The Three Amigos: Paris and London

Day 25

From the windows of the plane we could see the rugged Pyrenees Mountains that formed the natural barrier between Spain and France as well as the Eiffel Tower as we approached Paris. We landed at Charles de Gaulle airport in the late morning and found out we would zoom into Paris on the RER line. From there we hopped on the subway to the Gare Du Nord station by our hostel. This station was the transport hub for center city so it was huge and took some time to decipher where the proper exits, ticket booths, and subway lines were. Following the directions given to us, we made our way to the hostel which was conveniently located close to a couple markets.

From the very beginning, Paris did not impress me as a city. The subway was inefficient with several important stops closed, so it would often take a previously unheard of 3 transfers to get where we wanted. Of course the station by our hostel that connected to several different lines was closed, which likely cost us nearly an hour of travel time. The streets were not very clean and an unpleasant smell lingered throughout the Montmartre area. Many buildings were dirty and dilapidated. We would find out later that the museums and other sights were managed in a lackadaisical fashion where the security guards seemed to do what they wanted without properly informing people. Closing times were sometimes different than posted on the tourist information. Then there was the somewhat snobbish nature of the Parisians, although we did not experience any of the horrors that I had heard from others about waiters refusing to serve or locals snubbing people asking for help if the spoke English. While I certainly enjoyed my time and the sights were great, the whole time I had a feeling that many things were non-sensical but Paris was too stubborn to change them. It did not live up to its name as a city surpassing all others in romance and beauty.

Upon entering the Vintage Hostel, we found Pat waiting in the lobby. It was certainly the most interesting place I had greeted him before and it was great to both see him after nearly a year in Albania and to inaugurate him into our traveling adventure (although he had visited Belgium by himself for the first couple of days before meeting us). After introducing him to Hans and catching up a bit, I asked him to show us the basics he had planned for our time. He had printed out a large map and had marked all the main sites. In such a sprawling city, most of the sites were fairly spread out, so it would take time to get around, especially with the troublesome subway system. However, staying for over 4 days in one city would be very relaxing in comparison to the rate at which Hans and I had been moving previously. We thought we had plenty of time to see all the main sites.

We wasted no time in introducing Pat to our market feasts which took on some new parts with his presence. We discovered that Paraguayans are one of the most tasty, juicy fruits in the world so we ate them almost every day. We bought a quart of yogurt with fresh fruit along with sausage, cheese, bread, avocado, and dates. After filling up the three of us stored our luggage and headed down to Saint Chappelle, which is a small but beautiful church pulsing with color. The walls of the upper chapel were covered almost entirely with stained glass. As with icons, the windows told the stories of the Bible through illustration so that the illiterate masses of the Middle Ages could understand the revelation of God’s word. Unfortunately, there was scaffolding covering the whole one side which certainly took away from the magical glow that would have enveloped the chapel as the sun shone through.

After wandering around the Palace of Justice, we headed to Notre Dame. The approaching view of the Cathedral was partially blocked by bleachers that had been set up across from the front entrance. We joined the long line to enter, but it moved quickly and the visit was free. The interior of the Cathedral was one of the most powerful I have seen. It was built from the 12th to 14th centuries making it older than many of its contemporaries in Europe, so the architecture was early Gothic as opposed to the higher Gothic found in many famous cathedrals. Early Gothic began moving away from the Romanesque style that featured thick pillars and rounded arches in comparison to the delicate soaring pillars and pointed archways of Gothic. Because of its earlier design, it was less intricate and stunning than the Cathedrals we had seen in Spain apart from the two beautiful rose stained glass windows at either end. Features that distinguish Notre Dame from others are its flying buttresses and the gargoyle statues all around the exterior.

By this time it was late afternoon and Hans and I were exhausted from our little sleep and travel. Although Pat was doing fine, I could barely walk around in Notre Dame and I reached the end of my energy wandering around the docks hoping to get a free evening boat tour on the Seine as part of our Paris Pass. After learning this was not included, we headed back to our hostel, checked into our private room, and relaxed for a bit before going to bed.

Day 26

The next morning we ate a simple all you can eat breakfast and took some rolls along with us before heading to the Eiffel Tower. We had hoped to get there before opening time, but our sluggishness held us back for half an hour. The line was brutally long twisting all around and it was unclear how the system worked. At one point, a bunch of people started streaming from the line so I checked out the situation and discovered that a new line had opened up so we transferred and likely saved a good amount of wait time. After about 90 minutes of waiting, we passed through security where Hans temporarily lost his ticket and the security lady repeatedly sighed “no” in frustration when Hans and Pat removed their belts for the metal detector (seemed like the thing to do).

The large elevator stopped at the lower level with a restaurant before dropping us off at the middle level where we had to get off and get in a different line for the elevator to the top. We took our time gazing out over Paris from the top of its most iconic monument taking in the scope and organization of the city. After some pictures and pull-ups on the beams around the tower, it began to cloud up and we saw dark rain clouds roll over the city.

When it began to rain we went down to the lower level where Pat said he wanted to check out the gift shop. Hans and I walked several paces past the shop entrance to get out of the way of the crowds and waited by the stairs. After a while, I went to check on Pat and he was gone. I informed Hans and we decided that he would stay put while I searched around for him. I reported back to Hans and neither of us saw him. After another search yielded nothing, we decided that he must have gone down for some reason. We checked the lower level before exiting at the bottom into the pouring rain. Luckily, the rain soon slowed to a drizzle but we did not see Pat anywhere. Since it had been over an hour since we separated, Hans and I decided that we needed to move on so we would not waste the day and assumed that he would do the same before meeting that evening in the hostel. Fortunately, we had laid out a basic plan for the day, so we hoped we may run into him later.

By the time we walked away from the Eiffel Tower the rain had slowed to a drizzle. We went out to the field of Mars to take some pictures standing next to and jumping over the tower before walking past the old military school where Napoleon was trained and down to Napoleon’s tomb. The building looked like a Cathedral, but it was dedicated to honoring Napoleon and other French military heroes. Under the central dome the floor dropped down a level where you could walk around the sarcophagus.

