London

London is a bagpiper playing AC/DC's Thunderstruck outside Westminster Abbey. (Sorry, no picture. I was trying to figure out how to get into the Abbey.)

Westminster Abbey is for those who don't mind long lines and lots of people. Once we were through security, we eventually discovered we could jump the entrance queue because we had purchased our tickets online the night before.

Inside, it helps to think of the edifice as a church and a church yard all under the same roof. There is a lot to take in, from the medieval building itself to the effigies of dead monarchs, and plaques memorializing other famous British notables. The audio guide, narrated by Jeremy Irons, helped us make sense of some of it, and--more important still--kept even our junior member moving through the building with interest. A highlight for s. was chancing upon the grave of Muzio Clementi, a composer her piano teacher had her read about. Like John Wesley, I was struck by Roubiliac's sculpture of Lady Elizabeth and Joseph Nightingale. I was also pleased to see a memorial to the historian brothers, Henry and Owen Chadwick. (No pictures because photographs are not permitted inside the Abbey.)

From the Abbey we made our way along St. James' Park to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

A. wanted to see WhistleJacket:

 The best part of London, from s's perspective ...

... was seeing several new varieties of waterfowl in St. James' Park:

Norwich, England's "Second City"

We took an hour-and-a-half train ride to Norwich a couple weekends ago. The city is apparently "the most complete medieval city in the UK," with "more medieval churches than anywhere in Europe." Until the industrial revolution, it was the second largest city in England.

Our first stop was the Julian church, which gave its name to an anonymous 14th-century medieval woman who wrote "the first theological book in the English language known to have been written by a woman":

I was told that we could visit Julian of Norwich's cell, but since the church was almost totally destroyed during World War II, what exists now is a reconstruction--more of a shrine than a reproduction, I'm guessing.

However influential she was during her lifetime, neither Julian nor her book appear to have been particularly well-known after her death around 1416. Although The Revelations of Divine Love was first printed in 1670, it did not become popular until the 20th century. (Source: Wikipedia, of course.)

Thanks to a tour by a knowledgeable guide, we found the Keep--basically all that remains of what was once a massive castle begun by William the Conquerer--more interesting than the tower of London. For most of its history, the castle was used as a prison. I'm not usually good with numbers, but for some reason the guide's comment that 52,000 people died in the castle stuck in my head.


In addition to the Keep, Norwich castle is now home to an impressive art museum, and a stunning collection of stuffed animals from around the world and "nearly every species of bird found in Britain." (We were afraid our burgeoning environmentalist might have a break-down in the museum, but she made it through.) Also in the museum is a display about the remarkable lepidopterist, Margaret Fountaine, whose Wikipedia entry you can read for yourself.

In the art museum, I especially liked Tobias Verhaecht's massive Tower of Babel, although I prefer the version by Peter Bruegel, to which Verhaecht is obviously indebted. Also striking was Emily Stannard's "Still Life - Dead ducks and a hare with a basket and a sprig of holly."

If you want to know, the spire on the Norwich cathedral is the second tallest of any church cathedral in England:

The cloisters were nice too:

There's nothing like walking through a Norman cathedral to the sound of organ music and choral evensong:

S's verdict: "That was so totally worth it!"

Next up, a trip to Edinburgh.