London Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

A Black Mischief

So many things have happened over the past few days that I haven't gotten around to writing about any of it. I'll shortly recap everything now.

Tuesday I visited Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, and had tea at The Orangery. Hyde Park was a beautiful, sprawling garden that is the setting and inspiration for some of the scenes in Peter Pan. I made a pilgrimage to the statue of Peter that lives in Hyde Park. After that I toured Kensington Palace. Although Tuesday happened to be the 1st birthday of Prince George, no royalty was spotted at Kensington. Afterwards, I had tea at The Orangery with my group. It reminded me of my wonderful Godmother, Midge because she took me to tea at the Plaza Hotel in New York. It was a very classy affair indeed.

Wednesday I toured the HARRY POTTER STUDIOS! It was an absolutely amazing experience. Warner Brothers essentially created a museum of the creation of the movie productions. I saw original plans, drawings, sets, props, and I even got to fly on a broom! And drank Butterbeer! I was worried it could be terrible but it was actually pretty darn good. Overall I was very satisfied with the Harry Potter studios and would highly recommend it to any fan of the books or movies.

4 Privet Drive

Gryffindor Common Room

Thursday night I saw an amazing performance of The Crucible starring Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit). The play was absolutely phenomenal. Afterwards, my friends and I waited at the back door of the theatre to see if we could meet the actors. We got Richard Armitage's autograph and my friend Jen, who is a big fan of his, got a picture taken with him. The whole thing was such an awesome experience!

Today I went to the British Museum, the highlight of which was seeing the Rosetta Stone. I rode the London Eye- it was raining but we still have striking views. Finally, I saw Antony and Cleopatra at the Globe Theatre which was also amazing! I'd say more, but I must be up bright and early tomorrow morning because I'm going to Dublin for the weekend. Cheerio!

The Globe Theatre

Travels and Tastes

Tasting our way through London and Paris!
Appearances by Sarah and Jen.

Broomsticks

Today's photography focus was "Story through pictures". These photos were taken at the amazing Harry Potter Studio! 

In case you were wondering, I also flew on the broomstick.

Hunterian Museum

As I mentioned in my top five curious destinations post, the Hunterian Museum was one of the places that I definitely wanted to visit while here in London. I started to get a little nervous because we only have a few days left in the trip and we have a jam-packed schedule. After one foiled attempt to visit the museum (rookie mistake- I went on a Monday and it is only open Tuesday-Saturday), I finally made it there today! I dragged Jen and Sarah, my two brave companions, along with me. They are also writing awesome blogs that you should check out: Jen's Blog Sarah's Blog.

To briefly recount, the Hunterian Museum is at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. This museum is based on the collection of John Hunter, an anatomist, obstetrician, and doctor who lived from 1728-1739. Hunter collected over 3,500 anatomical preparations (skeletons and the like), fossils, paintings, and drawings. The private collection was purchased by the British government and donated to the Royal College of Surgeons in 1799. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures, but you can see them at the Hunterian Museum's Official Website.

The majority of the specimens in the museum were anatomical preparations of organs preserved in jars. The collection came from all parts of the animal kingdom including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates, and all types of body systems including skeletal, nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, and reproductive systems. Hunter dissected anything and everything that he could get his hands on.

Many of the preparations fell under the category of “morbid anatomy” which demonstrated instances of pathology and disease such as tumors, aneurisms, wounds, fractures, parasites, infections, and malformations. These morbid anatomy collections were used for scientific discovery as well as student instruction.

The collection also contained curiosities such as Charles Babbage’s brain, and skeletons of extinct animals including the Dodo Bird and the Tasmanian Tiger. The museum is also home to the skeleton of an 18^th century “Irish Giant” named Charles Byrne. Byrne had a condition called pituitary gigantism, which causes an over production of the human growth hormone. The condition resulted in Byrne growing to the height of 7’7” tall, which was extremely rare in the 18^th century, especially for an Irishman. Before his death, Byrne actually paid to have his body buried as sea, but Hunter really wanted to acquire the skeleton and managed to do just that for the sum of 130 pounds.

