History May Be Taught: Part V (Final Installment)

Sunday, June 22, we were a tuckered out by then and we accidentally slept in instead of going to church. We had a lazy morning and finally made our way to the British Museum. It felt like we had taken a trip around the world. We explored artifacts from ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and other places all around the globe. It was marvelous!

Alexander with an Assyrian Guardian-Diety:


The Gates of an Ancient Assyrian City:


Jen with an Egyptian Sarcophagus Lid:



Monday, June 23, was our last day in London. We trooped down to Trafalgar Square just to see it, then we got on a bus to go to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was amazing! It has a huge dome in the center, and the interior is covered in gold and colorful mosaics. This was the building that Truman Angel studied to get ideas on how to build the Salt Lake Temple, and interestingly, I could really see the similarities on the interior on the building. Many of the patterns and coloring were the same as in the temple. Jennifer hiked up the hundreds of stairs up the dome to the tip top of the building while Alexander and I enjoyed watching the Anglican version of the sacrament preformed by the priest. I was very grateful for how we do it, with individual cups and pieces of bread.







After a meal that was way too expensive, we went to Harrods, the world’s most famous (and possibly most expensive) department store. We wandered around just long enough to get sick of the heavily perfumed air and left to attend what Jennifer had been looking forward to for years: “Wicked”.

That’s right, we went to the London musical hit, “Wicked”. It was amazing! We got our tickets from an official discount vendor for half price and had awesome seats. The show had us spell bound. I highly recommend it.





We flew back home on Tuesday, June 24, spending about 20 hours either on a plane or at an airport and arrived home in the middle of the night, completely exhausted.
We had a blast, but we are also so glad to be back home. :)

History May Be Taught: Part: IV

Saturday, June 21, we hopped onto the Underground (which was about 50 ft from our hotel) and rode into central London for our first day in the big city. We went everywhere! We walked out of the underground station and were suddenly confronted by Big Ben directly in front of us! It was the best welcome I could imagine!





We walked past the Houses of Parliament to Westminster Abbey where we saw the tombstones of Britain’s most famous individuals.





We then walked to Buckingham Palace just in time to see the changing of the mounted guard, which wasn’t as great as Jen had expected. There were a ton of people cause they were waiting for a parade.





We then went to the Tower of London and had a tour with the most amazing Beefeater I had ever heard of. He reminded me of a Shakespearean actor and was highly entertaining. We saw the Crown Jewels and the torture room and all the neat things in between.





After the Tower we got on a boat and rode down the Thames underneath Tower Bridge to the O2 (a super cool hangout with clubs, restaurants, shops, concerts, etc) in Greenwich. At the O2 Neil Diamond was giving a concert and we were just in time, except. We decided to pass that up and instead we went to the King Tut exhibit which displayed the treasures of King Tut’s tomb. It was a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

History May Be Taught: Part III

Friday, June 20, we said goodbye to Nanny. It was quite sad to see her crying as we pulled away from the curb. I think she is worried she won't see Alexander again as she is 88 years old and her health is continually getting worse. She is a quirky lady, but we will miss her.

Alexander and Nanny:


We traveled with Aunt Valerie to Arundel Castle where we toured the old ancient keep. We were able to ramble and climb where we wanted and I quickly decided that climbing up and down the tiny narrow staircases all day would have ensured my death by falling down the stairs. Arundel castle was the site of a siege during a civil war in the 1640’s so the castle was decked out as it may have been back then. It was fascinating.

Arundel Castle from Below:


Jen on the Railing Inside the Keep:


Looking Down From the Walls of the Keep:


Later that day we traveled in the greater London area into a suburb called Hounslow where our hotel was. We arrived on train to discover a deserted train station in the middle of nowhere. Hounslow is a hodge-podge of Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European ethnicities. We were about the only white people in sight. To our dismay we wandered around for an hour hauling all of our luggage until we finally stumbled through the door of our bed and breakfast. We were thankful to find a tidy, clean room with three little beds and friendly staff. We were so exhausted we didn't even venture out to find dinner, we just sank into our beds and slept.

History May Be Taught: Part II

Wednesday, June 18, we went to STONEHENGE!!! Words fall short of the experience, but the weather was perfect for the brooding atmosphere.





