The Bystander Blog

Back in America…here’s the photos from the last few days January 4, 2011

Well, my time in Oxford is over.  First, I have to apologize for waiting so long to make this post.  I got so tied up with doing the fun stuff around here that it slipped away from me.  I’m back home, back at work, and things have pretty much gone back to normal.  I did also get stuck in Chicago for about a day and a half, when Minneapolis was hit with the Metrodome-killing blizzard.  Here’s a tip for the next time you travel: make sure your airline will book you a motel room in such circumstances.  I ended up paying for a couple nights in a Holiday Inn Express.

I think there happened to be a Justin Bieber concert in Chicago that night too.  How convenient.

Anyway, here’s the photos from the trip we took to London on Friday the 10th.  We spent an afternoon at the Tower of London and saw some other stuff downtown.

But first, we had to go back to Abbey Road and get some decent pictures.

One of my tutors said to me, "Oh, that's such a tourist-thing to do!" To which I replied, "Yes. Yes it is."

And then, it was off to the Tower of London!

Panoramic shot of the Tower of London

London Bridge behind the Tower

Ice skating outside the Tower of London? Sure!

The building on the left houses some of the crown jewels (unfortunately, I don't think photos were allowed). On the right is the central building of the Tower.

A little monument marking the place where several people were executed, including a couple of Henry VIII's wives if I remember right.

The central building in the Tower of London houses a huge amount of stuff from past Kings.

There was a TON of medieval/renaissance armor on display (this belonged to Henry VIII if I remember right)

A chair used for an execution.

I took far more photos in the Tower of London than I can fit into this blog post.  If you’re interested in medieval/modern English history, be sure to get in touch to see the rest of them.

We finished the London trip with a stop at Harrods; probably the best and most expensive department store in the entire country.

All decked out for the holidays

A dress from Harrods, with a picture of Halle Berry wearing it in the lower left corner.

Harrods' window displays got pretty ridiculous.

After that, it was one last quick stop downtown before we headed out for good.

Well, maybe not for good.  It was my last time in downtown London for the time being, but I told myself that this woudn’t be my last time in London, or in Oxford for that matter.  I know I’ll be coming back, for tourism if nothing else.  But who knows?  I might be giving a lecture…

I’ve been working and spending time with friends and family over the past couple weeks.  To be honest, it hardly feels like I left.  Oxford seems like it’s just as far from home as Sioux City.  The internet is partly to blame for that; the fact that communication is so easy in 2010-2011.  But after having lived in Oxford for three and a half months, it really did start to feel like a second home to me.  And like I said, I can’t wait to go back.

I’ll be changing gears on The Bystander Blog in the next week or two–back to editorial writing!  But first, I really have to say thanks for following me while I was in England.  If it weren’t for my great family and friends, I wouldn’t have been there in the first place.  You guys supported me before, during, and after this trip, and I’d encourage all of you to take a trip to England if you ever get the chance.  And if you’re still in undergrad, please, PLEASE take a trip to Europe before you graduate.  There’s a lot of world out there, and the best way to understand it is to immerse yourself in it.  You may never have this kind of a chance again.  It’ll be worth every penny. I promise.