Christmas Travel (In Pictures)

What follows are a few pictures starting at my flat in London and ending aboard a British Airways 777 bound for Boston. At the end are two pictures of a yet-to-be-changed Accenture advert with Tiger Woods. It takes on a whole new meaning now.

Here's a view down Alderney Street (my flat is immediately to the left).

Here's a view of Warwick Square on my walk to Victoria Station.

Here's Victoria Station, where I catch the Tube/bus each morning and where I caught the Tube to Heathrow on Sunday morning.

Here's the classic Underground insignia on the District/Circle Line platform. I caught the District Line westboard and switched to the Piccadilly Line at Hammersmith.

Here's a view of the Piccadilly Line carriage as it neared Heathrow.

Here's the empty Piccadilly Line train at Heathrow Terminal 5.

Another Underground insignia

Here's the Departures board at Heathrow Terminal 5, home to British Airways' operations at the airport.

And we're nearly there. My flight departed London at 4pm and arrived in Boston at 6:30pm. With a five hour time difference, that made for a flight of over seven hours.

This flight didn't operate during sleeping hours, but there's plenty to distract you enroute.

And here's the Tiger Woods advertisement at the top of an escalator in Heathrow Terminal 5B.

"It's what you do next that counts." He better hope so.

Happy Christmas

I may have successfully avoided a British Airways cabin crew industrial action (read: strike) to be caught up by a Noreaster hitting Boston over the next few days. If all goes according to plan and the weather behaves itself, I should be back in the United States tomorrow evening. We'll see...

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Christmas trees in London. The first three pictures a from the Palace of Westminster. The remaining pictures are from the tree in Trafalgar Square. (As an added bonus, you can see London's larger-than-life menorah in a few of the final pictures.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This may be my first Thanksgiving spent outside of the United States, but that doesn't mean I had to go without a bit of celebration. No, I'm not talking solely about the turkey sandwich I ate for lunch... I attended the official American commemoration this morning at St. Paul's Cathedral. The Cathedral was full for some time before the start of the service at 11am. As I got there a bit early and was there alone, I actually sat quite close to the front. The first four or five rows were reserved for embassy staff and their families, but I snagged a spot just behind them.

A color guard drawn from the embassy Marine attachment presented the flag of the United States, which was handed to the clergy and, eventually, placed at the altar. The flag was processed in along with a variety of Christian clergy, British and American, from around the capital. The final members of the procession were Ambassador Susman and his wife. The service consisted of a few readings, an offering for this year's charity (microfinance group Opportunity International), a nice sermon from the senior pastor at the American Church in London, and a bit of singing. The musical aspect was led by a chorus drawn from a number of American places of worship around town and added a nice touch. I'm generally not one for overt displays of patriotism, but I felt a bit of a tingle when the service concluded with a few thousand Americans singing "America the Beautiful" in the heart of London.

Photography was not allowed inside the cathedral and, for once, I didn't break that rule as security personnel seemed quite strict. What follows are a few pictures I took outside the cathedral as the service was letting out, a picture of the cover of the program, and a few pictures of St. Paul's from previous trips to London.

As an aside, I've seen the past two US presidents speak whilst they were in office and the security today jointly supplied by the British and the Americans was up there with either of those experiences. There were barrier fences constructed, dogs, and rigorous security searches of one's person and possessions. There was a visible British/American personnel presence both outside and inside the venue and a large number of athletic men with flesh-colored earpieces rising out of the neck of their jackets. It's a sad commentary, but a reality that a collection of thousands of Americans gathering together in thanks may prove an attractive target to some. That was a thought a struggled to shake as I listened to the Ambassador read the President's remarks and proclamation. I'd encourage everyone to be thankful for the incredible blessings we, as Americans, have. But I'd also encourage everyone to consider at just what cost they come.

I might not have had a turkey dinner today, but I'm quite thankful I decided to attend the service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghost Forest

There is currently a large outdoor art installation in Trafalgar Square by the British artist Angela Palmer called "Ghost Forest." The exhibition, which consists of a number of tree stumps from an African rainforest, is meant to draw attention to the risk that these habitats face. The installation, which was meant to coincide with the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen December 7th to 18th. What follows are a few of my pictures from Trafalgar Square...

As an aside, this entry marks my first foray into photo stitching. The panoramic shot featured at the top of this entry is actually a series of six separate photos I took whilst standing atop the stairs in front of the National Gallery. I stitched the distinct photos together to generate a nearly 180 degree display.

Touchdown

I happened to be taking the bus to campus last week when we ran into a bit of a backup in the area of Trafalgar Square. It soon became apparent that someone was gravely injured and he was of some importance. When the bus had entered the Square, I saw a man in a pinstriped suit receiving CPR in the middle of the road. There were 3-4 ambulances and 7-8 red police vehicles attached to the Diplomatic Protection Group. Nothing ever appeared in the newspaper, but it did seem to be more of a response than you or I would have received.

I was focused on all that when I heard a muffled noise from outside the bus. I was sitting by the left window and looked out to see a medical helicopter coming in for a landing. Those of you who have been to London will know that there is not a tremendous amount of room for a helicopter to land between those two fountains.

I frantically ripped through my backpack and found my camera. What follows are a handful of pictures I managed to take from the upper level of a moving bus.

Bank of England

Last week I visited the Bank of England Museum, which tells the story of "The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street" from its founding in 1694 as The Governor and Company of the Bank of England until the present day. Here are a few pictures from the Bank, located on Threadneedle Street in the heart of the City of London. I don't have any pictures from inside the museum as it is located within the confines of the Bank and security precludes photography. There are some full-scale recreations of the older Bank and I'd recommend the museum to anyone with an interest in economics, politics, or history.

These first few pictures show quite clearly the ancient security walls and the (relatively) new upper portions, which are about 100 years old.

This shot, taken from the intersection of Threadneedle and Cornhill, shows the Bank on the left and the Stock Exchange on the right.

Hastings

I spent the day yesterday walking through a nice bit of countryside on the outskirts of Hastings, a town located on the coast southeast of London and famous as host to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Most, if not all, of the land we walked on is private property belonging to various farmers. There is a strong spirit of public access to private lands in the United Kingdom that is largely absent in the United States. The public are welcome to go for a walk so long as the business of the land is not interfered with and the area is left as it was found.

I traveled to the area with classmates and faculty to interact with locals who are questioning the government's plans for economic development and construction in the area. Hastings, with a population just south of 100,000, is a fantastically depressed area. Those living in the country don't want any development, but it's a different story when you head into town. The following are some photos I took as we walked a particularly scenic bit from Crowhurst to Bexhill.