Leaving on a Jet Plane (reprise)

            And this time I have no idea when I’ll be back again, but London has not seen the last of me just yet.  A single week in such a huge city is just not enough time. I could lose myself in some of their museums, and I only saw a select few.  Not to mention that there is so much to learn from the city still.  Yes, I was able to go on the Jack the Ripper walk, and I did learn a few things from it, though I was not entirely impressed.  But there are so many other walks, and so much history in the city.  How can anyone possibly know all of it? Just goes to show that ignorance is bliss, and the more you know, the more you know you don’t know enough.  Had I never left the country, I would never have known how amazing London, or anywhere else, could be.  I never was interested in a lot of travel growing up, though I did my fair share of it,  but this trip has completely piqued my interests. 

Now I have a “places to visit” list, and it is growing by the minute.  And then through my study of Jack the Ripper I have been a lot more interested in learning about other serial killers and what makes them tick.  If I had not decided to study Jack, then I would never have realized my gruesome interest in serial killers.  I mean, yes I was interested in the field to begin with, and as many of you know one of my role models is indeed a fictional serial killer.  The reasoning is that he has so much knowledge, and I find people who are highly intelligent to be fascinating. 

            I find knowledge fascinating.  And what knowledge does to people. There is so much knowledge in London, as is there a lot of history on what it has done to people in the past.  To make a long story short, I will be going back to London soon.  Very soon.

            After a whirlwind spring vacation, I'm afraid that I must bid you all fair well, as it’s back off to the frozen no-mans-land that is Grand Forks, North Dakota.

                                                Thanks all for reading!    Bri

Murphy's Law: That One Day

3-19-14

Today was that one day where everything was planned out, but it didn’t exactly go smoothly.  To start off, today was the first day that it was actually icky outside.  I mean, it was a cold and gloomy day, with rain and a lot of wind and it was the first sight of ACTUAL London weather we had.  Which is fine, I was expecting a lot more of that kind of weather.  So the day started with a trip to the Tower of London with Mr. Morstad and Leanna.  For the most part it was absolutely amazing.  The Tower has amazing architecture, the medieval weaponry and armor was surprisingly delicate, but the true star of the show was the Crown Jewel exhibit.  

 Words cannot describe and pictures are not allowed, but if you every get the chance to go see them, you MUST.  Another thing in the area you have to see is the dragon statue.  Whoever the artist is took a ton of different aspects of the exhibit and combined them into one.  Diplomatic looking papers make up the forearms, only to connect to old pistols that are the claws.  The stomach is filled with glistening coins and jewels, while the spikes on the back are just that: spikes and other long weapons like axes and such.  The wings are made of shields connected to even longer spears and the like, and there are fake dragon sounds coming from behind it. 

Your friendly neighborhood Dragon

As for the Crown Jewels, well those are just that. A collection of magnificent golds and jewels that put Tiffany’s to shame.  The vibrant purple of so much combined with the priceless white orbs and the gold inlets, absolutely stunning. It was in the Crown Jewel exhibit where Leanna and I first lost Mr. Morstad.  After attempts to call and text him, we decided the best thing to do was to go our separate ways and meet him for dinner.  We ate some lunch and met a very nice woman from Canada, but sadly talking to her caused us to be later than we wanted to be, so I was unable to hit the Westminster side of things, as well as Buckingham Palace. 

Instead I ventured over to Waterloo to scope out the area before I was to meet Cameron for the Dungeons.  Saying that we are going to meet in Waterloo just outside of the tube station was a HUGE mistake.  There are 3 possible exits from the tube in Waterloo, and I had no idea where he would come out.  After taking a leisurely stroll through the Waterloo area I realized that I was in a kind of business district, and there was not much to see. I found a funny sculpture of a bull, and some interesting architect on a few buildings, but not a whole lot.  I did however go and find all three tube stations, and I ran around to all three of them at least three times before realizing that there was no way I was going to find Cameron. 

the Funny Bull

            Thankfully great minds think alike, as we managed to find each other 8 minutes before our tickets to the Dungeon were scheduled.  After that mini heart attack we went through the Dungeons, which were awesome.  It was a combination of haunted house meets comedian and I really enjoyed it.  They take you on an hour-long tour through the Dungeon and make fun of some of the gruesome history of London, all while scaring the bajeezus out of you.  Some of the highlights were the bubonic plague, the Whitechapel murders, Sweeney Todd, and medieval doctors.  The end of the Dungeon has a ride with a camera.  I found the picture particularily amusing.

