At some point between Edinburgh and arriving in London, I started feeling a bit crappy. Nothing serious, just a headache and tiredness. A cold, I guessed, which made sense given all of the planes, trains, and automobiles I'd been in over the past few weeks. Lots of time and space for germs to spread during one of the germiest times of the year. Unlike most other times, I decided not to brave it out and got some cold meds. With nearly a week still left in my vacation - and another train ride in my near future - the sooner I beat those germs into submission the better.
Quick trip to the local shop had cold and flu powders in hand, as well as some Vitamin C with Zinc tablets for Brian. I've been taking the cold powders diligently since Sunday night and I can 100% tell when the meds wear off. So yeah, definitely needed them. This head cold, you'll see, will play a recurring role in the next few days. Not a happy Roana. *mad*
So back to London. We arrived at around noon and headed straight for the hotel. They allowed us to get our room early and drop our stuff off, and then we headed out to see London. I had two objectives, but otherwise was happy to let Brian take the lead.
Objective 1: Trafalgar Square. I wanted to get a picture of the lions for my oldest two boys. I brought them to the UK for their 10th birthday (15 years ago), and Trafalgar Square was a highlight for them. They spent ages climbing up on the lions, running around with other kids, and generally have a great time. It led to one of the few things that they really remembered of the trip.
It was a bit of a walk from the hotel - and remember, I was feeling a bit puny - so we took it at a slightly slower pace. When we got there, I was surprised at how completely packed the square was, though I'm not sure why. It was Sunday during the holiday season. Of course it was packed. Plus, there was a holiday market going on. Nonetheless, I managed to get a picture of one of the lions to send to the kids.
From there, we decided to stop by Buckingham Palace on our way to Objective 2. It was a slog; partially because of the crowds in Saint James Park with the Winter Wonderland Festival going on, partially because we were still fussed from the two-mile walk from the hotel to Trafalgar, and partially because of my cold. We stopped midway through to rest on a bench in Saint James, and to people watch, like you do. Except, in my case, I bird-watched.
Buckingham Palace, like every other tourist attraction in London, was awash in people. And I was edgy and uncomfortable from my throat itching and my head throbbing, so my patience was a bit thin. Brian, thankfully, kept me going in the right direction with minimal frustration. We took the long way around to get to the main gates, but I think that may have helped my disposition a bit. Fewer people being... you know, people.
Brian pointed out that all of the iron fencing poles had ER on them for Queen Elizabeth, and that once Charles was king, that would all have to change. This kind of made my heart ache a bit, so I took a picture of the pole to keep. When she dies, I think I'll have that made into something cool like a mousepad or something to have a lovely memory of this trip and her. (This was later found to be untrue when my friend Berry said that they don't actually make that change until or unless they need to replace the poles, anyway. Still, glad I got the pic.)
From there we went on to meet Objective 2: Speakers Corner. Like Trafalgar Square, this was a highlight for the two boys. When we'd been there before, a Christian pastor from Atlanta, GA, had been up on a soapbox detailing the evils of Muslims. A younger couple, obviously Muslims, were arguing with him and starting to get visibly frustrated when we walked up.
One of my sons, Carter, jumped into the fray, giving the young woman a moment's pause before she started grinning. The pastor tried to dismiss Carter as just a child, but then his twin brother, Jackson, jumped in, too, both using solid, fact-based arguments to shut the guy down. I don't think I'd ever been prouder of those two as I was at that moment. The young Muslim couple stood back, arms crossed, and just let the boys take over. When they were done, the young woman came over to shake their hand and to tell me how brilliant - absolutely brilliant - both boys had been.
At first, I'd been embarrassed that an American could be so unyielding and cruel to those of another religion, but then I knew that my boys had shown that not all Americans were like that guy. Score two for the good guys.
Anyway, I wanted to get a picture for the boys there, too. Sadly, yet another pastor from the American south stood on the corner telling all assembled - and there was quite a crowd - that if they weren't Christian they were going straight to hell. This time, he was surrounded by a large group of Muslims shouting him down. No need for an American to step in, so I stepped back, took a picture or two, then we left to find food.
Oh dang, people. The food we found! Before I'd left for Europe, my friend Sharon R had told me about this place that had just opened in London that was basically conveyor belt sushi, but for cheese. No, like seriously, exact same idea - different colored plates going around a long, round bar on a conveyor belt, each with a different type of cheese and an accompaniment that you pick off the belt to eat. Once you're done, the server comes over, tallies up your bill based on the color of each plate you've taken, and you pay for what you've eaten. But ... for cheese. Brilliant!
Yes, we ate way too much. Yes, it was amazing! Yes, we did find at least one each we didn't care for and so didn't finish, but it was a stinky cheese. Do you really blame us?
