Back in the saddle

Ok folks, there a lot to update you on since the last time I wrote. So without further adieu....

Some of you already know that I had an interview with King's College London (KCL) so I can transfer to the 3rd ranked university in the UK and in the top 10 of the world. Well, while I was in the United States for my grandmother's funeral (rest in peace Grandma), I received a message from KCL that they want me to come and study with them! You have no idea how excited I am about this! This is coup for me! A stupid American getting into what is arguably one of the best schools in the world, ranking up there with Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, and Yale! WTF? Am I dreaming? Do they really know why they invited to come study with them? I can't help but wonder.

Second, well, I spent 3 weeks in the US visiting friends and family. It was a grand time. I enjoyed seeing all of my family, even though it wasn't under the most auspicious of occasions. While in the states I took a trip down to Monterey (Hey Ed and George) to have lunch with a couple long time friends. It was a beautiful day in Monterey. It brought back many memories of the nearly 6 years that I was stationed in Monterey for the Air Force. Monterey will always be a second home to me, but London is my home now.

The day after arriving back in London I had lunch with a gorgeous lad. Sadly he's started to see someone else. :-( C'set la vie. After he and I had lunch and he went back to work, the skies opened up and rain came down in sheets, along with hail. I was walking from lunch to Saint Paul's Cathedral and had to duck into a doorway to stay somewhat dry. Absolutely marvelous. I love the rain. It was wonderful to watch the drops come down, all the while cleaning the air and making the day a beautiful gift. After the rain let up slightly, I decided I should continue on my trek to SPC and see about doing the usual tourist crap that is on offer. While standing in the door of the cathedral I decided it wasn't for me and I took a walk down to Westminster Abbey.

I had wanted to visit the Abbey for quite some time and yesterday was my day. My lord (yes, blaspheme intended) the Abbey is truly a marvelous work and a wonder! It took more than 200 years for the Abbey to be completed, and sadly it was completed in 2 separate styles. King Henry III began building the current Abbey in 1245. Unfortunately, he ran out of money and only half of the abbey was completed. I say current abbey because Henry had the original abbey removed as the current stone abbey was built. Now, if you don't look up at the ceiling or the high walls, you'd never know that the building you're standing in was completed in 2 phases! It looks like it was all constructed at the same time, until you look at the detail. Half way into the abbey you'll see the Henry's original design and flourishments on the walls and ceiling. The remainder of the abbey is constructed without the carved stone work that adorns the ceiling and walls.

When I first encountered the Abbey in April of last year, I was noticeably disappointed by the exterior of the building. I had visions of grandeur, believing the church to be far larger than it truly appears in person. Oh how I was deceived! Once I entered the abbey I was immediately taken aback at the sheer size, scale and opulence of the interior. Photography in the Abbey is forbidden, but mobile phones are not! That said, I'm glad I had my iPhone with me. Behold the interior of Westminster Abbey!



The above photo is the entrance to the Abbey. If you're to opt for the tour, this is where it would begin. Don't ask me who is buried beneath the busts. I didn't take notice.





Notice that I'm sitting down. Because cameras aren't allowed, I had to hide the fact that I was using my iPhone to snap shots of the interior.

This next photo is of Queen Elizabeth I burial site. She is buried next to her sister Mary. It is a unique burial in the fact that Elizabeth was a Protestant and Mary was an ardent Catholic. Westminster Abbey is a Protestant church.



And at the base of the effigy is this marble stone which marks the struggle that took place in England between the Catholics and the Protestants.



Now, I only wish you could see the fine detail in the next photo, but my phone is only 2 mp camera. The chair you're about to see is none other than the coronation chair in which all monarchs of the English thrown have had the crown bestowed upon them since Edward II in 1308. The space right below the seat is a space for the enclosure of the Stone of Scone (also called the Stone of Destiny), which he had brought from Scotland in l296 and placed in the care of the Abbot of Westminster. Until the removal of the Stone to Scotland in 1996 the Chair was the oldest piece of furniture in England still used for the purpose for which it was made. When the next monarch is crowned the stone will again be brought back from Scotland to be placed in the chair .... provided that Scotland doesn't secede from the union by then.

When I say that I wish you could see the detail of the chair, it isn't for its beauty. First and foremost, the Abbey is a religious school and has been for ages and ages. In the back of the chair there is graffiti! The children who have attended the Abbey over the last 700 years have carved their initials and names in the chair! Now the chair is placed out of reach of all who enter the abbey in order to protect it from those who would do damage to it. You have to admit, for being 700 years old, that chair is standing up amazingly well! God forbid there ever be a fat monarch's coronation or the chair will crumble under his/her weight.



Unfortunately, I can't show you the rest of the photos from inside the church. They came out entirely too dark to post. So, to make up for that fact, here are some exterior photos.









The above photos were taken immediately outside of the cloister in the Abbey College grounds. The day turned out to be a gorgeous post rainy day.

How many of you have seen the movie "The Da Vinci Code"? Do you remember the celluloid butchering of the book? You do? Good. Do you remember the scene with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou in the abbey where Tom is standing staring at the effigy to Sir Issac Newton trying to figure out what orb with rosy flesh is missing from it? BEHOLD!



That's right, the left side of the photo is the same piece you'll see in the movie. Ok, not really the same piece. The Abbey doesn't let people film inside it, so Ron Howard had to have the piece recreated for the movie. He had an exact replica made for the film. Interesting to see the real deal. The tour I took allowed us to walk right up to it and see the minute detail. It was truly astounding.

As many of you will know, I'm not a very religious person. In fact, over the last 3+ weeks I've attended church more times than I have in the last 3 years. My gran's funeral, and yesterday when I decided to stay for Evensong at the Abbey.

While I know that most of religion in just crazy bat shit, I couldn't help but be moved by the service. The choir was angelic. Of course it is comprised of mostly pre-teen eunuch boys (just kidding) and older paedophiles. Still the music was stirring and the service was the first in my lifetime that I've been to that did NOT preach! Yes, you read that correctly! Evensong at the Abbey is merely a service for singing and reading from the inerrant word of "god," the bible. There are no ministers to preach or give a sermon. It's the kind of service that everyone can love!

Well, that's all for now. I hope you've enjoyed. If you have, leave a comment. If you haven't, piss off! (Just kidding)