We also visited Salisbury, home of the famous cathedral. Interesting tidbit: the cathedral was spared in WWII because the German bomber pilots used the tall spire as a reference point to turn and go up to the industrial parts London. The cathedral was beautiful as was the entire city. We had a grand time eating traditional Cornish pasties (which are pot pies folded in half so you can eat it with your hands) in the rain.

Salisbury Cathedral:




Thursday, June 19, Uncle John took us to see Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy. We saw three historic ships from three different eras. First we visited the Victory which Alexander and I had seen before, but this time they let us take pictures. Victory was the flagship on which Admiral Horatio Nelson fought Napoleon in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson died in the battle and the ship became a memorial to England's most popular mariner. He was very much a national hero. Interesting tidbit: On our trip we saw where he was shot, where he later died, and his most famous national monument in Trafalgar Square.

The Victory:


Alexander on the deck of the Victory:


We also visited a ship called the Mary Rose which was Henry VIII's favorite warship. Sadly, the Mary Rose was sunk in battle and lay on the seabed for 400 years just barely out of it's port. In 1986 it was discovered that half of the ship had sunk into the sand which had preserved it. The ship was raised and is currently in dock in a specially built building with a preserving substance constantly raining on it. It has a uneasy feel about it, like perhaps it should have stayed where it had fallen.

Lastly, we visited the Warrior, built in 1860 and quickly outpaced by the new technology around it. Built with both a steam engine and sailing masts, it marks a transition in history.

The Warrior:


Me Taking the Wheel of the Warrior:


After Portsmouth we went to Fishbourne, home to an enormous Roman palace during the Roman occupation of Britain in the early first century AD. All that remains of the glorious site are the exquisite mosaic tiled floors which were laid in every room of the building. Complete with heated floors and immaculate gardens, the palace seems like a place I would have gladly called home. ;)

The Dolphin Mosaic:


Jen in the Gardens at Fishbourne:


Striking a Pose with an Urn in the Gardens at Fishbourne:

WARNING: History may be taught : Part I

As most of you know, we took a hiatus to the motherland, England, for the past two weeks. My months of research and planning really paid off as we embarked into the great unknown, feeling quite young on our first intercontinental vacation without the "real adults." Don't get me wrong, we have been all over England before, we just always had a parent with us; this trip made us feel very adventurous and grown-up.

I have decided to write this in a number of parts, to make it easier for you to read and for me to write. I will also include pictures, because what’s a trip without pictures?

Somehow we made it safely to England, found Jennifer (who was flying to us from Ukraine) and by some miracle we made it by coach down to the seaside resort town of Brighton where Alexander's grandmother, Nanny, lives. Just making it there took a lot of stress from my shoulders -- I had been so afraid we would get lost! We spent the next day, June 15, with Alexander's extended family consisting of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was so much better than the last time we visited them! It seems that Alexander's father isn't very popular with his sisters but they loved us. We had a grand time reacquainting ourselves with them and they were so gracious to offer to help us get to the more distant sights we wanted to see.

Jennifer and a funny sign in Brighton:


Monday, June 16, was spent introducing Brighton to Jennifer. From our last visit I had formed a little map in my head and I hadn't forgotten it. We walked all over the entire city! The highlight and bragging point of Brighton is the Royal Pavilion which was a palace made to look Indian on the outside and Chinese on the inside, you should look it up.

Tuesday we traveled to Battle, which was the site where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066. (I agree that the British are so creative in coming up with city names.) Alexander had spent his whole life waiting to go there, as it is the site of arguably the most important event in British (and by default, American) history. William the Conqueror was a Norman who invaded Britain and overcame Harold Godwineson and the Saxons there. From that day forward, England was never the same. It was the Normans who brought in the idea of feudalism and without their influence, Britain may never have been the international superpower it was for so many centuries.

Battle Abbey:


Luckily for us, it was a beautiful day, perfect for walking in the meadows and woods that now inhabit the battlefield. We walked all over the battlefield and explored the Abbey that was built by William the Conqueror as a act of repentance for the thousands of men killed there. The entire area seems to be at peace with itself and the tragedy that took place there.

On the battlefield:


Me near the Crypt:


Alexander inside the dormitory: