On Royalty and Remembrance

Remembrance Sunday "Poppy Day" in London

Being an American in England has been endlessly fascinating-especially during this previous election season. I feel really lucky to have been given the chance to experience American politics through the British lens. However, having everyone ask us who we voted for has gotten a bit old! 

America is so politically divided- it has been decades since the country rallied universally behind our president. I guess this is why I was surprised when I realized just how much people love Queen Elizabeth II. I knew people loved the Queen, but, especially during this Diamond Jubilee year, she is absolutely adored! I've come to realize that this is because the British political system allows for two national figure heads. Whereas our president is the embodiment of both our national ideals and the government, the Queen is a symbolic leader and not the head of state. She embodies British history, tradition, and national pride. David Cameron the Prime Minister, is the head of the government...and he is the one with the bad wrap. There is quite a bit of animosity towards him because he is the one the public holds responsible for taxes, health care, and general government unhappiness.

However, on Sunday, none of this seemed to matter too much as the United Kingdom gathered to remember their war veterans and fallen heroes. 

Even though I am not British, I couldn't help but feel proud standing amongst the crowd singing the few lines I knew from "Hail Britannia" and "God Save the Queen".  Sometimes it is easy to forget that our history is so entangled with that of the United Kingdom- in a small way, England is part of every American's heritage. 

 All the pomp was even more poignant when remembering that Monday was Veteran's Day back home. Regardless of the country, there is something tragically beautiful about remembering all the sacrifices so many have made for their nation and the people who comprise it. 

However, being mere feet away from the Queen and the Royal Family probably didn't hurt my feelings of dual-patriotism either.

Prince William laying a Remembrance Wreath 

Prince Phillip and Prince William

The Queen and Prince Phillip

                         

Her Majesty surrounded by sun beams

Prufrock

Mornings at Prufrock Coffee

An afternnoon walk along the Thames

The love padlocks of Millennium Bridge

The Millennium Bridge is one of the many famous bridges that cross the River Thames and connect London with the glorious South Bank. I was originally enamored with this particular bridge because the Death Eaters nearly destroyed it in the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, as I was strolling across this bridge after a lovely afternoon spent along the South Bank, I noticed a plethora of padlocks hanging from the railings.

Upon closer examination, I realized that most of the locks contained a message. Some of the locks had long phrases while others had a pair of names or even just a single word.

One particular lock really resonated with me- it read, "London doesn't taste as good as it should since you're not here." The lock was aged and the words were fading- it had obviously been there a while, just hanging in limbo. Who were these people and what had happened between them? Where were they now? I must have stared at that one for a good five minutes.

I realized that there was a human life with a past and stories to tell behind each lock on Millennium Bridge. In all the world, only this one person held the key. It was all terribly poetic and they were all beautiful! I was enchanted by the whole lot of them- much to the chagrin, I am sure, of the company I was with.
After throughly inspecting the locks and having my cheesy existential moment, I conceded that we could "finally" move on. However, I do catch myself contemplating these padlocks and the people behind them during quiet moments or when I daydream on the tube.
I may just have to go back and add my own lock to be a part of London forever.

"My heart leaps up when I behold"

Once upon a time, I was in the greatest city in the whole entire world. HELLO FROM LONDON!!!  Big Ben and the River Thames asked me to send you all their love! However, before I begin to describe my London adventures, I simply cannot ignore our visit to the Lake District and the final days of the grand "Gypsy Tour".

I can't even begin to properly describe the majesty of the Lake District- the mountains seem like an ocean, rolling on towards infinity! All the while, the lakes act like sparkling mirrors, reflecting these mountains and the gorgeous purple sunsets behind them. Also, there are a bazillion sheep. #winning

Sheep after my own heart

I have dreamed of visiting the Lake District ever since I first fell in love with Victorian literature. How could one not be enchanted by a place that inspired the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Beatrix Potter, and every great English romantic poet?  

Also, if you need more incentive, Mr. Darcy lives in the Lake District. Enough said.

However, it is because of William Wordsworth, father of the romantic poetry movement and my absolute favorite poet, that I so anxiously awaited our stay in this idyllic corner of England. Wordsworth was born here and once said that he spent "half his boyhood in running wild among the Mountains." Aside from spending his college years at Cambridge, he never lived anywhere else. He drew nearly all his inspiration from daily walks around the lakes, dales, and mountains; it is estimated that Wordsworth walked between 175,000 to 180,000 miles during his adult life. All these miles resulted in some of the greatest poetry ever written in the English language. Wordsworth was one of the first English poets to write for all classes- he wanted his poetry to be easily accessible. He wrote in the "real language of men" avoiding the superfluous poetic diction of the time. Wordsworth believed that the best poetry came from the "spontaneous overflow" of emotions and not from contrived formulas. 