Connected to the sanctuary was a hospital that Napoleon had built for the injured from his campaigns. The huge space currently serves as the military museum with displays from the Middle Ages up through WWII. We thought Spain had a ton of armor, but the collection displayed and kept archived was massive with countless suits of armor, uniforms, and weapons as well as impressive collections from India and Japan. I learned that the dreaded Cuirassiers were labeled this because of their breastplate (a cuirass) and served as heavy cavalry armed with swords and pistols under Napoleon. We studied moving schematics for the Battle of 3 Emperors and Waterloo. I had been wondering how the French feel about Napoleon today and the museum revealed that he is treated as a hero with many faults that brought excessive violence. He is rightly viewed as one of the greatest commanders in history and as defining to the history of France inaugurating a new modern society.

After nearly three hours, we walked to the Orsay Museum but it was closed earlier than written in my book. Since there was not much left to do nearby we decided to hop on a boat tour on the Seine enjoying the city as the sun began to set. This is certainly one of the best ways to view Paris because most of the main sites are positioned along the river and there are a myriad of bridges that connect across the river. The different perspective with the reddish sunlight glimmering across the water was a relaxing way to see the city. Afterwards, we popped back to the hostel to check for Pat before heading out to the Arc de Triumph, only to find out that it had been closed early due to excessive heat. Not only was this way earlier than posted, but the reason did not make any sense because it was open all day while it was actually hot, then at night it was closed. It seemed like the reason was to conceal that someone just wanted to get out of work early and many people in line with us were angry and sensing the same thing. Well, I guess we will just have to wait until tomorrow night.

Back in the hostel, I was showering as Pat came in. We smiled at each other and he was evidently as confused as we were how we got separated. The difference maker was that after he finished in the shop, he figured that we had gone down awhile so he went down without seeing us and waited for about an hour at the bottom. Hans and I knew how easily we could lose each other in a city without any way to communicate, so we always would stay together unless we made a specific plan to meet up. Since we had not talked about this with Pat, he was not working under these assumptions. He had visited many of the same sights we had (including the Orsay that he got into on time as well as Sancre Coeur) but we had missed each other repeatedly.

Day 27

The next morning after breakfast we headed to the station to catch a train to Versailles.  Despite getting there at opening time, the line still snaked across the huge square for a couple hundred yards in front of the palace entrance. Models, displays, and videos showed that the royal residence at Versailles began as a modest hunting lodge under Louis IIX. Over the centuries, it was rebuilt and expanded several times until it became the over-the-top luxury palace that came to symbolize the wealth and power of French Absolutism championed by Louis XIV. Most of the palaces and courts of Europe came to be modeled after the French style displayed in Versailles. Louis XIV made the full power of the state revolve around him (called the “Sun King”) by centralizing power and having the whole court regimented around his schedule that included the court gathered to watch the king and queen eat dinner then Louis met with all the officials while in bed.

We were given audio tour devices that were very informative, so we moved through the palace learning the function of each room and the significance of the furniture, statues, and artwork. I had noticed before how prevalent the use of classical themes and art is in royal palaces, but nowhere is it more widespread and coercive than in Versailles. A huge beaming golden gate divided the common people from the divinely appointed king and his court. A sun showed that all life revolved around the power held by this king. Cowering eagles and lions represented the empires that submitted to the authority of France. Zeus, Hercules, and winged virgins symbolized the power, strength, and virtue of the crown. Finally, there were statues of modern leaders in the style or adornment of classical gods or emperors to equate them with greatness.

The most important and ornate room is the Hall of Mirrors. This room was built to symbolize French greatness and style to any invited to visit. Therefore, it was a serious insult and scar on the French conscience when Wilhelm I was proclaimed emperor in 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors after France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian war. Revenge was taken after WWI when the French forced the Germans to sign unfair terms of the Treaty of Versailles on the birthday of the assassinated Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.

Before the end of the palace tour there was a long gallery of huge paintings celebrating all the great military victories of France throughout history back to the formation of the Frankish kingdom under Clovis. I waited for Pat and Hans to come through before we ventured out into the vast gardens. We walked down to the right to the large pond where many were boating and we talked about video games before looping around and back to the palace on our way out. While walking back to the train we ran into my senior history professor, John Fea, and his wife, Joy, who taught me as well. They were with their two daughters on a European vacation and couldn’t miss the historical significance of Versailles. Of course this was quite an unlikely surprise, so we caught up briefly before snapping a photo and continuing on our way.

While entering the subway on our way back, we discovered that sometimes old tickets worked to pass the gate and so we just tried whichever ticket came first out of our pocket. We headed to the church of Sancre Coeur built on the hill above Montmartre. The night before, Pat had encountered some aggressive street vendors who had grabbed him to try to get attention as well as a girl who screamed for help, so we planned out advanced evasive maneuvers but they were not hounding the area. We climbed the steps past a singing choir and got an excellent view over Paris. The sanctuary of Sancre Coeur was not very large, but its architecture and colorful mosaics gave it a beautiful eastern allure. The stunning exterior includes several tall white domes giving it the feel of a majestic Indian palace.

Now it was time for the mighty Louvre. With 35,000 objects on display, over 650,000 square feet, and about 10 million visitors a year, the Louvre is one of the largest and most popular museums in the world. That night we hoped to see all the highlights in three hours. We paused in the entrance courtyard to take pictures with the glass pyramid before picking up a map to navigate the main attractions. There were paintings by the Renaissance greats Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Titian, and Leonardo da Vinci, including the original Mona Lisa. The most important works of Eugene Delacroix, leader of the Romantic movement, including Liberty Leading the People and Massacre at Chios, use expressive brush strokes and vivid color to evoke emotion in the viewer praising liberty and love. There was a rich collection of Greek and Roman sculpture, Egyptian artifacts, and remains from the grand Persian palace at Persepolis. Perhaps the most important historic artifact was Hammurabi’s Code that serves as one of the first primary sources in my World History classes and provides a wonderful window into life and government in Babylonia.

