Yesterday we went to the Tower of London to explore and see some pieces of “Medieval London.” I was actually a little underwhelmed. First of all, I am terrible at keeping the Georges and Henrys and who-did-what-in-which-century straight, but I’m trying! What was mostly disappointing, though, was the feeling that I could have been in an exhibition hall anywhere while I went through some of the rooms… but we were in the Tower! I just wish they had made use of the space in a more effective way I guess? There were a few rooms that we went through in the end that just showed recreations of what certain rooms would have been like, and I loved those. The artistry on the walls and in tiles and tapestries was beautiful (or at least the recreations of what was bombed during the war), and even simply the outside walls and facades of the buildings were gorgeous. There was obviously a lot of history within these walls. We also got to see the Crowned Jewels! They were gorgeous, but what actually stood out to me more were the gold dishware sets including plates, chalices, a ridiculous punch bowl and ladle (that I would want next time I host a party!), and even little itty-bitty spoons with tremendous detail. Beautiful.
We also got the chance to talk to some Yeomen Warders (“Beefeaters,” although we’re not sure they actually appreciate that term) who actually live in the Tower! They were friendly, and showed that they felt at least some sense of honor to serve such an important national mark.
(That’s our whole class… plus two new friends!)
Today we were supposed to go visit Westminster Abbey to supplement our Medieval London lessons, but because of Charles Dickens’s 200th birthday, BBC was working on some sort of special and the Abbey was closed. We were super bummed, but our professor is going to try to reschedule. We ended up just walking down Whitehall and talking about buildings we passed, then going into the National Gallery and seeing some Medieval portraits (many of them Italian… I’m going to guess those will come up again this semester…).
We basically all split up afterward and I decided to just wander through the museum and back home by myself. All of the changes in the day (and the very cold weather) were making me a little anxious, so I decided to take a little healthy “me time.” I looked at a few more paintings, and headed back out onto Trafalgar square. I went to a coffee shop (and used the proper coins to pay instead of a large note!), then walked back down Whitehall toward the now beautifully lit Houses of Parliament. I easily found the Tube station with the correct line going in the direction I needed, and was even asked by someone else on the train if he was on the correct line! I just felt so proud of myself to have been considered someone who was knowledgeable. I think I finally know what I’m doing… or can at least look like I do. :)
And don’t worry. Even though we were upset about missing the visit to the Abbey, we still sang Happy Birthday to good ol’ Charlie at “family dinner” tonight.
(This is actually from last week, but here’s the upstairs family sharing one of our nightly meals!)
