I woke up this morning knowing we were going to have to walk a lot because the tube undergoes construction on the weekends, and thus is closed. I guess that’s the price we pay so everything is in tip-top shape for the Olympics. Our tour for Stonehenge didn’t depart until 12:30, so we decided to head out a little early and see a museum.
It was recommended that we check out the Victoria and Albert Art and Design Museum, which actually was right next to the Natural History museum we saw last night. It was free (well, the permanent exhibits), so that made it even better. It was a wonderful walk there, and we got to see more of London that way. Truly, if my leg wasn’t feeling so horrible, I think I could have enjoyed it more. As it was, I think it was just dandy.
Victoria and Albert Musuem:
A reallyyyy cool blown glass sculpture in the entrance!
Our favorite exhibit was “The Power of Making,” which demonstrated all the many things we can do with only the power of our imagination and creativity. It was so interesting what people think of doing, and also to see how we can manipulate every-day objects to create something completely out of the ordinary.
This gorilla was made completely of hand-bend wire into the shapes of clothes hangers. So awesome!!
In the Islamic Art exhibit, we saw some really cool things. There was the oldest Islamic carpet known to man, and as a matter of fac, it’s so old that they only lit it on the half hour and hour. The weaving was beautiful, from what I could tell in the dark. There was also a Qu’aran. It was interesting because the informational piece said how the margins were decorated with gold and designs, but never with animals or humans so as to not distract the worshipper. I really like that idea. It’s quite contrasted with all of the churches we’ve been seeing from Medieval and Renaissance Europe, where they are ripe with relics.
This was the first time I’d ever seen anything in a museum that said, “Please touch.” It was a reconstruction of the hand-carved tilings. It was to demonstrate how deeply the tile had to be carved. Really interesting!
We couldn’t spend too much time there, but we also went into a Postmodern photography exhibit which allowed no photography. I’ve never really been a fan of modern art, but sometimes photography really gets me. I think I quite enjoyed it…more than I thought I was going to, anyway.
Then we headed out and began our walk twardd our meeting point for the tour. We knew we wanted to get lunch before we let, and they didn’t supply any and it was going to be an all-day affair. We stopped by a tavern for the classic British “Fish ‘n Chips,” which Emily quite enjoyed. I didn’t really want to pay 10 GBP for something I knew I wasn’t going to like, so I had this interesting dish called “Hunter’s Chicken.” I was very satisfied with my meal as well J
We made it to our meeting point without incident, and I was happy to know that it would be a two hour bus ride to Stonehenge. That should give me plenty of time to rest my legs and back.
Ready to go to Stonehenge!!
While we were waiting to board, we met a woman (the one who kindly took that picture for us) who told us she was a writer, here to accept a nomination. She told us all about the books that she writes and all the awards she’s won. She said everytime she is invitied to a place, she makes a list of a few things she must do while there. Here in London, Stonehenge was on her list. Actually, she’s a children’s book writer. One of her books was (or is?) on two New York Time’s Best Seller’s lists. I feel like I met someone famous! She was super nice J
The drive through the English countryside was beautiful. I have to admit, I did take a little nap, but I got to see a lot too. The countryside, I think, will always make me happy.
First impression: so many sheep! :P
Finally, our arrival at Stonehenge. It was a bit cold, but not too bad. As part of our tour, we got audio guides, which helped immensely. For those of you who don’t know, Stonehenge was constructing about 3,500 years ago. It’s a huge mystery because we really don’t know how in the world they managed to do it. The engineering feat alone would be enough to cause the mind to marvel, but on top of that it we’ve discovered that throughout the years, as it became more ruined, it was continually rebuilt. I’ll give some interesting tidbits as follows.
Exaaaactly :P
Each of the big stones you see weighs almost 10 tons, and actually 1/3 of each stone is underground. So amazing.
Do you see the big stone in the middle, with the pointy top? That is actually how they get the stones that lay across the top to stay. They carve that out, and it works much like the ball-and-socket joints in our bodies. Also, throughout the henge, they use tongue and groove joints to join things. So cool!!
There are so many myths surrounding the building and use of Stonehenge. Many of them involve magic, and the stones being transported from other places by giants. One myth says that after a king’s victory, he ordered the giants to bring the stones from Africa, but they could not. So, the wizard Merlin zapped them here and put them up in the exact arrangement they were. Another says that the devil made this arrangement (why, I’m not sure…). Anyway, he told the woman in whose garden the stones were that he would pay her a large sum of money for as long as it took to move them. Noting how large the stones were, the woman agreed. However, she was tricked because the devil moved them in a split second and the woman didn’t get any money.
Me, pondering the mystery… :P
Do you see the humps/mounds? Those are actually gravesites. They’re all over the place.
This is what it may have looked like when it was in use. I think one of the coolest things is that it could also be used as a calendar. The position of the sun in the arcs told you exactly the month. How interesting.
The place really did have some sort of magic to it. They have even excavated a processional path that was probably used as part of some sort of ritual. I really enjoyed myself and learned so much. Totally worth the money (which was a good deal, anyway!!)
That evening, we were planning on seeing Buckingham Palace, but I just knew I wasn’t going to make it. We stopped by this large department store that was very Christmas-ified because it was on our way.
Christmastime is here!!!!!!!
We also passed “T.K. Maxx” Huhhhh?
Anyway, the trip was amazing. The almost two hour walk back home was pretty rough, but also very awesome. I really like London. I feel like it’s a place I could live. I also like feeling like I’m in areas that aren’t so touristy because I get a better feeling for, like, the people. And after all, it is them (they? Oh gosh, I can’t speak English…) that create a place.
I thought this was pretty cool. The leaves had been rained on and driven over, so that it looked like they were painted onto the road. Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter!!
Also, I had to post this. “Get your Flu Jab.” Yes. That is sure to get customers. I’m going to change my pharmacy lingo :P
I’m so glad I came to London. I’m not sure I’ll ever be back, but I feel so satisfied. I can’t believe I’m only here in Europe for two more weeks. I don’t know how it’s felt for you all, but I’ve had mixed feelings. In the beginning I felt like it was just crawling by, but since about sixth week, things have absolutely flown by. I’ve so much work these coming weeks as things come to a close, that I know things are going to continue to happen so quickly. Either way, I’m so grateful for how blessed I am, that I can travel to all these places and gain so many different perspectives. I think Paris will forever be in my heart J
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