At night we returned to the Arc de Triumph. However, again we were near the entrance in line when they closed it without warning. There had been a paper posted by the door yesterday alerting people that it would close early, but there was nothing tonight and people were upset. Several others, like us, had been there the night before and some were leaving the next day but the guards just shook their heads. At one point, Hans took a picture of one of the guards who then came over and asked him to delete it. They got into a painfully repetitive argument where Hans said he has the right to take pictures of what he wants and that you can’t see the guards face anyway because it was blurry, but the guard insisted until eventually Hans had gotten enough entertainment and deleted the photo. Stunned at the unfortunate happening two nights in a row and the lack of reason, the three of us went back to the hostel and had a round of warm beers before bed.

Day 28

In the morning we packed up, ate breakfast, checked out, and left our stuff in the luggage room. We returned to the Notre Dame Cathedral to climb up the famous bell tower but the line would not open for an hour. After debating, we decided to visit the Parthenon but that also opened later than posted, so I sprinted back ahead of the group to get a decent spot in the line that started to build outside the tower. The tower contained a surprising amount of steps and it felt like forever until we emerged at the top. There was a gangway around the bottom of the belfry where we got an up close look at the gargoyles and design of the Cathedral exterior along with a view over the city. A short elevator took us to the roof of one tower for great views in all directions over the city along the Seine. We all agreed it was worth the wait, climb, and entrance fee to experience Notre Dame like Quasimodo.

Next we headed across the river, grabbed some expensive Parisian mini-pastries, and examined the exterior of the Pompidou museum of modern art. The building has all its mechanical systems on the outside looking like an entanglement of tubes, pipes, and exhaust ports. Inside, the experience got more special as we ascended the external escalators to the top and entered one of the exhibits. The immediate question on all of our minds was, how can all this stuff be considered art. There were slabs of concrete, scribbles of paint, pots, squares of paint, random shapes displayed on the walls like it was something special. None of us were fans in the least bit. We pondered how anyone could like this and decided that maybe the purpose of these objects is not to be beautiful in their own right, but to force the viewer to come up with an abstract meaning. Perhaps in creative thinking about the mundane, we can begin to see everything in the world around us as art. Meh!

After wandering around that section of the city for a bit, we headed back across the river to the Pantheon. This structure is crazy because it looks exactly like a great Cathedral, but has nothing to do with religion. It was originally built as a church, but was converted to a temple to the nation of France and the figures who contributed to its greatness. The inside was decorated with statues and paintings on the wall commemorating important parts in French history including the baptism of Clovis, the crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, Joan of Arc and the crowning of Charles VII at Reims, and many images depicting the French Revolution as the triumph of liberty. The mausoleum in the lower level contained many of France’s greatest figures including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Alexander Dumas, Marie Curie, and Toussaint Louverture.

Since Pat and Hans wanted to see the catacombs (I had seen those in Rome) and I wanted to visit the Orsay Museum, we decided to split and meet later in the day. I spent most of my time at the museum in the Impressionist section that boasted the most complete collection of Monet, Renoir, Degas, Manet, Sisley, and Cezanne. These creators and leaders of the Impressionist movement used thin yet visible brush strokes and focused more on the light, color, and expression than the precise form to arouse a certain feeling. Most of the paintings depicted nature with water and flowers complimented by humanity and civilization to produce a pleasing mood. Before leaving I walked through most of the exhibits that spanned from 1848 – 1915 and I got to see several works by Van Gogh and Rodin.

Crossing the bridge with all the locks sealing the bond between lover’s, I next visited L’Orangerie Museum that featured wall-covering paintings of Monet’s “Lilly pad” collection in two central oval rooms. Resting in the center and looking around at the blending of colors and change of lighting was a great way to cap my Impressionist viewing experience. There was s uprising amount of colors used including rich purple and red hues. Since Hans and Pat were supposed to be meeting me, I went out to the entrance area, saw them, and talked to them from the inside telling them I would be out after I breezed through the other exhibits, but the security guards told me that the museum was closed and that I could not go back in. Since the museum did not close for another 20 minutes, I asked them what time the museum closed, but they just repeated that it was closed and that I had to leave. I told them that I had been inside the whole time, but it was of no use. The nonsensical and complacent nature of French museum workers had struck again!

Pat and Hans laughed at the stupidity of what just happened and relayed their own frustrating experience. They had gone to the catacombs, were waiting in line for over an hour, and were right near the front when they were told that the catacombs were closed. Not only was it before the actual closing time, but instead of cutting the line off, the guards had allowed people to wait assuming they would get in when in fact they would just be rejected after wasting time. However, Hans did not return empty handed as they found a Lego store and felt the bags for all the figures he wanted including the legionnaire, musketeer, tomahawk warrior, and the knight. Thinking it would not be far, they had to run to meet me on time because they underestimated the distance to the museum.

We sat outside for a while before walking through a huge open square with a Egyptian obelisk at the center on our way back to Montmartre looking for a place to sample genuine Parisian cuisine (French for “kitchen”). Eventually, we found a restaurant along the street where we decided to share three dishes including duck and escargots. After relaxing for a while, we headed to the Arc hoping to get to the top for the view of the city at night before we left. The Arc was still open (closing early again), but they would not allow us to take our packs up or store them in the empty space at the ticket booth. Frustrated, Hans and I protested but to no avail, so Pat graciously decided that he would run up and snap a few photos before running down and waiting with the bags allowing us to go up and stay for a while. It was a beautiful spot to be at night because the view was straight down all the streets, since the traffic converged on that point, and the Eiffel Tower shimmered for a while.

