It's kind of hard to think that I only have 22 more days in London. Sure, I say I'm ready to leave and want to get back home as soon as possible, but in reality, I'm really going to miss London. While school has been a bit stressful at times and I'm definitely ready for a break from tests and papers, I have had the time of my life studying in London. I've gotten to go to so many places and experience so many things that most people will not be able to do in a lifetime. I talk to my grandparents on the phone and tell them about what I've been up to and every time they tell me how lucky I am to be doing something like this. I would always giggle and say, "yeah, you're right, I am lucky," but I never really appreciated their words until now. With less than a month to go, I've finally been realizing what a blessing this has been.
In a matter of months, I've been able to go to Bath, Stonehenge, York, Scotland, many fascinating museums and several other important places. I've learned a great deal on the economy of Europe as well as information on science and technology that shaped the world in which I live. While I most likely will not employ this information in my professional life, I'm still grateful that I got the opportunity to be exposed to this world of information as it has molded me into a more knowledgeable and sophisticated young adult. I'll be able to engage in conversations concerning this material and will be able to give first hand accounts as examples. Not a lot of people have been given an opportunity like this, and because of that I'm eternally grateful.
Outside of school trips I've been to Wales, Dublin, Paris, Geneva, Interlacken, Milan, Venice, Vienna and Amsterdam. I've become quite the experienced traveler and I'm only 20 years old. I know I've already said this but people go their entire lives and don't get the chance to visit a quarter as many countries as I already have. The fact that I'm only 20 and still have a (hopefully) long life ahead of me to travel, I can't express my sheer amazement that I actually got the magnificent opportunity to study abroad in a foreign country.
I have so many people to thank for this milestone in my life. First I have to thank my parents so incredibly much for supplying much of the finances. Without their help and support I would not have gotten to do this. I must also thank my family and friends for supporting my decision and helping me through the rough times while I've been away from home. I must also, of course, thank you, professors, for taking us to the many places you have and opening us all up to a new world of information. You have broaden my horizons on life and society and helped me become the person I am today. Thank you so much.
I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my college career back at Bucknell, but nothing can replace my time here in London; I will never forget my study abroad experience. I've become a different and better person as a result of this experience, and have also created strong-bonds to the people who embarked on this expedition with me. These next three weeks are going to fly by, but I know I will always remember the memories made, the information learned, and the places visited.
Sunday, 18 November 2007
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Imperial War Museum
On Thursday November 8, the Bucknell in London group toured the Imperial War Museum. Even before I walked into the building I knew it was going to be an interesting place; this was signaled by the huge gun/cannon and bomb shells situated directly in front of the entrance.
While walking through this enormous building and viewing the many exhibitions and artifacts concerning WWI and WWII, I found myself particularly interested in The Children's War exhibit. This fascinating area of the museum described in detail the second World War through the eyes of the children in Britain. It was absolutely amazing and extremely moving at the same time to listen to people's (now in old age) first-hand accounts of what it was like to live through WWII, and to also learn fascinating information on every aspect of life during this time.
Two things moved me deeply within The Children's War. The first was the sight of mannequins, resembling small children and infants, in gas masks. Every person in Britain owned a gas mask and was required to wear it during WWII; what touched me was seeing the little babies and small children with this huge apparatus on their head. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be required to wear gas masks everywhere I went for fear of an air raid preventing my ability to breath. This must have been incredibly frightening for small children, especially since they lacked the capacity and maturity to fully understand the situation surrounding them. It was just so incredibly sad to walk through the exhibit, see the mannequins and experience what they had to endure.
The second was reading an original letter a couple sent to their daughter whom they sent to Canada to live with her aunt during the war and the accompanying newspaper article which described a fatal train wreck in which the daughter died while on her way to Canada. What upset me the most was reading the letter and realizing that the daughter would never get the chance to read it. The letter included details about how the couple missed her and couldn't wait to see her and also stated that they were sending care-packages soon full of her favorite things. To read the letter and then the article moved me to tears; imagine the shock and extreme sadness the couple had to endure when they received a letter that said there had been a fatal train wreck which was on its way to Canada and their child could not be accounted for. How horrible. What's even sadder is that these parents were not the only ones to receive such a letter by any stretch of the imagination; thousands of small, innocent children lost their lives during WWII and just as many depressing letters were sent to anxious parents.
Besides the aforementioned artifacts, I was also very interested in learning about the work the children did during WWII. This subject was not only fascinating but also ties in with the economics theme of our common course, as what the children did during this time greatly affected the British Economy. During the war, nearly 80% of boys and 70% of girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were in full-time employment. They worked in agriculture, in offices and the major industries such as engineering, aircraft production, shipbuilding and vehicle manufacture. From 1941 all those aged between 16 and 18 were required to register for some form of national service, even if they had a full-time job. At 18, boys received their call-up papers for the armed forces. By 1944, one in ten of them was required to work in coal mines as 'Bevin Boys.' Girls were also conscripted when they turned 18, and either joined one of the women's auxiliary services or undertook other essential war work. Younger children were expected to do their bit by salvaging scrap metal, paper, glass and waste food for recycling. They also raised money for munitions, knitted 'comforts' for the troops, and were encouraged to 'Dig for Victory' in gardens and allotments. As dangerous as it was, children of Britain were greatly involved in the war and offered their services wherever needed. Their work not only supported their troops but also helped to maintain the already severly damaged economy.
Another piece of sad information I must share was the youngest victim of the air raids, who happened to be only 11 hours old. Thousands upon thousands of children were killed or injured during these attacks; its such a shame that their young and promising lives had to be ended in such a cruel and unncessary way.
All of the other exhibitions within the Imperial War Museum were fascinating and/or moving in their own respects, but I was especially drawn to The Children's War exhibit. Overall I must say that I learned a great amount of valuable information about the twentieth century's wars. I can't wait to share this information with my grandfather who served in the American Army and was on duty in England and France (Storming of Normandy) during WWII.
While walking through this enormous building and viewing the many exhibitions and artifacts concerning WWI and WWII, I found myself particularly interested in The Children's War exhibit. This fascinating area of the museum described in detail the second World War through the eyes of the children in Britain. It was absolutely amazing and extremely moving at the same time to listen to people's (now in old age) first-hand accounts of what it was like to live through WWII, and to also learn fascinating information on every aspect of life during this time.
Two things moved me deeply within The Children's War. The first was the sight of mannequins, resembling small children and infants, in gas masks. Every person in Britain owned a gas mask and was required to wear it during WWII; what touched me was seeing the little babies and small children with this huge apparatus on their head. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be required to wear gas masks everywhere I went for fear of an air raid preventing my ability to breath. This must have been incredibly frightening for small children, especially since they lacked the capacity and maturity to fully understand the situation surrounding them. It was just so incredibly sad to walk through the exhibit, see the mannequins and experience what they had to endure.
The second was reading an original letter a couple sent to their daughter whom they sent to Canada to live with her aunt during the war and the accompanying newspaper article which described a fatal train wreck in which the daughter died while on her way to Canada. What upset me the most was reading the letter and realizing that the daughter would never get the chance to read it. The letter included details about how the couple missed her and couldn't wait to see her and also stated that they were sending care-packages soon full of her favorite things. To read the letter and then the article moved me to tears; imagine the shock and extreme sadness the couple had to endure when they received a letter that said there had been a fatal train wreck which was on its way to Canada and their child could not be accounted for. How horrible. What's even sadder is that these parents were not the only ones to receive such a letter by any stretch of the imagination; thousands of small, innocent children lost their lives during WWII and just as many depressing letters were sent to anxious parents.
Besides the aforementioned artifacts, I was also very interested in learning about the work the children did during WWII. This subject was not only fascinating but also ties in with the economics theme of our common course, as what the children did during this time greatly affected the British Economy. During the war, nearly 80% of boys and 70% of girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were in full-time employment. They worked in agriculture, in offices and the major industries such as engineering, aircraft production, shipbuilding and vehicle manufacture. From 1941 all those aged between 16 and 18 were required to register for some form of national service, even if they had a full-time job. At 18, boys received their call-up papers for the armed forces. By 1944, one in ten of them was required to work in coal mines as 'Bevin Boys.' Girls were also conscripted when they turned 18, and either joined one of the women's auxiliary services or undertook other essential war work. Younger children were expected to do their bit by salvaging scrap metal, paper, glass and waste food for recycling. They also raised money for munitions, knitted 'comforts' for the troops, and were encouraged to 'Dig for Victory' in gardens and allotments. As dangerous as it was, children of Britain were greatly involved in the war and offered their services wherever needed. Their work not only supported their troops but also helped to maintain the already severly damaged economy.
Another piece of sad information I must share was the youngest victim of the air raids, who happened to be only 11 hours old. Thousands upon thousands of children were killed or injured during these attacks; its such a shame that their young and promising lives had to be ended in such a cruel and unncessary way.
All of the other exhibitions within the Imperial War Museum were fascinating and/or moving in their own respects, but I was especially drawn to The Children's War exhibit. Overall I must say that I learned a great amount of valuable information about the twentieth century's wars. I can't wait to share this information with my grandfather who served in the American Army and was on duty in England and France (Storming of Normandy) during WWII.
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Bank of England
The Bank of England was established by an Act of Parliament in 1694. Since its beginning, the Bank (as it is known in British financial circles) has been extremely important in supporting Britain's economic growth. There are many ways in which it does this; below is a list of five major roles the Bank plays:
1. One of its major priorities is to maintain monetary stability. The first objective of any central bank is to safeguard the value of the currency in terms of what it will purchase at home and in terms of other currencies. To achieve this, the Bank sets a monetary policy to provide a framework for non-inflationary economic growth. The monetary policy in the UK operates mainly through influencing the price of money, in other words the interest rate. It is the Bank's responsibility to decide on the level of short-term interest rates necessary to meet the Government's inflation target, which is currently around 2%.
2. Another way the Bank supports Britain's economic growth is by maintaining its financial stability. To do this, the overall system must be safe and secure and all threats to financial stability must be detected and reduced; the Bank must make sure that these two objectives are met. It does so by monitoring and analyzing the behavior of participants in the financial system and the wider financial and economic environment. Also, by overseeing the payment and settlement systems, the Bank makes sure that the banking system as a whole flows smoothly.
3. The Bank also acts as a "lender of last resort" to financial institutions in difficulty by lending them tax payers' money in order to prevent a loss of confidence spreading through the financial system as a whole. This supports economic growth by ensuring against crisis and making sure the system remains stable.
4. Reliance by government on the Bank for economic growth and stability has developed from the 18th century. As such, the Bank acts as banker to the government and keeps the main government accounts, receives tax revenues, and facilitates payments in respect of government expenditure.
5. The last role (for this list) that the Bank plays in supporting Britain's economic growth is acting as the care-taker of the nation's gold supply. Although Britain's gold and foreign exchange reserves were transferred to the Treasury, their day-to-day management was and still is handled by the Bank.
1. One of its major priorities is to maintain monetary stability. The first objective of any central bank is to safeguard the value of the currency in terms of what it will purchase at home and in terms of other currencies. To achieve this, the Bank sets a monetary policy to provide a framework for non-inflationary economic growth. The monetary policy in the UK operates mainly through influencing the price of money, in other words the interest rate. It is the Bank's responsibility to decide on the level of short-term interest rates necessary to meet the Government's inflation target, which is currently around 2%.
2. Another way the Bank supports Britain's economic growth is by maintaining its financial stability. To do this, the overall system must be safe and secure and all threats to financial stability must be detected and reduced; the Bank must make sure that these two objectives are met. It does so by monitoring and analyzing the behavior of participants in the financial system and the wider financial and economic environment. Also, by overseeing the payment and settlement systems, the Bank makes sure that the banking system as a whole flows smoothly.
3. The Bank also acts as a "lender of last resort" to financial institutions in difficulty by lending them tax payers' money in order to prevent a loss of confidence spreading through the financial system as a whole. This supports economic growth by ensuring against crisis and making sure the system remains stable.
4. Reliance by government on the Bank for economic growth and stability has developed from the 18th century. As such, the Bank acts as banker to the government and keeps the main government accounts, receives tax revenues, and facilitates payments in respect of government expenditure.
5. The last role (for this list) that the Bank plays in supporting Britain's economic growth is acting as the care-taker of the nation's gold supply. Although Britain's gold and foreign exchange reserves were transferred to the Treasury, their day-to-day management was and still is handled by the Bank.
Monday, 29 October 2007
Natural History Museum
On Thursday, the 25th of October, the Bucknell in London group had the special privledge of visiting the Natural History Museum. Seemingly unrelated to economics and physics, this fieldtrip was still very worthwhile in my opinion. I am fascinated by everything science, so needless to say I was like a kid in a candy shop going around and exploring all that the Natural History Museum had to offer.
While we were required to visit Darwin's statue near the cafe and the Lasting Impressions, Marine Invertebrates and Primates exhibitions, I explored many more such as the Dinosaur, the Mammal and the Evolution exhibitions. While most of them were very interesting and stimulating, I must say that the Dinosaur exhibition was by far my favorite. I'm not a dinosaur expert nor am I very passionate about these creatures, but the design and the plethora of information within this exhibit enraptured and delighted me. It was amazing to see actual fossils and bones of these prehistoric animals; they don't seem that big on paper but when there is a 10 foot tall by 5 foot wide femur bone next to you, one can realize their actual enormous size. I also found the dinosaur to human comparisons helpful to gauge their size. The lifesize model of the "teenage" T-Rex was amazing; it was so lifelike that I actually saw little children being comforted by their parents with the soothing words, "it's not real sweetheart don't worry." The Dinosaur exhibiton must be a lot of people's favorites or in the least be one of the most popular exhibitions as a huge line had been formed (with ropes and everything) by the time I was done touring it.