Wordsworth said he wished to "console the afflicted, to add sunshine...to teach the young and the gracious of every age to see, to think, to feel." Quite a nobel goal, don't you think?
He believed that city life encouraged social anxiety, self-indulgence, and envy.

He reasoned that nature, 

"can so inform
The mind that is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith that all which we behold

Is full of blessings."

I do have to agree that in the presence of a sunset, I find it hard to care much about anything else!

During our stay in the Lake District, a few of us opted to hike Mount Helvellyn, the third highest peak in England. I carried a copy of The Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth in my backpack as I ascended the mountain. I felt like reading a few of Wordsworth's poems on the very mountain he used to climb on a weekly basis was the fullest way to experience and appreciate his work.

I was cajoled into giving a dramatic reading of "I Wondered Lonely As a Cloud" while on the mountain...a very dramatic reading. I climbed up on a rock and began the poem with the full realization that everyone was going to record this little performance... and that surely one of these videos would surface again at some uncomfortable moment in my future.

However, I realized then, up on that rock, why many of us are so drawn to poetry. Poets have somehow managed to capture all those feelings we keep welled up inside, unable or maybe even too afraid to articulate.

As we finally neared the crest of the mountain, I was reminded of Lizzie Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTHvu9GKQDE

However, this is a more accurate portrayal...

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After a glorious visit to the Lake District, we ventured on to the last legs of our grand "Gypsy Tour"- Chester and Bath, England.

Chester is an English Heritage city, and was first established by the Romans. Chester and the county of Cheshire found fame from their delicious Cheshire cheese. This special cheese was always sold in the mold of a cat. This inspired Chester's famous resident, Lewis Carroll, to name one of his most memorable characters "The Cheshire Cat".  Lesson learned: If you need inspiration, go buy some fancy cheese.
More tangibly, Chester is also famous for the beautiful Eastgate Clock, erected in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

After our dalliances in Chester, we moved on to yet another Roman city, Bath!
We loved Bath so much! A few of us went straight to the beautiful Bath Abbey upon our arrival in order to make the Evensong service. The Bath Abbey may very well have been my favorite of all the cathedrals we have seen (believe me, that is high complement!).

Inside the Abbey

Outside the Abbey

Once again, we were graced with beautiful sunshine and we spent our time in Bath enjoying outdoor markets and shopping at all the awesome stores! Of course, no stay in Bath is complete without a visit to the Roman Baths. It is crazy to believe all of these structures are still standing after thousands of years and that the thermal springs are still pushing warm waters to the surface.

Roman Baths

We also made a visit to the Jane Austen Museum and the Bath Fashion Museum...both occasions called for playing dress up, naturally.

Jane Austen Museum- Lee as Mr. Darcy

My turn to be the man

We were sad to leave the beauty of Bath and the Gypsy Tour behind us. It was hard to believe that October had finally arrived! Climbing on to Seamus's bus one last time was bittersweet, but London was calling!

An Irish Goodbye

"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" 
W.B. Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Worth 1,000 Words

Ballyliffin Co. Donegal- Republic of Ireland

 

Giant's Causeway Co. Antrim- Northern Ireland

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Final Irish adventures:

After leaving Sligo, we got a chance to visit the grave of W.B. Yeats, one of my very favorite poets. I couldn’t resist buying small collection of his poetry while I was there. As I was walking back to the bus, I couldn’t help but think that there is something terribly romantic about carrying a book wrapped in brown paper.

We also took a daytrip to Derry/Londonderry, a city on the border of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. 

One of the Derry Bogside Murals

As you can imagine, the city has been a contentious place for many years. Although the Troubles have been over for a while, we were encouraged to stay inside the walled section of the city, which was safer.  I, however, couldn’t resist wandering outside a little to see a few of the famous Bogside murals and the newly opened peace bridge.

We ended up our time in Ireland with a visit to Belfast. I was not expecting to like Belfast as much as I did- in fact, we all fell in love with the place. Once categorized along with with Baghdad, Bosnia, and Beirut as one of the "4 B's" for travelers to avoid, Belfast has come alive in the past ten years.  We spend a lot of time in the outdoor/quasi-indoor Victoria’s Square as well as the Queen’s College area of town, which offered a plethora of independently owned shops and restaurants.