After hanging around for a while, Hans and I returned to Pat then made our way to the bus station to board our bus for London. The station turned out to be a huge multi-functional facility that seemed to be closed when we got there so we walked around and asked directions until we found the parking lot for international buses. The cheerful British driver asked for our confirmation numbers and I handed him the information, but apparently I did not record the correct number. However, seeing the information that I had showed that we were at the right place, so he said we would wait until the other groups came and then he would know we were the remaining group of 3. This friendly and logical approach may seem logical, but it was it was refreshingly unexpected after our experience with the enlightened Parisians. Soon we were seated, on the road, and Pat scared away the kid sitting next to him with his neck pillow, ear plugs, and eye cover. Surprisingly, Hans was not very sentimental about leaving, but I think it was mostly because he was not impressed with the atmosphere of Paris either.

Day 29

Early in the morning we arrived at the English customs station at Calais before arriving at the port to board our ferry. These British customs officers were hard-core asking a flurry of questions and taking their time on each person. One guy who I met in my hostel while in Istanbul told me that he was deported from Britain because he did not have a return flight or other transportation arranged to leave Britain. My officer actually asked for the official confirmation or boarding pass, but he was satisfied by the information I had in my packet. It was intense but it was refreshing to see someone actually taking their job seriously. One Korean girl was panicking because she could not find her flight confirmation and they threatened to not allow her in. Our new bus driver made fun of her panic by yelling at her “Ching-Ching-Chung, hurry up China-girl!”

Eventually all was sorted out and we were soon woken up again because we had to exit the bus during the ride across the channel. With my eyes under a sleeping spell, I fumbled to a table in the lobby upstairs and fell asleep leaning on the table along with Pat. The journey took about an hour and a half and I woke up just in time for our approach to the cliffs of Dover and the swirling green orb that guarded the coast. Although I was asleep most of the time, it was cool to ferry across the English Channel being in historic company with invasion fleets during the Hundred Years War, the Spanish Armada, and German U-boats during the World Wars.

I hardly remember finding my way back to the bus because I was basically sleepwalking. The next time I woke up, we were parking at the bus station in London. We had decided to proceed immediately to Oxford, so we found an electronic ticket machine, bought our return tickets, and were soon on our way to Oxford with almost all young people. Pat had chosen to stay at King’s College where the Great Hall was used as the model for the hall at Hogwart’s in Harry Potter. Not feeling that it was worth the cost, Hans and I stayed at a nearby hostel that oozed with rationality and safety right from the beginning because of the procedures, common area, and combination locks on each of the rooms.

After getting settled, we met up with Pat in town near his college. I had considered joining a tour to visit the colleges, but Pat told us that he had been granted “Resident Guest” status at Christ Church College which allowed him to bring visitors onto the grounds for free. We took advantage of this by walking around the common square, visiting the Great Hall, and touring the Cathedral. The Great Hall contained three long rows of tables, a high wooden beamed roof, portraits all along the walls, and a stage at the front just like in Harry Potter. Cathedral was fairly small but dynamic with several unique nooks, a medieval tomb, and a student practicing on the old organ. This is the only college chapel to serve as a city Cathedral or the seat of the bishop. It is also the burial place of philosopher John Locke and where John Wesley was ordained.

Since we hadn’t eaten much since the night before at the restaurant, we were famished. After weighing some options, we found something that perfectly fit the bill; a buffet lunch at Pizza Hut for 6 pounds. We could hardly believe our luck as we got a table right away before the masses poured in. All of us shoveled down slice after slice complimented by salad, pudding, and pasta. It was stunning how much we ate and Pizza Hut certainly did not profit from our business.

Having already gotten an in-depth look at the most anticipated Christ Church College, we wandered around the city peeked into St. John’s, Trinity, and Keble colleges that were just a sampling of the 38 colleges that make up Oxford University. The area was full of wonderful old buildings and we noticed that it was graduation day for many of the students who were wearing their robes and walking with their families. We passed by the Bodleian Library which is the main research library at Oxford and is one of the oldest and largest in Europe.

After checking out the colleges we took a nap on the grass at the student park. Then we looped around the park and wandered through the southern part of the city before being part of another random encounter. As we were crossing the street, we heard some call Pat’s name and we turned to see Brittany Almond who was in our class at Messiah. This was the most likely of my encounters since she had studied abroad at Oxford in school and had decided to return for her master’s studies. After catching up we continued on our way then decided to return to rest and wash before meeting later.

Hans and I chose to climb up an old lookout tower in the city center that gave us a better grip of the scale and division of Oxford. Then we descended to meet Pat and journey to the Eagle and the Child pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would meet along with other Inklings. I expected the “Rabbit Room” to be packed and reserved, but when I asked, the bartender said there were no reservations and you just had to claim a table. So we strategically stood for a few minutes in close proximity before one group got up to leave. We sat down and that was it; we were sitting in the same place as some of our favorite writers had sat to discuss their writing, religion, and philosophy. We ordered two rounds of beer (ciders, stouts, and porter ales) at surprisingly cheap prices and capped our night soaking in the atmosphere of the moment. It was revealed by some hardcore fans who had come to pay their respects that there was a secret book where admirers wrote thanks and shared thoughts about the Inklings. It was a slightly transcendent “further up and further in” moment. Note to self: I need to re-read the Chronicles of Narnia at some point.

Day 30

The next morning Hans and I ate breakfast before returning our sheets and checking out to receive our deposit back. We met Pat in town by the tower before going to the bus station for our return trip to London. One all of the buses we rode in England we needed to wear seatbelts because they have strict safety laws about public transportation. After arriving we bought some huge and delicious falafel wraps outside the bus station before making our way to “the Tube”. The subway system amazed us with how expensive it was, with a one way ticket being around 5 pounds.  It was significantly cheaper to get an unlimited Oyster Pass card for a week to swipe each time we entered, but this was still around 40 pounds. However, from our first time in the Tube we noticed that it was much more efficient and logical than the problematic metro in Paris.

