I know I've had a severe lack of posts this semester. I wanted to apologise and give my excuse: In one month, I have three major essays and two presentations due. I've been completely consumed by this work, and I've had very little spare time to write. However, the bulk of it is due next week, so I should hopefully get back into a regular routine after that.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Nessie, where are you? Part 1 of my Highland adventure.
For some reason, I spent an entire semester here without visiting the highlands of this beautiful country. I knew I had to get there before I went home, and thus, I went on a MacBackpackers tour of Isle of Skye and the Highlands.
When my flatmate Megan and I signed up, were informed that we had to meet the bus in Edinburgh at 7:45am. For some reason, it didn’t click that in order to be in Edinburgh at 7:45am, we’d have to be up at 5:15 and out the door by 6:00. Edinburgh, why must you be so far away?
Anyway, after patting myself on the back for being able to get us to the hotel without getting lost, we met the group and set off.
Our tour guide was named Ruthie, and she was amazing. She filled the bus with mostly Scottish tunes, some of which was quite mainstream pop music (for example, KT Tunstall and Amy Macdonald), while others were bagpipe-filled folk music or Celtic rock.
We drove out of Edinburgh, across the Forth Bridge, and into Fife, where we stopped in the small town of Dunkeld. We hopped off the bus and wandered around for 45 minutes, stopping to eat and visit the local cathedral. Megan and I bought some delicious scones, oatcakes, and local cheese.
The next stop was Ruthven Barracks, used during the mid-18th century Jacobite uprising.
We wandered through the barracks, admiring the views and the horses grazing outside.
There wasn’t much inside the barracks because the Jacobites set it on fire as they recognised their loss in the fights. However, we still stood in admiration for this very old structure.
We continued further north into the highlands, stopping at the site of the Battle of Culloden, which was the final fight between the Jacobite rebels and the government forces.
Up to 2,000 Jacobites were killed in this short battle, and the field is now filled with mass clan graves and stones recognising the clans who suffered losses in the war. Many people on the bus walked through the fields searching for their ancestors’ graves.
We moved on to Inverness, driving through the small town where my flatmate Tyla comes from. It was much smaller than I had imagined. We didn’t stop inside the town, instead moving towards one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions: Loch Ness.
This loch is gigantic, and there are many suggested statistics about it. For example, it’s sad that one could combine the amount of water from all lochs in Scotland and it still would not fill Loch Ness.
We headed down to the water with a bottle of whisky (as per the tradition!) and we enjoyed the view. This is the first part of the trip where I was so happy to have invested in a good pair of Wellington boots. I watched people trying to balance on rocks and eventually falling in, becoming soaking wet, and then I simply walked right into the water for my photo.
We continued to Urquhart Castle, a medieval castle that is now one of the most visited historic sites in Scotland. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go inside the castle, so we just hopped up a fence and took some photos until security came and told us to stop.
Our next stop was a short coffee break, but it was where I saw my first highland cow! These cows are found throughout the highlands and are adorable.
Next, our bus drove through the mountains as our guide told us stories about the area. For example, there was one mountain that is said to be the site of a fight against the devil. The fighters tricked the devil, causing him to lose the fight and throw his fist in the air, shaping the mountain.
Along we continued, through the mountains, where I saw some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Although it’s been inhabited for thousands of years, the highlands really feel an untouched heaven.
Day two of the trip coming up soon!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Safe and sound in Stirling
Today, I arrived back in Scotland. As I’m writing this post, I’m sitting on the train between Glasgow and Stirling, so I should be back in residence very soon. I haven't taken any pictures on the ground yet, so I'm going to place some pretty in-the-air photos instead.
The plane ride started off a bit rough. The plane taxied away from the gate towards the runway, but then the engine would not start. It tried for a few minutes, but then the pilot realised it wasn’t going to work, and we would have to go back to the gate.
