English Countryside

If you travel to London, I beg of you... schedule some time to visit the countryside! London was a fine city, full of beauty and tourist attractions; however, the best part of England (for me, at least) was found outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. The rolling hills, streets devoid of the massive tourist crowds, the quaint shops and kind people made it hard to leave England. I would have to say, though, my favorite part was meeting up with my friends Amy and David, and their three amazingly sweet (and absolutely hilarious!) children. Amy and I have been friends since high school, and even if we haven't keep in regular contact, we have a friendship that is easily re-started when we are able to connect. Their hospitality provided me the opportunity to re-charge (and wash a load of laundry- clean undies, woo!), something I hadn't realized I needed. Traveling on your own can be invigorating, challenging, a tiny bit terrifying, but also lonely. I made friends throughout my trip, no doubt, but none of them have memories of my younger self or know my family well enough to ask about them by name. I have been lucky to make and maintain friendships all over the country and now in some parts of the world, but there is nothing like seeing someone and feeling as though you're home, even if the particular space you're in at that moment isn't really "home". I think that's the strangest but most comforting thing to realize, that people can be home for us, too.

I shall digress, though, and make a few recommendations. It is only an hour-long trip from the center of London to Epping Station (on the Central Line), although watching the city dissipate through the dirty train windows made it seem like a longer (though not unbearable) trip. Now, I will be frank with you and say that I have no idea what is in Epping, nor do I know where one should stay if you do happen to make it to the area. However, there are buses that could most likely carry your travel-tired bones into the village, or you could simply walk up the hill and to what seemed to be like the main drag of the town. (Random note from Amy: many of the villages and small towns have a street named "The Road", which used to be the main pathway through the area.) I have no photos to share of Epping, mainly because I was too excited to see Amy and her younger daughter to do anything but talk and be slack-jawed at everything I was seeing. After picking up her kiddos and their friend at day camp, we headed to Bury St. Edmunds. This was my absolute favorite place (until the next day, when we drove out to Framlingham!), mainly because of the Abbey and the garden beside the Abbey. (Read all about the history here: english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/bury-st-edmunds-abbey/history-and-research)

This Abbey has been renovated and maintained and is, frankly, stunning. On site, there are ministers who are more than willing to chat with you about the history of the church the grounds, although I'd be willing to bet that they would also be more than happy to talk about more substantial topics, as well. I meandered around the inside of the attraction while Amy and all of the munchkins visited the aviary and ruins, both of which are part of grounds (along with a giant garden and overly friendly squirrels). I met up with them after touring, but, as custom in England, it began to rain shortly after I found them scampering around the park. But if you're interested in seeing photos of the park and the ruins of where the old buildings stood, you can check out the English Heritage site. I should note that if you're going to be traveling throughout England and want to visit these types of sites (and you should want to do so, if you have any inkling of a soul), then it would be worth it to sign up for an English Heritage membership. They have not only a website but they also provide you with a guidebook of all their attractions, divided out by region, so that you can easily skim through the many historical sites they have under their care. (Nope, not paid by them... although I wouldn't object to it!) 

Amy took me to two other sites, Framlingham Castle and Lavenham Village... and I'm sad that I ever left either place! Framlingham is another English Heritage site, a former stronghold and the site of a poor house that still stands today. Now, going to a castle would, for most children, be akin to torture or being grounded. But Amy's kiddos loved it- because those in charge of the site have taken care to make it family (and child!) friendly. There are games and blocks that are kept out on the lawn for folks to play with, coloring pages and books inside, and tactile displays in the museum area. But the coolest (yet terrifying) part of the site is the catwalk that runs on top of the wall. It provides you with a spectacular view of the area and allows visitors to see the upper ruins of castle, all of which is breathtaking (not only because it's gorgeous, but also because of the dizzying height). I forgot my camera on this outing, but I found the following photos on Google that can give you a good idea of the site. 

The last place we visited was Lavenham Village, home of the crooked houses (I thought Amy kept calling them "cricket houses", so I was surprised when we arrived there and they were all askew and not just tiny... I need my hearing checked, I think). I won't say too much about this part of the trip, mainly because I feel as though I've rambled enough about the countryside and because I think the photos are self-explanatory. Again, these photos are from Google.

These photos really don't do justice to the village or to how absolutely crooked these homes really are! I was slightly concerned that one would fall on us as we were passing by on the sidewalk (not really, but it was pretty serious). We ate dinner at The Swan Hotel, which I absolutely must come back to one day so that I can stay in what I can only imagine are stunning accommodations. For more info on Lavenham and the attractions in the area, visit: discoverlavenham.co.uk. 

I left early on the third day so that I could catch an afternoon train to Paris, an experience and trip that I cannot wait to write about tomorrow! Until then, bonjour mon ami! 

London

I fear that I am two weeks, three countries, and roughly 150,000 miles (it may be more akin to 15,000) behind in posting. I was able to spend a few days wandering around the city of London (and even the City, proper) after leaving South Africa, taking in the sites and soaking in the British culture. (I felt Leslie Knope walking around the city: youtube.com/watch?v=Rks-0naOjKk)

London is a beautiful city, full of grand, wonderful, old buildings and neighborhoods and parks. The weather was, shockingly, sunny, breezy, and just the right amount of warm- a drastic change from cold and rain that I had experienced in Cape Town! The chill melted off my bones as I took in the sights and admired the architecture- although the gorgeous weather also had the unfortunate effect of lightening my wallet. What I do want to say about London is that if you were knocked unconscious and fell into a coma for days on end, and someone then took you to London and dropped you into the middle of the city and you finally woke up and wandered (unsupervised and in your hospital gown) onto the street, it wouldn't take you long to figure out where you had been taken. Because there are London-themed shops EVERYWHERE. Now, granted, Chicago has their gift shops and such, but the tourist shops seem to literally be on every street, each filled with the same collection of trinkets and tshirts for tourists to take home (and I admit that I picked up a few things my last day there). When Urbanists write about the consummate "tourist city", this is what I picture. It is not only built on the tourist economy, but the businesses also do what they can to drive and build this aspect of of the economy. We often blame gentrification or urban planning on destroying the culture of a neighborhood, but what about the drive to develop the tourist sector in a city? What impact is that having on neighborhoods and the city, overall?

Okay... no more shop talk. On to some of my photos! Enjoy!

Chim chim chiminey, chim chim cheree! 

Big Ben in the faaaaaaaar distance. 

Beautiful decoration on lamppost. Seriously, so many of the streetlights throughout both London and Paris were amazingly adorned! 

Found at the Palace of Westminster. So regal and grand! 

Big Ben. Truthfully, I had a Ron Swanson moment when I first started walking past (youtube.com/watch?v=MYgCVszCKaQ), but it is pretty cool to see in person. Although, it was crowded... super crowded. 

Hugs! 

Far east end of Hyde Park. I'm assuming this is an homage to The Godfather...?

Water fountain in Hyde Park- how stinkin' cute is this?? On a related note, I loved all of the water fountains throughout London, since I tend to be cheap and only buy bottled water if I'm truly desperate.

Prince Albert memorial in Hyde Park. It is very large- and you know what they say about grandiose memorials to men... they tend to be crowd pleasers. 

Found in the Baker Street Tube station. The only way this could be more adorable would be if those faces were actually photos of Benedict Cumberbatch. 

There is a Sherlock Holmes Museum, but there was quite a queue to get into it and I am not a patient person when it comes to lines for museums. But the area is fun to explore and close to the London Zoo (if you're into that kind of cuteness).

I love this because someone wrote (in pencil) "Lauren (last name forgotten) Sucks". I'm sorry, Lauren, that your name has been sullied. I don't know what you did to incur this kind of wrath, but I hope that you have taken steps to protect yourself from this clearly deranged individual. 

A statue of Newton at the British Library, which is worth checking out. They have displays and exhibits that change every few months (bl.uk). 

There are pithy posters like this all over the Tube. Chicago needs to look into putting these up- especially this one. 

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, and all around the Tower of London, there is a display of thousands of red poppies to mark the event and honor those who died. 

The outside of a cathedral that has a cafe located inside. This is a very helpful description, I know, but the only thing I can remember about the church is that it was located close to the Tower, off of a main street, and the people there were so kind. You could go in and grab a drink, sit and admire the architecture, and cool off... if I could remember where it was located. 

Penguins!

My last Saturday (for now) in Cape Town- what better way to spend it than with some tuxedoed friends? These guys hang out at Boulder Beach, which is a little over an hour by train from the city center, and reside in a national park.