Hunter also received many specimens as gifts, and many items were also left over from surgeries that Hunter had performed, such as the removal of tumors. This made me wonder what really happened to my wisdom teeth after I had them removed…

By now you may be wondering why I was interested in visiting such an obscure museum. I think it is a fascinating piece of history and I am very interested in how far medicine has come since the time of John Hunter. Though some people may be disgusted and disturbed by looking at preserved anatomical specimens, we owe our lives to people who are fascinated and intrigued by such morbid things. Without the curiosity of scientists like Hunter, we would all still be dying of highly curable and preventable ailments. I am very grateful to live in the age of modern medicine. So I believe we owe a big thank you to Hunter and all of the other strange geniuses of the world.

Truth and Woolf

This morning I was taken on a walking tour of Bloomsbury, our neighborhood, where I learned the history of the area and some interesting literary connections with the Bloomsbury part of London. Some of the most famous literary figures to live in Bloomsbury were the appropriately named Bloomsbury group, which was famously comprised of Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey, John Maynard Keynes, E.M. Forster. At the time, these writers were considered “bohemian”, and the aristocrats who also lived in the neighborhood thought that they were lowering the social standards of the neighborhood. I visited a park where Virginia Woolf got the inspiration to write To the Lighthouse. The park now has a (creepy) statue of Virginia Woolf and a book bench dedicated to Mrs. Dalloway- more on book benches later.

The Bloomsbury area was also home to Eric Arthur Blair, who is known by most as George Orwell. I passed the building that was the inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was just as creepy and imposing as I would have imagined. The building is was once the Ministry of Information for the British Government and is now the administrative center of London University.

At the end of the day I drank an awesome craft lager on the banks of the River Thames. I felt compelled to visit the pub because it was called The Anchor, which is also the name of my favorite dive bar at home. Coincidence? I think now.

After that I dabbled with our photography focus of the day- water.

Paris Photos

I thought some of my readers might enjoy seeing a few more pictures from my weekend in Paris.

Tour Eiffel

Musee D'Orsay

L'Arc de Triomphe

La Seine

I'd post more, but I am le tired.

Cats, Cola, and Crypts

Today began with a visit to Westminster Abbey, formally known as the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster. The abbey is filled with history (and more than 3,000 dead bodies) and it is the final resting place of many, many famous individuals including a great deal of royalty, authors, and musicians. Charles Dickens did NOT wish to be buried at Westminster Abbey, but the Brits decided to put him there anyway; what could he do about it? Thomas Hardy is buried right next to Dickens, but his heart is buried in Dorset, after the coroner’s cat had chewed it on of course. After touring the abbey for two hours with a particularly intelligent and hilarious Blue Badge tour guide, I finally saw Big Ben, Parliament, and Trafalgar Square.

Panorama of Trafalgar Square

As I mentioned in this previous post, the paws for the Trafalgar Square lions were modeled after the Edwin Landseer’s pet cat’s paws because the lion used as a model began to decay and had to be discarded. Indeed, the lions’ paws looked like kitty cat paws! I have to wonder why Landseer didn’t sketch the model lion’s paws before tossing him in the rubbish bin, but the cat paws make for an excellent bit of trivia.

Meow- what a sassy cat

We weren't even scared

To continue the curiosity-filled day, I ate dinner in a café that is located in a crypt! The Café in the Crypt is located at Saint Martin in the Field. The floor of the crypt is covered with ancient grave markers, so you know exactly whose dead body you are sitting on top of while eating your dinner. Fear not, there were no bones openly displayed so the café was not as sinister as it sounds. While at the crypt, one of my classmates spotted a cola that is perfectly suited to my blog topic:

I decided I couldn’t pass up trying this drink. It was…curious.