At the gate, we sat and waited for more than two hours while mechanics replaced the engine starter. I took it as extra time to sleep, although it was a bit worrying, as I’ve never had a problem like that on a plane. However, as it was pointed out to me, if the plane is going to fail, the engine starter is the best thing to fail. At least we wouldn’t be going in the air until it was fixed!
After that issue, it was a rather smooth plane ride. I slept for the majority of it, waking up for dinner and to readjust myself in the oh-so-small seats. I suppose I now understand why Air Transat’s plane models are called Airbuses. I’m pretty sure I get much better legroom on a bus. Thank goodness I’m only 5’2”. Note to any big people, particularly those over six feet: Do not take Air Transat, unless you’re some sort of contortionist.
I loved that I could fly directly into Scotland. Last time, I couldn’t get a direct ticket, so I landed to London. While it was nice to see a new city, it’s so much faster to fly directly in, knowing that I only have one bus ride to the train station (25 minutes), and the 45 minutes on a train that I’ve taken many times. It’s much less scary!
I’m looking forward to getting back to my room, visiting my friends, and most of all right now: taking a shower. Oh, plane rides. Just one more transatlantic flight for me this year, thank goodness.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
On air from CBC London
I lucked out with my internship. We were very short-staffed while people went home or on vacation for the holidays, so I was able to take a few more opportunities than my job description stated. I learned some of the tasks of a CBC producer, and I did my first on-air rant, meaning telling the story to the camera and illustrating it with pictures or videos, rather than reporting from the scene.
Only two more workdays for my internship. I'm quite sad about it since I've had an incredible time, but hopefully this won't be my last work with CBC.
And once again, I acknowledge that I've been neglecting this blog a bit over the past two weeks or so. I intend to upload the rest of my London photos and share my touring experiences, but it may not happen until I'm back in Toronto. At least it will give me a way of reminiscing about my time here, and help me look forward to getting back.
Monday, January 3, 2011
2011 travels begin with Oxford
In discussing English universities, many people seem to be in one of two camps: Oxford and Cambridge. Which one is better? Which one is prettier? As I visited Cambridge (albeit spending most of it after dark), I decided I had to stop into Oxford as well.
I was partial to Oxford because of its filming locations for the Harry Potter movies. The Bodleian Library was used for the Hogwarts library scenes, and Church Christ College's dining hall was the inspiration for the movies' Great Hall. Additionally, many of Hogwarts' corridors were filmed inside this college.
We took the Oxford Express coach into the town. Definitely a great, cheaper alternative to the train, and it didn't take much longer to arrive.
We began with a walking tour, which took us through a few of the older colleges and their cathedrals. Our guide, Stuart, explained the collegiate system used at both Oxford and Cambridge. From my understanding, it works like this: Students decide they want to go to the university. Then, when they apply, they consider the different colleges. Some of them have some sort of distinguishing characteristic, for example, sports or music, or they might be for mature students or have some sort of religious affiliation. A student would live in their college and eat there, but their classes would be spent with people from all over the university. Although the guide said Oxford and Cambridge are the only universities with this kind of system, there are some more around the world, including many in Canada, such as the University of Toronto.
I thought our tour was quite informative, although the guide was a bit pretentious. He was an Oxford graduate, having studied metallurgy. When he told us his degree, he followed it up telling us that most people don't understand it, so they've changed the name to material sciences. Perhaps going to Oxford gives one the right to be pretentious—although one might imagine a fancy degree is unneeded to become a tour guide.
After the tour, we stopped in Christ Church College, and I got my photos in Hogwarts.
This one is in the beautifully lit Hogwarts corridor.
I followed the path McGonagall took the first-year students in the first movie up to the Great Hall.
And finally, we made it to the hall. Sure, the ceiling didn't show the sky, but it was as real as it gets. While it was much smaller than I had imagined, it was surreal seeing this scene in person.
Finally, we crawled up the narrow stairs of the University Church tower, where we got some breathtaking views of the city.