A the terror.

Anna, Mitch and I in the Tubes

            However the fun was not yet over. Cameron and I got out of the Dungeon around 4:40.  We were supposed to meet the rest of our group for dinner at 4:45.  The tube ride back to the hotel is about 35-40 minutes.  So we tried to go to the hotel by walking the last stint instead of catching the next tube.  I then got a text from Mitch telling us to go to the Sicilian Spaghetti house.  Which was on the other side of town.  Long story short, Cameron and I ended up on a 1.5-hour walk/tube ride in an attempt to find this restaurant.  We found it, at 6:30.  I quickly ate, and then got to go on the tubes right back to Waterloo to go on the London Eye. 

A View from the Eye

            Every trip has to have that one day, I think it must be one of Murphy’s Laws.  At least I have an entertaining story now, right? 

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood

3-18-14

Except it rained. And was incredibly windy.  And that is from a North Dakotan.  But despite the cooler weather the day was quite busy.  My morning started out by realizing that Leanna, Jordan and I all had tickets for a Muggle Tour, basically a tour of London that shows off different areas that have Harry Potter references, but all of our tickets were for a different time.  So we first went to Kings Cross Station where they have built in a platform 9 ¾ meant for picture taking. 

Platform 9 3/4

 After Kings Cross we headed over to the London Bridge area in order to find our tour guide and beg her to let two of us switch to a different time.  Luckily the tour we met up for only had two people going, so all of us were able to join the group.  The tour was amazing.  Our guides name was Izzy Granger, and she was very informative.  She talked about the Harry Potter movies, showed us a variety of places including where they shot some of the scenes for the movie, as well as the areas where J.K. Rowling got inspiration for things such as Diagon Alley, 

Diagon Alley

Nocturne Alley, the boat of Victor Krum’s School (I apologize, my brain has stopped functioning and can not recall the name of the ship or the school) as well as showing us the area of London that houses parliament and shows how the parliament and the Ministry of Magic are similar.  

The Boat.  Really the Golden Hinde

 Just the Harry Potter information is well worth your time and money if you are a Harry Potter fan, but the guides also tell a lot about the history of London, why certain things are the way they are, such as London’s lack of garbage cans or rubbish bins is due to too many attempted and successful trash can bombs, or a humorous anecdote about the making of the Lion sculptures in Trafalgar Square.  The tour is a must see attraction for any Harry Potter fan, and for those of you who are not fans, you will be after taking the tour. 

            After the 2 ish hour Harry Potter tour, we went for a stroll around town attempting to find a music shop for Jordan.  After passing up the shop about 4 times, we finally realized where it was.  The people in the area were very helpful, friendly, and polite.  We soon met up with Mitch and Anna to go on a pub-crawl.  The point of the crawl is to visit 8 or 9 different historical pub locations, but we some how only made it to two of the pubs.  I am quickly realizing just how expensive going out to a pub actually is.  A note for future reference, when going out anywhere, do NOT forget your tube pass.  I made that mistake today and hopefully will not again.  Not having a clear way to get across town is not fun.  On a good note, Mitch bought a Scotch egg.  It is basically a soft-boiled egg wrapped in meet and deep-fried.  It was served with vinegar BBQ sauce, and was absolutely delicious.

A Scotch Egg

            Following the pub run we met up with the rest of our party to go out to dinner and see a performance of the Lion King.  I was simultaneously impressed with the dancing and the projection of music, and disappointed in the pitch and enunciation of the songs.  But I was AMAZED by the costumes.  The only way I can describe the costumes was Dr. Seuss meets Disney meets puppeteers.  Overall a very good, very busy, very expensive day. 

Waiting for the Lion King to start.

