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.
Monday, 27 August 2007
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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