Thursday, July 16

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Our morning began with a tour of the British Library. The charming and entertaining Mr.Kevin Mehmet, one of the Library staff, showed us around this wonderful and relatively new (opened in 1998) facility. I think it is safe to say that we as librarians love the "behind the scenes" view of a library , and this was especially true for the British Library. Mr. Mehmet shared information and statistics with us as he showed us the hidden workings of this enormous facility. One of the interesting aspects was the book transfer operation which is a sophisticated, high-tech operation at its finest with over 1 1/2 miles of tracks within the library which moves books and other items requested by patrons throughout the building. As a repository library this institution receives a copy of every item published in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which totals about 3 million new additions per year. The 11 reading rooms are typically full of library users, who, if they each read 5 items from the collection each day, would still require 80,000 years to see the entire collection!

We then toured a portion of the library including the tower of books donated by King Charles lll which totaled around 90, 000 items. The tower is the centerpiece of the library which was designed around it in accord with the King's wishes that his collection be visible and utilizes by readers. We also viewed the Magna Carta, original manuscripts from Milton, Bronte, Wolfe, and music and lyrics (including one on an old envelope) from the Beatles.

A quick lunch was enjoyed in the on site cafe and then I headed off the the Foundling Hospital Museum just down the street. The original building was opened in 1741 to house abandoned and unwanted children and became the first real art museum in the city. Founder Thomas Coram prevailed upon his upper-crust friends, including Hogarth, Gainsborough, and Reynolds, to donate artwork to the museum. Coram than invited patrons to visit and view the artwork in hopes of soliciting their donations to help finance the operation of the hospital. Handel was a benefactor of the hospital and left a copy of the Messiah and a monetary donation to the hospital in his will. Visitors can view items from Handel's estate including his will and libretto and can also listen to his music in the comfort of a lovely gallery setting. The building also houses a fine collection of furniture and silver, including a Paul Storr salver.

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Back to Stamford Street after another busy day.

Wednesday, July 15

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Our day started with a Tube ride to the Museum of London located in the City of London, close to St. Paul's. Mr. Jon Cotton, a specialist in Prehistoric London, spoke to our group for about an hour on the history of the city, life before the influence of the Romans, the importance of the Thames, and much more. We then toured a wonderful exhibition of "London before London" which traced the evolution of the prehistoric settlers in this region. The artifacts were well displayed and arranged in an order that made the evolutionary aspect easy to discern and understand. One of the most interesting exhibits was the 5000+ year old skeleton which had been unearthed in the Thames valley region. The skeletal remains were displayed along with an amazing facial reconstruction. Mr. Cotton spoke about putting a "face" on history in order to make it more real and less abstract. That concept is certainly borne out in this instance.


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We continued to tour the exhibits and viewed everything that was on display covering the history of the city until 1666 and the Great Fire of London. The remainder of the museum is under renovation so we were unable to view anything past that date.

Several of us walked down to the Barbican for a delicious lunch then off to the Cabinet War Rooms in Westminster. I had visited this site in years gone by and was anxious to spend time there during this trip. One nice surprise awaited in that the exhibit has been enlarged and in 2003 an entire section devoted to the life of Winston Churchill was opened. One sees photos, hears speeches, views clothing and other ephemera from the life of Churchill. An interesting new feature was an interactive timeline detailing events from the life of Churchill both before and after he became a public figure.

Tuesday, July 14

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Our day started with a Tube ride to the Barbican Centre and a visit to the library located there. I wandered around the Children's library a bit perusing their books and displays before I was able to chat with the librarian Ms. Amanda Owens. She had been visiting a local school that morning promoting their summer reading program "Quest Seekers" and was happy to meet with several of us and share her insights and knowledge of librarians and librarianship.

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I spent several busy hours at the Barbican library looking around and researching children's libraries in London. A terrific assistant helped me find the info I needed about the Chelsea Library and I set off for it after a wonderful lunch at the Barbican cafe.

Located in the neighborhood of South Kensington and Chelsea this beautiful small library occupies the former Town Hall site. The children's department is on the second floor in a bright, sunny yellow room. Ms. Elisabeth Brown, library assistant, was most helpful with my inquiries and shared loads of terrific ideas. Our chat was interrupted several times by patrons with small children or babies which attests to the busyness of this branch and which makes any librarian very happy. I looked around this location a bit more and noted, among other things, that the U.K. version of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book had different cover art and illustrations from the U.S. version. Same great story on the inside, however.

I enjoyed a stroll up to Knightsbridge along the King's Road and passed many familiar shops and businesses along the way. I knew immediately that I was in the vicinity of Harrod's when the pedestrian and automotive traffic suddenly increased dramatically. Harrod's was packed with customers and if there is a recession, it seems to have bypassed this retail bastion. Shoppers all over the store were buying fast and furiously.

Everyone that wasn't in Harrods or on the streets of Knightsbridge was in the Tube racing toward home. The trains and stations were packed with wall-to-wall people and it was a reprieve from the hustle and bustle to reach the relative quiet of Stamford Street.

Monday, July 13

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Our day started with a class meeting then off to St. Paul's. Holly, Emily, Rachel and I walked along the Thames and then crossed the Millennium Footbridge where we ended up just steps from St. Paul's. The view was phenomenal as we approached the cathedral during our walk. We headed downstairs to the cafe for a nice lunch in the Cloister area. We walked around a bit before our class met for our tour of the library and were treated to a concert on the steps by a group of students from Baltimore. Their selection of "Feed the Birds" from the movie Mary Poppins couldn't have been more appropriate.

