The Seats of Power walk was one intense walk, subject matter-wise. Number 10 Downing street, Whitehall, Buckingham Palace, and the horse guard all in one walk? It was staggering, not because of the distance, but because I didn't even know what the significance of half of those things was before!
The memorial for the Battle of Britain was beautiful with its relief sculptures and both exciting and respectful depiction of the soldiers. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” said Winston Churchill. How true that is. The more I learn about the behavior of the British people and military during wartime, the more I deeply respect them, and feel I understand them better. Men really show what they're made of when they're put through trials like those.
I've noticed that there are a lot more memorial statues in Britain than in the United States. There are just so many! War heroes, famous nobility and leaders, pioneers in various fields, and any other notable, exceptional human seems to have some sort of visual representation somewhere in the city. Even George Washington has a statue, and he led the troops fighting against Great Britain! I think it says something about the mindset here. A lot of what the people here seem to hold dear, to commemorate, and to use to show respect and appreciation is in the visual arts—architecture, statuary, and paintings. Age is more important than size, and meaning is more important than virtuosity. In nearly every case I've found, this is a very admirable quality.
I only looked at the cabinet war rooms from the outside on the Seats of Power walk, but it was fun, because they had sidewalk chalk out, and were allowing people to draw on the sidewalk, expressing their opinions and love for those connected with the war. I drew a box. “Love can't be contained,” I wrote next to it, with little hearts shooting out. I drew the box on accident in the first place, but I rather like how it turned out.
I would like to take this opportunity to give myself some credit for taking the most British-y British picture of Great Britain that ever was taken. In a single snapshot, this is London:
If only I could have stuck in a telephone box as well, it would be complete. :)
Trafalgar square truly is the heart of London! It's close to everything that is generally considered of great consequence here. Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, the National Gallery, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, and 10 Downing street are all just a stone's throw away, and that's just a handful of the nearby sights! Going on these walks has given me an even greater appreciation of Trafalgar square. Not just for its beauty and teeming life, but for its position as the heart of London. It makes me want to learn more about Lord Nelson, whose statue stands tall in its midst.
We passed by the exclusive men's clubs on Waterloo Place, and it made me think. It seems like it would have been rather a sore spot for the feminist movement, containing all that genius in one place and blocking an entire gender out of it. I understand the cause, though, and seeing its results, I can't but agree with it. That is something I'm going to have to congratulate the male sex for. Could women ever organize a club to talk about purely intellectual and scientific things, without either clawing out one another's eyes or resorting to discussions about make-up? Perhaps I'm too hard on the gender, but I've never been so fortunate in my life to watch something like that meet with a measure of success. It made me think about the differences between men and women, once again
I wish I'd known more about Scotland Yard before I went there! I know I've heard the name here and there, but it would have meant so much more to me if I could have read a novel in which Scotland Yard played a big part and then gone to see it. Number 10 Downing street reminded me of something that makes me a bit sad. It's said that Number 10 is their equivalent to our White House in Washington, D.C. If Downing street is likened to the White House . . . what is our equivalent of Buckingham Palace? I really almost wish our country had a monarch in the same way as Britain. They look up to and admire Queen Elizabeth so. She stands for what is good in British culture, with her diplomacy and grace. Americans seem to set up horrible examples for the masses. Instead of a noble figure all can admire, those that get the most attention and coverage are the celebrities that drink themselves to death, or get caught doing drugs. I really admire this facet of British culture, and I wish we had a way to emulate it. Perhaps this aspect is why the First Lady in America is so generally looked up to. Couldn't Jackie Kennedy be compared to Lady Di? I shall hope so, for the sake of our country.
The picture, by the way, is not of Scotland Yard, but of a police station just down the road from Covent Gardens. It just so happens to be the station featured in the series of popular detective novels Shannon enjoys reading, so it was fun to see it in person.
I always love visiting Chinatown in various cities. I was happy to get a couple of sweet rolls stuffed with bean paste, which is my favorite Chinese treat. Yummy!
I was expecting Piccadilly Circus to be bigger and more flashy than it was. Someone said it was London's equivalent of Times Square. I was mildly let down, but I don't think I would have liked it to be just like Times Square, now that I think on it. Being big and loud and flashy is really more of an American-made concept, sad though that may be. I agree with that more after visiting Las Vegas than ever.
I saw some funny street performers at Covent Gardens. There was a very good statue-man, painted all in bronze and gold. There was a Jack Sparrow that was the most convincing I've ever seen in person, including Disneyland. Perhaps the pint, and the fact that he was standing outside a British pub, speaking in a real British accent had some weight in the matter. When I went back another time, I also saw an entertainingly masochistic man lie between two beds of nails and have someone stand on him. Yikes!
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