It was extremely narrow on the balcony. There was barely room for more than 10 people, so I can't imagine what it would be like to visit during the high season, rather than on a cold winter's day.
The verdict: Oxford is my favourite. It's very grand throughout the city, as opposed to Cambridge, which seemed to be very generic in the city centre (although the university itself was beautiful). I may be biased—the Harry Potter locations may have raised my opinion of Oxford—but I would definitely recommend a visit to this beautiful city.
We took the Oxford Express coach into the town. Definitely a great, cheaper alternative to the train, and it didn't take much longer to arrive.
We began with a walking tour, which took us through a few of the older colleges and their cathedrals. Our guide, Stuart, explained the collegiate system used at both Oxford and Cambridge. From my understanding, it works like this: Students decide they want to go to the university. Then, when they apply, they consider the different colleges. Some of them have some sort of distinguishing characteristic, for example, sports or music, or they might be for mature students or have some sort of religious affiliation. A student would live in their college and eat there, but their classes would be spent with people from all over the university. Although the guide said Oxford and Cambridge are the only universities with this kind of system, there are some more around the world, including many in Canada, such as the University of Toronto.
Some of the colleges even have pets, such as this beautiful cat.
I thought our tour was quite informative, although the guide was a bit pretentious. He was an Oxford graduate, having studied metallurgy. When he told us his degree, he followed it up telling us that most people don't understand it, so they've changed the name to material sciences. Perhaps going to Oxford gives one the right to be pretentious—although one might imagine a fancy degree is unneeded to become a tour guide.
After the tour, we stopped in Christ Church College, and I got my photos in Hogwarts.
This one is in the beautifully lit Hogwarts corridor.
I followed the path McGonagall took the first-year students in the first movie up to the Great Hall.
And finally, we made it to the hall. Sure, the ceiling didn't show the sky, but it was as real as it gets. While it was much smaller than I had imagined, it was surreal seeing this scene in person.
Finally, we crawled up the narrow stairs of the University Church tower, where we got some breathtaking views of the city.
It was extremely narrow on the balcony. There was barely room for more than 10 people, so I can't imagine what it would be like to visit during the high season, rather than on a cold winter's day.
The verdict: Oxford is my favourite. It's very grand throughout the city, as opposed to Cambridge, which seemed to be very generic in the city centre (although the university itself was beautiful). I may be biased—the Harry Potter locations may have raised my opinion of Oxford—but I would definitely recommend a visit to this beautiful city.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Evan Evans Sightseeing Tours review
I promised to write about my tour of Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Cotswolds, and Oxford. It was a pretty terrible tour and I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I'll try to explain why and then show you some of the good parts.
I took Evan Evans Sightseeing Tours, opting for them because they did pickup down the road, had pretty good reviews, and I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of a nicer tour since it seemed to go through everywhere I wanted to visit.
The first few problems became apparent right from the start. Firstly, that although they picked us up at the hotel, they would not be dropping us off at the end of the day in the same location. They said they would get us to a nearby tube station, but it was unexpected.
Next was more disappointing: Christ Church college would be closed, so we wouldn't be able to see the area where the Hogwarts Great Hall was filmed.
The website said nothing about the possibility of it being closed, so I assumed the tour would be given access even if it was closed to the general public. The guide, Sheila, told me that it was very unreliable and I shouldn't have counted on seeing it. The tour came with two options: prepay for all admissions or pay as you arrive at each location. I chose the former, assuming there was some benefit. Instead, with this one closed, everyone on the bus lost a bit of money.
Our first stop on the tour brought us to the farther location, Warwick Castle. There we wandered around the castle, visiting the Great Hall, State Apartments, and more. Madame Tussauds owns the castles and has decorated it using wax statues. A good portion of it was meant to resemble a holiday gathering in the late 1800s, although other rooms held wax figures of people such as Winston Churchill and Henry VIII and his wives.