Among the other exhibitions I toured, I found the one on Evolution to be fascinating. I have long been a student of the theory of evolution so the exhibition on the topic was a welcome refresher and greatly appreciated. I enjoyed viewing the comparisons of the skulls of the ancestors to the Homo sapiens species and also was intrigued by their history and location.
Being an Animal Behavior major and mainly dealing with and interested in mammals, I was particularly taken by the Mammal Exhibition. It was amazing to look up to the ceiling and see the model of the blue whale span the entire length of it. I also enjoyed the design of this exhibition as it grouped mammals according to similarity and placed them in such a way that depicted their natural habitats and tendencies.
The Lasting Impressions exhibition was fabulous as well in its own respects. I am very intrigued by fossils and love to learn about the creation of and vast history of the formation of the Earth, so this exhibition fit the bill just perfectly. I also find it fascinating to learn how to calculate the age of something, such as the age of a whale by its teeth and the age of a Bezoar goat by its horns. This exhibition had really neat contents and was very intellectually stimulating.
I must say that I found the Marine Invertebrates exhibition to be rather boring and non-stimulating. It was basically just a hollow room with two glass cases containing replicas of or preserved invertebrates. It may be my general dislike of marine invertebrates that made me enjoy this exhibition the least, but I just found it to be not to par with the other exhibitions within the museum.
With all of the exhibitons I toured, I still would greatly enjoy going back to the Natural History Museum to tour new exhibitions as well as revisit the ones I went to on Thursday. I learned an incredible amount of information and had a great time doing so.
While we were required to visit Darwin's statue near the cafe and the Lasting Impressions, Marine Invertebrates and Primates exhibitions, I explored many more such as the Dinosaur, the Mammal and the Evolution exhibitions. While most of them were very interesting and stimulating, I must say that the Dinosaur exhibition was by far my favorite. I'm not a dinosaur expert nor am I very passionate about these creatures, but the design and the plethora of information within this exhibit enraptured and delighted me. It was amazing to see actual fossils and bones of these prehistoric animals; they don't seem that big on paper but when there is a 10 foot tall by 5 foot wide femur bone next to you, one can realize their actual enormous size. I also found the dinosaur to human comparisons helpful to gauge their size. The lifesize model of the "teenage" T-Rex was amazing; it was so lifelike that I actually saw little children being comforted by their parents with the soothing words, "it's not real sweetheart don't worry." The Dinosaur exhibiton must be a lot of people's favorites or in the least be one of the most popular exhibitions as a huge line had been formed (with ropes and everything) by the time I was done touring it.
Among the other exhibitions I toured, I found the one on Evolution to be fascinating. I have long been a student of the theory of evolution so the exhibition on the topic was a welcome refresher and greatly appreciated. I enjoyed viewing the comparisons of the skulls of the ancestors to the Homo sapiens species and also was intrigued by their history and location.
Being an Animal Behavior major and mainly dealing with and interested in mammals, I was particularly taken by the Mammal Exhibition. It was amazing to look up to the ceiling and see the model of the blue whale span the entire length of it. I also enjoyed the design of this exhibition as it grouped mammals according to similarity and placed them in such a way that depicted their natural habitats and tendencies.
The Lasting Impressions exhibition was fabulous as well in its own respects. I am very intrigued by fossils and love to learn about the creation of and vast history of the formation of the Earth, so this exhibition fit the bill just perfectly. I also find it fascinating to learn how to calculate the age of something, such as the age of a whale by its teeth and the age of a Bezoar goat by its horns. This exhibition had really neat contents and was very intellectually stimulating.
I must say that I found the Marine Invertebrates exhibition to be rather boring and non-stimulating. It was basically just a hollow room with two glass cases containing replicas of or preserved invertebrates. It may be my general dislike of marine invertebrates that made me enjoy this exhibition the least, but I just found it to be not to par with the other exhibitions within the museum.
With all of the exhibitons I toured, I still would greatly enjoy going back to the Natural History Museum to tour new exhibitions as well as revisit the ones I went to on Thursday. I learned an incredible amount of information and had a great time doing so.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Reflection on Fall Break
After visiting four countries in nine days, I've composed a little list about the things I've learned while being away. This list is a reflection about my wonderful fall break and serves as a nostalgic remembrance about my time in Paris (France), Geneva, Interlaken (Switzerland), Milan, Venice (Italy), and Vienna (Austria).
23 Things I've Learned From Fall Break:
1. Wine, bread and cheese taste a trillion times better when sitting next to the Eiffel Tower.
2. Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, it can actually serve as a clock. Every hour on the hour it lights up and seems as if it is sparkling. I have a video of it if you want proof for yourself.
3. The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower is probably one of the most amazing views in the world.
4. An Eiffel Tower shaped lolly-pop tastes like a candy apple and is absolutely delicious but rather hard to eat.
5. Although fascinating in its own respects, the Mona Lisa is actually quite small and next to impossible to get a good picture of due to the massive crowd of people gathered around it.
6. It's probably not the best idea to run your hand along a priceless mosaic inside the Louvre. Fortunately for me I didn't get kicked out but I did get a "Don't do that!!" from one of the thousands of guards and a "What were you thinking??" from Steph.
7. Crepes filled with nutella and any flavor of gelato are two of the most delectable desserts on this planet. I would advise eating 2 or 3 of each a day.
8. Versailles has probably the biggest palace I've ever seen or will see in my life.
9. Geneva has a 140 meter tall water fountain (Jet d'eau). That's really freaking tall.
10. Although it doesn't sparkle like the Eiffel Tower, the Flower Clock of Geneva is beautiful in its own respect and, along with the Jet d'eau, serves as a symbol of Geneva.
11. The Swiss speak French in Geneva and German in Interlaken. One country, two languages. Something doesn't match up here to me. Shouldn't there be a national Swiss language? It would make sense to me. But hey, who am I to tell the Swiss what to do?
12. If you ever get the chance to visit Interlaken, you'll most likely end up wanting to buy a little cottage and retire there. You'll understand what I'm talking about if you go there and/or see my pictures.
13. It's a dangerous combination when nine people have a room to themselves in a hostel. Hilarious things are bound to happen, especially when you have five crazy guys along with you. You most likely won't get any sleep either, by the way.
14. Milan really wasn't all that great. I don't know if we were way outside of the inner city or what but it was quite boring and unattractive. I would have preferred to stay in Interlaken for another day and bask in its beauty and take advantage of its wide selection of outdoor activities.
15. Despite its beauty, Venice is a rather smelly city.
16. Venice is probably one of the most confusing cities to navigate around in the entire world.
17. When booking a hostel room online, be prepared to stay in a totally different room than what was displayed on their website.
18. Never wear a skirt if you're planning to visit a Catholic Church. Old ladies will scorn you and the priest will give you his most disapproving face and shake his finger at you. Once filled with shame and humiliation, it's best to just get out of the church as fast as you can.
19. No matter what country you're in, pigeons are still the most vile and annoying creatures in the world. They are particularly obnoxious in Venice, especially when people decide to gather a huge group of them by feeding them bread and then jump right into the middle of the pigeon crowd, sending the pigeons every which direction and most likely centimeters away from your head.
20. Even though a night train seems like a good, efficient idea, I definitely would recommend spending a few extra Euros to reserve a bed. I had to learn the hard way that a second class seat just doesn't cut it for seven hours, especially when you're seated in a tiny room crammed with five other people.
21. Vienna is actually a beautiful city with lots to do. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
22. Language can be the biggest barrier between people. Therefore, it's not a good idea to try to find your way back to your hostel by yourself relying on German roadsigns, and it's also not the best idea to have a taxi driver who can only speak Arabic and German take you to the Vienna International Airport.
23. If you ever get the chance to see four different countries in less than two weeks, let alone live in one for four months, you are a truly blessed person.
I hope that you've enjoyed this list, and I also hope that it sparked a little list of your own about your time away from London.
23 Things I've Learned From Fall Break:
1. Wine, bread and cheese taste a trillion times better when sitting next to the Eiffel Tower.
2. Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, it can actually serve as a clock. Every hour on the hour it lights up and seems as if it is sparkling. I have a video of it if you want proof for yourself.
3. The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower is probably one of the most amazing views in the world.
4. An Eiffel Tower shaped lolly-pop tastes like a candy apple and is absolutely delicious but rather hard to eat.
5. Although fascinating in its own respects, the Mona Lisa is actually quite small and next to impossible to get a good picture of due to the massive crowd of people gathered around it.
6. It's probably not the best idea to run your hand along a priceless mosaic inside the Louvre. Fortunately for me I didn't get kicked out but I did get a "Don't do that!!" from one of the thousands of guards and a "What were you thinking??" from Steph.
7. Crepes filled with nutella and any flavor of gelato are two of the most delectable desserts on this planet. I would advise eating 2 or 3 of each a day.
8. Versailles has probably the biggest palace I've ever seen or will see in my life.
9. Geneva has a 140 meter tall water fountain (Jet d'eau). That's really freaking tall.
10. Although it doesn't sparkle like the Eiffel Tower, the Flower Clock of Geneva is beautiful in its own respect and, along with the Jet d'eau, serves as a symbol of Geneva.
11. The Swiss speak French in Geneva and German in Interlaken. One country, two languages. Something doesn't match up here to me. Shouldn't there be a national Swiss language? It would make sense to me. But hey, who am I to tell the Swiss what to do?
12. If you ever get the chance to visit Interlaken, you'll most likely end up wanting to buy a little cottage and retire there. You'll understand what I'm talking about if you go there and/or see my pictures.
13. It's a dangerous combination when nine people have a room to themselves in a hostel. Hilarious things are bound to happen, especially when you have five crazy guys along with you. You most likely won't get any sleep either, by the way.
14. Milan really wasn't all that great. I don't know if we were way outside of the inner city or what but it was quite boring and unattractive. I would have preferred to stay in Interlaken for another day and bask in its beauty and take advantage of its wide selection of outdoor activities.
15. Despite its beauty, Venice is a rather smelly city.
16. Venice is probably one of the most confusing cities to navigate around in the entire world.
17. When booking a hostel room online, be prepared to stay in a totally different room than what was displayed on their website.
18. Never wear a skirt if you're planning to visit a Catholic Church. Old ladies will scorn you and the priest will give you his most disapproving face and shake his finger at you. Once filled with shame and humiliation, it's best to just get out of the church as fast as you can.
19. No matter what country you're in, pigeons are still the most vile and annoying creatures in the world. They are particularly obnoxious in Venice, especially when people decide to gather a huge group of them by feeding them bread and then jump right into the middle of the pigeon crowd, sending the pigeons every which direction and most likely centimeters away from your head.
20. Even though a night train seems like a good, efficient idea, I definitely would recommend spending a few extra Euros to reserve a bed. I had to learn the hard way that a second class seat just doesn't cut it for seven hours, especially when you're seated in a tiny room crammed with five other people.
21. Vienna is actually a beautiful city with lots to do. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
22. Language can be the biggest barrier between people. Therefore, it's not a good idea to try to find your way back to your hostel by yourself relying on German roadsigns, and it's also not the best idea to have a taxi driver who can only speak Arabic and German take you to the Vienna International Airport.
23. If you ever get the chance to see four different countries in less than two weeks, let alone live in one for four months, you are a truly blessed person.
I hope that you've enjoyed this list, and I also hope that it sparked a little list of your own about your time away from London.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Gearing Up!
After our two days from hell (two midterms on Monday and a paper draft due Tuesday), I finally have something to look forward to.
Tomorrow begins our 10 day fall break and I absolutely cannot wait.
We will begin in Paris, spend two days there, and then head to Geneva, Interlaken, Milan, Venice and then Vienna. The rest of the group I'm traveling with will then go to Prague, but I must head back to London after Vienna to meet my sister who will be visiting me until the 16th! Life couldn't get much better right now.
The coldest place we will be (or at least I will be) is Vienna, where the highs are around 60. Other than that, the weather will range from 65-75! The mild weather will definitely be a welcome change from the chilly weather we've been having here in London as well as the dreadfully cold weather we experienced in Scotland. It actually wasn't all that bad in Scotland but I am definitely a baby when it comes to cold weather. With this being said, I'm quite pleased with the weather forecast for our fall break.
As I've never been to any of the places we're visiting, I'm very anxious to see how every place will be and what they will look like. I'm sure Paris will be spectacular, with the Eiffel Tower and Versailles, but I have to admit I don't really know much about any of the other places we will be visiting. I've heard Geneva isn't that special and that Interlaken, Milan and Venice are beautiful, but I've actually not heard much of anything at all about Vienna. Either way, I'm sure it will be beautiful in it's own respect.
Although it will be a lot of traveling, I couldn't have asked for a better fall break itinerary. I'll get to tour four countries and have undoubtedly one of the greatest experiences of my life. I'm sure I'll take tons of pictures and make many memories. With all of our hostel reservations confirmed and our Eurorail passes activated, all I have to do now is pack! Until next time--cheers.
Tomorrow begins our 10 day fall break and I absolutely cannot wait.
We will begin in Paris, spend two days there, and then head to Geneva, Interlaken, Milan, Venice and then Vienna. The rest of the group I'm traveling with will then go to Prague, but I must head back to London after Vienna to meet my sister who will be visiting me until the 16th! Life couldn't get much better right now.
