Last Day in London

All good things have to come to an end, and, unfortunately, my trip overseas is drawing to a close. Looking back, it's hard to believe all of the sites I've seen and experiences I've had since leaving Indianapolis nearly three weeks ago. While Rome was a much longer portion of my trip than London, I have truly enjoyed my past six days here. London is a clean, classy, and beautiful city where I could probably spend an entire year without scratching the surface of all it has to offer. I'll be heading home tomorrow and arriving back in Pittsburgh on Friday morning. To all of you who have followed the blog, I hope you have enjoyed it, and I thank you for taking the time to read it!

Obama? What are you doing here?

Today it was very apparent that the President of the United States was in London. During President Obama's address to the British Parliament, the Houses of Parliament were manned by nearly 50 armed guards. Outside, protesters of the War on Terrorism and Guantanamo Bay demonstrated their dislike for the President, while the mall in front of Buckingham Palace was adorned with both US and UK flags. When a group of three of us decided to take a look around the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the residence of the Queen, we saw a large crowd gathering out front of the gates. As we peered through them, we could see a large motorcade heading towards us. Finally, the gate about 5 feet away from us opened, and we saw as the President's black car drove past us. The crowd cheered (and my camera died) as the President drove off, on his way to a Barbecue at the Prime Minister's residence. As he drove past, I yelled something along the lines of "Save me some ribs," but I don't think he heard me.

These protesters were also mad they weren't invited to the Barbecue

221b Baker Street

Besides seeing the President, another highlight of my day was a visit to the Sherlock Holmes museum, located at 221b Baker Street. Inside, we were able to see Holmes' and Watson's residence exactly as it was portrayed in the stories. From the letters on the table, to pillows on the sofa, no expense was spared in bringing the legendary detective to life. In fact, the Tube Station at Baker Street is covered in tiles with the silhouette of Holmes smoking his pipe. On the third floor of the museum, life size wax figures from Doyle's stories depicted familiar scenes, including the beggar Hugh Boone from the short story, "The Man with the Twisted Lip." It's no wonder that over 50 percent of the British believe that Sherlock Holmes was a real person.

Platform 9 and 3/4

A trip to London would not be complete without a stop at the famous King's Cross railway station, where the first Harry Potter movie was filmed. Inside, you can even find the famous Platform 9 3/4, where a trolley is halfway inserted into the wall. Elsewhere in the city, we also discovered the filming site of Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley

Ending on a High Note

There could not have been a better way to close my trip abroad than the concert I attended this evening. Inside the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, I had the chance to hear renowned pianist Maurizio Pollini in his final concert in London. An Italian pianist now in his seventies, Pollini belongs to the rapidly vanishing era of pianists such as Van Cliburn, Howowitz, and Richter. These power-house performers were at the peaks of their careers in the 60s and 70s, and unfortunately, many have passed away. Pollini's concert this evening was absolutely incredible and compared to nothing I had ever heard. Royal Festival Hall is London's premier concert hall and home to the London Symphony Orchestra. For a hall of this size (holding over 3000 people) to be packed as tightly as tonight is a true testament to the significance of the event. Pollini's program consisted of two piano pieces by Stockhausen, which were quite modern and intriguing, before plunging into the extremely difficult Sonata in F minor by Schumann. Even though he had some trouble walking on and off stage, Pollini's playing put both myself and almost anyone I had ever heard to shame. His technique was stunning, so much so that his playing seemed completely effortless. It was as if he was gliding over the keys, and in the process, producing a sound that filled the massive hall. The second half of the program included five works by Chopin, of which the Fourth Ballade and Second Scherzo were the major pieces. Pollini's voicing was unbelievably clear and well shaped, but what was most impressive was his control. There could have been five or six parts happening at the same time, but each was interesting by itself, as if an entire orchestra was playing. How Pollini could have possibly kept all of those parts clear in his mind is a mystery to me. Another remarkable aspect of Pollini's performance were his interpretations of the Chopin pieces. In general, his interpretations were a little on the bright side, yet it never felt like he was simply playing too fast. In fact, I actually enjoyed his faster interpretations more than those to which I was more accustomed. This is an incredible thing, because musicians often treat their preferred interpretations like old women treat their hair dressers; they are reluctant to change.

