By Amy Duong, senior
alto
Major: Music Business
Today was our first, full day in London; and we had it all
to ourselves, after singing six concerts (and six rehearsals) in five days. Of
course the day started with full English breakfast—I have yet to try the black
pudding. We’ll see if I can muster
the courage for that! Right after
breakfast we were on the bus and on our way to the Tower of London. I will
admit I was expecting a literal tower.
However, I was not disappointed. I was immediately taken back in time
when I saw the size of the now dry moat, and just the thought of that large a
body of water surrounding the tower was astounding. Then we walked into the Tower,
which is actually a huge complex of buildings that have served as homes,
munitions storage, the Royal Mint, an execution site, a chapel, and many other
functions throughout the past 1000 years.
Walking where people have lived and worked since the time of
William the Conqueror made me acutely aware of my place in time. I have had
this feeling in general here in England, but that feeling was much more acute
at the tower, which was built on the site of the original Roman encampment. Our
tour included the torture chambers, learning about the 6 ravens, and seeing the
crown jewels. OH MY—MAGNIFICENT! I was awe-struck at the glory of all of the
jewels—the spectacularly glistening rubies, diamonds, sapphires, pearls, and
I-don’t-even-know-what-else. They
are symbols of the power and majesty of the royal families that have governed
England since the seventeenth century, when the monarchy was restored. (The crown jewels were destroyed during
the English Civil War.)
After the Tower, the choir was set loose on the city. The
group that I was with had the privilege of going to both the British Library
and the British Museum. At the library we explored the Sir John Ritblat Gallery,
an exhibition that featured original manuscripts of music, literature, and
historical documents dating back hundreds of years. A few in particular: an original manuscript of Beowolf (with
a recording of Julian Glover reading an excerpt), an official certificate of
Mozart’s marriage, complete with his and Constanze’s signatures, the manuscript
copy of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (turned, appropriately for us, to a section
of the choral movement), and one of four surviving copies of the Magna
Carta—wowz!.
The British Museum is HUGE, and my small group had about an
hour before closing; so we did what the museum called “the highlights of the
magnificent permanent collection.” The highlights tour included the Rosetta
Stone, Parthenon sculptures from ancient Greece, and an ornate vase from the
Ming dynasty.
They aren’t lying when they say you walk everywhere. I don’t know that any comfortable shoe
would still have been comfortable after a full day of touring. I also felt
mentally exhausted from all of the rich history and culture that I was trying
to take in.
Dinner on our own is more enjoyable than in our whole, large
group, in that we are able to go and explore the small pubs, or
hole-in-the-wall restaurants. This evening, my intimate group of four
discovered a Greek restaurant that had been refurbished from an old bar. The
set-up was similar to that of tapas—small appetizer size plates that the table
shares. It was a great way to taste whatever dish we wanted to, everything was authentic
and freshly made—yum! We ended the evening in what has become one of my
favorite ways to hang out and relax: in a pub! It has become a pleasurable
pastime, because it revolves around sitting at a table with friends and talking
for hours.
We
get a whole day to ourselves tomorrow, so look out London! Chamber Choir is ready for even more
exploration and adventure.
Second student account is below.
Saturday, January 18
By James Smith, senior tenor
Major: Vocal Performance
Today was our
first free day (after six concerts and rehearsals in five days) and I couldn’t
have been more excited to have time to explore London! We started off the day
by driving through the heart of the historic section of London while our tour
guide, Anita Baker, pointed out some of the more important sights and explained
their significance. I was entranced by the sense of history and sheer beauty
that radiated from the area.
After driving
over Tower Bridge we visited the Tower of London. I was extremely surprised to
find out that it is in fact not a singular tower, but actually more of a
fortress with many buildings. Anita gave us a brief tour around the area and
talked about many of the famous executions that occurred there. We were even
lucky enough to get a group picture with one of the guards (known as Yeomen of
the Guard or “Beefeaters”), which was really surprising, considering that they
have to deal with tourists all day.
We then were
set free to see the Crown Jewels at our own pace. I can easily say that the
Crown Jewels were by far the most beautiful and extravagant things that I have
ever seen. I was in complete awe of how intricate and complex the jewels were.
I was again surprised to find out that the jewels consisted of more than just
the crown, but many different pieces that all play a role in the coronation
process. My favorite piece was the sceptre with cross, which contained the
world’s largest clear-cut diamond at 530 carats. It was absolutely breathtaking!
After seeing the jewels, I used
the rest of my time there to see the torture exhibit and the White Tower, which
held an exhibit of many different items, including some of the famous sets of
armor and gifts that were presented to the monarchy by important visitors. I
very much enjoyed seeing all of the oddities that have been given as gifts
throughout the ages.
After a short ride on the English subway system (also known as “The
Tube”) I went to the British Library. There we spent considerable time in the
Sir John Ritblat Gallery, an exhibit that contained original manuscripts from
many different famous authors and musicians. One of my favorite pieces was an
original copy of Beowulf from the
early 1300’s, as well as the original score of Beethoven’s 9th
Symphony. It was absolutely incredible to see pieces of music that had actually
been written by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and many others! It was a very
emotional moment for me and I actually had to keep myself from becoming a
weeping mess. I loved every second of that exhibit and could’ve spent hours
just in that one room, but I wanted to see the British Museum and I knew that
it closed soon. So I ran over there and only had enough time to see some of the
Egyptian exhibit and the Rosetta Stone, but it was worth it. The Rosetta Stone
was much more beautiful than I expected, so that made the experience even more
worth while.
I ended my night by getting some dinner with friends in the Covent
Gardens, which was a very busy place on a Saturday night. We luckily got a
table at a nice outdoor café and enjoyed a very tasty meal. After that we went to
see Big Ben and the London Eye at night, which was a beautiful scene. I loved
seeing one of the most iconic sights of London with all of the lights shining
on it. I can’t think of a better way to end what was a great free day in London
and I am excited to have more time to see some of the rest of the things that I
couldn’t fit into today’s sight-seeing plan.
Tower Bridge
Three Bridges: Trevor, Greg, and Tower
The Tower of London
Dr. ABC and Dr. Saylor
On the tube to the British Library
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