The coldest place we will be (or at least I will be) is Vienna, where the highs are around 60. Other than that, the weather will range from 65-75! The mild weather will definitely be a welcome change from the chilly weather we've been having here in London as well as the dreadfully cold weather we experienced in Scotland. It actually wasn't all that bad in Scotland but I am definitely a baby when it comes to cold weather. With this being said, I'm quite pleased with the weather forecast for our fall break.
As I've never been to any of the places we're visiting, I'm very anxious to see how every place will be and what they will look like. I'm sure Paris will be spectacular, with the Eiffel Tower and Versailles, but I have to admit I don't really know much about any of the other places we will be visiting. I've heard Geneva isn't that special and that Interlaken, Milan and Venice are beautiful, but I've actually not heard much of anything at all about Vienna. Either way, I'm sure it will be beautiful in it's own respect.
Although it will be a lot of traveling, I couldn't have asked for a better fall break itinerary. I'll get to tour four countries and have undoubtedly one of the greatest experiences of my life. I'm sure I'll take tons of pictures and make many memories. With all of our hostel reservations confirmed and our Eurorail passes activated, all I have to do now is pack! Until next time--cheers.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Canal Walk
On the morning of the 27th of September, the Bucknell in London group took a mile and a half walk along Regent's Canal. Here, we learned the mechanisms and workings of the canal locks as well as the function and importance of the canal itself. There were many exciting parts of the trip, including getting to open and close the canal locks ourselves as well as Jeremy, Paul, Chris, Chizz, Kyle and Wes pulling out a drowned motorbike from the depths of the water.
In conjunction with the science aspect of our common course, one of the main objectives of the tour of the canal was to learn about the operation of the locks. A lock is a device that is situated in different sections of a canal and controls the water level to enable the raising and lowering of boats that pass through the canal. All locks are composed of three basic elements. The first is the watertight chamber, a body of water which connects the upper and lower canals and is large enough to enclose one or more boats. The position of the chamber is fixed, but its water level can vary. The second is a gate, which is located at either end of the chamber. A gate is opened to allow a boat to enter or leave the chamber, and when closed, the gate is watertight. The last element is a set of lock gear to empty or fill the chamber as required by the boats. As we saw at Regent's Canal, this is usually a simple valve, traditionally a flat panel (paddle), lifted by manually winding a rack and pinion mechanism which allows water to drain into or out of the chamber.
If a boat is traveling upstream, the process is as follows: the first lock gate opens and the boat enters the chamber. The gate closes behind the boat. The valve on the opposite side of where the boat entered is then opened to allow water to flow into the chamber, which in turn causes the boat to rise as the chamber fills to the level of the water on the other side of the lock. (The water level on the other side of the lock is maintained by pumping and water flowing from the upper reaches of the canal.) The second lock gate opens when water levels between the outside of the canal and the inside of the lock are equal. (The gate opens against the flow of water which means that the gate can only be opened when the levels are equal.) The boat then leaves the lock through the second gate, and the valve and the lock gate are closed behind it.
In a fundamentally similar yet different comparison, if a boat is traveling downstream, the process is as follows: the first lock gate opens and the boat enters the chamber. The gate closes behind the boat. The valve built into the lock gate on the opposite side opens allowing the water to flow out of the chamber. The boat is lowered as the water level in the chamber falls. The second lock gate opens against the flow of water and so the gate can only be opened when the levels are equal. The boat then leaves the chamber and the valve and the lock gate are closed. As one can see, the process of the functioning of the lock is similar between upstream and downstream travel with the exception that when traveling upstream, the valve must be opened to fill the chamber with water, but when traveling downstream, the valve must be opened to allow water to escape from the chamber.
Locks within a canal are necessary for very important reasons. As canals were being constructed in more "ambitious" (unlevel) areas, locks became necessary to offset the changes in water level caused by uneven ground. Locks eliminated the need for detours, which would have been completely uneconomic in both construction costs and journey time. Essentially, locks are used to make a canal more easily navigable and also to allow canals to take a reasonably direct line across terrain that is not level.
The other main objective of our tour of Regent's Canal dealt with the other aspect of our common course, economics. This canal has served many purposes, the main of which was commercial traffic. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, cars, trucks, railways and trains were very seldom if even available. With this, canals served as the main way to import and export goods. This greatly supported London's (as well as Britain's) economy as goods were constantly being shipped out as well as shipped in, which helped to regulate commerce and employ many workers. While this activity has greatly declined, the canal still supports London's economy through water-based tourism, leisure activities, and informal recreation.
Even though it was rather chilly, I still had a great time touring Regent's Canal. Getting to open and close the locks was my absolute favorite part. It was also fun to see the old tavern sign dating back to the 1800s, and watch the boys pull the motorbike out of the canal.
In conjunction with the science aspect of our common course, one of the main objectives of the tour of the canal was to learn about the operation of the locks. A lock is a device that is situated in different sections of a canal and controls the water level to enable the raising and lowering of boats that pass through the canal. All locks are composed of three basic elements. The first is the watertight chamber, a body of water which connects the upper and lower canals and is large enough to enclose one or more boats. The position of the chamber is fixed, but its water level can vary. The second is a gate, which is located at either end of the chamber. A gate is opened to allow a boat to enter or leave the chamber, and when closed, the gate is watertight. The last element is a set of lock gear to empty or fill the chamber as required by the boats. As we saw at Regent's Canal, this is usually a simple valve, traditionally a flat panel (paddle), lifted by manually winding a rack and pinion mechanism which allows water to drain into or out of the chamber.
If a boat is traveling upstream, the process is as follows: the first lock gate opens and the boat enters the chamber. The gate closes behind the boat. The valve on the opposite side of where the boat entered is then opened to allow water to flow into the chamber, which in turn causes the boat to rise as the chamber fills to the level of the water on the other side of the lock. (The water level on the other side of the lock is maintained by pumping and water flowing from the upper reaches of the canal.) The second lock gate opens when water levels between the outside of the canal and the inside of the lock are equal. (The gate opens against the flow of water which means that the gate can only be opened when the levels are equal.) The boat then leaves the lock through the second gate, and the valve and the lock gate are closed behind it.
In a fundamentally similar yet different comparison, if a boat is traveling downstream, the process is as follows: the first lock gate opens and the boat enters the chamber. The gate closes behind the boat. The valve built into the lock gate on the opposite side opens allowing the water to flow out of the chamber. The boat is lowered as the water level in the chamber falls. The second lock gate opens against the flow of water and so the gate can only be opened when the levels are equal. The boat then leaves the chamber and the valve and the lock gate are closed. As one can see, the process of the functioning of the lock is similar between upstream and downstream travel with the exception that when traveling upstream, the valve must be opened to fill the chamber with water, but when traveling downstream, the valve must be opened to allow water to escape from the chamber.
Locks within a canal are necessary for very important reasons. As canals were being constructed in more "ambitious" (unlevel) areas, locks became necessary to offset the changes in water level caused by uneven ground. Locks eliminated the need for detours, which would have been completely uneconomic in both construction costs and journey time. Essentially, locks are used to make a canal more easily navigable and also to allow canals to take a reasonably direct line across terrain that is not level.
The other main objective of our tour of Regent's Canal dealt with the other aspect of our common course, economics. This canal has served many purposes, the main of which was commercial traffic. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, cars, trucks, railways and trains were very seldom if even available. With this, canals served as the main way to import and export goods. This greatly supported London's (as well as Britain's) economy as goods were constantly being shipped out as well as shipped in, which helped to regulate commerce and employ many workers. While this activity has greatly declined, the canal still supports London's economy through water-based tourism, leisure activities, and informal recreation.
Even though it was rather chilly, I still had a great time touring Regent's Canal. Getting to open and close the locks was my absolute favorite part. It was also fun to see the old tavern sign dating back to the 1800s, and watch the boys pull the motorbike out of the canal.
Sunday, 16 September 2007
Hampton Court
Like father like son? In the case of Henry VII and Henry VIII, in essence, the exact opposite is true.
Henry VII, a Welshman born in 1457, was a benevolent and extremely cautious king during his 1485-1509 reign. Literally having to fight to become king (killing previous monarch Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth Field), Henry VII came into leadership and immediately began making allegiances and treaties with other countries so as to completely secure his standings and prevent any wars from breaking out. For example, he made an allegiance with France so that they wouldn't support any pretenders who may want to become king. He also made political alliances with several countries so as to remain amicable with everyone and not lose ties with anyone.
He, a Lancastrian, even married a woman of the enemy, Elizabeth of York, to cancel any link that they might have had to the throne. Through their union, the Tudor Rose came into existence, a symbol of peace which is a combination of the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York.
In addition to his cautiousness and his efforts of peace and prosperity, Henry VII was a brilliant administrator and a political and economic mastermind. When the War of the Roses completely wiped out England economically and financially, Henry VII developed a tax system in which everyone paid; by the time of Henry VIII's reign, Henry VII had collected approximately 1.5 million pounds. This significant increase in funds helped England to regain its economic power and bounce back after the severe damages of the War.
During his reign Henry VII also encourage trade and exploration, which also greatly benefited England socially and economically. Overall, Henry VII was a compassionate, cautious, and brilliantly intelligent king who greatly boosted several aspects of English life and made the country a place of peace and prosperity. Whenever his son, Henry VIII, came into leadership, many things were about to change.
Henry VIII, the second son of Henry VII, was not even supposed to be king but rather the position "fell" on him when the eldest son, Arthur, the original and intended heir to the throne, died in 1502. With this, Henry VIII did not have to fight to become king as his father did, and was by no means prepared to rule the place his father worked so hard to rebuild. Henry VIII was not educated in politics and warfare but instead fancied fashion, sports, music, and women. His mannerisms were very different compared to those of his father; when he took over in 1509, one of the first things he wanted to do was to go against his father's rulings he established and go to war with France. Henry VIII thought he deserved some land in France from his father, and when he did not get what he wanted, he went to war. As can obviously be inferred, Henry VIII was very hot-headed and arrogant and had a very big ego, perhaps one of the biggest egos in the history of man. He was a very "look at me look at me" type and did not accept anything other than his way.
Perhaps one of the biggest enablers of Henry's ego was his right hand man, Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey, an absolute genius of his time but also a man of poor origin, was chief advisor to Henry VIII for most of his reign. Wolsey, although extremely helpful to the king, caused many problems within the monarch system because of his poor origins and rapidly ascending status. Many of the noblemen greatly disliked Wolsey for he was of a lower class than themselves but received special treatment from the king. Despite their dislike, Wolsey did most of Henry VIII's work such as setting up a Barrier System among other many influential things. It was pretty much as if Cardinal Wolsey was doing all the work and Henry VIII was getting all of the credit.
When Wolsey advised Henry VIII to not go to war with France because of a lack of funds, Henry VIII would not listen and demanded that Wolsey do something about it. Wolsey, unable to change Henry's mind, eventually went along with the king and in 1518 created a world stage for economics and politics to be discussed in the UK. This event, particularly the Field of the Cloth of Gold, took place in France and people were shipped to France from everywhere except Western Europe. This event wrecked England's bank account that Henry VII worked so hard to accumulate; this can tell one a great deal about Henry's impulsive and egotistical character.
As only the second Tudor Monarch in England's history, producing a son and therefore heir to the throne was among Henry's top priorities. When his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, did not produce a son (although we know now that it is the male who determines the sex of an offspring), Henry wanted to divorce her and try to produce a son with another woman. Although he truly loved Katherine, her perceived failure of producing a son forced Henry to leave her. This is when problems arose between Henry and the Roman Catholic Church. A divorce is strictly prohibited within this religion, so when Henry wanted a divorce, it was not allowed by Roman Catholic officials. Henry then demanded Cardinal Wolsey to do something about the situation, but when Wolsey was unable to produce any changes, Henry dismissed Wolsey and sentenced him to death, even after Wolsey had practically done Henry's job for him and built up England's economics for so many years. It is believed that Wolsey died on the way to the court.
When Henry VIII was not allowed to get a divorce, he severed the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church and established himself, the king, as the supreme head of the Church in England. With this, Henry could divorce Katherine of Aragon and marry another woman in attempts to produce an heir to the throne.
This is when Henry VIII infamously wed five other women to try to produce a son, all with failed attempts. His third wife, Jane Seymour, gave him a son, Edward, but unfortunately Edward was very sick his entire life and died quite young. His two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, both born to different women, eventually became queens, but Henry never had the son he so desperately desired.
While Henry was busy trying to produce a son, England was gaining status but lacked the funds to support it. Henry VIII had spent all of his father's 1.5 million pounds and was not doing much to gain any of it back. He was also encouraging political arguments and breaking ties with families as well as allies, something his father would have never done.
Despite his audacious attitude and impulsive moves, Henry VIII did do things to greatly benefit and advance England. He joined Wales to England, was involved in the original construction and improvement of several significant buildings, was among the first European rulers to learn about the true geography of the world, launched the English Reformation, and is also considered one of the founders of the Royal Navy.
With all of this information, I would have to say that Henry VIII was a more notorious rather than most important king. He did do several acts to improve England, but his brash mannerisms seemed to lead to more problems than solutions. Henry VII, his father, was a very conservative and cautious king, which was very different to his son. Both men were very influential in England's history, but, in my opinion, they are so for very different reasons.
Henry VII, a Welshman born in 1457, was a benevolent and extremely cautious king during his 1485-1509 reign. Literally having to fight to become king (killing previous monarch Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth Field), Henry VII came into leadership and immediately began making allegiances and treaties with other countries so as to completely secure his standings and prevent any wars from breaking out. For example, he made an allegiance with France so that they wouldn't support any pretenders who may want to become king. He also made political alliances with several countries so as to remain amicable with everyone and not lose ties with anyone.
