Day Two-Hyde Park and the Serpentine

My second day in London. The conference registration started at 7 am, and the actual conference started at 8 am, with speakers asked to have their talks downloaded before then.  If I had been time zone acclimated, this would not be much of a problem, but I was still trying to time switch.  But I had done the whole fly overnight, stay awake when you land, take melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime on day of arrival, make the room as dark as possible, etc... routine, so  I actually did pretty well with jet lag (not like the first time I went to Sweden).  Still, it was pretty hard to get up at 6:15 in order to try to get to the conference registration early.  I was also very worried because I hadn’t been able to get internet very well, and I hadn’t downloaded all the details of where the conference rooms were.  I knew my talk was in the Huxley building on the Imperial College campus, but that the conference registration and speaker room was in a different building.  Turned out, having access to the internet didn’t really help, except to say that it was in the Sheffeld building, but no room number or directions.  So I wandered past  Baden Powell again and wandered around the campus until I found where I needed to go, getting my talk loaded with sufficient time to talk with some colleagues before the meeting started. The satellite meeting of the conference was the main reason I came and was good.  I didn’t speak until the afternoon, and had to fight off falling asleep a few times right before lunch, but then after lunch was my talk so I was too hyped up to worry about going to sleep again.  I thought my talk went well.

Since the satellite session ended at 5 pm, I had time to wander the city again.

Since all the nearby museums were closed, I decide that I would wander Hyde Park which was not very far away and was the site of the incredibly exciting Olympic triathlons.  But before I made my way to the swim course on the Serpentine, I first went up to Kensington Palace and the Prince Di Memorial Playground.   

Kensington Palace

It turns out that the week before had been the 12^th anniversary of Lady Di’s death during the car chase by paparazzi.  So the gates to Kensington Palace were completely covered in pictures, letters, flowers, etc to Lady Di. (I understand this occurs at every anniversary of her death).   

Lady Di Memorials

There were lots that still hotly accused the Royal Family of complicity in her death, but most simply relatedly their undying love of her memory.  She was clearly the People’s Princess.  One gathers that Harry and William are deeply loved (perhaps with a wink to their boyish mistakes), as is the Queen, while Charles is looked on as a bloke that nobody wants to become King. 

 

 

My understanding is that HRH Prince William and Princess Kate will be moving into Kensington next year. Kate should have a lovely view from her window.

  

From Kensington Palace I made the long walk through the park to the Serpentine.  One gets the impression that much of Hyde park is wild.  Except along the walkways and specific ball fields, etcc, the grass is uncut and about knee high.  The trees are also clearly not planted, but just grow as they come, so it really has the feel of going back to its original condition except where it is tamed for use.  I think this is in keeping with the notion of a British Garden compared to a French one (if I am remembering my Arcadia right…).  There were lots of groups playing ball.  One group seemed to be playing a sort of softball/cricket.  They had the bases set like softball, but were using what looked to me like a miniature cricket bat and ball, with the bowling type pitch, just no wicket.  And they ran the bases like it was softball.  Maybe its some new version of cricket softball or something. (Sidenote: I have been rereading At Home since returning home, which is incredibly fun now that I have been to London and have personal experience with many of the places he discusses in the book.  Hyde Park and the Glass Palace of the World Exhibition is the opening chapter!) 

Italian Garden at top of Long Waters

Italian Garden

 

Start of Long Waters at top of Serpentine

Long Waters

Made it over to the Italian garden that is at the top of the Long Water, which is the head waters of the Serpentine.  Hyde Park was a gift of Prince Albert  to Queen Victoria.  [Side note: Its sort of hard to imagine being rich enough to just build a huge park with your own land and millions of pounds.  But I guess if you are the king of England, that works.  One thing I think I would like to understand better is the relationship between Royal objects and public financing.  Everything in London seems to be the Royal something.  It’s the Royal Parks, the Royal Post Office, the Royal Guard, the Royal Port.  The college was Imperial College and the original building was built by the King in the Queens name (hence the Queen’s Tower which is its most prominent landmark. ) So does “Royal” now essentially mean the same thing as we mean when we say “National” or “State” or does it mean the thing is actually still owned by the royal family and the public is allowed access?  It makes a difference I think.  If the royal family is seen as titular stewards over national resources, i.e. continuing to hold in the name of the people these national treasures and taken on at least some fundraising leadership, then I can see why the English might be reluctant to completely get rid of the Royal family.  The Queen could essentially be acting as the Fundraiser extrordinare for various causes like Parks and Schools. If instead, the royal family maintain real ownership over these lands, the post-office, etc.. but the public pay for their upkeep, that would seem intolerable.]