We got off at Earl’s Court station and found our way to our hostel, Saint James Backpackers where we checked into our private room with a triple bunk. We had not laid out our strategy for touring the city, but all the main sites closed early in the afternoon, so our best option was to rush to the British Museum. We had about an hour and a half before closing time so we saw some of the Greek and Egyptian highlights while spending most of our time in the British/European pre-modern sections because much of the English/Nordic objects were new to me. The most historically important artifact is the Rosetta Stone, which allowed scholars to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics because it is written in 3 languages including Greek. This was a great museum to visit because there was great English descriptions, the layout was simple, and there was a huge diversity of objects making up one of the largest permanent collections in the world.

Since we had been in England, we soon realized that almost all the tourists were English speaking and of a much more uniform stock than our fellow travelers in Spain and Paris. England, as the mother country of our Founding Fathers, is a significant part of our cultural heritage in America today. Assumptions or ways of interacting that I had taken for granted before spending a significant amount of time abroad that were always changing from place to place now seemed to settle. It is easy to notice a worldview different than ours, but feeling at home in a foreign place is a sense that settles over time. It is hard to put a finger on and it was beyond the return of rationality, but for the remainder of our time in England, I felt lingering sense of shared identity with the people and places we went because, although my family background is not English, much of that place continues to be alive in my culture.

After staying as long as we could, we exited the museum and visited some shops before heading back to the hostel. We stopped at the local market where we bought an assortment of vegetables and fruit along with eggs, sausage, and bread in order to take advantage of the common kitchen at the hostel. Since we had a decent chunk of time before bed we decided to humor Hans by playing the game he had been working on with his Lego mini-figures. Each figure had its own unique movement, attack, defense, and HP along with equipment perks. Attack success would be determined by a dice roll. Hans and I further worked out the rules before we moved the mattresses to play on the floor. We each chose two pieces and it was a fight until the last man standing. Since there were three of us, it was difficult to get us to commit to standing ground in battle, but eventually Pat and I eventually knocked out Hans before Pat’s knight struck the victory blow.

Day 31

That morning we needed to pick up our 4-day London Passes that were costly, but would give access to most of the sites in the city. It is astonishing how expensive the sights were. The first sight we used the pass for was the Tower of London which would have cost us 12 pounds (around $18). At the pace we move and how many sights we see in a day, we were planning on stretching our days to the maximum saving over $50 each during our stay. At the Tower, we were summoned by a Beefeater, one of the 38 ceremonial guards of the tower who must be a decorated serviceman, to gather for a very informative and amusing tour. He used British mannerisms and sarcasm to full effect to engage the sizeable crowd.

The tower was originally built by William the Conqueror in the 11^th century during his efforts to establish and fortify his position as king of England after his watermark victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The white tower at the center of the complex was the first stone keep built in England. It was first used as a royal residence, but more recently served as the holding place for people who went against the interest of the crown and many of them were executed on the hill outside, most notably Sir Thomas More. There were many terrible ways to torture and execute people including hanging until close to the point of death before cutting them down and repeating this process several times. Inside the courtyard, nobles and royal relatives were secretly executed including Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Gray.

After our tour, we hoped to see the Crown Jewels but the line looked like nearly a two hour wait. We decided to skip it. At this time my back was very sore, so when I was waiting for Hans and Pat to finish in the bathroom I wandered into a nearby room finding a place to sit. After feeling relief, I looked around and noticed some glimmering objects through a nearby doorway. I got up to check it out and soon realized that I was in the exhibit housing the crown jewels. Since I was there, I decided that I should see the famous crown, orb, and scepter in the main room. In the crown of Queen Victoria was a 186 carat diamond that used to be the largest in the world. They were quite shiny, but not worth the hype because there gilded objects to be found all around. Upon exiting where I had come in, I realized that there was a sign that said “do not enter” that I ignored because I was just focused on finding a bench.

When I found Pat, he asked where I had been. I smiled and eventually said I was checking out the Crown Jewels. Of course, he did not at first believe me, but realized I was serious when I told him what happened. Hans then wanted to know what happened, and when I told him, he said he was going to see the Jewels. Pat told him that it was not right because all those people outside were waiting for hours to see them, but Hans felt he was not hurting anyone and it was worth it. I was impressed with Pat’s perspective and decision not to go but I had expected Hans to pounce on this questionable opportunity, especially since I had already seen them. We waited for him before going into the White Tower where the royal armory collection was held displaying the armor of many past kings.

Next, we headed over to the Tower Bridge and visited the museum inside. We climbed up the one side and walked across the covered walkway at the top that held displays of other important bridges. The bridges was built for both form and function as it allowed more traffic across the river while being able to lift up to let ships down the river. From the top we got a great view of the London skyline including the unique modern skyscrapers that co-exist wonderfully along with the historic buildings.

We decided to head over to Buckingham Palace and check out the HMS Belfast docked along the Thames on the way. This battleship served in the D-day invasion of Normandy, sunk several German vessels, and fought in the Korean War before being turned into a museum. It was like a floating town with a myriad of rooms for sleeping, food preparation, medical treatment, navigation, weapons storage, and loading mechanisms along with all the turrets and torpedo launchers.

We learned that all the tickets for Buckingham Palace (15 pounds, not covered by the pass) had been sold out for the day, so we hustled over to the Churchill War Rooms before it closed. This museum was an underground command bunker where many of the rooms had not been changed since the end of WWII when it was sealed. The location of the bunker was secret and was not bomb proof. This is where the national war council met and contained living facilities for Winston Churchill even though he insisted on living above ground. He would work for over 18 hours a day with almost no break. The main exhibit was dedicated to the life of Churchill and revealed how he fell out of popularity with the public in his old age battling the Labor Party.

From there we walked by Big Ben and boarded the hop-on ferry that took us to the Tower Bridge. During that 25-minute span we were able to so most of the highlights in London from the Thames River, the lifeblood of the city. Since it was a nice time to be on the water with the sun setting, we had gone away from our hostel, and the return was free we then rode the boat back to Parliament. Despite being exhausted, Hans and I drug Pat along on our walk to Trafalgar Square, which was an evening hangout spot with a large column memorial to Admiral Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar. His impressive command in the battle lead to the destruction of most of Napoleon’s fleet ending the possibility for an invasion of England. Then we headed back, cooked another dinner, and went to bed.