He, a Lancastrian, even married a woman of the enemy, Elizabeth of York, to cancel any link that they might have had to the throne. Through their union, the Tudor Rose came into existence, a symbol of peace which is a combination of the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York.
In addition to his cautiousness and his efforts of peace and prosperity, Henry VII was a brilliant administrator and a political and economic mastermind. When the War of the Roses completely wiped out England economically and financially, Henry VII developed a tax system in which everyone paid; by the time of Henry VIII's reign, Henry VII had collected approximately 1.5 million pounds. This significant increase in funds helped England to regain its economic power and bounce back after the severe damages of the War.
During his reign Henry VII also encourage trade and exploration, which also greatly benefited England socially and economically. Overall, Henry VII was a compassionate, cautious, and brilliantly intelligent king who greatly boosted several aspects of English life and made the country a place of peace and prosperity. Whenever his son, Henry VIII, came into leadership, many things were about to change.
Henry VIII, the second son of Henry VII, was not even supposed to be king but rather the position "fell" on him when the eldest son, Arthur, the original and intended heir to the throne, died in 1502. With this, Henry VIII did not have to fight to become king as his father did, and was by no means prepared to rule the place his father worked so hard to rebuild. Henry VIII was not educated in politics and warfare but instead fancied fashion, sports, music, and women. His mannerisms were very different compared to those of his father; when he took over in 1509, one of the first things he wanted to do was to go against his father's rulings he established and go to war with France. Henry VIII thought he deserved some land in France from his father, and when he did not get what he wanted, he went to war. As can obviously be inferred, Henry VIII was very hot-headed and arrogant and had a very big ego, perhaps one of the biggest egos in the history of man. He was a very "look at me look at me" type and did not accept anything other than his way.
Perhaps one of the biggest enablers of Henry's ego was his right hand man, Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey, an absolute genius of his time but also a man of poor origin, was chief advisor to Henry VIII for most of his reign. Wolsey, although extremely helpful to the king, caused many problems within the monarch system because of his poor origins and rapidly ascending status. Many of the noblemen greatly disliked Wolsey for he was of a lower class than themselves but received special treatment from the king. Despite their dislike, Wolsey did most of Henry VIII's work such as setting up a Barrier System among other many influential things. It was pretty much as if Cardinal Wolsey was doing all the work and Henry VIII was getting all of the credit.
When Wolsey advised Henry VIII to not go to war with France because of a lack of funds, Henry VIII would not listen and demanded that Wolsey do something about it. Wolsey, unable to change Henry's mind, eventually went along with the king and in 1518 created a world stage for economics and politics to be discussed in the UK. This event, particularly the Field of the Cloth of Gold, took place in France and people were shipped to France from everywhere except Western Europe. This event wrecked England's bank account that Henry VII worked so hard to accumulate; this can tell one a great deal about Henry's impulsive and egotistical character.
As only the second Tudor Monarch in England's history, producing a son and therefore heir to the throne was among Henry's top priorities. When his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, did not produce a son (although we know now that it is the male who determines the sex of an offspring), Henry wanted to divorce her and try to produce a son with another woman. Although he truly loved Katherine, her perceived failure of producing a son forced Henry to leave her. This is when problems arose between Henry and the Roman Catholic Church. A divorce is strictly prohibited within this religion, so when Henry wanted a divorce, it was not allowed by Roman Catholic officials. Henry then demanded Cardinal Wolsey to do something about the situation, but when Wolsey was unable to produce any changes, Henry dismissed Wolsey and sentenced him to death, even after Wolsey had practically done Henry's job for him and built up England's economics for so many years. It is believed that Wolsey died on the way to the court.
When Henry VIII was not allowed to get a divorce, he severed the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church and established himself, the king, as the supreme head of the Church in England. With this, Henry could divorce Katherine of Aragon and marry another woman in attempts to produce an heir to the throne.
This is when Henry VIII infamously wed five other women to try to produce a son, all with failed attempts. His third wife, Jane Seymour, gave him a son, Edward, but unfortunately Edward was very sick his entire life and died quite young. His two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, both born to different women, eventually became queens, but Henry never had the son he so desperately desired.
While Henry was busy trying to produce a son, England was gaining status but lacked the funds to support it. Henry VIII had spent all of his father's 1.5 million pounds and was not doing much to gain any of it back. He was also encouraging political arguments and breaking ties with families as well as allies, something his father would have never done.
Despite his audacious attitude and impulsive moves, Henry VIII did do things to greatly benefit and advance England. He joined Wales to England, was involved in the original construction and improvement of several significant buildings, was among the first European rulers to learn about the true geography of the world, launched the English Reformation, and is also considered one of the founders of the Royal Navy.
With all of this information, I would have to say that Henry VIII was a more notorious rather than most important king. He did do several acts to improve England, but his brash mannerisms seemed to lead to more problems than solutions. Henry VII, his father, was a very conservative and cautious king, which was very different to his son. Both men were very influential in England's history, but, in my opinion, they are so for very different reasons.
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Ironbridge Gorge
After a busy week of paper writing and traveling, I am finally able to take some time to discuss and reflect upon my time in Ironbridge.
The first place we visited was the Blists Hill Victorian Town, a quaint little village designed to resemble a Victorian town just at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of the town was fabricated and not actually from that time period, however, there were some extant items such as the canal, blast furnaces, and the inclined plane, one of the greatest remnants of the Industrial Revolution.
Just at the entrance of the town, our tourguide, Jayne, showed us a little square contraption on wheels and asked us if we had any ideas as to what it was. All of us took guesses, but no one guessed the correctly. It turns out that this tiny building (no more than 6-8 feet in length and 4-6 feet in width) was actually a workman's hub in which three to four workers would live for weeks to months at a time while they were working on the construction of roads and/or railroads. After our Jayne told us this fascinating fact, I knew that I was in for a treat touring the rest of the town.
Throughout Blists Hill there were many artifacts either from the Industrial Revolution or models of machines and buildings from that era. One such building was the Foundry, which was an old industry building that would make cast iron models of figurines and parts for machinery. The factory still does function on Wednesdays and makes figurines as they would have in Victorian times; too bad we were there on a Thursday and did not get to witness this historic process. The process of making the figurines and machine parts involves smelting iron and then pouring the hot liquid metal into the molds. The process of smelting iron was first developed by Abraham Darby, a Quaker who lived in Coalbrookedale. This extraordinary invention allowed iron to be produced for a fraction of the price and therefore kick-started the Industrial Revolution.
A model of the first steam railroad engine was right up the street from the Foundry. This innovative device enabled supplies, particularly coal, to be shipped to specific locations at a much faster pace during the Industrial Revolution time period. It was also used to lower down trolleys and possibly men into the mine shafts in the 19th century. When we saw it the steam engine was on and smoking but was not running as it still does from time to time. Behind the steam railroad were enormous brick buildings built by a brick building company that was in operation around the late 18th-early 19th centuries. The buildings were obviously rundown due to their age and lack of use, but it was still fascinating to get to see such a vital part of history.
Running along the steam engine, brick company building and Foundry was the canal, one of the most important inventions of the time. Under the guidance of William Reynolds, this artificial canal was constructed to provide a mode of transportation to carry the tons of coal from the coal fields to the blast furnaces. It provided an easy way to transport several thousand tons of coal daily and was a major constituent in daily life during the Industrial Revolution. It was a great economic move for Reynolds to construct the canal as the town would then be able to increase its productivity and therefore its sales. The canal proved to do just that, which enabled Coalbrookedale to become a giant leader in coal and iron production. Because of their success, roads had to be built within the town to be able to handle the heavy traffic coming to and leaving the town. In the 1830s toll-houses were added, which were very nice houses built for toll workers who would live there and collect payment to finance the roads.
Perhaps the two most fascinating sites in Blists Hill were the blast furnaces and the inclined plane. The blast furnaces were just about midway between the steam engine depot and the inclined plane. They were absolutely huge and of a very peculiar shape and design. Thousands of tons of coal would be loaded up into these furnaces, which were also a major part of the success of the industrial town. They were first constructed for economic reasons and were fed directly from the canal. Production from them ceased in 1912 when the town was beginning to stop production and deteriorate into an abandoned city.
The inclined plane was an extraordinary site with a fascinating story. Whenever the Industrial Revolution was occurring and massive amounts of coal were being harvested, the men needed an efficient way to get the coal from the canal to the furnaces. They held a contest to see who could come up with the best idea and the winning idea was to construct an inclined plane; a seemingly simple idea but with a diligent design and award-winning results. The two men who thought of the idea were Henry Williams and James Lowden. The process consisted of having a depot where the tubs would go onto a cradle and carried down the hill via pulleys and rope. They would then be unhinged and deposited at the furnace plant. The steam engine would assist the tubs to go up and down the plane. The plane itself was 1,000 feet long with a sixty-six yard vertical rise. To demonstrate its capabilities, a pair of five ton tub boats would be able to traverse down the hill in just four minutes! This great monument of historic ingenuity had its last commercial operation in 1894 and was formally closed in 1907.
After the hay-day of the Industrial Revolution, Coalbrookedale became an industrial wasteland. The mines were abandoned in 1941 and the brickworks and tileworks were closed in the 1950s. It was not until 1967 when the Ironbridge Gorge trust fund was set up and the area was open to the public so they we could have the opportunity to learn vital information about our country's revolutionary past.
Blists Hill Victorian town relates to Hobsbawm's commentary in that it displayed the economic and social transformations as well as the innovative inventions businessmen were constructing during this time period. Machinery, canals and railways were constructed to handle and transport the mass amount of coal being produced, and the town was becoming more modern with its addition of roadways. People were changing the ways they worked as well as the ways they thought. Blists Hills did a fantastic job of recreating the rich history of the Industrial Revolution, and it taught me several important facts about the era that I had not been aware of before.
After Blists Hills and a brief lunch courtesy of our friendly hostel workers, we then traveled to the Coalport China Museum which was just as interesting and intellectually stimulating. Here Jayne took us around the factory and gave us a detailed history about its past. The first factory, now the site of a youth hostel, was originally built in 1796 by John Rose. In 1810, Rose bought out his brother's factory, merged his building with his brother's building, and made the China building one of the largest factories in its time. Here workers would produce Bone China, which was comprised of 25% China clay, 25% granite, and 50% calcinated and ground cattle bone. Actual bone was used because it made the porcelain beautifully white, had the most amazing strength, was incredibly strong but delicate, was transparent when held up to a light, and was favored by artists because it gave a beautiful white background on which to paint. The China produced at the factory was shipped abroad which further helped to drive Coalbrookedale's economy.
As soon as you were able to work, you were. Kids, as young as the age of eight, would work 12 hour days assisting potters. With the help of the kids as well as the vast amount of adult workers and the innovative machinery and inventions concocted during this time, nearly 800 China products were produced a day as compared to a mere 80 in a cottage industry. Using machines, all of the products were the same size, thickness, and quality, which was an advantage to China produced in cottage industries which would inevitably end up having all different properties due to the products being made by hand. This not only displays the industrialization of the factory, but also its efficiency and success.
Despite its vast success, the factory did have its downfalls. The average lifespan of a pottery worker was substantially shorter than that of a regular worker due to industrial illnesses. Potters could get clay dust on their lungs which could lead to bronchial diseases. Lead poisoning was also prevalent because of the lead-based paint used to paint the China. Women would stick the brushes into their mouths to make the end pointy and would thus get lead into their bloodstream. The poisoning led to a disease known as Potter's Rot in which the internal organs would begin to rot. It was not until later times that lead-free paint was developed, so workers during this time, unaware of the dangers they faced, would work diligently but also be slowly killing themselves at the same time.
Putting its disadvantages behind, before the Bone China could be put into one of the six kilns, it had to go into a contraption known as a sagga first. A sagga is a case that would protect the China from the flames of the kiln. Up to 3,000 saggas were loaded into a kiln a day, so it's no wonder that the kilns were enormous. There was also a huge chimney surrounding each kiln to prevent fire-related injuries and to channel the smoke upwards into the sky. Fireproof bricks with cast-iron supporters went around the kiln in order to prevent the kiln from cracking due to the constant heating up and cooling down it had to endure. Before the kiln was started (which required up to 15 tons of coal), a brick door was constructed to keep the fumes in, and was later destroyed whenever the China was ready to be taken out. This meant that a new brick door had to be constructed with every firing of the kiln, which was obviously time consuming and costly, but it was the only way the kiln would properly work. They were also "green" with the bricks in that they recycled those from the door and used them to form pavement. The man in charge of the kiln was the fireman, who had the incredible responsibility of maintaining the fire and making sure the China was fired for just the right amount of time at just the right temperature (usually around 1250 degrees Centigrade). This job obviously had huge liability, which is why the fireman was the second best paid man aside from the manager.
The Coalport China Museum also perfectly displayed the industrialization occurring during the era and also goes hand in hand with Hobsbawm's commentary in that it too had an acceleration of growth due to economic and social transformation (via John Rose and the Industrial Revolution) and also introduced revolutionary methods to allow for the mass production of China to be shipped worldwide. It was a great pleasure to experience the process of making China and to also be able to view the absolutely beautiful China constructed during the time period of its functioning.
Throughout the rest of our trip to Ironbridge Gorge, we visited the Darby homes and Quaker burial grounds, an original furnace dating back to the 1600s, the Museum of Iron, and the Engenuity building, which was a very fun interactive building that, although geared toward a younger crowd, had displays in which people could learn "hands-on" about the advancements and products produced during the Industrial Revolution. The Museum of Iron building was built in 1838 and was used to store cast iron goods. As with the Bone China, these goods were transported globally and helped to boost the town's economy.
