, reading, and writing a paper on the Bretan Lay "Sir Orpheo" written in the early 14th century.
Much more could be said about the trip to London, but pictures will tell the story more quickly and accurately than my words.
Left: Simon Lancaster explains the historical significance of the building in the background, the Tower of London. This tower dates back to the 1200's and was the political cultural center of London for many years. It is also infamous for its great prison and torture chamber which housed many "guests."
Below: Nellie and I on the wharf next to the Thames river over which spans Tower Bridge. This is a working drawbridge which was built in 1894.
This past Saturday I rode the bus from Oxford into London (an hour long drive) and spent the entire day wandering around and looking at some of the places I just mentioned. A group of about 30 students came on this option final orientation activity. Keeping everyone together was very difficult at times due to the crowds and busy streets.
As we wandered through the streets, some of which are very narrow and windy due to the configuration of house back in the early 13th and 14th centuries, we frequently stopped at important landmarks and historical points such as the homes of famous Londoners. Simon Lancaster (Head of the Oxford program) and Jonathan Kirkpatrick (Resident Director of the Crick Road house) gave us details on each place and kept us from getting lost.
We quickly visited Buckingham palace and the house of parliament, but due to large crowds, we saw very little. The best stop of the day was to the monument of the great fire of London (1666). The monument is a slender pillar of 202 feet. It stands 202 feet from the former location of the bakers shop where the fire began. The great fire of London burned for four days and quickly destroyed 80% of the city. This was largely due to the fact that at the time nearly all buildings were made of wood and thatch.
The monument has two interesting features: The first is that inside is a tightly winding staircase which you can climb. The observation deck at the top of the monument yields a wonderful view of the city. The second feature is a scientific one in that there is a zenith telescope inside the shaft of the pillar enabling astronomers to measure distances directly above the tower.
A large number of us climbed the 311 steps to the top of the pillar and were able to see some of the other places we were to visit later in the day including the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
After walking all day, we were very grateful to sit and eat in China Town. On the ride home nearly everyone fell asleep! Sunday morning the house was very quiet as everyone rested. The sound of reading is deafening in the house as everyone is beginning to prepare for their upcoming classes this week.
I have been reading diligently, but do not have to meet with my tutors until Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday will be spent attending lectures, reading, and writing a paper on the Bretan Lay "Sir Orpheo" written in the early 14th century.
Much more could be said about the trip to London, but pictures will tell the story more quickly and accurately than my words.
Here I am next to Big Ben! This picture was taken just after the clock struck 12:00.
Below are two view of the monument to the great fire of 1666. The picture on the left is of the tower looking up. The picture on the right is a view of the inside of the tower showing some of the 311 steps that circle their way to the apex of the tower.
Left: Simon Lancaster explains the historical significance of the building in the background, the Tower of London. This tower dates back to the 1200's and was the political cultural center of London for many years. It is also infamous for its great prison and torture chamber which housed many "guests."
Below: Nellie and I on the wharf next to the Thames river over which spans Tower Bridge. This is a working drawbridge which was built in 1894.
posted by John R. Sowash at 7:22 PM
1 Comments:
Hey John:
Looks like you're having some fun. Its cool reading your updates. Keep it up! God Bless Ya!!
Joe<><
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