Then off to get cold meds, unpack at the hotel and rest a bit, before going back out later that night for Mexican food. (Don't judge. It was across the street from where we'd already had dessert. Okay, don't judge that, either. We're on vacation!)
The next day - Okay, look. I'm going to get a little ... I don't know... worked up? Excited? Going to be a total dweeb? about what I did next. On Monday morning, I got up early, showered, took more cold meds, and headed off on my own for one of the highlights of this entire trip: The British Library.
Lemme explain. No, that will take too long. Lemme sum up: I had an email exchange with one of my bookbinding heroes (don't judge!) named Christopher Clarkson three years ago where he suggested some books to examine at the British Library to have some of my questions on the Romanesque bookbinding methods answered. Prof. Clarkson died two years ago, but I still have his emails to me with what to look for.
I'll make up an entire post about my trip to the British Library to help anyone else interested in doing this kind of thing because it wasn't as simple as sending an email and getting access to the books. It took me two hours to work my way through the red tape and actually touch any of the books I requested, and I wasn't allowed to get threeother books on my list. It's a process, and I know at least a few of my friends will benefit from learning from my mistakes/efforts. But this is not that post. (This is.)
I will tell you all about two of the books that I got to see - not touch, but definitely see: The Lindisfarne Gospels and St. Cuthbert's Gospels. The Lindisfarne Gospels is one of the oldest examples of illuminated manuscript that we still have available to us, having been created in the 8th century. St. Cuthbert's Gospels is the oldest completely intact codex with the original binding in Western Europe, having been made and bound in the 7th century. (The Lidnisfarne Gospels was rebound in 1852, so while the manuscript is brilliant and impactful, the binding held little interest to me.)
I was forbidden to take any pictures of the books that I was allowed to handle, so I've little to show for that other than my hand-scribbled notes. I will tell you that I actually teared up when I saw the third book, a gorgeous metal-covered tomb of the Gospels of Luke and John. Had I only seen pictures of this book, I would never have been able to understand how it was put together. By handling it, opening it, closing it, examining it in finite detail, I believe that I get the process and can't wait to try to recreate something like it. That "aha moment" where it was clear that by being there, in that moment, in that space, I learned something I would never have learned without that happening brought me to tears of gratitude.
After I'd fondled the books to my satisfaction, I joined Brian and my dear, wonderful friend Berry, whom I'd met on the forum I mentioned earlier but had yet to meet in person. We met Berry's lovely friend Cath and her delightful three-year-old daughter, Tabitha, for lunch. In true European fashion, we spent a long, leisurely lunch chatting, getting to know one another better, and enjoying the antics of a lively, sprightly three year old. (She became my buddy, I'm happy to say.)
With full bellies and happy hearts, we walked from the restaurant to the Globe Theater, as it is one of the few things in London on my list that I hadn't seen before. The area was packed, or course, with tourists, but I got a few good pictures.
By this time, Tabitha had hit her limit of Adult Time, so Cath whisked her off, leaving Berry, Brian, and me an hour or so to kill before we met up with our other friends, Kyle and Shaun (also from the forum). The Tate Modern loomed above us, and we figured why not. It was... interesting. (Side note: I'm not much of a modern art fan in general.)
An hour of "Art or Ass" later and we headed on to Fleet Street to a Christopher Wren pub that I'd chosen. As most of London appeared to be that day, it was packed, so Berry asked a couple of guys if we could join them at their table, as they had room. Conversation ensued, and it turned out that Steve - unbeknownst to his very surprised buddy Dave - had been a historical reenactor in his past, so had plenty to talk to Berry and me about, so we passed a lovely half hour chatting with our new friends while we waited for our old friends.
First, huge shout out to Kyle who flew in from the states that afternoon and still came to join us for drinks and dinner that night. It had been 14 years since I first met Kyle in person, and somehow he hadn't changed much at all. Though Berry had met both men before, I'd never met Shaun in person, and Brian hadn't met either man yet. In a matter of minutes of sitting down, however, my experience with my forum friends bore true here. Conversation flowed easily and well, we laughed a lot, and I truly enjoyed the evening. From the pub, we moved on to a pizza place for dinner. After an extensive wait for our server to allow us the privilege of paying, we finally said our good-byes.
This trip has been amazing in a million ways, but that day - Monday, December 30 - fulfilled so many of my wishes. I honestly don't know how to explain to someone who doesn't care for history the way that I do what it felt like to hold books five times older than the Declaration of Independence. Or what it meant to finally meet people in person (and see one I hadn't seen since he was barely an adult) that I've held dear in my heart for 15 years. All of this in a city that I chose as my first foray into international travel 19 years ago because I'd studied its history for so long. When I went to sleep that night, for the first time in a long, long time, I had no nightmares and no unsettled thoughts.
