Inspire Me Monday: London (Part 2)

Last week was my first foray into the Inspire me Monday meme, hosted by Create-with-Joy.  I decided to capitalize on my excitement for the upcoming European trip by showcasing a few photos from past journeys "across the pond"

Today I will focus on the iconic images of London.

I suppose the first image that flashes across my mind when I think of London is the red double-decker bus, and then my immediate second image is the red phone booths.  They are indeed everywhere, although they never become commonplace to me and always bring a smile to my face.

While we rode the tube more often than any other form of transportation, we did delight in taking a brief sight-seeing tour around town on an "open" upper deck (brief because the air temperature hovered around forty degrees which made the wind chill absolutely frigid).

Buckingham Palace was not the regal castle that I had hoped to see (that was found in Windsor... about an hour's distance outside of town).  The changing of the guard was certainly filled with pomp and circumstance, but I enjoyed the serendipitous occasion to see the marching band practicing for the Queen's upcoming birthday celebration.  We could literally reach out and touch the plumed hats, if we so desired.

Tower Bridge, however, is regal - in my humble opinion.  It is more stately in person than I ever imagined from viewing a photograph.  We did take a tour of the Tower of London and learned all about the gory details of past inhabitants.  For history buffs, the rooms filled with old-fashioned weaponry and suits of armor are a must see, but I much preferred sitting outside on a park bench, staring at the bridge, imagining the stories of all those who have traversed to the other side.

Of course, what Brit Lit teacher wouldn't consider the Globe Theater to be iconic - but quite frankly, even if you aren't a bibliophile, it is well worth a visit.  Sam Wanamaker wasted no expense or time on recreating the Globe exactly as it was in Shakespeare's time.  The tour guides are not only knowledgeable, but humorous and personable.  We even had the opportunity to attend A Midsummer Night's Dream from the groundlings' point of view - which was delightful (but also a bit tiresome on the feet).

Finally, the London Eye is a modern-day icon that should be at the top of everyone's "must do" list.  We went in the evening and witnessed the most spectacular view of the city.  The wheel travels at a very slow rate, so we barely noticed the climb until we reached the top - and then we were completely mesmerized by the aerial view.  The twinkling lights below reminded me of the play Peter Pan as he whisked Wendy, John, and Michael to Neverland... and the stately architecture of Big Ben and Parliament nearly took my breath away.

I am excited to return to London ... and while I will never tire of seeing these images of historical significance, I hope to concentrate my photographic endeavors on the culture of the city - the modern day stories waiting to be told.

Inspire Me Monday: London (part 1)

I must confess:  I am twitter challenged.

I have maintained a blog - off and on - for the past six years and feel comfortable connecting with cyber-friends in this venue.

I understand FaceBook and probably spend too much time connecting with others via this medium.

But Twitter is a bit over my head.  There are so many people to follow - so many hashtags to consider - too many conversations happening simultaneously for this one-track mind to keep up.

But recently I challenged myself to take part in a Twitter conversation hosted by Joy Weese Moll.  We discussed our New Year's Resolutions regarding creativity - and encouraged one another to stay the course.  Participants were few (the Super Bowl seemed to take precedent) but I did enjoy chatting again with Janel, and meeting Create with Joy, who encouraged me to take part in her weekly meme:  Inspire Me Monday.

Since I love all things creative (rubber stamping, scrapbooking, photography, art museums, etc) I thought this would be the perfect meme for me.

So today I will dip my toe in the water.

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2007 EF Tour Group

Since several of you expressed interest in my upcoming trip to Europe, I thought I would countdown these next four weeks (we leave March 15th) with some anticipatory photos.

The first time I led a group of students overseas was in 2007.  There were thirteen students and two chaperons (myself and my husband) and we stayed in London for six days.  I booked the trip through EF Tours, and I cannot praise this company enough!  They have been in the business of introducing students to worldwide travel for fifty years - and they do it right!

Since I taught Brit Lit, I wanted to focus our attention on British authors and their surroundings.

We were fortunate enough to visit Bath ... where the Jane Austen Centre gave us insight into the author's life as well as served us a delicious "high tea"  There was simply not enough time to immerse ourselves in the culture of the Regency Time Period.

We also took time to travel to Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of the Bard himself, William Shakespeare.  I absolutely adored taking the tour of his childhood home, and enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets of the town even more.

I am now inspired to schedule a return trip to this area, which is part of the Cotswold's.  I hope to one day stroll along the pathways, traverse through the backyards, and stay overnight in the small villages that comprise this picturesque English countryside.

We were also lucky enough to take an hour's time to visit Oxford.  While I may be too old to realize my dream of studying at one of the 36 colleges of Oxford University, I still adored the academic environment of the village.  To think that C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien walked these same streets is mind-boggling - and to visit The Eagle and Child pub where the Inklings would meet each week to discuss their current Works in Progress was reverential.

My favorite British author is the incomparable Charles Dickens, but alas, the museum was closed the last time I visited London.  I am hoping to add that literary stop on this upcoming trip.

Next week I plan to showcase some of the iconic London sites, and the following two weeks will focus on my visits to Paris.