Europe (Part V): Dover

31 July 2014

Our second time visiting Oxford was much better than our first. We arrived around the same time, in the morning, and walked a bit until we reached 20 N Moor Rd. The property has a high fence and shrubberies growing up over the fence. The current residents were obviously trying to keep gawkers out of their yard and mind. The home once housed J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time. His old home is just like any other home in this Oxford subdivision. However, it was exciting to walk the same path as he did when class was in session. He also lived for a bit in the neighbouring house: 22 N Moor Rd. This house did not have the blue plaque, used to signify the residences of famous Brits. This house had beautiful landscaping and did not guard itself in with a tall fence. I doubt most people knew that this was also Tolkien's home at one point in his life at Oxford.

After walking back into town and down the main road, we stopped in front of the Eagle and Child, where I gave a quick spiel about its history (for class). Unfortunately, it would not open for another thirty minutes, so we had to eat elsewhere. There was a small, cheap café next door, so most of us just went in and ordered there. I had a chili con carne jacket potato, an Americano, and a San Pellegrino orange soda. After lunch, we walked into the Bird and Baby and sat down in the Rabbit Room, where the Inklings met every Tuesday for a pint and some mythopoeia.

After this, we walked to the bus stop and waited twenty minutes for the bus. In the mean time, Sarah Ellis and I wandered into an antique shoppe, where they sold amazing artifacts. For example, they had intact books from the early 1700s, coins from Caesar's reign, and old pistols from pirate ships. We knew we would have to come back after our bus trip.

We probably had a fifteen minute bus ride to The Kilns, the home of C.S. Lewis. We were a little late for our tour, but luckily only missed the introduction. It began in the old family room and worked its way from there, through the kitchen, upstairs into the study and bedrooms, and then outside into his garden. The home was bought by the Lewis Foundation and restored to its original style. I laid on his bed, in his room; I peered out at Narnia from his study window; I sat down on his toilet; I held his pipe. It was a magnificent experience: to be in Lewis' home and to walk where he walked...to poop where he pooped. The whole place was magical. I could definitely see how the subcreation of Narnia was found in The Kilns. After the tour, we walked down to the pond in his backyard and watched Narnian ducks play in the water. I hate to admit it, but I picked a flower from the Narnian garden so that I can someday show that flower to my children while I read to them. "Here kids, this is a flower from Narnia!" We walked about three blocks from The Kilns to where lie the bodies of Jack and Warnie. They are buried in the same grave.

After this, we were free to explore Oxford and go about on our own. Sarah and I went back to Antiques on High Street, where I purchased an ancient Indo-Scythian coin from 35BC. I now own a coin that is older than Jesus Christ. I love coins and the history behind them, so this Middle Eastern coin was worth every pence!

We walked back down the Main Street, swung into some souvenir shoppes, and hopped on the train back into London. The day was long but totally worth all the walking. When we got back to Finchley, Sarah and I got some groceries at Sainsbury's before going to dinner at the refectory. I printed out my Harry Potter paper and then laid in bed and listened to Eric Whitacre until I drifted off into a sleep, finding myself running through the woods of Narnia.

01 August 2014

There really won't be much to say about today. I did nothing but coffee, trees, and homework. So be prepared for a simple and short day!

Today, I took my time getting out of bed. I began the day at 1030 by taking the tube over to Oxford Circus, where we departed and headed north towards Gower Street. We ended up at Kaffiene, Amanda, Sara and me. We got coffee - I got the coffee flight (espresso, flak water, and a flat white) and an iced coffee and then some banana bread with butter (toasted).

We probably stayed in Kaffiene for two hours before going out and back to the station to ride over to St James Park. The weather today was perfect. The sun was shining, but it was no more than 20 C. There was a slight wind and only a few clouds in the sky. Being London, it of course had to rain for about five minute. But that did not slow us down. It drizzled while we were sitting at the park, but the leaves of the tree kept us dry. We actually sat in a tree for an hour or so, doing homework until we grew hungry.

So then we went back to Finchley and hopped on a bus to Lyncroft. At Lyncroft, we stopped in Basilico's. This pizza place had a wood-burning furnace and the pizza was rich with flavor; I had a Margherite pizza (cheese and tomato). We walked up to campus and split up for a bit before getting back together to watch tele in Amanda's room.