Dali in Paris

I have the good fortune of visiting Paris twice during this trip! I just returned from the first of those journeys and it was absolutely fantastic. It was a whirlwind trip but I was able to see and do so much during the brief time that I was there. I can’t wait to go back in a few weeks with mon amour. 

I saw many of the major sites and some amazing, lesser-known sites that I’m going to focus on. 

But first, the major sites highlight reel:

La Tour Eiffel

Hôtel des Invalides

Musée D’Orsay- famous for the impressionist collection

Musée de L’Orangerie- contains eight of Monet’s water lilies paintings

Le Jardin des Tuileries

Musée de Louvre- ok, I didn’t go in but I’ll be returning later with Morgan

Saint Sulpice- a Catholic church that looks strikingly similar to Saint Paul’s Cathedral

Jardin du Luxembourg

Sorbonne

Maison de Victor Hugo- Victor Hugo's former residence is now a museum dedicated to him.

Notre Dame

Sainte-Chapelle

Arc de Triomphe

Avenue des Champs Elysées

Now on to the more interesting things:

La Closerie des Lilas- This beautiful cafe was Hemingway’s favorite spot while writing The Sun Also Rises.

Les Deux Magots- This cafe was a popular meeting ground for Hemingway and other famous writers and artists including Jean-Paul Satre, Albert Camus, James Joyce, and Pablo Picasso. The Deux Magots is now also the name of a literary prize awarded each year for a French novel. 

Shakespeare and Company- This bookstore was started by Sylvia Beach in 1919 as a private lending library. It was frequented by many famous authors of the time such as Hemingway, James Joyce, Ford Madox Ford, and Ezra Pound (are you seeing a trend with these sites?). The first floor of the building is now one of the most famous English language bookstores in Paris. The second floor is a reading room filled with a book collection that the public is welcomed to enjoy.

Reading at Shakespeare & Co.
You aren't supposed to take photos, but I'm a rebel.

Salvador Dali Sundial- As I mentioned in this post here, I was on a quest to find this beautiful sundial that was created and installed on Rue Saint Jacques. It is a fantastic example of the beautiful and magical things that you can find in Paris if you just wander and enjoy your surroundings.

Our photography focus while in Paris was to create our names out of architectural details: Voilà!

American Pie

Ask anyone I know and they will tell you that my favorite song is American Pie by Don McLean. I love long, epic songs that tell a story (my second favorite song is Hurricane by Bob Dylan). I vividly remember a day that I spent with my family on our friend's boat when I was about 6 years old. This song came on and my sister and I jammed right along with it like the children of former hippies that we are. 

Imagine my surprise when I was sitting in the garden of Saint Paul’s Cathedral picnicking with some friends and I heard the sweet refrain of American Pie ringing through the air. Not only is it my favorite song ever, but we are in the UK and a stranger elected to sing this iconic American song. It was not a coincidence. 

I looked behind me and I spotted a man standing in a tiny, makeshift stage inside a canoe that was standing on its end. The man was strumming a guitar that was attached to the canoe and he was crooning the lyrics to American Pie. It was quite a good performance, especially since he made an ambitious song choice. I felt the music speak to me and before I knew it I was letting myself drift in the direction of the musician to get a close-up view of this private show that he put on for me, just me! At least that is how I felt. I was so excited by this beautiful and spontaneous moment.

I later learned that the canoe/guitar/stage getup is called "Rock the Boat Street Guitars" part of an initiative to promote arts in the community. It is similar to the "Play Me, I'm Yours" street pianos that visited Boston.

The installment is part of the City of London Festival, which started on June 22^nd and is ending tomorrow. The festival has taken place every summer since 1962; it was begun in order to support the cultural life of London. The festival takes place all around the city and supports special events and artistic endeavors in order to foster and strengthen community relations. The City of London Festival also hosted the Alternative Commonwealth Games, which I mentioned in this previous blog post: Welly Waning and Hampstead Heath. 

I can sum up this experience in the words of Jack Kerouac, "The only truth is music".