Day 32

Each morning, we ate a breakfast of cereal, toast, peanut butter, jelly, and hard-boiled eggs. We checked in at Parliament but their hours are often changing due to debates and we would have to come back later, so we crossed over and got in the line at Westminster Abbey before it opened. The abbey is the royal church where coronations have been performed for the last millennium beginning with William the Conqueror, but is most famous as a burial place for royals and other famous Brits. Notable people buried here include: Geoffrey Chaucer, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Jane Austen, Oliver Cromwell, Margaret Cavendish, Handel, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Ernest Rutherford, David Livingstone, Edward the Confessor, and Henry III. There is the Tomb to an Unknown Soldier that represents the countless unknown masses that sacrificed and contributed to the development of Britain and is the only tomb that may not be walked on.

We received free audio guides for our walk through the abbey. We started in the central nave, proceeded to the choir and the altar, then around to the left. There was an amalgamation of burials all along the apse with statues, coffins, and chapels mixed together. The chapel of Henry VII in the back has a gorgeous pendant fan vault ceiling and is the chapel of chivalric the Order of the Bath. There were several small chapels including one dedicated to the RAF, particularly to those who defended the city in the Battle of Britain. There were several elaborate tombs including those to Elizabeth I and her sister, Mary Queen of Scotts. Exiting the apse on the right was the Poet’s corner dedicated to memorials and burials of famous British writers and musicians. Before exiting, we visited the cloister including the chapter house and strong room then caught a glimpse of King Edward’s chair that has since been used during coronations.

From there, we rushed to Buckingham Palace and heard drums while we were still far off. We arrived just in time for the beginning of the changing of the guard ceremony that was led by shiny armored cuirassiers. The whole area was completely packed with people and there were several security guards on horses who marched through the crowd yelling for people to stay put. The three of us separated to try to find the best spots we could and I was able to shimmy all the way up to a few rows behind the gates. From there I could stand on my tip-toes or hold my camera up to get a fairly clear shot into the square where the military bands (new and old) dueled and the soldiers marched. The whole process lasted about half an hour with much fanfare, flags, and music.

When the guards allowed people to cross, I used my kaffiyeh to hail Hans then we met Pat who had gone ahead to buy our ridiculously expensive tickets. They put us into a huge line of people that slowly proceeded through airport style security since the palace was still in use. However, the only time where visitors may go inside the palace is during July and August when the royal family is on vacation. We passed the courtyard then entered up there grand staircase that any guest would climb before meeting the queen. There was the throne room, several art galleries displaying the royal collection, and all the living and bedrooms for the royal family. Despite its use in modern times, the palace was still full of classic art to show power and right to rule including the Rape of the Sabines statue that I have found to be one of the most common in Europe.

For this year, there were several rooms dedicated to the coronation of the Queen Elizabeth II, since it was the 50^th anniversary, with all the costumes and decorations on display. The development of media has changed the royal image and this was the first coronation that was televised. The palace was very elaborate and certainly one of the most beautiful I had seen but it didn’t blow me away because I had been expecting a lot of the most famous royal residence in Europe. Before leaving, we walked down a path of the palace gardens which are curiously large because it is situated near the center of London. We had each wandered through at different speeds and Pat had been ahead, but when Hans and I met up at the exit he was not there. They would not let us go back to look, but eventually he came out while I had gone in search of a more discrete place to stretch my aching back.

Our next stop was planned for St. Paul’s Cathedral. We had decided not to go on the London Eye mostly because it was 20 pounds which felt like robbery but also because we hoped to get similar views from the cathedral’s dome that we had spotted throughout the city. The interior was expansive and open built in the typical cross shape with a central nave for seating. The way to the second highest dome in Europe after St. Peter’s Basilica was a slow ascending spiral staircase that felt more like a hill than a staircase. There was a level where we could view the church from above at the base of the dome before exiting to the walkway around the dome outside. From there, we entered a stairway between the outer and inner layers of the dome and climbed to the viewing point on the lantern 335 feet above the ground. Although we were rushed along, we hid between the columns for a few extra seconds of viewing and picture taking from one of the best views in London. 

When we came down we visited the crypts where there are tombs for the architect Christopher Wren, Admiral Nelson, Duke of Wellington, and T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia). As these sights closed down, there were people gathering for a special service. Significantly underdressed but exhausted, we decided to remain for a while to feel the warmth of a Cathedral in use as a choir sang hymns. Although similar in almost every way except for its rejection of Papal authority, the Anglican Church has a distinctly British feel distinct from Catholicism.

We had seen a lot but the day was far from over. It was time to head back to Parliament for the slot when people could sit in on the debates since there were no tours while we were there. This was certainly a different way to see the historic sight still in use. Britain, like the US, has two houses of legislation: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We were seeing a debate in the House of Lords which throughout history has often been the stronger house because of the high rank and landownership of its officials. The power dynamics of Parliament have been changed through the past five centuries, most notably under the Protectorship of Oliver Cromwell and the Liberal movement during the 20th century. The House of Lords now has little oversight of the government or legislative power because they can only delay, critique, or have the House of Commons reconsider acts of legislation. As always, members are not elected but are hereditary or appointed by the Monarch or the Prime Minister providing a non-elected check to government. Until 2009, when a Supreme Court was established, the House of Lords also served as the final court of appeals. The much more powerful House of Commons is elected, fixed at 650 members, can write and pass legislations, and can force the Prime Minister to resign through a vote of no confidence or by removing supply.