Through visiting the Darby homes and walking thorough various places with our tourguides, I learned saw and learned so many things concerning the Industrial Revolution. For instance, while Hobsbawm will not admit it, religion had a huge part in the Industrial Revolution. Religious dissenters had more leaders and entrepreneurs in the Industrial Revolution, and more innovations came from Quakers rather than Anglicans because of the importance this religious group put on education. Quakers also had a source of money to kick-start their ideas and fund any necessary developments, such as the Ironbridge, constructed by Abraham Darby III. His family and friends paid the approximately 4,000 pound difference in the cost it took to construct the bridge, which ended up being one of the greatest economic productions resulting from the Industrial Revolution. I also learned a great deal about the first Abraham Darby who sparked the Industrial Revolution, developed a new way to smelt iron, and was the first person to use coke as a fuel and use sand as a cast for the iron.
I learned so many fascinating things and had a great time surrounding myself in such an integral part of our modern society's history. This fieldtrip and every place we visited directly coincided with Hobsbawm's commentary in that they all powered growth due to social and economic transformations as well as introduced revolutionary methods for the production and use of iron. With that being said, overall, my trip to Ironbridge Gorge was wonderful.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Thoughts
I just wanted to quickly jot down some things I have been noticing that I believe are relevant to economics and technology, two major facets in our common course class.
Firstly, I have been noticing the vast amount of foreigners here in London. I know this is a major metropolitan city, but I feel like I see more foreigners here than I do Londoners. I most commonly see Japanese people, but overall, London seems to be a huge melting pot of many different kinds of ethnicities. This obviously relates to the huge economic variety and opportunities in this city. People from all around the world flock here to find something of interest to them or to even find work in general. People from very poor and poverty-stricken countries come here to find work and often work for very cheap since anything is better than the life they had in their original homeland. Others come here to find a specific kind of work or something of more interest than the job they had previously. Foreigners also come here, as I am, to be a tourist and take in the rich history and exciting life London has to offer. Either way, London is full of people from every corner of the world.
As I continue to live here for a longer amount of time and travel to various places, I have noticed the difference between the modern buildings and the historical buildings. The historical buildings in London as well as the other countries I have been to seem to have more thought and detail put into them and are not as large as contemporary buildings. Compared to historic buildings, modern buildings are constructed in no time flat, which in my opinion causes them to look rather bland and hurts the image of the country they are built in. Take London for example. Modern buildings here are very close together and seem to be constructed of only steel and glass. Historic buildings in London are made out of fine stone and/or marble and have very intricate designs carved into them. Whenever I am walking around town, I take notice of these two types of buildings, and I must say I would rather the town have more older buildings than newer ones. While enormous in size and eye-catching, the modern day buildings don't contribute as much to the London economy as the preserved historic buildings do. I would much rather see more buildings such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral than the Lloyd's Building and Millennium Dome.
I have also noticed the difference between US and UK traffic lights. The yellow light in the UK is used when the light is about to turn red as well as when it is about to turn green. The yellow light in the US is only used when the light is about to turn red. I believe it is a smarter idea to use the yellow light on both occasions as this lets drivers know when to get ready to stop and go. This is just something I have noticed and wanted to share my thoughts about; I am not entirely sure if it has a major relevance to economics or technology, but I still thought it was interesting.
I am sure there will be more things I notice within the coming weeks, so I will most likely have another journal entry like this one soon. Until then--cheers.
Firstly, I have been noticing the vast amount of foreigners here in London. I know this is a major metropolitan city, but I feel like I see more foreigners here than I do Londoners. I most commonly see Japanese people, but overall, London seems to be a huge melting pot of many different kinds of ethnicities. This obviously relates to the huge economic variety and opportunities in this city. People from all around the world flock here to find something of interest to them or to even find work in general. People from very poor and poverty-stricken countries come here to find work and often work for very cheap since anything is better than the life they had in their original homeland. Others come here to find a specific kind of work or something of more interest than the job they had previously. Foreigners also come here, as I am, to be a tourist and take in the rich history and exciting life London has to offer. Either way, London is full of people from every corner of the world.
As I continue to live here for a longer amount of time and travel to various places, I have noticed the difference between the modern buildings and the historical buildings. The historical buildings in London as well as the other countries I have been to seem to have more thought and detail put into them and are not as large as contemporary buildings. Compared to historic buildings, modern buildings are constructed in no time flat, which in my opinion causes them to look rather bland and hurts the image of the country they are built in. Take London for example. Modern buildings here are very close together and seem to be constructed of only steel and glass. Historic buildings in London are made out of fine stone and/or marble and have very intricate designs carved into them. Whenever I am walking around town, I take notice of these two types of buildings, and I must say I would rather the town have more older buildings than newer ones. While enormous in size and eye-catching, the modern day buildings don't contribute as much to the London economy as the preserved historic buildings do. I would much rather see more buildings such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral than the Lloyd's Building and Millennium Dome.
I have also noticed the difference between US and UK traffic lights. The yellow light in the UK is used when the light is about to turn red as well as when it is about to turn green. The yellow light in the US is only used when the light is about to turn red. I believe it is a smarter idea to use the yellow light on both occasions as this lets drivers know when to get ready to stop and go. This is just something I have noticed and wanted to share my thoughts about; I am not entirely sure if it has a major relevance to economics or technology, but I still thought it was interesting.
I am sure there will be more things I notice within the coming weeks, so I will most likely have another journal entry like this one soon. Until then--cheers.
Monday, 27 August 2007
Journal Entry #3
I have just returned from the Notting Hill Festival, and I must say the actual festival was absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to be.
When I first learned of the festival I thought it was going to be a huge market, with tons of neat crafts and fun things to do and see. However, when I got there, I was severely disappointed as all I saw was trash scattered everywhere, sometimes in 3-feet-tall heaps, thousands of drunken people, police at every corner, sometimes lining the entire street. I saw at least two outbreaks of violence and many things I did not want to see. The people were very trashy and unlike any other people I've met thus far in England. It was pretty much like a Bucknell House Party except ten times worse. Needless to say, I was quite surprised. I was also surprised to learn that the area in which the festival is held is one of the richest parts of London. It seems a bit odd to me that such an upscale place would host such a trashy and troublesome festival.
Apparently the festival has been going on for quite some time but officials are now threatening to not have the festival anymore due to the problems and pollution it causes. To be quite frank, I would whole heartedly agree with officials if they wanted to stop the festival. I know it celebrates Caribbean heritage, but the crowds are unbearable and the amount of trash people leave on the streets is unbelievable; there's enough trash left on the streets to keep cleaners busy for months! To me, it seems like it causes too much trouble and costs way too much to keep the tradition of the festival going. Think of all the extra help the city needs to hire to just keep things at the crazy levels they're at. In my opinion, the costs far outweigh the benefits.
The way to and from the festival was a nightmare. The tubes were crowded beyond belief and there were multiple delays. The streets were so crowded with people I almost lost the group I came with at least five times. Within five minutes of arriving I knew I wouldn't enjoy the festival and wanted to leave. Now, finally back in my clean, uncramped flat, I can forget about that horrible experience and go to bed. Until next time, cheers.
When I first learned of the festival I thought it was going to be a huge market, with tons of neat crafts and fun things to do and see. However, when I got there, I was severely disappointed as all I saw was trash scattered everywhere, sometimes in 3-feet-tall heaps, thousands of drunken people, police at every corner, sometimes lining the entire street. I saw at least two outbreaks of violence and many things I did not want to see. The people were very trashy and unlike any other people I've met thus far in England. It was pretty much like a Bucknell House Party except ten times worse. Needless to say, I was quite surprised. I was also surprised to learn that the area in which the festival is held is one of the richest parts of London. It seems a bit odd to me that such an upscale place would host such a trashy and troublesome festival.
Apparently the festival has been going on for quite some time but officials are now threatening to not have the festival anymore due to the problems and pollution it causes. To be quite frank, I would whole heartedly agree with officials if they wanted to stop the festival. I know it celebrates Caribbean heritage, but the crowds are unbearable and the amount of trash people leave on the streets is unbelievable; there's enough trash left on the streets to keep cleaners busy for months! To me, it seems like it causes too much trouble and costs way too much to keep the tradition of the festival going. Think of all the extra help the city needs to hire to just keep things at the crazy levels they're at. In my opinion, the costs far outweigh the benefits.
The way to and from the festival was a nightmare. The tubes were crowded beyond belief and there were multiple delays. The streets were so crowded with people I almost lost the group I came with at least five times. Within five minutes of arriving I knew I wouldn't enjoy the festival and wanted to leave. Now, finally back in my clean, uncramped flat, I can forget about that horrible experience and go to bed. Until next time, cheers.
Sunday, 26 August 2007
Journal Entry #1
I’ve only been in London for about three days and already I’ve seen several new, interesting things. Since I don’t live in a city in the States, the sheer amount of people walking the streets of London amaze me; especially around 5 o’clock when everyone is getting off of work. The congregations outside of the pubs around that time is also surprising. Apparently it is a custom for people to go to their pub of choice around that time and socialize with friends and fellow coworkers.
Yesterday we visited Kew Gardens which was absolutely gorgeous. While we were on our way to the tube station to get to the Gardens, we must have passed the stop and had to ask for directions from a local. Everyone in and around the restaurant stared and smirked at us which made me feel uncomfortable and really point us out as Americans—it was quite embarrassing. Other than that experience, pretty much everyone else has been kind and friendly to us. On the way back to our flats from grocery shopping, several Londoners conversed with us and eagerly gave us directions when we got lost. Many people smile and nod as they walk by you, which is a welcome surprise coming from America where strangers hardly ever smile at each other.
Traffic jams often occur on the tube, and when this happens the operator powers down and the tube goes dim. The first time this happened I was terribly frightened for I thought that the tube had broken down or something else horrible had happened, but as it occurred again and again, I became accustomed to it and it didn’t bother me anymore.
Last night a group of us kids went out to pubs for the first time. I had an absolute blast getting to know everyone better and socializing with Londoners. However, as we were leaving the second pub we went to, a fight broke out between an angry drunk kid and the bar tender. The kid was screaming at the bar tender because they were closing (apparently it is a law for the pubs to close at 11 PM?) and the bartender poured his drink down the drain. The kid then proceeded to throw the bar chair at the bartender which struck him in the nose. At this point the bartender ran out from behind the bar and the two began throwing punches at one another. A bunch of the boys from our group tried to break up the fight, which eventually worked, but not without angry words being screamed and punches being thrown at them. Paul said that fights are a usual in London pubs and also that that’s probably not going to be the last one I see, which is rather sad and unsettling.
Today is my twentieth birthday so now I am going to go enjoy it, starting with the delicious breakfast Stephanie, Jackie, and Sherri cooked for me. Until next time—cheers.
Yesterday we visited Kew Gardens which was absolutely gorgeous. While we were on our way to the tube station to get to the Gardens, we must have passed the stop and had to ask for directions from a local. Everyone in and around the restaurant stared and smirked at us which made me feel uncomfortable and really point us out as Americans—it was quite embarrassing. Other than that experience, pretty much everyone else has been kind and friendly to us. On the way back to our flats from grocery shopping, several Londoners conversed with us and eagerly gave us directions when we got lost. Many people smile and nod as they walk by you, which is a welcome surprise coming from America where strangers hardly ever smile at each other.
Traffic jams often occur on the tube, and when this happens the operator powers down and the tube goes dim. The first time this happened I was terribly frightened for I thought that the tube had broken down or something else horrible had happened, but as it occurred again and again, I became accustomed to it and it didn’t bother me anymore.
Last night a group of us kids went out to pubs for the first time. I had an absolute blast getting to know everyone better and socializing with Londoners. However, as we were leaving the second pub we went to, a fight broke out between an angry drunk kid and the bar tender. The kid was screaming at the bar tender because they were closing (apparently it is a law for the pubs to close at 11 PM?) and the bartender poured his drink down the drain. The kid then proceeded to throw the bar chair at the bartender which struck him in the nose. At this point the bartender ran out from behind the bar and the two began throwing punches at one another. A bunch of the boys from our group tried to break up the fight, which eventually worked, but not without angry words being screamed and punches being thrown at them. Paul said that fights are a usual in London pubs and also that that’s probably not going to be the last one I see, which is rather sad and unsettling.
Today is my twentieth birthday so now I am going to go enjoy it, starting with the delicious breakfast Stephanie, Jackie, and Sherri cooked for me. Until next time—cheers.
Museum of London
Although most of our trip to the Museum of London was consumed by waiting outside due to the fire alarm, I still had a fantastic time.
Since we only had a few hours at the museum and had to complete a handout on the Roman times, I mainly viewed only this exhibit and didn't get a chance to wander around and look at some of the other exhibits. With this, however, I still learned a lot. I never realized how sophisticated, civilized, and advanced the Romans were. Much of the machinery they constructed is still in use today, and their buildings were constructed in similar ways as they are today; using tile, cement, roof timbering, and glass. It absolutely amazes me that such primitive people could invent such complicated things. I really would have liked to do the hands on demonstration of the Roman water tower--too bad it rains almost everyday here!
The only other exhibit I skimmed through was the Great Fire of London. I saw a fire engine from 1678, which was really, REALLY cool. I love to see and touch actual artifacts; it's just fascinating. The fire engine was rather elementary, but I guess it got the job done. It was just a wooden barrel with arms and a hose. Men would pump its arms which would in turn force water to come out of the hose. Fire engines have since advanced, but it was really cool to get the chance to see one of the first ever fire engines.