The next day, Brian and I set off for the last leg of my trip. We hopped the Eurostar to Paris! (And my cold got worse.)
Quick trip to the local shop had cold and flu powders in hand, as well as some Vitamin C with Zinc tablets for Brian. I've been taking the cold powders diligently since Sunday night and I can 100% tell when the meds wear off. So yeah, definitely needed them. This head cold, you'll see, will play a recurring role in the next few days. Not a happy Roana. *mad*
So back to London. We arrived at around noon and headed straight for the hotel. They allowed us to get our room early and drop our stuff off, and then we headed out to see London. I had two objectives, but otherwise was happy to let Brian take the lead.
Objective 1: Trafalgar Square. I wanted to get a picture of the lions for my oldest two boys. I brought them to the UK for their 10th birthday (15 years ago), and Trafalgar Square was a highlight for them. They spent ages climbing up on the lions, running around with other kids, and generally have a great time. It led to one of the few things that they really remembered of the trip.
It was a bit of a walk from the hotel - and remember, I was feeling a bit puny - so we took it at a slightly slower pace. When we got there, I was surprised at how completely packed the square was, though I'm not sure why. It was Sunday during the holiday season. Of course it was packed. Plus, there was a holiday market going on. Nonetheless, I managed to get a picture of one of the lions to send to the kids.
From there, we decided to stop by Buckingham Palace on our way to Objective 2. It was a slog; partially because of the crowds in Saint James Park with the Winter Wonderland Festival going on, partially because we were still fussed from the two-mile walk from the hotel to Trafalgar, and partially because of my cold. We stopped midway through to rest on a bench in Saint James, and to people watch, like you do. Except, in my case, I bird-watched.
Buckingham Palace, like every other tourist attraction in London, was awash in people. And I was edgy and uncomfortable from my throat itching and my head throbbing, so my patience was a bit thin. Brian, thankfully, kept me going in the right direction with minimal frustration. We took the long way around to get to the main gates, but I think that may have helped my disposition a bit. Fewer people being... you know, people.
Brian pointed out that all of the iron fencing poles had ER on them for Queen Elizabeth, and that once Charles was king, that would all have to change. This kind of made my heart ache a bit, so I took a picture of the pole to keep. When she dies, I think I'll have that made into something cool like a mousepad or something to have a lovely memory of this trip and her. (This was later found to be untrue when my friend Berry said that they don't actually make that change until or unless they need to replace the poles, anyway. Still, glad I got the pic.)
From there we went on to meet Objective 2: Speakers Corner. Like Trafalgar Square, this was a highlight for the two boys. When we'd been there before, a Christian pastor from Atlanta, GA, had been up on a soapbox detailing the evils of Muslims. A younger couple, obviously Muslims, were arguing with him and starting to get visibly frustrated when we walked up.
One of my sons, Carter, jumped into the fray, giving the young woman a moment's pause before she started grinning. The pastor tried to dismiss Carter as just a child, but then his twin brother, Jackson, jumped in, too, both using solid, fact-based arguments to shut the guy down. I don't think I'd ever been prouder of those two as I was at that moment. The young Muslim couple stood back, arms crossed, and just let the boys take over. When they were done, the young woman came over to shake their hand and to tell me how brilliant - absolutely brilliant - both boys had been.
At first, I'd been embarrassed that an American could be so unyielding and cruel to those of another religion, but then I knew that my boys had shown that not all Americans were like that guy. Score two for the good guys.
Anyway, I wanted to get a picture for the boys there, too. Sadly, yet another pastor from the American south stood on the corner telling all assembled - and there was quite a crowd - that if they weren't Christian they were going straight to hell. This time, he was surrounded by a large group of Muslims shouting him down. No need for an American to step in, so I stepped back, took a picture or two, then we left to find food.
Oh dang, people. The food we found! Before I'd left for Europe, my friend Sharon R had told me about this place that had just opened in London that was basically conveyor belt sushi, but for cheese. No, like seriously, exact same idea - different colored plates going around a long, round bar on a conveyor belt, each with a different type of cheese and an accompaniment that you pick off the belt to eat. Once you're done, the server comes over, tallies up your bill based on the color of each plate you've taken, and you pay for what you've eaten. But ... for cheese. Brilliant!
Yes, we ate way too much. Yes, it was amazing! Yes, we did find at least one each we didn't care for and so didn't finish, but it was a stinky cheese. Do you really blame us?
Then off to get cold meds, unpack at the hotel and rest a bit, before going back out later that night for Mexican food. (Don't judge. It was across the street from where we'd already had dessert. Okay, don't judge that, either. We're on vacation!)