Much of the building was surprisingly desolate and in disrepair. Only certain wings of the building were functioning. The chamber of the House of Lords is lavishly decorated with red padded seating and a throne for the monarch to sit in on sessions (rarely used). The Lord Speaker sits in the center in front of the ceremonial mace that is a symbol of royal authority in the chamber. A bill is read or a topic opened and officials stand as they wish and talk when recognized by the Speaker. We sat on a small balcony above the chamber during a discussion about government oversight of welfare programs. Only about forty officials were present and the debate was lackluster so we all slowly became tired. After I dozed off for a bit, we decided we had been there long enough, so we got permission to leave from the attendant and exited.

Needing energy, we found a cramped mini-market where Hans and I bought a bananas and yogurt. In the shadow of Big Ben, we proceeded to eat with our hands like barbarians which was disturbing to Pat but normal to us. It was now late in the afternoon and we headed to the Globe Theater where we had arranged to see the Indian Tempest. We navigated our way through the streets along the Thames and passed a full-size replica of the Golden Hind, the ship used by Francis Drake to sail around the world twice and pirate gold from Spanish galleons. It was a rainy, foggy evening so when we arrived at the theater we found a spot against the seating area where the roof provided partial cover for the otherwise open standing room. Before the play started we took in the fact that we were standing in the midst of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater (although rebuilt). I got yelled at for standing on the step leading to the seating section and Hans for having his camera out.

This play was certainly a unique experience. The Tempest was re-imagined with rich Indian imagery and playfulness with masks, shadows, and figures danced across the stage stimulating a mystical East meets West feel bolstered by the drizzling rain. Most of the actors were Indian and, although most of the lines were delivered in English, there was significant dialogue in Hindi, Malayalam, and French. However, the life of the play was not found in words but in the spirited movements, sounds, and visuals breathed by the magic of Prospero and Ariel. Although difficult to follow at times, the same messages about power, slavery, loyalty, love, and ignorance come across culminating in the final scene where Prospero breaks his staff and decides to leave behind his life of magic suggested to portray Shakespeare’s farewell from the stage. In this version, an interesting question was raised as Prospero left his book of spells to Caliban who fell asleep with the joy of freedom and a new beginning. The theater usually finds a way to tug at the spirit allowing the audiences to leave invigorated.

Apart from our brief, barbaric afternoon chow-down we had not eaten much all day and were looking forward to something hearty and tasty. We wanted to try fish and chips and get another taste of falafel so we slowly found our way back to the bus station and grabbed both just before closing time. We planned our last day in London deciding that Pat and I would go to tour Wimbledon Tennis Club while Hans returned to the British Museum. Having been up and constantly on the move for 14 hours, we were satisfied with our accomplishments and instantly fell asleep.

Day 33

Pat and I ate breakfast and boarded the metro that would take us out to area 3 in the suburbs of London. It was still spritzing rain as we walked to the tennis club. Wimbledon is the oldest, most prestigious, and only tournament played on grass and at a private club. Club membership was by invite only and yearly dues are around 500 pounds, which is surprisingly low all things considered. We soon joined our scheduled tour that took us through the grounds including the tournament courts, Henman Hill, center court, interview room, and players entrance. I was able to actually eat breakfast at Wimbledon by sneaking a hard-boiled egg in and pealing it in my pocket before eating it as the group passed onto the next location. We were all able to sit and get our picture taken behind the podium where all the tennis stars get interviewed by the media. The club facilities were extensive and luxuries and everything was green and purple. There were almost 30 different courts for different uses with many of them only used for the tournament. Even in off-season, there was a pretentious “tea and crumpets” British vibe. At the end we walked through the museum with displays of all the winners, trophies, and equipment used throughout the ages.

On the way back, Pat and I somehow walked past the metro station without noticing. After feeling we had not been here, we turned around and found our way back to the hostel and waited for Hans. When he returned, we debated our options while eating leftovers for lunch and decided to visit Windsor Castle. We needed to buy an expensive area 4 ticket that at first dissuaded us before we found out that part was covered by our London Pass and we got a group discount. We sleepily boarded one train before transferring to another that took us to the town of Winsor. As I was organizing my stuff after getting off I realized that my London and Oyster Passes were missing so I ran back onto the train and looked where we had been, but they were nowhere to be found. This was upsetting because I would not be able to visit the castle and I had no idea where they could have gone. The man at the station contacted the train conductor but nothing was ever found.

Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence still in use and was originally built with wood by William the Conqueror as part of a network of castles surrounding London. While Hans and Pat went inside the castle, I decided to wander through town down to the bridge over the river where a weasel was drawing the attention of the workers before returning to sit at the exit to wait for Hans and Pat. It began to rain so I covered myself with a rain jacket looking like a true vagabond. Eventually, one of the police officers holding an MP5 submachine gun came over to ask what my deal was. I asked him about the economic condition of the country and that was all the invite he needed to begin complaining about politics and immigration that were weakening the country and plunging it into recession with the rest of Europe.

It seemed to me that England was doing notably better than much of Europe because unemployment and begging was much lower. The city remained clean and I did not sense the same anti-conformist subculture that had been present in other countries. However, the recession was affecting the cost of living for those in England where everything is more expensive. The most interesting topic was how Britain has been cutting its military budget significantly. We discussed how a smaller, but well-trained and specialized military fits our modern world where unilateral action is unacceptable and negotiating bodies keep peace. England must shed the obsession with flexing military muscle, but saves a ton of money, works more responsibly on diplomacy and peace, and is still able to conduct effective counter-terror operations with Special Forces and intelligence networks.

Eventually Hans and Pat came out and we walked around town a bit looking for souvenirs before navigating the trains back to our hostel. During our transfer, officials had come out onto the platform to check everyone’s tickets to keep people honest since they had not checked on the way out. We were confused about what they were looking for until we realized that this part was covered by our passes. Since I had done the talking and the others showed him their passes, he did not ask for mine, which was fortunate since it disappeared. That night I transferred my photos to my hard drive and copied them all for Hans. Hans found an eastern market and we relived our days in the Middle East with olives, dates, hummus, pita, and yogurt. Before bed we played another round of Lego deathmatch with adapted rules, but Pat got lucky rolls and won again. However, during his victory celebrations he slammed the centurion on the ground and broke his helmet, so he promised Hans he would send him a new one leading to an exchange of letters in ancient Greek, Elvish, and Albanian.