After about two hours of tele, I decided that it was time to go back to my room, where I picked up my messy floor, did some homework, and laid in bed and did laziness. At this point, I decided to go to sleep. Although it was a studious day, I did have fun going throughout the city, getting very good coffee and spending time in a tree with some friends.

02 August 2014

Shoot! I forgot my BritRail in my room. Why did I have to wait to remember until we were already on the tube going to King's Cross? Okay, next stop, we have to turn around and go back...

Okay, finally, here we are at St Pancras International and trying to find the Dover Priory-bound speed train. After grabbing some coffee, Parker and I sat down on the train and sat back for our hour-long ride to the edge of the country. I did homework the whole time; Parker slept. We arrived in Dover in no time at all. It was 1120 when we stepped off the carriage and onto the land of Dover.

Our first stop: Dover Castle. We climbed and climbed, all the way past the walls and into the grounds of the fortress. Unfortunately, it cost £16 to enter the citadel, so we chose to save our money and skip the tour. Let's not and say we did...So we climbed all the way back down from the castle and along the coast of England. We stopped plenty of times along the two-mile walk from the castle to the cliffs to take photos of the surroundings. And then we reached the foot of the cliffs...

The climb up the cliffs was physically exhausting. By the time we reached the entrance to the White Cliffs of Dover Park, we were sweating and sore. Luckily for us, there is a visitor centre on top of the cliffs, right before the park begins. The centre had a café, so we both ate brunch: cheese and onion pie. I quite enjoyed this brunch, for it energized and was somewhat tasty. And here begins our cliff walk. The white cliffs are sheer, pure, massive juts of rock that make England look like the next layer on a piece of earth cake, as though God had designed the world, forgot to put down the UK, and placed it gently on top of the ocean. And although you may not be able to imagine it, the cliffs are pure white. Their shine makes you squint as you gaze across the fields, over the side of the cliff and then into the vast sea that prevented Germany from totally invading England during the Second World War.

As a romantic, I found the walk along the white cliffs to be rather inspirational. While you feel so small up against these cliffs, there is a sense that God is trying to impress you with his beautiful masterpiece. While the cliffs are really sharp and deadly, there is an attractiveness to how gentle they look. It's morbid, but when you pass an accident on the side of the road, you cannot help but look at the damage. We are attracted to something strange things, like smashed cars and white rocks that reach out of earth and into the sky. Like a big bear that is looking for a hug; like a heavy blanket that just keeps you warm on a cold winters night; the cliffs are mighty like a father and gentle like a mother. They are the eagle and the thrush; the lamb and the lion. If you listen to the song "The Bridge of Khazad Dum," you'll understand how the cliffs can be so brutish and so beautiful, so sheer and so graceful. No wonder the white cliffs have been the focus of so many romantic songs.

We walked all the way to the end of the cliffs, where a small white lighthouse looms overhead. Within the lighthouse is a tearoom, where Parker and I had tea for two and some lemon cake. It was absolutely breathtaking to sit under the lighthouse, on the edge of the cliffs, and watch the blue waves of the sea crash against the shore below. It took us almost two hours to fully embrace the gloriousness of Dover.

The walk back (about three kilometres of cliff) was no less impactful. Along the return journey we actually stumbled upon an old tunnel that must have been used during the war for a coastal hideaway. We huddled inside this tunnel, which was covered at this point in shrubberies.

By the time we returned to Dover Priory, our legs were Jell-O and it began to rain; luckily the rain held out until we finished walking along the edge of a sheer cliff. There were no rails, no paved paths, no safety precautions. Safety was entirely in our hands. But we survived.

We got off the Jubilee line at Finchley and decided to take a bus into Hampstead for some dinner. Both of us were in the mood for some sushi, so Jin Kichi was our destination. This whole-in-the-wall traditional sushi restaurant was extremely cramped. They could not have fit another chair in the small, quiet room upstairs or in the basement. Our table was in a corner of the basement, next to the sushi table where two men we rolling sushi with ease and pleasure. Now, don't get the impression that Jin Kichi is an unsanitary or dive sushi place. One: it is in Hampstead, the wealthiest division of London, if not the wealthiest three square miles in the world. The restaurant was very elegant and inviting. I ordered a salmon roll, a bowl of white rice, and sake. This was my first tasting of sake, and it definitely added to the feng shui of the balanced and organized plating of our meal.

After dinner, Parker and I walked back to campus and joined the typical group of friends, where we sat around and played board games into the night. I would say that the combination of white cliffs, formal sushi, and genuine friendship made today the perfect Saturday holiday.