 

Along the Serpentine

As I walked along the paths along the Serpentine, I had a strong sense that I had seen these paths before.  And indeed I had, while watching the extremely exciting Men’s and Women’s Triathlons.  One thing I came to appreciate is that there were enough slight up and downhills on the path to explain why certain breaks and bridging up to the lead group occurred when they did.  Its not really flat except right  by the Serpentine.  I had originally brought my swimming suit to London, with the hope of perhaps swimming part of the course, but there were no swimming signs posted everywhere. 

This bridge was the upper boundary of the tri swim course

I have to say based on the amount of swan and geese droppings, etc… that I am not entirely sure that the water was really clean enough to desire swimming in it.

Olympic tri viewing grandstand

The Olympic grandstand was being disassembled, but was still mostly intact. I had not realized how high it was.  I was trying to figure out where exactly the transition area was, but I could only speculate at the time I was walking around.  (I looked it up afterwards, this is exactly where it was.) 

Geese swim where the starting platform had been.

The Paralympics doesn’t include triathlon as an event until 2016 in Rio (as I understand it), so I didn’t get a chance to watch a live triathlon on the course, but it was still like walking around holy sporting ground to me.   

Lower end of swimming course

Far end of the Serpentine

Restaurant at end of Serpentine

By the time I had rounded the far end of the Serpentine, it was completely dark.  

One of my duties I had been charged with in going to London was to get some Olympic souvenirs, and had not seen any shops, so I was excited to see a sign on the Serpentine path indicating that a London 2012 shop was nearby.

 

 I found the very large building/tent/structure that a sign had touted as being one of the London 2012 shops, but apparently it was closed to customers (it was after 8 pm by then). So I was kind of disappointed not to be able to snatch up some souvenirs. 

Since it was now quite dark, I have to admit I started being just a little bit worried in terms of safety since I was entered an area without a lot of people.  Eventually I ran back into the main road and then there were lots of people again.  I saw some signs for some big BBC concert on Friday as part of the Paralympic Festival, which now as I write about, I realized I missed, but I did get to another one that night, so I guess its okay.  At the end of the Park, top of Imperial College sits the Royal Albert Hall, which has very striking architecture. (A recurring theme in my mind.  You pretty much were always tripping over some historic or really great looking building in downtown London.)  Across the street was some nice monument to the King, not sure what exactly.  (It was Queen’s Gate after all, it seems like it should have been a memorial to the Queen.)  From Royal Albert Hall, I walked past Baden Powell again on the way home.

Day One-Houses of Parliment

From the British Museum, I wandered down to Waterloo Bridge (getting lost several times since I didn’t want to pull out my fold out map unless I had to) and crossed over the Thames and followed the South bank to the London Eye (the largest Ferris wheel in Europe?). 

 

While walking along the river, I passed through a lot of Paralympic street festival events.  

Paralympic Volunteers

Like the fabled catfish of a certain Southern city, all around London were variously themed statues of its two Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville.  Some of these were kind of creepy, while some were kind of cute, it depended on the particular statue. 

Wenlock on the Thames

Big Ben Wenlock

When I reached the London Eye, I decided not to ride it as figured to see the city myself and not just from a distance in the air. 

London Eye

So I crossed over Westminster Bridge to the House of Parliament.  Took what I hope are some nice pictures of Big Ben (apparently recently renamed by some enterprising parliamentarian to the Elizabeth Tower). 

 

There were a lot of armed guards standing at the gates.  Not the royal ones in the red coats and black fur helmets, but the working ones that look like you see in all the movies.  Dark flack jackets over white collared shirts with blue tabs, bobby helmets, submachine guns.  But they were awfully nice to tourist.  The stone work on the Houses of Parliment is simply amazing. 

Queen's Entrance to Parliament

Cromwell statue celebrating Parliament's win over the Crown

 I tried my best to capture it, really wish I had the courage to bring AM’s nice camera (don’t know how it could have possibly fit in my bag).  Wandered into the small park adjacent to take a few more pictures, and then across the street to Westminster Abbey.  At this time, the abbey was closed for evensong, so I just took pictures from the outside. '

Westminster Abbey

By now I was getting pretty tired.  (Museum/poster standing like in conferences just absolutely kills my hip.  It goes pretty numb by about 30 minutes and then alternates between pain and numbness.)  I continued to  meander without consulting the map (but consulting road signs) until I reached Buckingham Palace. 

Buckingham Palace

 I was a bit disappointed to find that you could not approach the guards directly (to try to blow their famous reserve) as they are set well behind the courtyard fence.  (I think you can approach the guards at St. James Palace more directly, but never got there.)