Day 34

Our last day together would be spent on a much anticipated tour of sights to the west of London. We made our way to the Victoria bus station and boarded one of several tour buses with Evan’s Tours. Our tour guide was a charming fellow with pulled-back hair with a nice hat to go along with his suit. We soon found out that he really knew his stuff because he had studied for years on his own. He regaled us with historic tales and gave examples for the surprising diversity of accents and forms of the English language. The accent found in London originated when a lord from Germany became king and all his court attempted to imitate the way he spoke. English was originally brought to the isle by Germanic people and it was influenced greatly by the Viking invasions, the French influence as a result of the Norman Conquest in 1066, and an influx Latin because it was the language of the church and scholarship.

Our guide discussed how English history (as any) can be told from different historic perspectives including: Catholic, royal, immigrant, and Protestant. Religion and politics were strongly connected as Catholics tended to support the conservative order based on Church hierarchy and the Divine Right of Kings while Protestant’s reforming spirit carried over to supporting individual rights and representative government. A prime example is how people view Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan who outlawed pubs, music, and dancing when he took dictatorial control. He led Parliament in the Civil War against royal authority, but likely went too far in his use of power. The variety of perspectives have taken on a new dynamic with the influx of immigrants. The population of London is now estimated to be 40% Muslim giving the city a highly cosmopolitan feel like New York.

We discussed the differences between England, Great Britain, the UK, the provinces and the US including the differences in measurements. England is the country, Britain is the island that includes Scotland and Wales, and the UK four is the union of countries of Britain along with Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is not a part of the UK and it uses the Euro as its currency. As we drove through the countryside, he informed us that England remains 63% farmland to maintain a stable food supply for their large population on the isle.

While driving through the country and listening to all the information from the guide, I increasingly noticed how each part of the country had a much deeper sense of history than what I could ever experience at home in the US. The land and some settlements have been inhabited for several millennia, countless historic buildings or objects remain from through the centuries of British history. Much of London and all the sites we visited on the tour were older than the English colonies in America. Some of the objects we had seen were among the oldest of their type known in the world. In the US, it is very easy to feel that the present is the only reality at play, but in England you could sense layers of history and how they all weaved together to create the present. As a historian, it was inspiring to sense these layers that most of the world could experience regularly.

The first stopping point on our tour was the cathedral of Salisbury. It boasts both the tallest spire and the largest cloister in Britain. It also contains the world’s oldest working clock from 1386 and the best remaining original copy of the Magna Carta. Seeing the huge cathedral on the approach was impressive, but unfortunately there was scaffolding for reconstruction covering a large swath of the exterior. Inside is wonderful with a long central nave featuring a new baptismal font that reflects the ceiling of the cathedral. In front of the altar, the columns supporting the spire are visibly bent under the weight because the church was not originally designed with such a tower. Since Salisbury far from London, it was not packed with visitors allowing us to soak in the grandeur. The Magna Carta was housed in the chapter house and was beautifully written on lambskin parchment in beautiful shorthand Old English that looks like it had been typed on a machine.

Out in the open meadows of the countryside, just 8 miles north of Salisbury, stands the iconic prehistoric sight of Stonehenge. There are hundreds of similar sites that are just as old, but the reason Stonehenge is so popular is because of the mystery: we do not know how it was built. The site was built between 2,000 – 3,000 BC, the stones are from 150 miles away, and there is no evidence of any scaffolding or instruments used. Our best guess is that the massive stones were naturally transported by melting glaciers and the builders put them into place by sliding them on ice and possibly using ice ramps in order to hoist the heavy capstones stones to the top, which would leave no evidence to find. Stonehenge was likely used as a religious center, burial place, and solar observatory. The shadows cast by the rocks act as an advanced sun dial to tell not only the time of day but the time of year or season. We walked on the path that surrounds the sight without being able to get close to the stones for about an hour before returning to the bus.

It was a significant drive up to the city of Bath featuring some great views of the knolls and hamlets of the English countryside. We also passed the small town of Pennsylvania that may have been inspiration for the naming of our Keystone state. On the river Avon, it is a beautiful vacation town with white buildings and quaint squares. Bath is famous for having perhaps the best preserved Roman Baths in the world. The sight was built on a spring that provides a constant influx hot water that is forced back to the surface after trickling deeper in the earth for hundreds of years. The main bath area surrounded by a two-tiered columned balcony is impressive and there are several other ruins or displays showing the areas use in Roman times. After we finished at the baths, we found our way to a fish and chips place that our guide had recommended and were able to chow down next to the bus right before we left. We had a delicious sampling of different fried fish along with faggot chips that prepared us for our naps during our long ride home.

Although our time and freedom was greatly limited, we all really enjoyed the tour and it was possibly cheaper than if we had tried to do it on our own. We packed a lot into one day and got so much supporting information for what we were seeing and about English history in general. Back in London we decided to go out to the local pub to relax on our final night, but the pint of London brew that I had was not very enjoyable. That night Pat worked on finding out how to catch his very early morning flight and we looked at balancing our finances. It turned out that we had done quite well at keeping the overall spending equal, so there was little we needed to do to even things out.

We were all going different ways. I was going to fly home into JFK, Pat was flying to Munich for a couple days, and Hans had several more days before needing to be home so he would fly to Dublin, Ireland. Pat left early, then I said bye to Hans and used the subway to get to the airport. Because I lost my Oyster Pass, I had needed to put a small balance on another one and Pat had given me his, so I wanted to get back money on both of them before going to my gate. After some confusion with the trains between terminals, I was nervous about being late so I asked the people in line in front of me if I could pass, and everyone was understanding including some smiling believers who blessed me. I soon boarded my flight and that was that. An adventure for a lifetime and the open-book of life was anticipating my return.