Last week, just about everyone left for Germany and France for our first long break, so I pretty much had the house to myself. While they were gone, the few of us that were left ventured into London for a day. My favorite things that we visited were the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Hyde Park. The Victoria and Albert Museum was fantastic and I wish I had gotten to spend more time there, because it's so big with so many things to see. My favorite exhibit was the jewelry exhibit, with necklaces, earrings, pins, tiaras, you name it, all decked out in the largest and most expensive gems around. I know that there's a lot of responsibility that comes with wearing a crown and being royalty, but wouldn't it be fun to get all dressed up and wear a tiara for a day?
I also wish we spent more time in Hyde Park. It was rainy when we got into London, but when we walked around the park, the sun broke through the clouds and we could see the blue sky. Blue sky in London is not something you see every day, and we definitely took advantage of it. I loved the quiet setting in the middle of the big city, and it was a nice, peaceful way to spend an hour or two.
Now everyone's back for a week and a half before we all go off to Spain and Italy. This will be my first big trip with the rest of the group, and I am very excited to get to Europe again. I am especially excited for Barcelona, Spain, where I can hopefully use my minimal Spanish language skills and drink sangrias while dancing the flamenco through the streets.
Yesterday, our group took a twenty minute train ride to Ely to visit the Ely Cathedral. One of the most interesting things I found about this trip was not about the cathedral, but about Ely itself. It used to be called the Isle of Ely because it was, in fact, an island way back in the day. It's a town located in the Fenlands, which is very wet and marshy, and before the marshes were drained, the town was actually an island, which I think is pretty cool.
Many parts of the Cathedral were built by the Normans and date back to the 1100s. It has a beautifully painted ceiling depicting different images of the genealogy of Christ. The painter who painted each section died halfway through, and he was replaced by someone else to finish up the mural. You can tell where one artist's work stopped and the other's began--the color blue used by the second artist was a little more vibrant than the first. Below is a picture of the painted ceiling reflected in a mirror.
As for the rest of the cathedral, it was very plain and not nearly as colorful as the ceiling. This is because the walls were whitewashed during the reign of Henry VIII when he decided that he was going to be the head of the Church of England and went around plundering the wealth of the church. The walls of the cathedral were whitewashed, and the statues either had their heads removed or defaced, or they were completely destroyed. In some places, you can still see faded outlines of fleur-de-lis on the walls where decorations used to be.
I find that when I talk to people about living in Cambridge, they want to know what things are similar between the U.S. and England, what things are different, and if I miss anything. In light of this, also included in this blog post is a section called "Do They or Don't They?" in which I address any questions about similarities and differences between the U.S. and England that I think are profound and important.
1. Since they drive on the left side of the road in England, do people walk on the left side of the sidewalk too, or do they walk on the right? Yes. On the left, on the right, in the middle. Whatever gets them there the fastest, that's where they walk. Jaywalking is also not really a crime here either. You cross a street whenever you can get across without being hit, and you've got to be aggressive about it because cars and bikes WILL NOT stop for you. Pedestrians don't really have the right of way.
2. Is "Harry Potter" as big of a deal in England as it is in the U.S.? Yes. Anglia Ruskin has a Harry Potter Club, there are chocolate frogs with wizard trading cards at the candy store, and I've seen several people with Deathly Hallows tattoos. (If you don't know what the Deathly Hallows are, it's okay. You're just not a true wizard.)
3. Do they have a different sense of style here? Yes and no. I don't stand out in what I wear around town, but in a lot of their stores, their trends are reminiscent of the 90's in America. I've seen high-waisted jeans, scrunchies, jellies shoes, and plastic chokers on some shelves. It's like I've gone back in time.
4. Is bacon the same in England? NO. This may not seem like an important thing, but it is VERY IMPORTANT to me. My future home will have to be in a place where I can get good bacon. Bacon here is like Candadian bacon, which is not bacon at all. It is ham masquerading as bacon, and NOT the same.
5. Is it hard to find some of the same foods that we have at home? Not really (except for REAL BACON). There are some things--like Pop-tarts and specialty items, like special brand names--that they just don't have. It's okay though, because what they don't have, I don't miss. Also, they don't refrigerate their eggs, and Snickers bars are not called Snickers here--they're called "More Nuts."
6. Does it rain all the time? No. For the first month or so, we had really great weather. It was sunny and in the 60s, and we didn't need coats or umbrellas because there was not a cloud in the sky. It's rainy now, but that's pretty seasonal.
7. Do you miss anything about the U.S.? Yes, one thing: I miss being able to drive a car.
Of course, these are just a few of the different things that I've found in Cambridge. In a lot of respects, because the language is the same and because the U.S. was once a colony of England, the way of life here is not all that different from the U.S. Sometimes I even forget that I'm across the ocean.
As always, if there are any questions, especially those pertaining to "Do They or Don't They?", let me know and I'll do my best to explain.
Until next time,
Stephanie
