Chapter 3: London Calling

Sunday was my first whole day in Oxford. After my morning worship in my room, since there is no New Testament church in Oxford, I went to the dining hall for breakfast. They served fruit, eggs, sausage, beans, and tomatoes, to name a few things, for breakfast. Breakfast was delicious, but also made me realize that for the past two days all I had done was eat and try to sleep. I was ready to get out and explore. So at 11 a.m. I took the Rail into London with Dr. Halli, Ms. Jones, Dr. Selesky and about ten other students. The Rail took us to Paddington station, where we split into two groups. My group took the tube to Westminster. I walked up out of the subway and the first thing I saw was Big Ben, towering above the city. Behind it in the distance was the London Eye. We walked around the square to see Westminster Abbey. Because it was Sunday, the Abbey was closed to visitors except for services. We were able to stare at its incredible yellow and white edifice, the ornate windows, and its spires. We rounded the other side of the square and came up to the gates of Parliament, which is next to Big Ben. The ornate design of the fence included the Tudor rose.

From there we walked toward Trafalgar Square. Throughout our excursion, Dr. Selesky narrated what we were seeing and gave us brief histories and anecdotes about the buildings and monuments. On our way to Trafalgar Square we passed Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives at #10 Downing Street. Downing Street is gated and guarded by three armed guards. The view from the front is not particularly lovely, however from the back it overlooks St. James's Park, where the Queen’s Official Birthday is celebrated every year. At Trafalgar Square I saw Nelson’s Column, the four lions and the fountain, with the National Gallery as the backdrop.

The group again split at Trafalgar Square. I and two others took the tube to the British Museum. Far be it from me to be able to describe the wonders held in that museum. I only had time to visit one side of the museum. We began at the top with Grecian artifacts. I was enthralled over the case of about ten large urns depicting the trials of Heracles. Then, I proceeded to the Egyptian artifacts. The magnificence of the King Tut exhibit in Ft. Lauderdale can only be seconded by the numerous sarcophagi, mummies, and other unique objects in this exhibit. One of the life size sculptures brought back by Giovanni Belzoni was a part of the collection. I was in such rapture over the room at that moment that I nearly cried. If not for the urge to see the other Egyptian statues, the Elgin Marbles, and the Rosetta Stone, I could not have been persuaded to leave without looking at every piece and reading every plaque.

Proceeding downstairs, large mosaics covered every inch of the walls. The next room contained two tall Egyptian pillars and the giant head and shoulders of Ramses II. Placed against the walls were several black statues of Sekhmet.

A gathering of people stood where the room opened into more passages. And there stood, encased in glass, the Rosetta Stone. Plaques about the stone and the race between Champollion and Young to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphs were placed inside the case also. And there I stood, separated by only four inches of air and a layer of glass, from one of the greatest discoveries for the understanding of the Egyptian language. It was a moment that passed all too quickly.

Then wandering into the next room, I came upon the Nereid Monument. I was stunned by the sheer size of the temple like structure and the fact that it was still all in one piece. Then I entered the room with the Elgin Marbles, massive pieces of expertly carved marble up on a dais and hung along the walls. I passed a larger than lifesize statue of Apollo and explored the the Assyrian artifacts which included two giant Iamassu which were winged lions with the face of a man. They were to guard the palace from demonic forces. Their size, like the Nereid Monument was impressive.

Of course this was not all I saw in the museum, and certainly not all of the displayed artifacts of the museum. But that was all we had time to see. We made a quick stop at the gift shop and headed outside for dinner. Once outside I realized that the museum itself was not air conditioned, just like most of England. We ate fish and chips outside at a little shop. The fish is not like American fish. It has less of a “fishy” taste and more of a buttery land meat taste. Needless to say, it is delicious and a definite “must try”.

A quick tube ride and we were back at Paddington station. I solved the slight inconvenience of having not brought a hair dryer and forgetting a few other things by stopping in at the Boots store at Paddington station. Boots is like a CVS or Rite Aid in the States. Another rail ride and we were back in Oxford. Hungry again, we went to a neat Italian restaurant called Jamie’s Italian. It was Jamie Oliver’s restaurant! I was quite excited upon discovering this bit of information. The food was delicious and I highly recommend the pumpkin and ricotta ravioli.

I returned to my room after dinner to prepare for the first day of class. More about my classes, the Iffly walk, and my tour of Christ Church to come!

London calling to the faraway towns
London calling at the top of the dial
After all this, won’t you give me a smile?