Love at First Sight

3-17-14

Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, there are not enough pictures or words in the English language to describe Warwick Castle.  Or Oxford.  Or the English countryside.  A moment of ignorant American, I definitely did not think about the non-metropolitan part of Britain, and driving by the first sheep field was a huge face palm moment.  After being in Grand Forks, land of no hills what-so-ever, the rolling hills were a welcome change.  I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen a rolling hill, but the term is appropriate.  The small towns in between the large cities are also fantastic.  I know I’ve been making a big deal about the architecture, but you just do not see buildings made like these in the U.S.  Some of these towns have building requirements that force the buildings to be made with Cotswold’ s stone, a very expensive stone that was used on the original buildings in order to keep the towns authentic.  One of the small villages has a medieval style pub.  Can you imagine having a pub down the street that is STILL around since the medieval era?!  Speaking of the medieval era, there are no castles in the states, and the movies and pictures we have all seen do NOT do them justice.  Well we were at Warwick Castle Mitch Anna Leanna and I all climbed up to the tops of the watchtowers.  The view was awesome.  

A view from part way up a watch tower

They also have an amazing courtyard with a lot of different kinds of birds including a personal favorite the peacock.  The tours of the rooms include amazing wax figures and allow you to better visualize what it would have been like to have a season in London.  The singing for the women, the poker for the men, the overall atmosphere of being inside of a castle.  The outside is solely focused on protecting the castle and the land, but the inside is all about living, making a home, and marrying daughters off to the rich and famous.  More evidence for the juxtaposition of the area.  Then Oxford.  

Oxford

The academic in me started to shine.  The sheer amount books in the Oxford College, or the logic that went into making the college.  Then you look at the architect of the area and you can see the different eras that each building was made.  For example at UND we have dorms where one flight of stairs gives off one hallway to 30 some different rooms.  At Oxford there is one set of stairs for four doors.  At UND you can have anywhere from one to four roommates. Oxford has only single rooms to assist in good study habits.  At UND we have lecture rooms and you only get one on one learning if you stalk your professors.  At Oxford you are required to meet with other academics working as a tutor to assist in your education.  Then the history of Oxford is incredibly rich.  Each separate college at the university has it’s own crest, and there is a meaning behind the crest.  I’m sure that UND has a crest, but no one seems to know what it is.  If I had the time and the skill, I would be able to sit in one of their many quads to simply sketch the different faces and organisms that appear carved into the walls.  And of course Oxford has some scenes from the Harry Potter series filmed there, as well as housing the dining hall that the Hogwarts hall was based off of.  Apparently the dining hall in Oxford has two meals, one more informal and quick meal earlier in the day, and a formal meal in the evenings.  I’m not yet sure if I would like having to dress up to go to dinner.  Would it be a hassle? Or would it be fun?  Would it be frustrating?   Would there be an extra pressure on you about failing simply because of the standards of the school?  Visiting the school is perplexing me on the current education system in the U.S.  On top of that we went to visit the birthplace of Shakespeare.   

The gardens of Shakespeare's Birthplace

A great opportunity for those who are interested, but to top it off for people like me who cannot quote Shakespeare off of my head they have actors there who will take a famous scene and do a small performance for you.  The people there were very nice and very good at their jobs, and they are all genuinely interested in the plays.  On top of that, the young man playing Hamlet for us was quite cute.  After the full day of bus tours that I was hesitant to go on, my conclusion is that the tour was definitely worth the time and money. 

Goin' to the Chapel

3-16-14

Well, ok so we weren’t getting married and it wasn’t exactly a Chapel.  Amongst the things we did today during day 1 of this London tour we visited a couple of Cathedrals as well as took a tour of the city and all of its glamor.  I knew coming on this trip that I would be mesmerized by the architect of London’s buildings, but mesmerized is too tame a word.  I was expecting old architecture as I saw in the Cathedrals, the gargoyles, the statues, the sculptures, and the stained glass.  Southwark Cathedral is a prime example of all of these things.  

Anna Claire at the Beautiful Southwark Cathedral

 What I was not expecting was the modern architecture.  I mean, I knew things like the Shard existed, but I was not prepared for the beauty of the modern architecture.  In the same city you can see modern technology and ancient knowledge combined into one bustling center for all things.  Turn down one street and you will see some amazing fountain that depicts an ancient god, or a scene from the Bible. Turn down the next and you find historical treasures such as the Golden Hinde.  Look across the street and you will find yourself staring at remains of the Clink Prison and its Museum.  Beyond the sheer architecture is the meaning of the buildings.  For example in the United States if you see grand ancient architecture it’s either a government building or a church.  In London even the eye clinic has gargoyles on the building.  The city is the definition of juxtaposition.  You can look over a bridge used to film the Harry Potter series and see St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background.  The combination of old and new is absolutely mesmerizing.

