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Tuesday, May 10^th

The readings for today focused mostly on the English famous Tudor dynasty and their role in British Reformation. Although I didn’t think that the assigned readings were related to today’s excursion (at least not directly), learning more about queen Elizabeth I from Briscoe’s article “Elizabeth I: An Overview” helped me understand why she shared the burial site with her half-sister Mary at Westminster Abbey. Other articles about the Reformation – Robinson’s “An Overview of the Reformation,” Pettegree’s “The English Reformation,” and Robinson’s “The Legacy of the Reformation”- were good at explaining the difference between English protestant churches which include Westminster Abbey and catholic churches. Old English poetry is quite hard to understand, but I greatly enjoyed “The Flea” by the famous English poet and cleric John Donne. This is a very interesting example of seduction poetry. Definitely worth of reading and analyzing for a couple of minutes!

After the lecture at Russel Square, we went to Victoria and Albert museum located in a popular shopping area Brompton. I was fascinated by the size and variety of historical and modern collections at the museum. The visitors had a chance to see art collections from numerous countries and different eras, enormous English history section, British fashion evolution room, the collection of life-sized casts of world’s most famous sculptures, and a large number of other amazing exhibitions that definitely need more than one day to be seen and appreciated. V&A museum has free admission, so I’m planning to come back to explore the treasures collected in this wonderful place!

As I’ve mentioned, Brompton is a famous and expensive shopping area where Brompton road looks quite similar to 5^th Avenue in New York and Harrods – a large upmarket department store with very creative window displays – is located on this street pretty close to the museum. Both Science and Natural History museums can be found in the same are. Very interesting place to explore!

Monday, May 9th

Yesterday I almost forgot that I had readings due today. Although I was reading them almost at midnight, I thought they were rather interesting and informative. It’s nice to start exploring Great Britain with Allan Macinnes’ article “Acts of Union: The Creation of the United Kingdom” since it explains what Great Britain actually is, what the relationships between England, Whales, Scotland, and Ireland are, and gives the reader an idea what topics can be politically incorrect in a conversation with a British person. Tom James’ “Overview: The Middle Ages” is a rather brief summary of English Middle Ages history, but it also talks about the establishment of Westminster Abbey which we’ve been planning to visit today. It is great to know at least a brief history and highlights of the place one is going to visit in order to be prepared for the excursion and know what one wants to see or ask about.

After taking the tube to Russel Square where the Anglo-American Educational Services Study Center was located, we had a very very very interesting and useful safety orientation with a London policeman. Some of the important safety tips in London that will be useful in any big city over the world:

• Know at least some general laws of the country you’re in especially if they’re unique for that country. For example, nobody should bring a pepper spray to the UK since it’s considered level 1 firearm here – someone can be arrested for carrying it.
• Photocopy all of your important documents in case you lose them.
• If you need to use ATMs, use ones inside of banks and Underground stations – they are much safer and have a bunch of cameras around.
• Shield your PIN when entering.
• Although this is very rare, but you may meet a fake policeman requiring you to give him your credit card or money that “are suspected to be stolen.” If you’re actually suspected to be a criminal, they will take you to the police station – not ask for your money.
• It’s better to change your money in the banks – not on the streets.
• Don’t stand too close to the edge of the pavement – a bust can knock you off with its side mirror.
• All licensed taxis in London have the same shape and take up to 5 people (nice to split the cost of the ride), so it’s better not to get into any differently looking car claiming to be a taxi.
• 101 is the nonemergency police number
• 999 is the emergency number equivalent to 911 in the US.

After the lecture which immediately followed the safety orientation, we took the tube to Westminster station and got out right next to the Elizabeth Tower with Big Ben bell. The excursion in the Westminster Abbey was amazing! So much to see! The gothic architecture was beautiful, and I was excited to see the burial sites of kings and queens starting from 11^th century and such famous scientists and writers like Isaack Newton, Charles Darwin, Lord Byron, and Lewis Carol. Westminster Abbey is definitely the number one place to see in London. First of all, because it’s one of the oldest buildings in London. Secondly, because it’s such an important place in British history and modern life as well.

Sunday, May 8th

Flying with Delta Airlines was unexpectedly comfortable (I didn’t even want to leave the plane), and finally I got to London! After spending an hour in the passport check line (have all of your documents prepared and the official reason for arrival, too) and claiming my baggage, I’ve found the entrance to the London Underground – the “tube.” If you follow the very explicit signs from the terminal (or ask the airport workers hovering around), you’ll walk downstairs and along the tunnel at bottom floor of the Heathrow airport to find the Underground ticket machines and elevators (British “lifts”) to the tube platforms. On the machine’s screen, I chose where I was traveling to (Kilburn Park station in my case), paid 6 pounds with my credit card (couldn’t use cash there), took my ticket which I needed to put in a slit of the tube ticket barrier, got it back and went to the platform. Since Heathrow is the final stop of Piccadily line, trains have been going only in one direction, but at any other station you need to look at signs telling which direction each of the trains is going and what stations it’s stopping at. A few tips about riding London tube:

• Doors may open at any side, so don’t lean on those.
• Londoners let veterans, elderly people, disabled people, people with small kids, and pregnant women sit whenever they enter the train, so don’t be rude and do the same.
• If you need to talk to someone on the train, keep your voice low – it’s usually rather quiet on the tube.

After getting off the train on Piccadily station in order to switch to Bakerloo line, following the signs, and carrying my gigantic super heavy suitcase over several flights of stairs (not all stations are handicap accessible), I got to the Bakerloo line platform. Important! Check the signs to know what direction the train goes! I successfully got to Kilburn Park station, had to carry my suitcase again over the stairs, put my ticket into the slit in the tube ticket barrier again, and… got complete lost in the area. I have no idea, how postmen in London find buildings, but neither a map, nor people on the streets have been able to lead me to the apartment I am staying in:

Westburn Town Houses

Kilburn High Road

London, NW6

In London, many buildings have names instead of numbers (like Westburn Town Houses, Moore House, etc.) which can make the search for a specific building very difficult, I think. Later on, I was explained, that each building has a unique post code (NW65UY for mine) which helps finding the right building, but I simply have seen my group struggling with the gate of our building and that’s how I’ve found it.

Being too tired to explore the city, I just went to get a dinner with my group at the Old Bell bar really close to our apartment. Their beef pie with peas and “chips” – fries in the US – was absolutely delicious and cost me about 5 pounds! Then I went grocery shopping at Sansbury’s store which also was very close. Interesting fact: food is rather cheap in London. For 23 pounds I got 3 liters of milk, loaf of bread, 6 eggs, some fruits and vegetables, cereal, cookies, fish, sausages, ham, cheese, yogurt, spaghetti, potatoes, and shampoo – generally speaking, everything I needed for a week. After that I went for a short walk around the area and that was the end of my first day in London.

Saturday, May 7th

And finally, this day has come! I’m sitting in the JFK airport in New York, waiting for my flight to Heathrow airport, London. I have flied so many times, but always get nervous before going through passport control in the airport. Do I have all of my documents with me? Where is my ticket?! They are not going to lose my baggage, are they? I feel like no matter how much a person travels, one always gets at least a little bit stressed before the flight. So, to reduce your anxiety, my dear readers, let me give you a few “tips for a successful flight” based on my own experiences:

• Start packing early – at least a day or two before the departure. It’s nice to start making a list of important things way before packing and edit it every time you remember something new. There will be things you’ll need to pack the right before the departure like toothbrushes, combs, etc. – make sure you keep them somewhere you’ll see them and don’t forget them.
• Arrive to the airport at least 2 hours prior to your flight. Firstly, it will save you from stressing out about being late. Secondly, checking in usually opens about 3 hours before the departure. The earlier you come, the smaller the check in line will be. Thirdly, getting your tickets at the check in, going through the passport control, and finding your gate may take you up to an hour. Boarding starts about 30-45 minutes before the departure and the line starts forming even earlier.
• If you don’t like your seat or want to seat with your friend, ask someone if he or she wants to switch. Sometimes, people are more than happy to switch seats. This time mine was between two others (hate triple seats!), and the girl to my left was actually very happy to switch because she wanted to seat with her brother who was to my right.

Don’t be afraid of flying! Cars crush much more often than planes do, so if you’ve been lucky enough to survive your ride to the airport, you should be fine on your flight.

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