The artifacts within the Museum of London were very well preserved and plentiful. I personally think it would be awesome to be one of the people that uncover these precious pieces of the past. I really can't describe how much I love to view artifacts and learn about the past through them. As soon as I get some free time, I am definitely going back to the Museum of London and seeing the rest of the exhibits. Thankfully it's free!
Since we only had a few hours at the museum and had to complete a handout on the Roman times, I mainly viewed only this exhibit and didn't get a chance to wander around and look at some of the other exhibits. With this, however, I still learned a lot. I never realized how sophisticated, civilized, and advanced the Romans were. Much of the machinery they constructed is still in use today, and their buildings were constructed in similar ways as they are today; using tile, cement, roof timbering, and glass. It absolutely amazes me that such primitive people could invent such complicated things. I really would have liked to do the hands on demonstration of the Roman water tower--too bad it rains almost everyday here!
The only other exhibit I skimmed through was the Great Fire of London. I saw a fire engine from 1678, which was really, REALLY cool. I love to see and touch actual artifacts; it's just fascinating. The fire engine was rather elementary, but I guess it got the job done. It was just a wooden barrel with arms and a hose. Men would pump its arms which would in turn force water to come out of the hose. Fire engines have since advanced, but it was really cool to get the chance to see one of the first ever fire engines.
The artifacts within the Museum of London were very well preserved and plentiful. I personally think it would be awesome to be one of the people that uncover these precious pieces of the past. I really can't describe how much I love to view artifacts and learn about the past through them. As soon as I get some free time, I am definitely going back to the Museum of London and seeing the rest of the exhibits. Thankfully it's free!
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Parliament
On Wednesday, the 22nd of August, the Bucknell in London group took a tour of the Parliament Building, which is near Westminster Abbey and connected to Big Ben. While there we had a very informative tourguide, Jan, who told us many facts including the history of the building and also the creation of the Parliament as the government. Government officials have been meeting at this building since the 1500s, however, most of the original building was destroyed in 1834. The only parts to have survived are the Jewel Tower and Westminster Hall.
Even before we entered the building, I knew it was going to be lavish and beautiful. The outside architecture was of an extremely intricate design, with carved brick or stone (I could not tell what it was) and small statues going up the length of the towers around the building. The building as a whole seemed to be of a gothic design and was enormous in size. Inside there were stunning gold backdrops, stained glass windows, beautifully decorated rooms, and elaborate ceilings and tile floors (especially in the central lobby). Our tourguide told us that the interior decorator's name was Pugent (I only caught the last name and am unaware of the correct spelling) and that he had a hand in designing everything from the ceiling to the floor.
The art inside the building was just as magnificent as the architecture. In every room there were grand portraits of previous royalty such as Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table inscribed into stone that went around the perimeter of the first room. There were also lavish murals on several of the walls depicting various events of history. Jan informed us that the two murals in the Royal Gallery took the painter most of his life to complete, and unfortunately, soon after he finished with them, he passed away.
As I mentioned before, our tourguide, Jan, was very informative. She told us many things about the history of the building and also a bit on the British government as well. I learned that Parliament is divided into three main sections: the Royal Gallery, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. On either end of the building there is the Victoria Tower, where a flag is raised when Parliament is in session, and the Clock Tower, also known as Big Ben. In the middle of the building is the Central Lobby, where 100s of people come through everyday. It is here where a UK citizen can come and request a meeting with their Parliament representative.
The Royal Gallery is where the traditional procession for the state opening of Parliament occurs. During this, the Queen walks down the length of the hall and everyone is lavishly dressed in traditional attire.
The House of Lords' theme color is red, since red is a sign of nobility. In the Lord's Chamber, members of the House of Lords come to work and discuss current events. Jan informed us that around 400 out of the 747 members are present within the House daily. In the front of the discussion room is the Queen's throne, dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria. As one can imagine, the throne and area surrounding it is quite astonishing. There is also a red wool sack where the Lord Chancellor sits as he would have done in the medieval times (although a lady now occupies this position). Besides the Lord Chancellor, what party you're in governs where you sit in the House. For example, the liberal democrats sit on the left side, the bishops sit on the right, and those not associated with a particular party sit in the cross section. Here members raise bills from the House of Commons or originate bills.
The House of Commons' theme color is green, as this color was originally a cheap color to produce thus signifying a lower class level. Since 1642, the reign of King Charles I, no Monarch has gone into the House of Commons. As with the House of Lords, where members sit in the discussion room is based off of what party they are in. There is a story associated with the House of Commons in which a member tried to enter into the House of Lords discussion room and got the door slammed in his face. He then took his black rod and knocked on the door. As you pass the door you can still see the area in which the member knocked on the door.
Whenever it comes time to vote on a bill, members use a rather elementary (yet effective) method known as a division election. The process is simple: if a member wants to pass the bill, s/he goes into the yes lobby. If the member does not want to pass the bill, s/he goes into the no lobby. They then give their names to the recorders and walk through the doors which are open just enough to allow one person to pass at a time.
While Jan was telling us this information, I began to realize that not only does the Queen have virtually no involvement in the government, but she also doesn't really have a lot of power anymore. When it comes to passing bills and regulating government, the main components are the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Queen is really just there out of tradition.
I greatly enjoyed our tour of Parliament. The building, inside and out, is absolutely astonishing, and it was very interesting to learn the history of the building and the British government. I never realized how traditional the government is or for that matter how it even functioned! Touring this wonderful place is definitely a memory I never want to forget.
Even before we entered the building, I knew it was going to be lavish and beautiful. The outside architecture was of an extremely intricate design, with carved brick or stone (I could not tell what it was) and small statues going up the length of the towers around the building. The building as a whole seemed to be of a gothic design and was enormous in size. Inside there were stunning gold backdrops, stained glass windows, beautifully decorated rooms, and elaborate ceilings and tile floors (especially in the central lobby). Our tourguide told us that the interior decorator's name was Pugent (I only caught the last name and am unaware of the correct spelling) and that he had a hand in designing everything from the ceiling to the floor.
The art inside the building was just as magnificent as the architecture. In every room there were grand portraits of previous royalty such as Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table inscribed into stone that went around the perimeter of the first room. There were also lavish murals on several of the walls depicting various events of history. Jan informed us that the two murals in the Royal Gallery took the painter most of his life to complete, and unfortunately, soon after he finished with them, he passed away.
As I mentioned before, our tourguide, Jan, was very informative. She told us many things about the history of the building and also a bit on the British government as well. I learned that Parliament is divided into three main sections: the Royal Gallery, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. On either end of the building there is the Victoria Tower, where a flag is raised when Parliament is in session, and the Clock Tower, also known as Big Ben. In the middle of the building is the Central Lobby, where 100s of people come through everyday. It is here where a UK citizen can come and request a meeting with their Parliament representative.
The Royal Gallery is where the traditional procession for the state opening of Parliament occurs. During this, the Queen walks down the length of the hall and everyone is lavishly dressed in traditional attire.
The House of Lords' theme color is red, since red is a sign of nobility. In the Lord's Chamber, members of the House of Lords come to work and discuss current events. Jan informed us that around 400 out of the 747 members are present within the House daily. In the front of the discussion room is the Queen's throne, dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria. As one can imagine, the throne and area surrounding it is quite astonishing. There is also a red wool sack where the Lord Chancellor sits as he would have done in the medieval times (although a lady now occupies this position). Besides the Lord Chancellor, what party you're in governs where you sit in the House. For example, the liberal democrats sit on the left side, the bishops sit on the right, and those not associated with a particular party sit in the cross section. Here members raise bills from the House of Commons or originate bills.
The House of Commons' theme color is green, as this color was originally a cheap color to produce thus signifying a lower class level. Since 1642, the reign of King Charles I, no Monarch has gone into the House of Commons. As with the House of Lords, where members sit in the discussion room is based off of what party they are in. There is a story associated with the House of Commons in which a member tried to enter into the House of Lords discussion room and got the door slammed in his face. He then took his black rod and knocked on the door. As you pass the door you can still see the area in which the member knocked on the door.
Whenever it comes time to vote on a bill, members use a rather elementary (yet effective) method known as a division election. The process is simple: if a member wants to pass the bill, s/he goes into the yes lobby. If the member does not want to pass the bill, s/he goes into the no lobby. They then give their names to the recorders and walk through the doors which are open just enough to allow one person to pass at a time.
While Jan was telling us this information, I began to realize that not only does the Queen have virtually no involvement in the government, but she also doesn't really have a lot of power anymore. When it comes to passing bills and regulating government, the main components are the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Queen is really just there out of tradition.
I greatly enjoyed our tour of Parliament. The building, inside and out, is absolutely astonishing, and it was very interesting to learn the history of the building and the British government. I never realized how traditional the government is or for that matter how it even functioned! Touring this wonderful place is definitely a memory I never want to forget.
London Hunt
Part I
The first train station we visited was the Waterloo station. This station goes to many places such as Guildford, Portsmouth Harbor, Reading, Woking, and Hampton Court. The outside of the station seemed to be dated, with dark red brick as the covering and big rectangular windows all across the top of the building. The inside of the station before the location of the actual trains was rather dark and muggy. It was brown brick with gray-ish white walls and floors. There were also very steep escalators to take travellers to different sections of the station. Most of this interior was under construction. Where the trains were actually located was a much nicer, more open area. The walls looked like they used to be the outside of the building for they are red brick with windows. This part of the station resembled the Farringdon tube station to me because they had the same type of frosted glass roof. Around Waterloo station, one can find such restaurants as The Wellington, Thai Silk, and McDonalds (if one’s looking for a quick bite to eat). I didn’t hear a wide variety of languages; I mostly heard English being spoken, with a few speaking Japanese and Arabic. The international Waterloo station is owned by Eurostar while all other trains are owned by a company called Southwest Trains. This is evidence of privatization as these are both private companies that own and operate the trains.
The second train station we visited was the infamous King’s Cross station, made so by the Harry Potter series and platform 9 ¾. This train station can get one to places such as Cambridge, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, York, and Edinburgh. The outside of the building is very classical looking, with light brown brick, huge arched windows, and a clock tower in the center. The inside is rather dark with dark maroon colored bricks; however, the roof is very high up so it creates a more open area. The station also has long hallways to get from one place to another, and most likely also has escalators although I did not see any. Around King’s Cross, one can find food at restaurants such as Jardin De Paris (a take away store), and a good amount of fast food restaurants like KFC and Burger King. While visiting this station I heard English, Russian (maybe?), and Japanese being spoken. Since three independent train companies operate the train station, those being GNER, First Capital Connect, and Hull Trains, I would say that this is evidence of privatization.
Part II—Park Places
While on our Art & Architecture class tour of the City of London on Tuesday, we came by the Postman’s Park, a small park between King Edward, Little Britain, and Angel streets, and near Bartholomew's Hospital. Patrons of this park mostly sit and relax on the benches around the gardens or under the sheltered area that displays plaques of ordinary people who lost their lives trying to save others. The sheltered area, which is really just a roof extending from the back of a building, seems to be for people who wish to be out of the sun or safe from rain, while the other sections of the park seem to be for people to casually walk or sit and admire the beautiful gardens within the park. These activities that take place in the park seem to match the intended use of the park since people do just sit and relax there and don’t play Frisbee or soccer or anything else of the sort. While there, I did not see any children playing or anyone jogging through it, however, these sorts of activities could occur at different times such as in the morning before work or school starts or in the afternoon when work or school ends. Overall, however, I believe this park is mainly to stroll through or to sit and take a break from your day.
Although it is officially called Bloomsbury Square Garden, this park is a quaint little area near our flat. Inside this park, I saw people on a break from work sitting and relaxing on the available benches, and also people jogging, reading, parents playing with their children in the central circle, and little kids playing in the wooden play area. Speaking of this area, it is, in a way, separated from the rest of the park in a little corner as it has shrubbery surrounding it, so as to reflect its intended use. There is also a macadam runway going around the circumference of the park for joggers to use, and park benches for people to sit and relax. From the activities I’ve seen, they seem to match the intended use of the park. As with the Postman’s Park, the time of day might influence what types of activities are seen. For instance, one most likely will not see a jogger running through the park in the night-time, and won’t likely see working people sitting on the benches much after 5 PM, since this is the time all working people usually get off of work.
Part III—Other Places
On Sunday, the 19th of August, my flatmates and I went on a tour of London. We got off the Westminster tube station and visited many places such as Westminster Abbey, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower Bridge. Westminster Abbey is a beautiful place of worship that seems to be of a gothic design. This large brown building has rounded windows with pointy tops, very tall columns about its entrance, and a magnificent circular window at the top with an intricate design. Many people from around the world come to see Westminster Abbey, obviously due to its fame and beauty. I saw Russians, Indians, English folks, and many other people of which I could not tell their ethnicity. Westminster Abbey is a breathtaking site that I would much like to visit again and perhaps go inside of and tour.
After Westminster Abbey we walked quite a distance to the Tate Modern. I had no idea what to expect as I had never even heard of this place before, but it is an absolutely gigantic building with an extremely tall tower in the front. It used to be an old power station, so the outside (and inside I believe) of the Tate was rather plain and simple. The outside was brown brick (I believe?) with large windowpanes acting as the roof on the left side of the building. It also had tall, narrow windows on the front sides of the building. Inside the entrance was very open with grey hard floors and white walls, with staircases leading to the various art collections. They were having a Dalí exhibit when we visited, so all of the banners around the building were advertising that. Surprisingly, there weren’t very many people in or around the Tate, but the people I did see seemed to be Indian, English, and some other foreign ethnicity (maybe Turkish or something along those lines?). While I’m not very interested in the art world, the Tate was an impressive building that could be very interesting to those who enjoy art.
