Novel Times, Novel Measures

IMG_0928, originally uploaded by noveltimes.

I know Darwin has been dead for many years at this point, but that didn’t stop me from getting all veklempt when seeing his grave at Westminster Abbey. Pictures aren’t allowed in the Abbey, but I felt compelled to break the rules to get this snap off, hence the shoddy quality. Seriously, as magnificent and storied as is Westminster Abbey, Darwin’s grave sent chills up my spine and brought a tear to my eye. It is somewhat odd that Darwin, a man that did more to puncture the peculiar “natural” history of Christianity, would be buried beneath the most treasured symbol of the Anglican Curch. However, I feel it a fitting homage to the greatness of all humankind that the work of one man resonates louder than the entirety of a religious tradition.

Filed under: London

IMG_0843, originally uploaded by noveltimes.

So I know I was just singing the praises of London, but I do have one small gripe. I’m in Bangkok now (more soon!), but everything I said still stands. I love the City on the Thames. However, my fascination with London didn’t prevent me from “tourist burnout” — that sinking feeling of walking around a particularly popular sight with hundreds of Joes and Janes just like you, camera in hand, snapping away, oblivious to time, space or history. It hit me this past Sunday at the Tower of Lodon, real quick like. BAM! and all of a sudden I realized just how much I was a tourist and, worse yet, just how far removed I was from that place and time by virtue of my digitial camera happily clicking away.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been having a lot of fun taking photos on this trip. But as one that has historically not gone in for photo documentation, I’m still trepidatious. Even though I was ready to throw my camera in the mighty Thames, along with every other camera I could snatch from the mindless around me, it was ultimately a positive experience. It reminded me to be in the present. To look with my eyes, then with my lens. And to have a little compassion for the hordes of tourists, of which I am one.

Thankfully I’m in Bangkok, now, and it is a tad easier to find myself removed from those hordes, embedded in the everyday life of the people here. Ironically, though, compared to London, I stick out like Big Ben amongst these crowds. But hey, isn’t that part of the travel experience?

Filed under: London

IMG_0746, originally uploaded by noveltimes.

London feels like home. Easily the most familiar place I have yet to visit outside of the United States. That makes some sense, of course. As an American, I can only lay claim to 300, maybe 400 years of cultural history from whence I came. Before America, though, came England, and literally thousands of years of history. You can feel it here, everywhere. It oozes out of cracks in the streets. The wind whips it around your head while you stagger from left to right, trying to grasp the sheer weight of acumulated experience of the place.

Yes, despite being on foreign soil, London feels very familiar. Not to say there aren’t some differences. Driving on the left side of road is only the most obvious, followed a close second by their use of “chips” to refer to french fries. I kind of like chips better. There is a lot to like better…stunning design of new and old alike are ever present through Central London. Hallowed edifice from the 17th century stands regal relatives to brash modern buildings of nearly every shape and size. City Hall, for instance, is a drop of water that could have splashed out of the Thames. Or the building lovingly referred to as “the gerkin” that looks like a Lovecraftian encephaloid monster lurking around ever corner, ready to smash to bits the stately holdovers from a different era of architecture. Somehow, though, harmony exists between the new and old in London, which is one of the reasons I’ve ejoyed it so.

I could go on and on, but I leave tonight for Bangkok and I still want to get inside Westminster Abbey and lay my eyes on St. Paul’s Cathedral one more time. I’ve seen and sampled an incredible amount already, as these pictures will attest — everything from the British Museum to Stonehenge, from pints and pub food to divine Indian fare. I’ve even been able to indulge my organic fancy at a suprising number of shops that feature sustainably produced goods, even fair trade coffee and corn starch plastic packaging. Londoners generate their fair share of waste, though. “Take away” cups are nearly a full half pound cheaper than sit down which encourages plenty of paper to walk out the door, and I haven’t seen a lick of organics collection. Paper and container recycling seem fairly common, though. Ah, the life of a wandering waste management professional.

OK, time to get off this machine and out into the London streets one more time. Ta!

Filed under: London