The castle was probably the best in terms of decorations out of all the castles I had visited. I thought it would be very tacky based on the description, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was probably the best part of the tour.
Next we headed to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we visited the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I had visited Stratford, Ont. countless times, and I imagined the two towns would be very similar. In some sense, this was true: the river flowing through the town and lots of old-style homes. However, the problem was with the shops in this town. It has been a while since I've been to the Ontario version, but I remember it being filled with little independent shops selling unique products. In Stratford-upon-Avon, I didn't come across a single store that wasn't a big chain. Instead, it was filled with Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Marks and Spencers, HMV, and more.
Shakespeare's Birthplace itself was a very nice house. It was difficult to tell how much of it remains from when he lived there versus what was placed there to appear old. Apparently it's much better to visit in the springtime because the gardens are filled with flowers of all colours. It was still very nice in the winter, and I'm glad I was able to see it despite being somewhat unimpressed with the town itself.
Although the tour guide repeated over and over that if we were late, she would not hesitate to leave us behind, she and the bus arrived quite late to pick us up, making many of us very stressed and worried.
When we finally left Stratford-upon-Avon, we continued on through the areas known as the Cotswolds. It was described as one of the most scenic areas of England, passing through ancient inns and thatched cottages. Our guide pointed out a few thatched cottages, but that was about all. She told us that winter was the only season where we wouldn't be able to see much at all in the Cotswolds, so it was really just a route to get to Oxford. This definitely should have been mentioned in the tour description.
We arrived at Oxford at about 3:30, giving us about an hour before we had to meet the bus. We were given a walking tour, in which our guide spent the time pointing out her favourite gargoyles and buildings. On the bus, she told us about how Oxford University got started, but once we got there, we weren't given enough information. Twice, she pointed and told us there were Harry Potter scenes filmed somewhere over there, but we didn't actually go through them, so I didn't get to see them, and she couldn't even tell me what I was meant to be looking for from the movies. I found that a bit disappointing considering the tour mentioned Harry Potter sights in its advertisements. She should have at least been able to tell us basic information.
Finally, we were given free time to walk around Oxford. Since we only had about 30 minutes, my friend Michael and I rushed to the Eagle and Child, the pub famous for its literary patrons. J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis would sit in the pub on a weekly basis as part of the Inklings, a literary discussion group. They would gather in the Rabbit Room to read and discuss their unfinished works. Therefore, we spent the rest of our Oxford time in the Rabbit Room with mulled wine. This was on my list of must-sees, so I left slightly less upset.
All-in-all, it was probably the worst of the tours I've done since I got to the UK, and was also the most expensive. I only have a few more free days in England before I go home for a few weeks, and I'm thinking I'll have to return to the Oxford on my own. That definitely seems the way to go.
Summary: Don't go on an Evan Evans Tour unless you want an unfriendly tour guide, an hour in each town, and most of the day to sleep on a bus.
[Edit: After many emails with the company, they've agreed to refund the admission cost (£5.50) for Christ Church college. However, they refused to refund any more, insisting the tour guide was actually one of their best. Disappointing.]
I took Evan Evans Sightseeing Tours, opting for them because they did pickup down the road, had pretty good reviews, and I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of a nicer tour since it seemed to go through everywhere I wanted to visit.
The first few problems became apparent right from the start. Firstly, that although they picked us up at the hotel, they would not be dropping us off at the end of the day in the same location. They said they would get us to a nearby tube station, but it was unexpected.
Next was more disappointing: Christ Church college would be closed, so we wouldn't be able to see the area where the Hogwarts Great Hall was filmed.
The website said nothing about the possibility of it being closed, so I assumed the tour would be given access even if it was closed to the general public. The guide, Sheila, told me that it was very unreliable and I shouldn't have counted on seeing it. The tour came with two options: prepay for all admissions or pay as you arrive at each location. I chose the former, assuming there was some benefit. Instead, with this one closed, everyone on the bus lost a bit of money.