Wait a minute... that is definitely not a penguin. This is a sham! 

Oh, okay. We're good. 

(It was really hard to leave here...)

This week is a travel week, which is exciting and exhausting at the same time. I leave the Cape on Tuesday for Johannesburg, then head to London on Thursday. Ten days in Europe, a week in DC, and then I will finally be back in my bed.

Langa

During my last week in Cape Town, I've been trying to pack in all of those things that were left on my to-do list, which included taking the short train ride out to Langa township. This space was created in the early 1920s at what was then the outer edge of Cape Town; it was a place to which city officials could ship Blacks (especially migrant workers). 

The first thing I noticed about Langa is that it's quite different from the other townships I had visited. At Khayelitsha, for instance, there streets immediately around the train tracks are in-filled with what scholars might term "informal" businesses (those that aren't necessarily illegal but perhaps unregulated by formal government institutions): barber/hair shops, fruit/vegetable stands, second-hand electronics, tea stands, braais selling walkie talkies (BBQs that sell chicken wings), and even those who arrange funerals. However, around the Langa train station, sellers are sparse. This may change, given the season or day, but I was surprised at how quiet the area was during our visit.

Walking around the area, there are reminders of the liberation struggle that took place over forty years. Students protested against new language policies enacted in the 1970s, requiring them to be taught solely in Afrikaans. Police were dispatched to the area to break up the protests and a young man was shot and killed; he was dragged from the street by his friends. Today, a beautiful mosaic stands as a memorial to the role and sacrifices children made in the fight to end Apartheid. 

                                     

 

The killing of this young man took place in front of what is now the Langa Heritage Museum (virtualsouthafrica.com/capetown/tours/langamuseum). During the Apartheid era, it was referred to as the Dompass or Administrative Office, where government officials issued and checked the work passes (or, "dumb passes") of Blacks. Every morning, before traveling to the urban areas, Blacks were required to check in with this office in order to gain entry to the city. They had to show proof of employment, denoted by a signature or stamp with the name and location of the employer, to the officers at the office. If an officer stopped someone and asked for their pass but they were unable to produce it, they were immediately arrested and taken to a holding cell at the Administrative Office. They were then brought into the court (shown below), where the judge would ask if they had indeed been caught without their pass. Once a plea was entered, they were either fined, jailed, or taken directly out to a waiting van and deported back to their "homeland".

But there were those who fought back against the pass system. Some refused to carry their passes and intentionally caught the attention of the police in order to be arrested. Others vowed that if someone nearby was arrested for not carrying their dompass, they too would "lose" their pass, creating havoc for police as they attempted to arrest such a large group of people. 

In one corner of what used to be the courtroom, luggage is stacked and shown to visitors. The top piece had a false bottom; in the top, pencils, paper, and other office utensils were kept, while in the bottom, rested a gun for protection. The other pieces are stamped with the official South African emblem, a reminder of when the denotation between legal and illegal African residents was an integral part of one's entire identity. As I understand it, only legal residents were allowed to carry bags with the stamp. 

Tommy, the curator of the museum, reminded us that the struggle for liberation wasn't only the fight of Africans. Rather, protests against the government occurred all throughout the world, including Chicago, and was joined by people of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, and ages. It was led by dissidents, political refugees, and people who were simply concerned about the proliferation of human rights, with protests in the US fueled in part by the wave of anti-war protests. Clergy, heads of NGOs and corporations, and government officials invested their time in an attempt to change the policies of an entire country- and in the end, the international pressure on the Boer government prevailed. 

Found at: chicagotribune.com/sns-apartheid-protests-at-u-of-i-20131206-photo.html

But the struggle continues, as migrant workers fight for a home in the urban arena and fair wages for the work they perform. Many come to the city with the vibrant hope of finding work to help support or supplement incomes of families they left in the rural areas but struggle to find acceptance in the urban space and decent wages that will allow them to continue to live in the city and send remittances to their loved ones. As many have pointed out to me, the divisions between color lines still remain today, albeit a bit faded over the years; but the real perforations are now along economic lines. Unfortunately, the fight to rectify this particular grievance has not taken hold or caught the attention of the multitudes worldwide. 

Found at: stanfordgraffclass.wordpress.com/