 

They don’t carry the old bayonet rifle I imagined, but what look like M16 type rifles with an wide bayonet.  At the time I reach the palace, it was well after closing time for tours (I never did make this tour.) 

 

The barbed wire (more like tank cable) on the walls surrounding the Palace was pretty impressive.

 I was getting pretty tired, so I walked over to Hyde Park Corner (passed the Wellington Arch that figured so prominently in the cycling race and triathlon) and got the tube for home.  

 After stopping to drop off my backpack and camera, I decided to head across the street to eat.

I ordered fish and chips, just for an authentic British experiences.  When the waitress asked if I wanted garlic bread, I thought she meant as the customary complimentary bread appetizer served in most American restaurants.  Instead, it was an extra L4 (~$6) for what was essentially pita bread with some garlic on top.  Tasty enough to be sure, but the take home message for me was that everything in a London comes at a high cost (except the museums, which are free although donations highly favored).  Even a plastic shopping bag was 50 pence (I have no idea if that is half a pound or some other unit of measure.) I also asked for an orange juice and got a orange soft drink instead.  Interesting.  At a later sandwich shop, I got real orange juice, so I am not sure if the waitress just didn’t understand me or what.  Anyway, dinner ended day one.

London Day One-British Museum

Landed at Heathrow and then took the Tube (Mind the Gap, please!) into Central London.  I got off at the South Kensington station.  This turned out to be a mistake, and I was a little disoriented for awhile because I knew my hotel was suppose to be right near the Tube station, but when I looked at the address the numbers were nowhere close.  So I went wheeling my heavy luggage for a very long walk and while I got to see the beautiful architecture of the Natural History Museum, I started to get a bit worried that I was completely lost.  After walking past Baden Powell’s statue, I finally reached my hotel and then I realized that I should have gotten off at the Gloucester Road station, rather than South Kensington (which was the station for the conference site)  Oh well…

...After practicing my talk (which I had to give the next day and I hadn’t really had time to work on much with all that needed doing before I left) and falling accidentally falling asleep for about 10 minutes, I tried to get oriented to the city via internet, only to find that my hotel wireless was next to useless.  Not wanting to waste any more time, I just used the foldout map that a nice London 2012 (Olympics/Paralympics) lady had handed me in the airport.  Not very convenient, but it did have everything I needed.  (Later on, I had a nice travel book with maps that was part of the conference packet.  That was the best thing to use.)  

 So by now its about 3 pm and I am ready for a” little” tour of the city.  My brother had suggested I use the Tube to get up to the British Museum, and I am glad that I took his suggestion.  I strongly recommend using the tube to cover ground to the outermost destination and walking between nearby points back towards the hotel.  (And if one gets too tired, just hopping the nearest tube and getting back.)

The British Museum. 

I think my overwhelming reaction to the British Museum is that at its heyday, the British Empire clearly had collected much of the treasures of the ancient world.  I am sure that when they were taken from their original sites, it was not thought of so much as plunder but as bringing the ancient world back to the modern for study.  Still, one can’t help but feel a bit like the British Empire was intentionally cannabilizing all the worlds former greater empires to increase its own sense of destiny and power. 


The one and only Rosetta stone.

 (glad I recently read Breaking the Mayan Code, it gives some nice insight to why Egyptian was cracked earlier than Mayan.)
Speaking of Mayan codices and stellas, guess who managed to collect/plunder some of the major ones....

Back to Egyptian plunder...

 

But lest you think it was only Egypt that was plundered, be assured that ancient Greece was as well...

 Whether shocking in terms of the sheer size of plunder or amazing in terms of seeing (and sometimes touching) these ancient artifacts, one has to be impressed.

One of the more interesting displays to me was the Lion hunt murals from Assyria.  This was this a massive wall displaying the prowess of the Assyrian king at killing lions released in the arena.

There was also a small display of the theaters tokens used for Shakespeare's Globe Theater.  Apparently, by the end, Shakes was one of the wealthiest men in London. Stopped by the reconstructed Globe Theatre later on in my trip.

One of the themes in the British Museum was the History of the World in 100 artifacts, which again given the extent of plunder of the treasures of the ancient world was not really much of an exaggeration.

Moving toward more modern collections, there was a nice display about the London 2012 Olympics, and the making of the design and actual pressing of the Olympic and Paralympic medals. Much to my surprise, it turns out that the gold, silver, and bronze were all mined from the Kennecott Copper Mine in Salt Lake (yes, the ugly slag heap that is the major eyesore of the Salt Lake Valley.)  So there is a Utah connection to the London Games.  (I wondered if M.R. should have considered this  before inserting his foot into his mouth about the Games, but that is a different story...)