A view of St. Paul's Cathedral past the bridge.

Hurry up and Wait.

After a mad dash to finish the last minute packing, I am now stuck at an airport for a 5-hour layover.  Less than 24 hours ago I was on tight schedule to check out of my dorms on time.  I was on so much of a tight schedule that my friend Anna came over to help me pack, and to my embarrassment, she did my dishes for me too.  After completing my checklist a few times to make sure I didn’t forget anything important, such as socks, we left my dorm room only to go on another rush to the grocery store.  A total of 16 hours on a plane and who knows how many more hours waiting in an airport? Yeah, we were definitely going to pack some snacks.  But being girls, we got side tracked in clothing, shoes, and anything else you can imagine.  Leaving target a combined 100 dollars poorer with three bags of chocolate, a cute summer dress, and umpteen boxes of granola bars later, we rushed back to Anna’s home to finish packing her bags and shoving food into every crevice available. 

 

Our food pile

 Thinking we were going to get a nice break now that it was midnight, we went onto amazon to look at free kindle books.  There is actually a surprising amount of free kindle books on amazon, and they will come in useful for the next few hours.  Some of the titles that stood out were “A French girl in New York”, “Sneakers, Sandals, and Stilettoes: Fairytales for the well-heeled princess”, “A Wedding Story”, and quite the collection of Jane Austen stories.  Sleep was to be had after the book raid, and though sleepovers are fun, I still have not figured out how exactly to share a bed with another girl.  Every position seems somewhat awkward.  And of course, right when you fall asleep the alarm goes off, setting off the timer for another mad dash.  I forgot how much I love the morning chaos of trying to get everyone up, clean, fed, and out the door on time. 

            Upon finally reaching the Airport on time the waiting game began.  Waiting included playing cribbage with Mitch, Cameron, and of course Anna.  After a short plane ride, food was to be had.  Half way through the meal, I remembered that I had a chemistry assignment due at 6.00 pm today.  And I had not even looked at it yet.  So yet another hurried mission began.  My plan was to eat, do half the assignment, then move to the correct gate and finish the assignment.  It would have worked out very well, had I gotten Internet access in the gate.  So Anna and I had to walk around the airport trying to find a spot with adequate Internet access so I could finish my homework and she could play Disney Hidden Worlds.  Hopefully the rest of this trip will have less whiplash and more of a slow and steady wins the race feel.

Ta Ta For Now, Bri

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Sadly, I know exactly when I’ll be back again.  However the fact of my eminent return is not dulling my excitement.  Within 3ish days I will be in London, England!  I’m Bri, and I will be going to London during my spring/mid-semester break.  I am currently an undergraduate student and the University of North Dakota studying a variety of sciences with a hope of medical school.  I plan on eventually becoming a Medical Examiner.  “Why a Medical Examiner?” you exclaim? Because my patients don’t talk back.  All joking aside, I do want to help those who can no longer speak for themselves as well as their families.  Now some of you may be asking yourselves what London England has to do with some student becoming a Medical Examiner, or ME.  ( And there’s another fun fact, when someone asks me what I want to be, I can reply with “ME!”).  Well, London England is home to the infamous Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who was never caught and reigned during the Autumn of 1888, also known as the Autumn of Terror.  

 

 The Jack the Ripper case, or the Ripper case, is the first known case to use medical pathology, or the study of the murder, to attempt to catch the Ripper.  The attempt was unsuccessful, but today the acts of a few medical doctors has created an entire field of work in todays world.  Today there are quite a few popular culture items based off of ME work including but not limited to tv shows such as Quincy ME, Bones, Body of Proof, CSI, and more, as well as a few very successful series of books.  My hope is to learn as much as I can about the medical pathology field in England today, and how the Jack the Ripper case shaped the history of criminal justice as well as how the Crime investigation field is changing today. But don’t worry, I’ll still leave some time to have fun and explore the grandeur of London! 
Picture courtesy of http://mariana-a.deviantart.com/art/Jack-the-Ripper-victim-367384097