View from my seat

Pollini returned for two encores, playing a Chopin Nocturne and the Revolutionary Etude, but he must have been called back over two dozen times. Each time, the audience would leap to their feet in hopes that they could hear one more piece. Listening to Pollini tonight was like listening to a story from a World War II Veteran. The whole time you listen, you are thinking that, someday, all you will have is a second-hand account of this piece of history. Someday when that musician or veteran has passed away, you will be able to say that you heard it for real. That was exactly how I felt tonight. To top it all off, I walked outside the massive Royal Festival Hall, and I saw that all the buildings and the London Eye were lit in different shades, while the trees sparkled with Christmas lights. What a truly magical place to spend my last evening abroad.

The Tower of London

We began our day today with a visit to the Tower of London, England’s most famous castle and fortress. Inside its walls, we explored the many different attractions it had to offer including the White Tower, with its display of Medieval armor, the Jewl House, with its collection of royal crowns and golden eating utensils, the Torture Chamber, with its display of gruesome torture devices, and, finally, my personal favorite, the Armouries Restaurant, with its selection of cakes, sweet rolls, and other baked goods. Items that were especially interesting for me were the torture devices, including a body stretcher and body compressor, but also the Tower’s famous collection of ravens. This particular colony of ravens has dwelled within the Tower’s walls for hundreds of years, as the prophecy states that, should the birds fly from the tower, the kingdom will fall. I found it kind of humorous that, even to this day, the bird’s feathers are clipped, preventing them from flying away. I’m not sure of England’s stance on abortion, but it certainly seems to have no problem with “bird control.” 

 Inside the walls of the Tower of London

While the Tower was interesting, I couldn’t help but notice how the attraction was geared toward the younger crowd. Elementary school groups were a dime a dozen, as were activities in the Tower such as “test your archery skills,” “Henry VIII in 3D,” and sound effects in the castles that simulated an attack on the fortress. While I really have no problem with this from a business perspective, it’s worth noting how much this differs from the historic displays in Rome. I definitely feel like Rome’s target audience is much more mature, and in many cases, more well educated than London's. I’m not exactly sure what the reason behind this might be, but it could have something to do with London’s struggle between the old and the modern. In Rome, the monuments, piazzas, churches, and even the ancient cobblestone roads are less museums, and more parts of the current, functioning city. The churches in Rome, with no admission charges, feel much more like hometown parishes than London’s churches, which, with their admission charges, feel more removed from the fast-paced city around them. Perhaps this is the goal of the well-defined museums in London, an attempt at designating something as historically significant, a necessary distinction that is less appropriate in the well-integrated city of Rome.

 

The White Tower

A Tale of Two Churches

 St. Peter's in the Vatican

St. Paul's in London

We spent the afternoon today exploring St. Paul’s Cathedral, the “London cousin” to the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica. I have to admit that, from the outside, the two structures are quite similar, with their crowning domes that resemble that of the US Capitol building. On the inside, however, they couldn’t be more different. As I encountered these differences, I began to think about the differences I see back home when I attend mass at my Catholic church compared to when I attend a service at my grandparents’ Methodist church. Compared to the extremely detailed interior of St. Peter’s, which was almost entirely covered with either paintings or sculptures, St. Paul’s felt much more open, with its soaring white walls with gold accents. It reminded me of the more contemporary atmosphere at my hometown protestant churches versus my Catholic church, which begins with the architecture of the buildings themselves. My Catholic church’s structure feels much more intimidating to me than my grandparents’ Methodist church, just as St. Peter’s interior felt more overwhelming than St. Paul’s. The other major difference was found beneath the cathedral floors, in the crypts. In my home parish, we go to church, participate in mass, say hello to a couple of people, and then head home. At the Methodist church, on the other hand, everyone gathers afterward for fellowship, coffee, and doughnuts. It was only fitting then when I found that the crypt of St. Peter’s held the solemn tombs of the Popes, while St. Paul’s housed a bakery and café (and Wi-Fi!)

A group of us decided to climb the 500+ stairs to reach the top of the 250 foot dome of St. Paul's. Here are some views from the top: