Day 6
This was our only completely free day on the trip. It was also our last full day in London.
Tower of London
The Tower of London is actually a castle. It is famous for housing the crown jewels and for its history of imprisonments and executions. The Yeoman Warder tour was as entertaining and insightful as the guidebooks make it out to be. My two classmates and I saw the crown jewels and walked the wall. We faced some one-way signs and probably climbed four or five more flights of stairs than was necessary. I took a picture of pikeman’s armor that reminded me of Age of Empires II.
We all like to think we occasionally do something unique, so this may be a conceit. I will say it anyway. I wonder if I will turn out to be the only person past, present, and future who has ever or will ever been excited to take a picture of lichen at the Tower of London.
The Grapes
I mad a pilgrimage, if you will, to a pub called The Grapes. It was not in one of the particularly touristy parts of London. In fact, as I walked from the light rail station to the pub, in the middle of the work day, the area was a place to live rather than a place to go see.
The Grapes is owned by actor Ian McKellen and others, and behind. I considered not making the trip in favor of a closer and more famous site. However, I could not be in the same city as Gandalf’s staff (from The Hobbit) and not go see it.
I ordered a veggie burger. The staff members were very nice and laid back. It felt like a more genuine experience after several days of going from place to place in a large crowd. I was able to ask some people there what they thought of America. It became a word association game. Most of the answers were the obvious ones, hamburgers, movie stars, and relatives that had moved to different U.S. states. One person said that America was self-contained. (Honestly, I forget the exact words he used.) I thought that was insightful. In many areas of America, we are relatively geographically isolated from other countries when compared with Europe. One of the reasons to study abroad is not just to see historical places, it’s to get a perspective outside our usual circle of experience. Culturally, differences can be jarring. That said, sitting in this pub, chatting with staff and regulars, I felt quite comfortable.
Churchill War Rooms
The Churchill War Rooms strike a balance between the bunker as it was in war time and a museum of Churchill’s life. Churchill is another person that influenced me when I was younger. I was a World War II buff and actually read his entire six-volume World War I history, The World Crisis.
My opinion of him has changed as I have gotten older, but he is an important figure in history, and definitely had a way with words. I appreciate that the museum didn’t completely gloss over some of his uglier actions, showing them in the negative light they deserve rather than putting him on a pedestal. I also liked the letter from Clementine Churchill, calling Winston out for being rude and overbearing to his staff. I hope he listened to her advice.
Key Moment of the Day: Sitting at The Grapes between Gandalf’s staff and the picture of Mr. Pickwick, trying to hide a goofy grin.