It's taken me awhile to write this one, but in May, I went to England with my family and it was amazing. I've always wanted to go, as I've had a fascination with England since I was small. My sister Erin was coming back from a year studying anthropology in Finland, and with a stop-over at Heathrow, my mom and I figured it would be the best time to see the country.
I've only been a tourist overseas once before - Costa Rica. And in many ways, coming to England felt very much like coming home. The language, the people, the culture, the history, it all felt really familiar. Walking around the streets of London and feeling the deep time connection of history was just amazing. And since I am a medieval aficionado and huge history buff, it was extra awesome.
This is me, my mom, and Erin outside of Westminster Cathedral. We saw a lot of cathedrals, which I really enjoyed, because even though I'm not Anglican, I have a lot of personal and family ties to the Anglican church. Evensong, in particular, was totally amazing - it's a beautiful, musical service, and attending it in a cathedral gave me a deep sense of continuity and tradition. I can see how these services and rituals give a nice rhythm to one's day.
Unsurprisingly, we went to a lot of museums too. The British have stolen a lot of stuff, and they put most all of it in one place - The British Museum. And you can go see all of it, for free! I'm pretty sure the countries they stole it from are still pretty pissed off about that, but as a tourist, it was great to see a bunch of historical artifacts in one place. Above are the Elgin Marbles.
This is the White Tower in the Tower of London. When we went inside, at the top there is this hall, where William the Conqueror's cooking fires have etched into the wall the original roofline. It's hard to describe how I felt, seeing that. This is the historical marker of one of those world-changing events. He radically changed the history of Europe, and thus, the world, and seeing the remains of the these things that happened a millennia ago, brings this incredible perspective to the world. It made me feel humbled.
Seeing the display of arms and armor in the White Tower, and thinking about all the people who have fought throughout the years for what they believe in, for their friends and family, for even naked ambition and gain, it brought me a sense of camaraderie with the past. And it gave me inspiration on what to do with my armor.
This is Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster taken from my seat on the London Eye. It was, of course, awesome to see everything from this view. Also, it made me think about House of Cards, which is pretty funny. You can't see this scene without Rule Britannia running through your head.
This is Canterbury Cathedral, where we heard Evensong. This was my favorite place on the whole trip. My paternal grandmother is a Canterbury, and also an Episcopal priest, so this had special meaning for me. The cathedral was just beautiful.
I recognize that taking selfies with ancient relics is probably a bit gauche, however, I really liked the Black Prince. Dude is my homie. He was the flower of English chivalry. He almost reunited the English and French thrones. He lead armies against the French when he was 14. And he had some digestive trouble, toward the end, which I so feel him on. So, we're totally bros. I loved being able to visit him.
It just so happened that it was the Canterbury Cathedral Garden Show that day, so we got to participate in high tea with the church ladies of Canterbury Cathedral. Was there ever anything more British than high tea with the church ladies of Canterbury Cathedral during a garden show? No, never. It was the best.
I'm so happy I went to England. I'm so glad I got to spend time with my mom and Erin. I was equally happy to return to the U.S. and be greeted by Kelly at the airport, with chocolate chip cookies, and lots of hugs.
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