After the Tate Modern, we crossed the infamous Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral. This place, as with Westminster Abbey, was completely breathtaking. It was enormous in size and absolutely beautiful. The huge dome somewhat reminded me of the capital building in Harrisburg, PA, which is near my hometown. There are various statues surrounding the outside of the cathedral and two towers on either end of the building. Some corrections were being done to the cathedral so we couldn’t see the building in its entirety, but from what we saw it was still awesome. We didn’t go inside, but I’d imagine it was just as amazing. I saw many types of people there, from business people, to tourists, to locals—all gathered around its steps taking in the atmosphere. I mainly heard English being spoken, but again I heard Japanese and some other language I was unfamiliar with.
The final stop on our journey was the Tower Bridge, and it was probably one of my favorites. The two towers that make up the Tower Bridge are just so beautiful and timeless, and I personally think it would be awesome to drive across that bridge. Not too many people were on the bridge for it was raining by the time we got to this final destination, but I did see Indian and British people. The Brits that I saw just seemed to be going about their daily routines, not really noticing that they were crossing such a beautiful bridge.
Throughout our journey from Westminster Abbey to the Tower Bridge we saw many pubs, shops, and actually a really neat festival that apparently was celebrating the elderly. Some of the pubs we went by were the Anchor Tap, Hung Drawn and Quartered, London Stone, O’Neil’s, and All-Bar-One. We didn’t stop at any, but I would most definitely like to go to some of them if I get a chance.
Part IV—Media
While on our journey we bought the Sunday newspaper entitled The Observer. Some of the headlines were “Hitler’s Olympic oak gift to Briton Axed,” “Britons fear rise of the Yob,” and “Crisis may force Fed to slash rates.” I found it odd that they didn’t capitalize their titles, but I guess that’s just a cultural difference between here and the US.
When compared to other Sunday newspapers, I really didn’t find any big differences. All had pretty much the same layout and a variety of headlines on their front pages. Besides local and nearby news, the topics covered in London and those in the US are pretty similar. I do, however, feel like the UK covers more American news than vice versa. I’ve read a lot of news about America in London, but when I’m home I don’t really see that much news about the UK or London in particular.
Although I couldn’t find the real estate section in The Observer, I did go to Google (UK version) and I found a good amount of information on London real estate. The cost for a flat in London starts around ₤189,000 and goes to about ₤2,800,000. Just as I did, if one wanted to find a flat in London, one could just search the internet or find a newspaper with a real estate section and look there.
As I perused the newspaper for jobs, I found several interesting ones. I found an ad to be a professor of fashion at the Savannah College of Art & Design, a Swedish Account Developer, and a Senior Medical Writer for Science Careers LTD—whatever that may be.
There were many advertisements throughout the newspaper. I found several concerning theatre, others about travel, and still others about UK and international commercial properties. Many of the advertisements were colorful with bold lettering, which is similar to the newspaper advertisements in the US.
After watching the “tellie” for an hour, I have decided that UK television and American television have its differences. UK television actually has a lot of American shows on it (Friends, Scrubs, The Simpsons, etc.), while typical American televisions show no UK shows except for occasionally the BBC channel. I also noticed that the UK advertises some American products such as L’Oreal while America doesn’t really advertise any UK products that I can think of. Both countries have similar types of shows, but it was just very apparent to me that American shows are very prominent in the UK.
Part VI
London is a spectacular city with so much to offer; there’s so much to do one could never be bored. If I had nothing else to do, I could just entertain myself by walking around and taking in all the breathtaking sites. London is a world capital and, with the exception of the recent events, does seem to be a very prosperous city. I don’t think I’ve seen more than a handful of people without cell phones, or more than a handful of homeless people, which is very different from New York City where there are a countless amount of homeless people. Even though London is very modern, I love how the city thrives to preserve its historical and fascinating past. Everywhere I go in the city, I see modern buildings mixed amongst historical buildings. While I believe they are at a happy medium now, if they build many more modern buildings I think it will be an overload of modernity and will overshadow the historical buildings.
After living here for a week, I have to agree with Worrall in his description of London. Porter wrote his book some time ago and London has had a chance to revive itself and exceed its previous standards. I would describe London in much the same way as Worrall did, only adding that its people are very friendly, the shopping is amazing, and living here is an experience of a lifetime.
The first train station we visited was the Waterloo station. This station goes to many places such as Guildford, Portsmouth Harbor, Reading, Woking, and Hampton Court. The outside of the station seemed to be dated, with dark red brick as the covering and big rectangular windows all across the top of the building. The inside of the station before the location of the actual trains was rather dark and muggy. It was brown brick with gray-ish white walls and floors. There were also very steep escalators to take travellers to different sections of the station. Most of this interior was under construction. Where the trains were actually located was a much nicer, more open area. The walls looked like they used to be the outside of the building for they are red brick with windows. This part of the station resembled the Farringdon tube station to me because they had the same type of frosted glass roof. Around Waterloo station, one can find such restaurants as The Wellington, Thai Silk, and McDonalds (if one’s looking for a quick bite to eat). I didn’t hear a wide variety of languages; I mostly heard English being spoken, with a few speaking Japanese and Arabic. The international Waterloo station is owned by Eurostar while all other trains are owned by a company called Southwest Trains. This is evidence of privatization as these are both private companies that own and operate the trains.
The second train station we visited was the infamous King’s Cross station, made so by the Harry Potter series and platform 9 ¾. This train station can get one to places such as Cambridge, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, York, and Edinburgh. The outside of the building is very classical looking, with light brown brick, huge arched windows, and a clock tower in the center. The inside is rather dark with dark maroon colored bricks; however, the roof is very high up so it creates a more open area. The station also has long hallways to get from one place to another, and most likely also has escalators although I did not see any. Around King’s Cross, one can find food at restaurants such as Jardin De Paris (a take away store), and a good amount of fast food restaurants like KFC and Burger King. While visiting this station I heard English, Russian (maybe?), and Japanese being spoken. Since three independent train companies operate the train station, those being GNER, First Capital Connect, and Hull Trains, I would say that this is evidence of privatization.
Part II—Park Places
While on our Art & Architecture class tour of the City of London on Tuesday, we came by the Postman’s Park, a small park between King Edward, Little Britain, and Angel streets, and near Bartholomew's Hospital. Patrons of this park mostly sit and relax on the benches around the gardens or under the sheltered area that displays plaques of ordinary people who lost their lives trying to save others. The sheltered area, which is really just a roof extending from the back of a building, seems to be for people who wish to be out of the sun or safe from rain, while the other sections of the park seem to be for people to casually walk or sit and admire the beautiful gardens within the park. These activities that take place in the park seem to match the intended use of the park since people do just sit and relax there and don’t play Frisbee or soccer or anything else of the sort. While there, I did not see any children playing or anyone jogging through it, however, these sorts of activities could occur at different times such as in the morning before work or school starts or in the afternoon when work or school ends. Overall, however, I believe this park is mainly to stroll through or to sit and take a break from your day.
Although it is officially called Bloomsbury Square Garden, this park is a quaint little area near our flat. Inside this park, I saw people on a break from work sitting and relaxing on the available benches, and also people jogging, reading, parents playing with their children in the central circle, and little kids playing in the wooden play area. Speaking of this area, it is, in a way, separated from the rest of the park in a little corner as it has shrubbery surrounding it, so as to reflect its intended use. There is also a macadam runway going around the circumference of the park for joggers to use, and park benches for people to sit and relax. From the activities I’ve seen, they seem to match the intended use of the park. As with the Postman’s Park, the time of day might influence what types of activities are seen. For instance, one most likely will not see a jogger running through the park in the night-time, and won’t likely see working people sitting on the benches much after 5 PM, since this is the time all working people usually get off of work.
Part III—Other Places
On Sunday, the 19th of August, my flatmates and I went on a tour of London. We got off the Westminster tube station and visited many places such as Westminster Abbey, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower Bridge. Westminster Abbey is a beautiful place of worship that seems to be of a gothic design. This large brown building has rounded windows with pointy tops, very tall columns about its entrance, and a magnificent circular window at the top with an intricate design. Many people from around the world come to see Westminster Abbey, obviously due to its fame and beauty. I saw Russians, Indians, English folks, and many other people of which I could not tell their ethnicity. Westminster Abbey is a breathtaking site that I would much like to visit again and perhaps go inside of and tour.
After Westminster Abbey we walked quite a distance to the Tate Modern. I had no idea what to expect as I had never even heard of this place before, but it is an absolutely gigantic building with an extremely tall tower in the front. It used to be an old power station, so the outside (and inside I believe) of the Tate was rather plain and simple. The outside was brown brick (I believe?) with large windowpanes acting as the roof on the left side of the building. It also had tall, narrow windows on the front sides of the building. Inside the entrance was very open with grey hard floors and white walls, with staircases leading to the various art collections. They were having a Dalí exhibit when we visited, so all of the banners around the building were advertising that. Surprisingly, there weren’t very many people in or around the Tate, but the people I did see seemed to be Indian, English, and some other foreign ethnicity (maybe Turkish or something along those lines?). While I’m not very interested in the art world, the Tate was an impressive building that could be very interesting to those who enjoy art.
After the Tate Modern, we crossed the infamous Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral. This place, as with Westminster Abbey, was completely breathtaking. It was enormous in size and absolutely beautiful. The huge dome somewhat reminded me of the capital building in Harrisburg, PA, which is near my hometown. There are various statues surrounding the outside of the cathedral and two towers on either end of the building. Some corrections were being done to the cathedral so we couldn’t see the building in its entirety, but from what we saw it was still awesome. We didn’t go inside, but I’d imagine it was just as amazing. I saw many types of people there, from business people, to tourists, to locals—all gathered around its steps taking in the atmosphere. I mainly heard English being spoken, but again I heard Japanese and some other language I was unfamiliar with.
The final stop on our journey was the Tower Bridge, and it was probably one of my favorites. The two towers that make up the Tower Bridge are just so beautiful and timeless, and I personally think it would be awesome to drive across that bridge. Not too many people were on the bridge for it was raining by the time we got to this final destination, but I did see Indian and British people. The Brits that I saw just seemed to be going about their daily routines, not really noticing that they were crossing such a beautiful bridge.
Throughout our journey from Westminster Abbey to the Tower Bridge we saw many pubs, shops, and actually a really neat festival that apparently was celebrating the elderly. Some of the pubs we went by were the Anchor Tap, Hung Drawn and Quartered, London Stone, O’Neil’s, and All-Bar-One. We didn’t stop at any, but I would most definitely like to go to some of them if I get a chance.
Part IV—Media
While on our journey we bought the Sunday newspaper entitled The Observer. Some of the headlines were “Hitler’s Olympic oak gift to Briton Axed,” “Britons fear rise of the Yob,” and “Crisis may force Fed to slash rates.” I found it odd that they didn’t capitalize their titles, but I guess that’s just a cultural difference between here and the US.
When compared to other Sunday newspapers, I really didn’t find any big differences. All had pretty much the same layout and a variety of headlines on their front pages. Besides local and nearby news, the topics covered in London and those in the US are pretty similar. I do, however, feel like the UK covers more American news than vice versa. I’ve read a lot of news about America in London, but when I’m home I don’t really see that much news about the UK or London in particular.
Although I couldn’t find the real estate section in The Observer, I did go to Google (UK version) and I found a good amount of information on London real estate. The cost for a flat in London starts around ₤189,000 and goes to about ₤2,800,000. Just as I did, if one wanted to find a flat in London, one could just search the internet or find a newspaper with a real estate section and look there.
As I perused the newspaper for jobs, I found several interesting ones. I found an ad to be a professor of fashion at the Savannah College of Art & Design, a Swedish Account Developer, and a Senior Medical Writer for Science Careers LTD—whatever that may be.
There were many advertisements throughout the newspaper. I found several concerning theatre, others about travel, and still others about UK and international commercial properties. Many of the advertisements were colorful with bold lettering, which is similar to the newspaper advertisements in the US.
After watching the “tellie” for an hour, I have decided that UK television and American television have its differences. UK television actually has a lot of American shows on it (Friends, Scrubs, The Simpsons, etc.), while typical American televisions show no UK shows except for occasionally the BBC channel. I also noticed that the UK advertises some American products such as L’Oreal while America doesn’t really advertise any UK products that I can think of. Both countries have similar types of shows, but it was just very apparent to me that American shows are very prominent in the UK.
Part VI
London is a spectacular city with so much to offer; there’s so much to do one could never be bored. If I had nothing else to do, I could just entertain myself by walking around and taking in all the breathtaking sites. London is a world capital and, with the exception of the recent events, does seem to be a very prosperous city. I don’t think I’ve seen more than a handful of people without cell phones, or more than a handful of homeless people, which is very different from New York City where there are a countless amount of homeless people. Even though London is very modern, I love how the city thrives to preserve its historical and fascinating past. Everywhere I go in the city, I see modern buildings mixed amongst historical buildings. While I believe they are at a happy medium now, if they build many more modern buildings I think it will be an overload of modernity and will overshadow the historical buildings.
After living here for a week, I have to agree with Worrall in his description of London. Porter wrote his book some time ago and London has had a chance to revive itself and exceed its previous standards. I would describe London in much the same way as Worrall did, only adding that its people are very friendly, the shopping is amazing, and living here is an experience of a lifetime.