The highlight of our day was a tour and brief lecture by the St. Paul's librarian Mr. Joe Wisdom. This delightful, dapper gentleman was a marvelous tour guide, full of anecdotes and other information about the cathedral and libraries. He took us through an unmarked door up the 93 stairs of the Dean's Staircase. This flight was used in one of the Harry Potter movies and it will be fun to watch the film again having trod the same steps as Harry and Hermione!

Being upstairs at St. Paul's and looking down into the cathedral was a magical experience. What a view! We were standing where the BBC had placed cameras during the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The effect was enhanced when later a group of choristers began to practice.

We then visited the Model Room which houses a large model (1/25 scale) of a cathedral, similar to but not exactly the one we know as St.Paul's. This room is filled with drawings, other models,sketches and a wooden medallion featuring architect Christopher Wren. It was interesting to see some of the transmutations of the cathedral and to see how it could have been constructed if Wren's vision had not been made manifest.

Mr. Wisdom then ushered us into the library. While identical in size and dimension to the model room, the library feels much smaller. Possibly this is due to the walls of bookshelves, intricate mouldings, a functioning fireplace and furniture. A working library and office, this room is replete with books, busts, and other bibliographic packages (as Dr. Chan would say!). Bookshelves line the walls and a second, balcony level allows for easy access to the shelves on that level. Mr. Wisdom shared a great amount of information about this unique library ranging from the esoteric (appealing to us librarians) to the mundane. He showed us one of the prizes of the collection, an illuminated manuscript, and described it as "what I would grab if the building were to go up in flames".



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After tea outside a wonderful little patisserie, we wandered back to Stamford Street across the bridge. Later that evening King's College hosted a welcome reception for us at their campus across the river close to the Strand. We gathered in a beautiful and highly ornamented Chapel on the campus and then retired to a Ballroom for drinks and nibbles. Dr. Welsh introduced me to the President of the University of Texas-Tyler and his wife who were both natives of Kentucky! I also met Dr. Bowersox who is a Georgetown grad who hails from Owensboro.

It was a full day with much more yet to come!

Sunday, July 12

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After a big night at the Hard Rock, I slept in and enjoyed a quiet morning. It was a beautiful sunny day so I walked along the river for about 15 minutes until I reached the Tate Modern. The exterior of this fabulous museum doesn't begin to indicate what treasures are contained inside. Located in a former utility station the Tate Modern has sweeping spaces for exhibitions of all types. One enters the amazingly large Turbine Room with its slanting floor (favored by kiddos running up and down it) and enormous ceiling. It was interesting to see treasures from the Tate Britain hanging in this new (to me, at least) dynamic space.

After a few hours of gazing at artwork and sculptures by Monet, Pollack, Giacometti, and Warhol, I headed to the 7th floor for lunch. The views were lovely as was my delicious lunch.

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Returned to the dorm for some quiet time, reading and class preparation. We had been warned that the dorms would conduct a test of the fire alarm each Wednesday afternoon. When the fire alarm began to blare around 8 p.m., we knew that this was not a test. Everyone scurried out to the Courtyard and visited with each other while the local fire brigade came and put out whatever was on fire in one of the dorms. It was a nice evening to be out for everyone but the poor girls who arrived clad only their towels having been routed out of the shower!

Saturday, July 11

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Our first full day of class starts! After a yummy breakfast at Konditor and Cook just down the street I head to our first class session. Dr. Welsh reviews our syllabus and our schedule then we head back to the Auditorium for orientation for the entire study abroad group.

Jenn, Jessica and I head down the street to Waterloo Station for lunch and a bit of shopping. Marks and Spencer has a good little grocery close by where we pick up some staples and goodies for breakfast.

At 2:30 we meet for our "London Alive" tours. I signed on the the "Nazi Blitz" session which took us on a walking tour through the neighborhood. Dr. Mackaman is a terrific lecturer and brings this era alive with great information and anecdotes. Plus he adroitly managed to fend off the cranky drunk who interrupted his talk! We end up at the Imperial War Museum and spend the remainder of the afternoon touring this phenomenal museum. I visit the Trench exhibit which presents a realistic yet sanitized version of this mode of warfare. Walking through the trench, listening the the recreation of the sounds of war and smelling some the the smells that existed then made for an interesting experience. Time ran out so I'll be back to experience the Blitz and to see the rest of the exhibits another day.

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A busy day ended with a late dinner at London's original Hard Rock Cafe at Hyde Park Corner. What was to be an easy straight shot tube ride became complicated when the Jubilee Line that we needed to take us directly to the Hard Rock was out of service. We ended up having to change trains during a busy night in the city, but made it there safe and sound. Always a great experience and always fun to have a large Coke with tons of ice!

Arrival in London Friday, July 10

Arrived at Gatwick after a calm and uneventful flight. The Gatwick Express carried me to Victoria Station in less than 30 minutes! After a quick lunch and a short cab ride I landed at Stamford Street Apartments, my home for the next few weeks.

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The friendly folks from USM were waiting in the Courtyard to greet the new arrivals. After sign-in introductions were made and room keys were handed out. My flat is on the 6th floor at the end of the hall. The rooms are cozy and comparable to what one would find in an American dorm. With a bath en suite, a fridge in the room .

After time to unpack and nap, my class meets in the Courtyard for a walking tour of the neighborhood and dinner at a local pizza parlor. We visit the huge Waterloo train station (over 26 acres under roof) and learn a bit about our surroundings. We spend the dinner hour getting acquainted with classmates and learning about what London adventures await.

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