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
Eiffel Tower Tyler and Al
Only in America
Being out of the country for a significant amount of time and getting an unbiased account of the goings in on the U.S. really makes you think sometimes. For instance, in Britain before they issue police a gun they have to go through weeks of extensive training courses and pyschological testing. In the United States, any idiot can go to a gun show and buy whatever type of gun he wants. And on top of that, no one is allowed to trace it thanks to the NRA. Apparently, library books are more of a threat to national security. Maybe that is why Britian has 5 times as many people as Michigan and only 1/5 of the murders?
And another thing. There was a Swiss muslim professor who just gave a talk here. He was discussing a "third way" and how western society and the Islamic religion could coexist, how western Islamic people should move away from the values of the middle east and embrace those of their own society, how Islam should not divorce itself from intellectual life, and how muslims should become more active in the community to alleviate isolationism and misunderstanding. Do we support this guy? No, the U.S. labels him a terrorist supporter and revokes his visa to come to the U.S. and teach. Apparently, they are more happy with the concept of the clash of civilizations and irreconcileable differences. I hope you realize when Ann Coulter says things like we should forceably invade the entire Middle East and Christianize it that these people actually believe that. And not fringe nut jobs but those making policy decisions.
Also, is there any uproar in the American press how Karl Rove, Bush's principal aid and arguably the person running the country committed a FELONY and is facing a jail sentence? This is a man who got his first job from the elder Bush because he admired his initiative when Rove broke into the Democratic Party office, stole stationary, and printed out flyers advertising free beer and hookers. Only in America.
Dinbych-y-pysgod
That is the name for Tenby in Welsh. I was really surprised to find that the language was still in use, at least on TV and on the street signs. I never heard anyone actually speak it. I figured that since the English have been there for 700+ years, imposed a nobility and parliament, a religion, changed all the place names, and refuses to devolve control as it has in Scotland, they also would have eradicated the language. However, Welsh remained the predominate language until the Second World War, when the children from the evacuation during the Blitz came and corrupted the youth.
I was really surprised how bloody cheap everything was. When I was in Swansea waiting for my train, I got a Cornbeef Pie, Chips, and a Coke for 2 pounds!!! I am lucky if I can get a Sandwich and a drink in London for under 6. Aside from the cheapness, Tenby was also amazingly beautiful and I am very glad I went. I see the British countryside and wonder why they had such a great desire to leave, besides the lack of housing, unemployment, little chance for social mobility, religious persecution, and cold weather. Though, unlike most I actually enjoy the weather here. I really like it not to get colder than 30 or warmer than 70. I will put up a more complete set of pictures later on my webshots.
I also am apparently a stud in Wales. I had groups of girls in cars honk at me twice. And my fly wasn't open. I guess theres something that could make me attractive to Welsh girls, since Alex is half-Welsh. The first one was flattering. The second one was not, primarily because it was like a 16 year old girl driving a hummer. How much of an obnoxious asshole do you have to be to own a Hummer in Britain. It is impractical in America, let alone Britain with the tiny curvaceous roads, limited parking, and insane gas prices. So you are that much of a jerk to still actually by an H2 and on top of that are so flippant about it that you give it to your daughter and teenage friends to take it for a spin, as if that isn't a death for some poor pedestrian waiting to happen.
All together it was a very fun weekend. Now I need to get down to the grind and get all of my work done before I leave for Paris.
Cheers
Company, Villanous Company, Hath Been the Spoil of Me.
I apologize to all of my avid readers, or basically just Al, for not being able to post as of late. I have had class, deadlines, and outings with my mom and sister and have not had time to update. The last two nights of my trip I saw Henry IV Part 1 and 2 at the National Theatre. For those of you Harry Potter Fans, Henry IV was played by Filch and Sir John Falstaff was played by the new Dumbledore. I thought the production was excellent, though I thought it quite odd. The history plays of Shakespeare that I have seen have always been really dark, of which these certainly had elements. But, these two plays had an almost comedic tinge to them. Although, that could merely have been due to the presence of Falstaff.
I also broke down and got a haircut. It was looking too long and unhealthy. I also wanted to look nice for pictures and when I went to Paris. It shows off more of my face. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not. Anyways, off to Cambridge for the day, I hope all is well.