03 August 2014

Following the perfection of yesterday's events, I did not think today would compare. However, for different reasons, today was just as memorable as Dover! I woke up around 1000 and lazily got ready for the day. At noon, Amanda, Sara, and I departed for Brick Lane Market. It is quite tricky to get to Brick Lane, because the Finchley and Frognal Overground is out of order this month.

When we arrived at Brick Lane, there were more people than usual because some type of big hipster event was occurring and we happened to show up on opening day. We passed a group of BMX bikers and a rap crew. There was also a strange, strange band playing some type of musical interpretation at a street corner. The band was a drum, bass, and "voice." The singer was either humming into a kazoo, dancing like a jellyfish, or screaming in a falsetto during their song in 5/4. The "music" was actually quite fascinating.

After this otherworldly experience, we walked into the Brick Lane Coffee and Crepe shoppe known as Wakey Wakey Coffeeshoppe. I had a Nutella crepe and an iced Americano. Let me just say, this crepe was the best pastry I've ever had. The coffee was good, too. Back out on the streets, I found myself a wonderful Irish driving cap for £12 - a traditional hipster hat from the birthplace of the modern hipster. I am so hip. I happened to be wearing a classy outfit - jacket and tie and boots - so I looked like I was about to go duck hunting. A very hip man sporting suspenders, a beard, an old hat, a curly mustache, and an old film camera snapped a picture of me (for what, I do not know. All I know is that he appreciated my attire). Confidence boost!

After we finished shopping, we took the train to Westminster for the evensong service. I sat directly behind the bass and felt my entire body rumble under the power of his voice. This service was just as good as the one from last Sunday, and I did indeed tear up during a hallelujah moment. I think I would prefer my first seat though, because the balance of the choir was a little bass-heavy for my liking.

After service, I got some elderflower tea with milk and sugar and enjoyed a stroll through the Westminster quadrangle. We took our time getting back to the tube. Once we did get back, though, we did homework until dinner. Today was definitely the day for catching up on my journals, so I needed this time desperately. When the group of students that went to Paris returned, I accompanied Chloe to Sainsbury's where we got ourselves some chow mien dinner. Mmm, microwaveable noodles and chicken that has been sitting out all day. Delicious.

After dinner, we cranked out quite a bit more homework! I probably did around ten journals today. I worked from dinner until midnight on journals before calling it quits and laying my head down for the night.

04 August 2014

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the mysteries of the series were discussed in great deal during MMM today. In Inklings, we walked about the first book of The Fellowship of the Ring. We went around and discussed things like Tom Bombadil (the name I have chosen for a future pet of mine), barrow wights, and the Nazgûl. We also decided what our final papers would cover. Mine will discuss the importance of Tolkien's Middle Earth in regards to mythopoeia today. The spark of mythopoeia and adult fantasy subcreation that began in the 1930s with The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings blazed into an inferno that will line bookshelves forevermore; the subcreative elements that Tolkien used to compose Middle Earth have supplied the foundations for all mythopoeic literature that followed thereafter, making fantasy attractive for all ages. That is my thesis. While the other classmates were going around discussing their theses, I was busy teaching myself how to write in elvish. I actually figured out the sentence and syntax stylings, but have yet to memorize the characters for the alphabet.

After class, I worked on my paper behind Bay Hall, in the field with the flowers and bumblebees. It was nice to be able to sit alone and enjoy the silence around me, The buildings surrounding this quiet area did wonders with the sound of traffic hidden away, off in the distance. I did not even need headphones to concentrate on my Tolkien paper. I got quite a good start on the paper before heading over to Chloe's room to continue the process of crunching out paragraph after paragraph of literary analysis.

This evening, London had a one-hour black out for the remembrance of the Great War. The hundredth anniversary of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination - and in turn the anniversary of the First World War - is today, 4 August 2014. All the lights around Westminster were turned off besides the face of Big Ben. The world wars have had a great impact on the people of England, for the armies of Hitler were knocking on their front door. It was mainly a European battle, one in which it came down to Deutschland, Britain, and Soviet Russia. If Great Britain had not dug her heels in, there is no telling what would have happened to the western world. And for that reason, London honoured its past and spent an hour in silence and darkness.

The anniversary was sobering, but the day was good as a whole, and I was studious after classes. By midnight, I was crashing in bed, getting prepared for the long day ahead of me tomorrow.