Monday, 20 August 2007
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens got its start when Dorothy Bennett (inheritor of the Kew Park estate), daughter of Sir Richard Bennett (owner of the Kew Park estate), married Sir Henry Capel during the later half of the 17th century. It was the Capel family who developed the first famous gardens in Kew Park, which would later become known as Kew Gardens.
In 1731, Frederick, Prince of Wales, (King George II's son), leased the Kew Farm on which the Capel's lived. In 1736, he married Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha and together initiated a series of dramatic changes to the Kew estate.
The gardens, according to Frederick's plan, was to be a place of trees, exotics, an aqueduct, and an area displaying busts of philosophers. Construction on making that vision a reality was under way until Frederick's death in 1751. After Frederick's death, Princess Augusta took charge, and, with the help of the Earl of Bute, became, in effect, the founder of the botanical gardens at Kew.
Their idea was to create a place that contained all the plants known on Earth and to be formal yet naturalistic in design with lakes, great lawns, formal flower gardens, exotics, glasshouses, buildings, and animals. With the increase in colonial and scientific exploration, seeds and plants were sent back to the gardens from all over the world, which thus increased its diversity and size.
After serving as a status symbol (royal garden) for the wealthy, the purpose of Kew Gardens changed dramatically under the influence of Sir Joseph Banks. Alongside King George III, who inherited the Gardens from his mother Princess Augusta, Banks was instrumental in changing the direction of Kew from the simple collecting and showing of exotics to serious scientific and economic botanical purposes. He went on several collecting expeditions in which he collected considerable anthropological, scientific and botanical material. George III and Sir Joseph Banks' desire to develop economic uses for exotic and native plants set the course for the Gardens' development. Over the following years, Banks instigated collecting campaigns from such areas as South Africa, India, Abyssinia, China and Australia, which ultimately caused the Gardens to be known internationally as a place of plant collection. Through Banks, Kew Gardens went from a simple collecting house for plants to the the British center for economic botany.
In 1841, William Hooker became the first official director of Kew Gardens, and established Kew as the world's leading botanic garden, with Hooker's introduction of the Herbarium securing this high achievement. Later on, Hooker also created museums throughout the Garden to demonstrate the importance of plants to mankind.
William's son, Joseph, who took on directorship after his father, was instrumental in developing the Malaysian and Indian rubber economies and the introduction of Liberian coffee to Sri Lanka, which allowed economic botany to become Kew's dominant activity. He also got many grants and funds to research the effects of blight, insect ravages and disease of plants.
While Kew has changed directors multiple times and has been expanded, remodeled, and added on to since 1841, Kew Gardens today mainly serves as a place of conservation. This ethic developed during the period of 1945 to today. Directors and workers of Kew work to preserve global diversity by identifying and conserving threatened plant species and ecosystems, remaining especially active in the tropical regions where diversity is highest and threats are imminent. They also are pioneering techniques such as micropropagation to ensure the survival of the world's rarest plants, as well as educating visitors about the importance of plants and plant conservation.
The Palm House, completed in 1848, contains plants from all over the world. Such places are South Africa, Venezuela, Mexico, Madagascar, and the Americas. It contains a wide variety of plants from all over to help conserve and restore plant populations for the future, and also to aid populations to which plants are local, with the hope of introducing rare species back into the wild. Workers of the Palm House are also working to promote smaller-scale, more environmentally friendly ways of growing plants.
The Temperate House, completed in 1898, contains plants from temperate habitats as varied as rainforest, mountain, oceanic island, and savannah. More specifically, the Temperate House contains plants such as Tea from China, Eucalyptus from Australia, Birds of Paradise plants from South Africa, Chilean Wire Palm, the largest Indian plant, and Encephalartos woodii, the rarest fuchsias from New Zealand.
Kew Palace, previously known as the Dutch House, is the earliest surviving building in the Gardens, built around 1631. From about 1728 to to 1898, this beautiful place was used as a royal residence to house several important figures such as King George III who, with his family (Queen Charlotte and their daughters), lived in the palace between 1801 and 1818. Here, the King was kept from the public eye when he was seriously ill. Today, the palace serves as a museum, displaying various artifacts from royal families that have lived there in the past. The palace is an architectural gem, with its bright reddish-orange brick, its plethora of windows, and the magnificent rounded gables atop the roof. I would have liked to go into the palace and explore, but it was about three pounds to enter. Being the poor college student I am, the pictures I took will have to suffice.
In 1731, Frederick, Prince of Wales, (King George II's son), leased the Kew Farm on which the Capel's lived. In 1736, he married Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha and together initiated a series of dramatic changes to the Kew estate.
The gardens, according to Frederick's plan, was to be a place of trees, exotics, an aqueduct, and an area displaying busts of philosophers. Construction on making that vision a reality was under way until Frederick's death in 1751. After Frederick's death, Princess Augusta took charge, and, with the help of the Earl of Bute, became, in effect, the founder of the botanical gardens at Kew.
Their idea was to create a place that contained all the plants known on Earth and to be formal yet naturalistic in design with lakes, great lawns, formal flower gardens, exotics, glasshouses, buildings, and animals. With the increase in colonial and scientific exploration, seeds and plants were sent back to the gardens from all over the world, which thus increased its diversity and size.
After serving as a status symbol (royal garden) for the wealthy, the purpose of Kew Gardens changed dramatically under the influence of Sir Joseph Banks. Alongside King George III, who inherited the Gardens from his mother Princess Augusta, Banks was instrumental in changing the direction of Kew from the simple collecting and showing of exotics to serious scientific and economic botanical purposes. He went on several collecting expeditions in which he collected considerable anthropological, scientific and botanical material. George III and Sir Joseph Banks' desire to develop economic uses for exotic and native plants set the course for the Gardens' development. Over the following years, Banks instigated collecting campaigns from such areas as South Africa, India, Abyssinia, China and Australia, which ultimately caused the Gardens to be known internationally as a place of plant collection. Through Banks, Kew Gardens went from a simple collecting house for plants to the the British center for economic botany.
In 1841, William Hooker became the first official director of Kew Gardens, and established Kew as the world's leading botanic garden, with Hooker's introduction of the Herbarium securing this high achievement. Later on, Hooker also created museums throughout the Garden to demonstrate the importance of plants to mankind.
William's son, Joseph, who took on directorship after his father, was instrumental in developing the Malaysian and Indian rubber economies and the introduction of Liberian coffee to Sri Lanka, which allowed economic botany to become Kew's dominant activity. He also got many grants and funds to research the effects of blight, insect ravages and disease of plants.
While Kew has changed directors multiple times and has been expanded, remodeled, and added on to since 1841, Kew Gardens today mainly serves as a place of conservation. This ethic developed during the period of 1945 to today. Directors and workers of Kew work to preserve global diversity by identifying and conserving threatened plant species and ecosystems, remaining especially active in the tropical regions where diversity is highest and threats are imminent. They also are pioneering techniques such as micropropagation to ensure the survival of the world's rarest plants, as well as educating visitors about the importance of plants and plant conservation.
The Palm House, completed in 1848, contains plants from all over the world. Such places are South Africa, Venezuela, Mexico, Madagascar, and the Americas. It contains a wide variety of plants from all over to help conserve and restore plant populations for the future, and also to aid populations to which plants are local, with the hope of introducing rare species back into the wild. Workers of the Palm House are also working to promote smaller-scale, more environmentally friendly ways of growing plants.
The Temperate House, completed in 1898, contains plants from temperate habitats as varied as rainforest, mountain, oceanic island, and savannah. More specifically, the Temperate House contains plants such as Tea from China, Eucalyptus from Australia, Birds of Paradise plants from South Africa, Chilean Wire Palm, the largest Indian plant, and Encephalartos woodii, the rarest fuchsias from New Zealand.
Kew Palace, previously known as the Dutch House, is the earliest surviving building in the Gardens, built around 1631. From about 1728 to to 1898, this beautiful place was used as a royal residence to house several important figures such as King George III who, with his family (Queen Charlotte and their daughters), lived in the palace between 1801 and 1818. Here, the King was kept from the public eye when he was seriously ill. Today, the palace serves as a museum, displaying various artifacts from royal families that have lived there in the past. The palace is an architectural gem, with its bright reddish-orange brick, its plethora of windows, and the magnificent rounded gables atop the roof. I would have liked to go into the palace and explore, but it was about three pounds to enter. Being the poor college student I am, the pictures I took will have to suffice.
Journal Entry #2
Now that I have been in London for a longer amount of time, I have had the opportunity to observe, ponder on, and experience more things.
As far as observations go, I have noticed that most, if not all, cars in London are different models (even though they are made mostly by the same companies) than those in the States. I have seen Fords, Nissains, Toyotas and others of the like, but all of the cars over here seem to be smaller and constructed differently than those made in America. I have been trying to come up with reasons as to why this is, and the best one I have conjured up is that these smaller and differently designed cars are more fuel efficient and/or constructed as so to keep in line with the Clean Air Act. I have also seen a multitude of people riding bikes instead of driving a car or using public transportation. Smaller cars and more bikers obviously has economic advantages, as the city will not be spending so much money on fuel imports and pollution protection. Even though the cars look different, I believe they are a very good idea as they will save London millions if not billions of dollars. Maybe America should take a few hints and stop constructing huge SUV's that destroy the ozone and cause terrible pollution.
I have also noticed/observed some social or cultural differences between Americans and Londoners in the way of attire. Over here in London, it seems to be that men usually dress a lot nicer than American men, as they are often seen in collared shirts, nice slacks and a trendy pair of shoes. While this type of dress is seen in the States, it is a more general and common way of dressing over here. Women, on the other hand, seem to dress more eclectic and their outfits hardly ever match. They also wear their hair very messy, which is not usually seen by normal women in the States.
People around here tend to be quite friendly, offering smiles as they walk past or directions if I am lost. I've only encountered less than a handful of rude and mean people, but that's probably only because we are in a giant city and I am bound to come across at least a few cranky people.
Another social thing I have noticed is that a great amount of Londoners smoke. I don't know if I am noticing this because I don't live in a city and don't see that many people at one time, or if it really is the case that more Europeans smoke than Americans. Mostly everyone around pubs or just even walking in the street has a cigarette in their hand, which strikes me as interesting and is intriguing. I'd like to find out more about this.
As far as economics go, I have noticed that people here shop--a lot. Daily I see people with multiple bags in their hands from retail stores. This most likely greatly boosts their economy and sales as I haven't gone a day without seeing a multitude of shoppers. I have also noticed that most people have very hi-tech phones over here--palm pilot, swivel phones, slider phones--if it's high tech and fancy, I've seen it over here. I don't yet know if this has anything to do with the economy or developing technologies, but hopefully I will find out soon.
The only two connections I have made with London and America is that they play a lot of American music over here and sell popular American exports such as Coca-Cola products. I haven't seen hardly any other American product other than Coca-Cola, but only time will tell what other American products I see. I'm sure I'll be reporting soon about my classes and other observations and experiences. Until next time-cheers.
As far as observations go, I have noticed that most, if not all, cars in London are different models (even though they are made mostly by the same companies) than those in the States. I have seen Fords, Nissains, Toyotas and others of the like, but all of the cars over here seem to be smaller and constructed differently than those made in America. I have been trying to come up with reasons as to why this is, and the best one I have conjured up is that these smaller and differently designed cars are more fuel efficient and/or constructed as so to keep in line with the Clean Air Act. I have also seen a multitude of people riding bikes instead of driving a car or using public transportation. Smaller cars and more bikers obviously has economic advantages, as the city will not be spending so much money on fuel imports and pollution protection. Even though the cars look different, I believe they are a very good idea as they will save London millions if not billions of dollars. Maybe America should take a few hints and stop constructing huge SUV's that destroy the ozone and cause terrible pollution.
I have also noticed/observed some social or cultural differences between Americans and Londoners in the way of attire. Over here in London, it seems to be that men usually dress a lot nicer than American men, as they are often seen in collared shirts, nice slacks and a trendy pair of shoes. While this type of dress is seen in the States, it is a more general and common way of dressing over here. Women, on the other hand, seem to dress more eclectic and their outfits hardly ever match. They also wear their hair very messy, which is not usually seen by normal women in the States.
People around here tend to be quite friendly, offering smiles as they walk past or directions if I am lost. I've only encountered less than a handful of rude and mean people, but that's probably only because we are in a giant city and I am bound to come across at least a few cranky people.
Another social thing I have noticed is that a great amount of Londoners smoke. I don't know if I am noticing this because I don't live in a city and don't see that many people at one time, or if it really is the case that more Europeans smoke than Americans. Mostly everyone around pubs or just even walking in the street has a cigarette in their hand, which strikes me as interesting and is intriguing. I'd like to find out more about this.
As far as economics go, I have noticed that people here shop--a lot. Daily I see people with multiple bags in their hands from retail stores. This most likely greatly boosts their economy and sales as I haven't gone a day without seeing a multitude of shoppers. I have also noticed that most people have very hi-tech phones over here--palm pilot, swivel phones, slider phones--if it's high tech and fancy, I've seen it over here. I don't yet know if this has anything to do with the economy or developing technologies, but hopefully I will find out soon.
The only two connections I have made with London and America is that they play a lot of American music over here and sell popular American exports such as Coca-Cola products. I haven't seen hardly any other American product other than Coca-Cola, but only time will tell what other American products I see. I'm sure I'll be reporting soon about my classes and other observations and experiences. Until next time-cheers.
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