Our first stop on the tour brought us to the farther location, Warwick Castle. There we wandered around the castle, visiting the Great Hall, State Apartments, and more. Madame Tussauds owns the castles and has decorated it using wax statues. A good portion of it was meant to resemble a holiday gathering in the late 1800s, although other rooms held wax figures of people such as Winston Churchill and Henry VIII and his wives.
The castle was probably the best in terms of decorations out of all the castles I had visited. I thought it would be very tacky based on the description, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was probably the best part of the tour.
Next we headed to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we visited the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I had visited Stratford, Ont. countless times, and I imagined the two towns would be very similar. In some sense, this was true: the river flowing through the town and lots of old-style homes. However, the problem was with the shops in this town. It has been a while since I've been to the Ontario version, but I remember it being filled with little independent shops selling unique products. In Stratford-upon-Avon, I didn't come across a single store that wasn't a big chain. Instead, it was filled with Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Marks and Spencers, HMV, and more.
Shakespeare's Birthplace itself was a very nice house. It was difficult to tell how much of it remains from when he lived there versus what was placed there to appear old. Apparently it's much better to visit in the springtime because the gardens are filled with flowers of all colours. It was still very nice in the winter, and I'm glad I was able to see it despite being somewhat unimpressed with the town itself.
Although the tour guide repeated over and over that if we were late, she would not hesitate to leave us behind, she and the bus arrived quite late to pick us up, making many of us very stressed and worried.
When we finally left Stratford-upon-Avon, we continued on through the areas known as the Cotswolds. It was described as one of the most scenic areas of England, passing through ancient inns and thatched cottages. Our guide pointed out a few thatched cottages, but that was about all. She told us that winter was the only season where we wouldn't be able to see much at all in the Cotswolds, so it was really just a route to get to Oxford. This definitely should have been mentioned in the tour description.
We arrived at Oxford at about 3:30, giving us about an hour before we had to meet the bus. We were given a walking tour, in which our guide spent the time pointing out her favourite gargoyles and buildings. On the bus, she told us about how Oxford University got started, but once we got there, we weren't given enough information. Twice, she pointed and told us there were Harry Potter scenes filmed somewhere over there, but we didn't actually go through them, so I didn't get to see them, and she couldn't even tell me what I was meant to be looking for from the movies. I found that a bit disappointing considering the tour mentioned Harry Potter sights in its advertisements. She should have at least been able to tell us basic information.
Finally, we were given free time to walk around Oxford. Since we only had about 30 minutes, my friend Michael and I rushed to the Eagle and Child, the pub famous for its literary patrons. J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis would sit in the pub on a weekly basis as part of the Inklings, a literary discussion group. They would gather in the Rabbit Room to read and discuss their unfinished works. Therefore, we spent the rest of our Oxford time in the Rabbit Room with mulled wine. This was on my list of must-sees, so I left slightly less upset.
All-in-all, it was probably the worst of the tours I've done since I got to the UK, and was also the most expensive. I only have a few more free days in England before I go home for a few weeks, and I'm thinking I'll have to return to the Oxford on my own. That definitely seems the way to go.
Summary: Don't go on an Evan Evans Tour unless you want an unfriendly tour guide, an hour in each town, and most of the day to sleep on a bus.
[Edit: After many emails with the company, they've agreed to refund the admission cost (£5.50) for Christ Church college. However, they refused to refund any more, insisting the tour guide was actually one of their best. Disappointing.]
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Day tripping around London
Today, I walked here, there, and everywhere on the London Walks Magical Mystery Tour.
We began our tour in the Soho area, where the offices of MPL Communications is currently located. Our tour guide, Richard, said he's run into Paul McCartney a couple times by the office, and showed us the photos to prove it. Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky today. He told us it stands for McCartney Productions Limited, not McCartney Paul and Linda, as many people often suggest.
