Author: Catherine Rolnicki

“Junkyard of Stuff We Don’t Know Where to Put”

London was incredible. Despite a lot of uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic, the trip was a major success, eye-opening, and very engaging. As a major city within Europe, it is definitely a capital of the world, not just of England. It was a trip filled with new experiences. I was able to do things I never thought I would. We were able to pack so much into one week, but it still wasn’t enough time to see it all. Some of my favorite experiences include the view from the Shard, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kew Gardens, Stonehenge, Transport Museum, and seeing Mamma Mia at a local theatre. This list doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the things we got to see and do. Even though there are similarities between the United Kingdom and the United States, there is so much history and culture that we got to immerse in that was different. One of the most mind-blowing things was seeing the tomb of Elizabeth and Mary. So much history surrounds Londoners on a daily basis, it almost doesn’t seem real. For example, seeing the Roman wall was insane and it didn’t seem fathomable that something so old still existed. I was extremely impressed with how history is so fluidly involved in everyday life there. Another thing that amazed me was the Underground system. Public transportation is generally underdeveloped within the United States, especially when compared to other countries in the world. Although it was dirty, to be able to traverse anywhere in the city with the tap of a card was freeing, and I could not help but wish we had such a system here. The United States may have developed much differently than London, but it is my hope that an efficient and effective public transportation system can be instituted. It was interesting to see how London sprawls and maintains its level of density within the context of historical landmarks and other major nodes. Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention that the people really made the trip special. Whether it was Casey making a guard laugh on duty, Jeff explaining why Disney is not nearly as good as Universal, or Blake’s general pursuit of ice cream, getting to know everyone on the trip and exploring the city together was special. Traveling to London has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I cannot wait to make my way back to the city someday—ideally not during a global pandemic.

Also, one of my favorite quotes: (in reference to Westminster Abbey) “A junkyard of stuff we don’t know where to put” -Blue Badge Guide

 

Palm House at Kew Gardens

Some of the disused stations along Tube lines

View from the Shard

A Willingness to Change?

London continues to amaze. I have been afforded the opportunity to visit some culturally and historically rich sites of England. These sites included Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey, and Tower of London. After all sites had been visited, I think the idea that stuck out the most to me was the idea of change. The Blue Badge Tour Guide at Westminster Abbey indicated that the church was a combination of years of ideas with no original plan. He elaborated that even though Westminster may appear to be finished, they will continue to update the architecture to fit current needs. I found this idea that they would be so willing to change the building as seen fit instead of freezing it in its current time period very unique. The openness to change was quite different than what I experienced in Stonehenge and Tower of London. Stonehenge had had an unfortunate history of vandalism before it became a much more regulated area, but as a result, Stonehenge never seems likely to change. The historical preservationist organization that cares for the structure seem to have frozen it in place with only additions and changes to infrastructure around the site. This idea seemed more normal as that has been my general experience. When going to museums like the Tower of London, the pieces within seem to be static and unlikely to ever change. The whole idea of willingness to change was extremely surprising to me, but I am glad that the people of England and its visitors will have spaces that make sense for current uses instead of outdated purposes.

West works of Westminster Abbey. Latest additions include 10 small statues above doorway.

Stonehenge: A Complete Mystery of Use

White Tower within larger Tower of London fortress

A Dreary (At Times!) and Colorful City

Dear London,

The sun can stay, but please keep away the rain.

The past two days have been jam packed with all kinds of sights and experiences. From Greenwich to Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s to Tate Modern, the London Eye to the Tube, an outdoor market to tea at the National Gallery, the past two days have been nothing short of incredible. Coming into the trip, there was anticipation of less desirable weather with colder temperatures and rain, but nothing could have truly prepared me for the downpour during the walking tour. Watching the sun disappear behind a wall of clouds was certainly a bummer. But, despite small spurts of inclement weather, it has been a joy to get out and explore the city. On Saturday, our group took the time to visit Barbican. I was deeply intrigued by Barbican as it was a planned development. Although I may not love the style of architecture, I can definitely appreciate the intent and desire behind its beginnings. It was the most confusing place though, so I do not understand what the intention may have been by making it so convoluted. Further, as it is a brutalist style of architecture, there is lots of concrete involved in its construction. The concrete gives it a strength and formidability, but, it also results in a bland and dull place. Fortunately, many green spaces and water features were planned into the space which I found to be refreshing. Along all the balconies were planters filled with flowers and other greens that really helped breathe life into the space and added color in a relatively colorless space. In warmer weather, I could definitely see how those spaces would also serve as places for residents to gather as a third place away from home and work. Color has played a very interesting role in the city as it draws people’s attention and highlights London landmarks. Although the sky may have been more dreary and dark during our time spent near Tower Bridge, the brilliant blue combined with its incredible detail, size, and location make it stand out nonetheless. Similarly, the Twizzler in Olympic Park is impossible to miss with its bright red structure that towers above the ground. Lastly, even the use stations contain all kinds of color. The Tottenham Court Road station has beautiful mosaics in the wall made of all shades of tile. The color brings a point of joy and expression to an otherwise darker feeling space so far underground. As the week progresses, I look forward to other sites where I may see brilliant colors such as Kew Gardens.

Courtyard within the greater Barbican complex.

Tower Bridge on Sunday, March 9

The “Twizzler” at Olympic Park

A mosaic wall on the platform for the Tube at Tottenham Court Road station

Catherine’s Pre-Departure Thoughts

I am so excited to travel to London! Never having been overseas, this will be an entirely new experience for me. I am excited for literally everything. This even includes the things that may seem dull, like riding the Tube. I am so interested to see what their public transportation is like, especially since Columbus’ is still developing. I am most interested to see the Barbican housing development and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Barbican was a development born as a result of war; therefore, I am really interested to see how that affected its development. Further, in photos and videos, it seems like a fortress, so I think it will be interesting to experience it first-hand. St. Paul’s is a major landmark for London and likely affected a lot of development. It should not only be interesting to engage with St. Paul’s in terms of the architecture, design, and its treasures within, but I think seeing how the city has developed around it will be interesting as well. I am slightly nervous about the climb to the top of St. Paul’s, but I cannot wait to see the city from such a height. I have had the opportunity to get to one of the taller buildings in Columbus, and it was one of the most amazing experiences to see the city from a bird’s eye view. Overall though, whatever the trip brings, I am excited to see it all.

Catherine Rolnicki Bio

Hello, my name is Catherine Rolnicki. I am a third year City and Regional Planning student with a minor in Engineering Sciences. I am from Brunswick, Ohio which is a suburb of Cleveland. I have two siblings, and I currently have three nephews and one niece. One of my favorite things that I got to do over break was to have a dance party with my niece. She was gifted a dinosaur toy that sings and dances, so needless to say, it is completely awesome! One of my other favorite things to do is read. This new year, I really hope to travel more. I love seeing the national parks and other interesting natural features. This London study abroad trip is definitely helping me fulfill my goals of travel. I have been out of the country to Canada, but not overseas. Therefore, I am super excited to see it all. I’m interested by the public transportation that we will be using as I am curious how it differs from the experience of using the COTA in Columbus. If I were to pick a site, I am most excited to see Stonehenge as there is so much mystery surrounding it, and I want to learn more.

This is a photo from a local Columbus apple orchard that I went to with friends in the fall.