The next day - Okay, look. I'm going to get a little ... I don't know... worked up? Excited? Going to be a total dweeb? about what I did next. On Monday morning, I got up early, showered, took more cold meds, and headed off on my own for one of the highlights of this entire trip: The British Library.
Lemme explain. No, that will take too long. Lemme sum up: I had an email exchange with one of my bookbinding heroes (don't judge!) named Christopher Clarkson three years ago where he suggested some books to examine at the British Library to have some of my questions on the Romanesque bookbinding methods answered. Prof. Clarkson died two years ago, but I still have his emails to me with what to look for.
I'll make up an entire post about my trip to the British Library to help anyone else interested in doing this kind of thing because it wasn't as simple as sending an email and getting access to the books. It took me two hours to work my way through the red tape and actually touch any of the books I requested, and I wasn't allowed to get threeother books on my list. It's a process, and I know at least a few of my friends will benefit from learning from my mistakes/efforts. But this is not that post. (This is.)
I will tell you all about two of the books that I got to see - not touch, but definitely see: The Lindisfarne Gospels and St. Cuthbert's Gospels. The Lindisfarne Gospels is one of the oldest examples of illuminated manuscript that we still have available to us, having been created in the 8th century. St. Cuthbert's Gospels is the oldest completely intact codex with the original binding in Western Europe, having been made and bound in the 7th century. (The Lidnisfarne Gospels was rebound in 1852, so while the manuscript is brilliant and impactful, the binding held little interest to me.)
I was forbidden to take any pictures of the books that I was allowed to handle, so I've little to show for that other than my hand-scribbled notes. I will tell you that I actually teared up when I saw the third book, a gorgeous metal-covered tomb of the Gospels of Luke and John. Had I only seen pictures of this book, I would never have been able to understand how it was put together. By handling it, opening it, closing it, examining it in finite detail, I believe that I get the process and can't wait to try to recreate something like it. That "aha moment" where it was clear that by being there, in that moment, in that space, I learned something I would never have learned without that happening brought me to tears of gratitude.
After I'd fondled the books to my satisfaction, I joined Brian and my dear, wonderful friend Berry, whom I'd met on the forum I mentioned earlier but had yet to meet in person. We met Berry's lovely friend Cath and her delightful three-year-old daughter, Tabitha, for lunch. In true European fashion, we spent a long, leisurely lunch chatting, getting to know one another better, and enjoying the antics of a lively, sprightly three year old. (She became my buddy, I'm happy to say.)
With full bellies and happy hearts, we walked from the restaurant to the Globe Theater, as it is one of the few things in London on my list that I hadn't seen before. The area was packed, or course, with tourists, but I got a few good pictures.
By this time, Tabitha had hit her limit of Adult Time, so Cath whisked her off, leaving Berry, Brian, and me an hour or so to kill before we met up with our other friends, Kyle and Shaun (also from the forum). The Tate Modern loomed above us, and we figured why not. It was... interesting. (Side note: I'm not much of a modern art fan in general.)
An hour of "Art or Ass" later and we headed on to Fleet Street to a Christopher Wren pub that I'd chosen. As most of London appeared to be that day, it was packed, so Berry asked a couple of guys if we could join them at their table, as they had room. Conversation ensued, and it turned out that Steve - unbeknownst to his very surprised buddy Dave - had been a historical reenactor in his past, so had plenty to talk to Berry and me about, so we passed a lovely half hour chatting with our new friends while we waited for our old friends.
First, huge shout out to Kyle who flew in from the states that afternoon and still came to join us for drinks and dinner that night. It had been 14 years since I first met Kyle in person, and somehow he hadn't changed much at all. Though Berry had met both men before, I'd never met Shaun in person, and Brian hadn't met either man yet. In a matter of minutes of sitting down, however, my experience with my forum friends bore true here. Conversation flowed easily and well, we laughed a lot, and I truly enjoyed the evening. From the pub, we moved on to a pizza place for dinner. After an extensive wait for our server to allow us the privilege of paying, we finally said our good-byes.
This trip has been amazing in a million ways, but that day - Monday, December 30 - fulfilled so many of my wishes. I honestly don't know how to explain to someone who doesn't care for history the way that I do what it felt like to hold books five times older than the Declaration of Independence. Or what it meant to finally meet people in person (and see one I hadn't seen since he was barely an adult) that I've held dear in my heart for 15 years. All of this in a city that I chose as my first foray into international travel 19 years ago because I'd studied its history for so long. When I went to sleep that night, for the first time in a long, long time, I had no nightmares and no unsettled thoughts.
The next day, Brian and I set off for the last leg of my trip. We hopped the Eurostar to Paris! (And my cold got worse.)
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