Next, we saw Trident Studios, where many classic rock stars recorded songs. The Beatles most notably used this studio for Hey Jude, and in the 1970s, it was also used by Elton John, Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones, and David Bowie.
Further along was this public washroom, where John Lennon took part in Not Only...But Also skit, where he played the doorman to this "Gentlemen's Club".
OK, I didn't get the pose perfect, but I tried!
This is a poster up in the Soho area. Our tour guide pointed out that the people in the front row appear to be imitating the front of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Next was Carnaby Street, where the independent fashion boutiques drew many rock stars, including the Beatles. John Stephen's shops turned this area into one of the best shopping streets in London during the 1960s. However, once it was recognized as such, it became populated with rock fans, leaving the stars to shop elsewhere.
We stopped at the London Palladium, the venue often credited with the start of Beatlemania. The tour guide described how fans swarmed to the concerts, and it became so popular that the band eventually decided to stop touring because it was no longer about the music.
This is 3 Savile Row, the headquarters for the Beatles' multimedia company, Apple Corps. The tour guide described the business as meant to help other artists so they didn't have to rely on men in suits. If I'm not mistaken, it was also the location of many Beatles interview, including the one where Lennon said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Our tour guide said this was meant as a comment on the declining church-going rates, etc, but it was taken out of context when republished in Datebook, an American magazine, sparking lots of anger and controversy.
In Piccadilly Circus sits the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, also known as the London Pavilion, where all four Beatles movies were premiered. The royal family were known to attend the premieres, most notably Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. The guide told the story of the after-party for the premiere of a Hard Day's Night, which was attended by Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. George Harrison was apparently informed that they could not eat while the princess and lord were still present, and therefore he went up to her and said, "Your Highness, we really are hungry and we can't eat until you two go."
Next up was probably the highlight of the tour: Abbey Road.
The gates all around were covered in graffiti, despite that the walls are repainted about six times per year. Many fans pass through the area on a daily basis and take photos crossing the road. One fan left this flower dedicated to John Lennon, with the recent anniversary of his death.
It took a while to get our photos, but lucky for us, it was Boxing Day and thus there were probably fewer cars around than usual. There is a constant live stream of the crossing at www.abbeyroad.com/visit
If you click on Archive, you can watch the last 24 hours. I would be crossing around the 1:35pm mark.
This week, the crossing was listed as a heritage site––an honour usually reserved for buildings such as cathedrals. It's the first listing of its kind, and essentially makes it a bit more difficult for anybody to move the crossing in the future. Most of the articles mentioned that the crossing is not in its original location, having been moved about 3m. However, our guide insisted this was simply a rumour, and showed us other photos taken from the day of the photoshoot that show a manhole on the ground, which still appears to be in the exact same spot.
The studios inside are said to be almost identical to the ones the Beatles used. However, this wasn't intentional. Instead, they decided it worked well the way it was, so why bother changing it?
That brings us to the end of the tour. From there, we continued to walk along nearby roads, making our way back to Oxford Street. On the way, we passed this synagogue––the first one I've seen in London (though I'm sure there are loads more).
We stopped at this Beatles coffeeshop, where I bought a deck of Beatles-themed playing cards. There was a ton of merchandise, including 3D posters, overpriced postcards, and many books, including one written by our tour guide.
We continued down the road to Baker Street, and stopped by the Sherlock Holmes museum.
Here was more merchandise, including pipes, Sherlock Holmes chocolate coins, and beautiful editions of the books. I've never actually read any of the short stories, but I think I'll have to bump that to the top of my reading list!
Then, we braved the big crowds of Boxing Day shoppers, continued our walk along Oxford Street, and headed home.
In all, it was a great day.
Next up: more day tripping in the form of a tour of Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Cotswolds. I know I'm super behind on my posts and I have quite a lot to tell you about. I need a few more hours in the day, but I swear, I will cover it all eventually!
