The Canterbury Tales

Well, do I have some tales for you all. It was a great week on getting caught up on some stuff, but now I am back in the swing of things. The Saturday I got back from break, I developed this terrible cold that I am still getting over, but it could have been worse.

On Tuesday, we had the option of going and seeing the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It is one of the leading orchestras in Britain, and they were absolutely fantastic! It would have been so much better if I hadn't been suppressing a cough and my running nose all night, but it still was beautiful. I really got a kick out of the people not playing...percussion section was not used too often, and they leaned back in their chairs, arms folded over chests, and looked so bored out of their minds. Also, the pianist that played for a bit was amazing, and his hair flop was even better! He got so into the song, and his hair was just the right length to keep flipping as he played. So funny. I was so relaxed the entire time we were at the concert, and I loved every second of it!

After class on Thursday I headed to the Imperial War Museum. This was a required assignment for class, and I'm very glad it was. I went by myself to really take it all in. I didn't go into a lot of the exhibits because many of them are meant for younger children, but I did see the Trench Experience. The museum built a trench similar to what it would have been like during WWI. It actually smelled in the tiny, dark space as well. It was very creepy, and I can't imagine what it really would have been like sunken to the knees in mud with even horrible smells and pests. "Going over the top" was definitely a phrase that meant it was likely you weren't coming back. It would have been more realistic if there hadn't been little kids screaming behind me, but what can you do?

Next, I went into the Crimes Against Humanity exhibit which was more than a little gruesome. I sat and watched the video for over a half hour wondering how the world got it so wrong. We promised "never again" after the Holocaust, and then the world just stands by and watches other terrifying genocides take place. It just doesn't seem right. It was disturbing but in an eye opening kind of way. In almost all of the exhibits, the United States is scarcely mentioned which is actually refreshing. It seems like we are so influential that other countries don't talk about anything else...it's nice to know that they have their own history without America interfering. And, it was so interesting to see it from a European point of view. They were the ones actually experiencing the World Wars. Yes, we were involved, but it wasn't on our soil, so it effected Europe much more greatly.

The final exhibit that I visited was definitely the most emotional: The Holocaust. Mark had warned us that this could be emotional and that it might take awhile to get through. I wasn't as emotional as I thought I would be, but it still was shocking. They had a scale model of Auschwitz on display...it took up most of the room, and then I looked down, and it was only about an eighth of the entire complex on display. I knew Auschwitz was massive, but I still had trouble believing that something that large was built, just to kill humans. It makes you lose faith in humankind. The pictures and stories of those who were killed or lived through that terrible time are heart wrenching, but necessary to understand the experience. Then you get the stories like Oscar Schindler's, and I realized that there is good in the world. I know I'm being such a nerd, but it reminded me of that Harry Potter quote, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." It was an amazing experience, and it made me think of how the world could flourish if we only learned from our mistakes. Faith and hope in humankind, and that we will do the right thing, is a difficult thing to ask for, but if given, the world would be a better place.

Okay, down from my depressing soapbox. Now, onto Canterbury. We all went on a bus (much better than the one from Liverpool) on a day trip to Canterbury. The cathedral in the town is the seat of the Anglican church in the UK. The history of the church goes way back, but it started attracting pilgrims, like in Geoffrey Chaucer's tales, after Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral in 1170. The stain glass was amazing, most of it dating back to the 11th century. Our guide, Nan, was so much fun. She was a cute little lady, and she did justice to the Cathedral's history.

We didn't do a lot of exploring in the town during our free time because it is basically a tourist trap. It was cute, but it wasn't all that exciting. So, we went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate Rachel's 21st birthday! They had some excellent food and cheap drinks, so we all splurged a little. I had my first, and last, Long Island Iced Tea. It was not very good, in my opinion. But, it was still a great time, and Rachel had a lot of fun with her flashing buttons and birthday sash! That night we took her out to a club called TigerTiger which was a ton of fun, and we didn't have to pay a cover! They played almost all American music (can't get away from it!), but Rachel had an awesome 21st birthday, and I'm so glad that we helped her make it so special!

The day was absolutely fantastic on Saturday, so I went out to Covent Garden for some lunch, and then headed to Hyde Park. I loved it there! I found a tree and wrote in my journal for awhile and people watched. I walked back to the house from the park because it was so nice! I am loving this weather...hopefully it lasts! We decided to have a girls night in, but we never really got around to it because we just planned our journey home by boat since we are never getting out of Europe because of Volcano Edfjahdfiahwk....that's another of my names for it (some of them are probably not appropriate for the blog). We decided we are sailing home like the pilgrims...expect us in a few months sailing into New York! :)

Today was another good day, although it wasn't as productive as I would have liked on the homework front. Rachel, Michelle, Caitlin, and I went to the Chelsea Royal Hospital and went to the church service there because that is where Margaret Thatcher attends church (former Prime Minister whom we saw there). The choir was amazing; they were such good singers...the hymns were gorgeous. And, the hospital was incredible! Only veterans live and are treated at the hospital. They were all wearing their uniforms with their medals. I think Rachel said that there are only three women that served in WWII as nurses in the hospital. I saw one in uniform at the service. All of them were so friendly and said good morning to us. The gardens are spectacular there as well. The people who live there are living amazingly well. The area of Chelsea was so nice, and it is kind of expensive (would I expect any less from my namesake?). It seemed so quiet even though it was only a stone's throw from Victoria Station.

The rest of the day was supposed to be devoted to working on my papers...it didn't turn out that well. I'm still not started, but I did work on a presentation, so that's something! This procrastination is going to bite me in the end. But, I did update my blog, again. Definitely a plus for the day! Tour of the Globe Theatre and Enron tomorrow. Update some more exciting stuff soon!