Tyler London Summer: August 2005

Houses of Parliament/Westminster/Aquarium

The title of the entry gives my itinerary for the day. We went on a guided tour of the houses of parliament and to Westminster Abbey as a group, and I went to the Aquarium by myself afterward.

I must say that the Houses of Parliament were kind of a let down. A lot of it was absolutely beautiful and amazingly ornate, particularly the House of Lords. But, the House of Commons kind of lost its luster because most of it was closed off due to the installation of a bulletproof screen separating it from the Visitors gallery. I did however think the Churchill Arch was really cool. The House of Commons was entirely destroyed by bombing during the Blitz. Churchill made them keep the arch to the entryway as it was with the damage as a reminder. I think part of the reason I didn't like it was that my tour guide was not very knowledgeable.

Westminster Abbey was an amazing experience on the inside. The sheer number of graves and plaques is astounding. Most churches have purely religious figures, but I liked how this one was truly a National Church. They had a number of monarchs, most notably Elizabeth I. It was also the burial site of Newton, and, surprisingly, Darwin. I also enjoyed the poets corner, which had plaques to honor all of the famous literary figures(Shakespeare, Chaucer, etc.). They even had noted philanderers, homosexuals, and atheists like Byron and Cecil B. Rhodes. One of the most touching I thought was the memorial for Franklin D. Roosevelt donated by the British Government. Another moving one was the RAF chapel dedicated to all of the pilots who lost their lives in the Battle of Britain. Same for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Aquarium was an interesting experience. I have always been fascinated by marine life and love the Ocean so I thought it would be cool. The facility itself was quite nice. It was nowhere near the size of most Aquariums in the States and was a bit overpriced but would have been pleasant. My complaint was only with the abundance of German and Indian tourists mobbing the place with their kids. They were obnoxious and pushy. They also kept taking flash photography by the fish tanks, even with signs specifically stating not to do so. Are they seriously going to look back on pictures of London and enjoy numerous pictures of fish in a tank? It is like the people who were taking videos of them walking through the Louvre. Are they really going to watch a video of themselves walking through the Louvre?

The Aquarium also had a sign which I found quite humorous

"The bite marks you can see on some of our Sandtiger sharks are part of the natural courtship behavior of this species. The animals are not stressed and will heal quickly."

Another intersting tidbit was some news that I read in the Guardian today. There is this huge controversy about the TV show Big Brother (it is similar to Real World and other reality shows in the States). One of the women in the house got drunk and pleasured herself with a wine bottle. Can you IMAGINE what would have happened in the U.S. if someone showed that on TV?

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey 1
Originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

Hard to Believe It's Coming to an End

It is really hard to believe that my trip is coming to an end. I only have another two days in London and then I fly out Saturday afternoon. I look forward to seeing friends, family, Al, and Tucky. I feel out of place and that I am in an environment here without anyone who actually cares about me. Not that anyone in my group has been necessarily unfriendly to me. It is just that I can't really relate to anyone here and I feel really out of place. The girl to guy ratio is 15-3. The other two guys are really nice, though they aren't really interested in the same things that I am. I have had convorsations about the merits of breast feeding, but have not had one convorsation about baseball. I can't discuss literature because most people here either don't read or if they do it is Dan Brown!

That said, I could really be ok with never setting foot in the States again. There is absolutely nothing I miss about home besides the people. When you get away from the American biased media, you can really see the horrible things that go on in our country. And you all wonder why everyone hates us. It probably isn't a big deal to the American press, but we are sending prisoners to other countries to have them be tortured. Not interrogated, TORTURED. Like, sick medieval type stuff. That is fucked up. Is this how a civilized country should function? At what point did Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness become Hubris, The Military-Industrial Complex, and the Bottom Line?

I also cringe now whenever I see American tourists. "The Ugly American" is not merely a stereotype, but the absolute truth. Even well-off and "educated" Americans show little knowledge and are unable to even slightly adapt to the culture of the country they are visiting. You have taken french in high school is it too difficult to say crepe instead of CRAPE? Even in England, where the language is the same it is horrible. I often get a much more favorable reaction by pretending to be Canadian, since they can't really tell the difference between the accents. Although, I was unable to do that in France, because Canadians actually have to learn how to speak a foreign language.

The only reason that I even want to stay in the States is that I think the graduate training for history would be a lot better at an American university. The degree in Britian is purely research, whereas in the U.S. I would have to do coursework as well. To get a PhD I would have to be well versed and able to teach in three areas of history, rather than just one in Britain. I do however hope I am able to do a MPhil at Cambridge next year.

I should be home for good on the 15th. I will be home Saturday night but I need to fly to Cape Cod Sunday Morning to meet my family.

Hindu, Taoist, Mormon
Spill theirs just anywhere
God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care

Hampton Court

Hampton Court, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

This is Hampton Court. It was the primary royal residence from Henry VIII-George III. It is on the Thames about 20 miles west of Central London.

Sunset

Sunset 3, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

This is the view from our table at La Fontaine's, where we had dinner, in the Latin Quarter on Saturday Night.

Versailles

Versailles Al, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

This is Al looking out over the gardens at Versailles, where we spent the bulk of the day on Sunday. Our experience of the palace was thoroughly ruined by the insane mobs of tourists all over the place. The Hall of Mirrors being nearly 3/4 covered up for renevation also sucked.

Seine Tyler Al

Seine Tyler Al, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

This is Al and I walking across the Seine.

Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison 2, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

We went to the famous Parisian cemetery Pere Lachaise. Here is Jim Morrison's grave. I wanted to see Oscar Wilde as well, but, alas, it was quite a hike and we did not have enough time.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

Incredible on both the outside and the inside. Amazingly, it is also free to enter.

Arc Tyler

Arc Tyler, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

This is me in front of the Arc de Triomphe, after a LONG walk from the Eiffel Tower.

Jardins de Luxembourg

Luxembourg 3, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

A picture of Al taking a picture in the spectacular Jardins de Luxembourg on our way to dinner.

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

Sacre Coeur was our first tourist stop. I am not exactly sure why. However, the inside of the church was spectacular. It is also on top of a hill in Montmartre that is the highest point in Paris and overlooks the entire city.

Eiffel Tower Tyler and Al

Eiffel Tower Tyler and Al, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

This is Al and I in front of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine at Trocadero (best place to see it).

Entrance to the Louvre

Louvre 2, originally uploaded by tyduffy9.

Early Saturday Morning we hit the Louvre. We got there just before the horde of people swarming toward the Mona Lisa. I think that it was really overrated. The famous artworks there seem to be more famous for being famous than for being masterpieces (i.e. Venus de Milo). I had a much better time at the Musee D'Orsay.

Tyler London Summer

04 August 2005