We began our tour in the Soho area, where the offices of MPL Communications is currently located. Our tour guide, Richard, said he's run into Paul McCartney a couple times by the office, and showed us the photos to prove it. Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky today. He told us it stands for McCartney Productions Limited, not McCartney Paul and Linda, as many people often suggest.
Next, we saw Trident Studios, where many classic rock stars recorded songs. The Beatles most notably used this studio for Hey Jude, and in the 1970s, it was also used by Elton John, Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones, and David Bowie.
Further along was this public washroom, where John Lennon took part in Not Only...But Also skit, where he played the doorman to this "Gentlemen's Club".
OK, I didn't get the pose perfect, but I tried!
This is a poster up in the Soho area. Our tour guide pointed out that the people in the front row appear to be imitating the front of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Next was Carnaby Street, where the independent fashion boutiques drew many rock stars, including the Beatles. John Stephen's shops turned this area into one of the best shopping streets in London during the 1960s. However, once it was recognized as such, it became populated with rock fans, leaving the stars to shop elsewhere.
We stopped at the London Palladium, the venue often credited with the start of Beatlemania. The tour guide described how fans swarmed to the concerts, and it became so popular that the band eventually decided to stop touring because it was no longer about the music.
This is 3 Savile Row, the headquarters for the Beatles' multimedia company, Apple Corps. The tour guide described the business as meant to help other artists so they didn't have to rely on men in suits. If I'm not mistaken, it was also the location of many Beatles interview, including the one where Lennon said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Our tour guide said this was meant as a comment on the declining church-going rates, etc, but it was taken out of context when republished in Datebook, an American magazine, sparking lots of anger and controversy.
In Piccadilly Circus sits the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, also known as the London Pavilion, where all four Beatles movies were premiered. The royal family were known to attend the premieres, most notably Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. The guide told the story of the after-party for the premiere of a Hard Day's Night, which was attended by Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. George Harrison was apparently informed that they could not eat while the princess and lord were still present, and therefore he went up to her and said, "Your Highness, we really are hungry and we can't eat until you two go."
Next up was probably the highlight of the tour: Abbey Road.
The gates all around were covered in graffiti, despite that the walls are repainted about six times per year. Many fans pass through the area on a daily basis and take photos crossing the road. One fan left this flower dedicated to John Lennon, with the recent anniversary of his death.
It took a while to get our photos, but lucky for us, it was Boxing Day and thus there were probably fewer cars around than usual. There is a constant live stream of the crossing at www.abbeyroad.com/visit
If you click on Archive, you can watch the last 24 hours. I would be crossing around the 1:35pm mark.
 |
| Walking along with my friend Michael, who is staying at our student house for two weeks. |
The studios inside are said to be almost identical to the ones the Beatles used. However, this wasn't intentional. Instead, they decided it worked well the way it was, so why bother changing it?
That brings us to the end of the tour. From there, we continued to walk along nearby roads, making our way back to Oxford Street. On the way, we passed this synagogue––the first one I've seen in London (though I'm sure there are loads more).
We stopped at this Beatles coffeeshop, where I bought a deck of Beatles-themed playing cards. There was a ton of merchandise, including 3D posters, overpriced postcards, and many books, including one written by our tour guide.
We continued down the road to Baker Street, and stopped by the Sherlock Holmes museum.
Here was more merchandise, including pipes, Sherlock Holmes chocolate coins, and beautiful editions of the books. I've never actually read any of the short stories, but I think I'll have to bump that to the top of my reading list!
Then, we braved the big crowds of Boxing Day shoppers, continued our walk along Oxford Street, and headed home.
In all, it was a great day.
Next up: more day tripping in the form of a tour of Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Cotswolds. I know I'm super behind on my posts and I have quite a lot to tell you about. I need a few more hours in the day, but I swear, I will cover it all eventually!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
