Benjamin Franklin's lodging while in London

The Benjamin Franklin House is located at 36 Craven Street near the Thames in a very central part of London also close to Charing Cross Tube station. Benjamin Franklin lived there for 16 years up until 1775 when he left abruptly for America. During his time he lodged in this house and promoted good relations between the colonies and England but could not prevent the impending split. Franklin also pursued his scientific and musical interests in this house. It was here that he worked on his inventions, bifocals and the lightning rod.

Later in this house bones were found buried underneath. After Franklin left this house was apparently used as a place for surgeons to practice on dead bodies. Many times these bodies were stolen from graves as bodies to be used for medical practice were at a premium during the 18th century.

The house to this day maintains most of its original features including wood floors, staircases and marble fireplaces.

BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and Yo-Yo Ma

This past Sunday night was the last night of the BBC Proms. It was something that I was told was one of the things to do while in London but to be honest I was resigned that to not make it. I have just been doing so many things and the Proms are expensive. Even so I ended up getting tickets for Friday Night to see Yo-Yo Ma with The Silk Road Ensemble. It was late Friday night but it was a treat to be able to see such a famous composer in the lush Victorian style surroundings of Royal Albert Hall.

The music was experimental and meant to represent the meeting of Eastern and Western culture, thus the name Silk Road Ensemble. The show opened quietly with musicians on either side of the stage playing bamboo flutes. Then some eastern style music was played on western instruments. Yo-Yo Ma performing on his cello which has made him world famous.

The composers talked about each selection played. Many of the songs were old and told stories of war or heartbreak. Sometimes the music was interrupted by the beating of drums. At one point there was even a long solo of a man slapping his chest, cheeks and legs to create rhythm and beats.

Yo-Yo Ma was upbeat and friendly with the audience who were very appreciative of his performance. It was an exciting show and definitely one of the highlights of stay in London so far.

Fireworks on the Thames

It felt like the 4th of July or New Year's Eve. Although it was just a normal Sunday night and I was tired. Standing on The Waterloo Bridge overlooking the Thames with the first bit of Autumn cool setting in and fireworks in the air against the backdrop of St. Paul's and the Gerkin made for a special moment in London.

Dover

♫Here on these cliffs of Dover
so high you can't see over♫

The above lyrics are taken from a Decemberists song. I couldn't get the song out of my head as I traveled to Dover on the English channel.

The castle on the white chalk cliffs of Dover is strategically located to protect England from invasion and just 17 miles from France. As a matter of fact when one climbs to the top of the keep you can see France off in the distance on a clear day. The castle dates back to the earliest Roman settlements in Britain, it was stormed by William the Conquerer and his men in 1066 and late played a key role in defending England from German attack during World War II. The cliffs are steep and white like chalk. Against the frigid blue waters of the English Channel they are breathtaking.

Canterbury Cathedral

The see of the Anglican Church. Even before the protestant reformation and the split with Rome that took place under Henry VIII Canterbury was the center of English Christianity. It is also a bit of a symbol of the struggle between the Church and Crown as martyrs like Thomas Beckett and Thomas Cranmer held the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. Today Rowan Williams holds the post and Canterbury is the center of attention in the Christian world as the Anglican Communion around the world struggles to define itself. The destination of the pilgrimage made in The Canterbury Tails it was an honor to visit Canterbury.

A Walk through the English Countryside and a Castle

This past Saturday my roommate and I set out on a great adventure to see the Bodiam Castle. It is a well preserved English Castle built by a Lord in the 1300s and located near the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This Castle is not located near a train station and therefore requires either a car or a long walk...


We got off the train as near as possible to the Castle in Robertsbridge




Robertsbridge is a charming little English town...




We walked past a field and breathed in the fresh air...




An old church where a wedding took place...




Over a babbling brook...




More open fields and farms...





we were actually a bit lost in the woods...





Out into a clearing and around the bend...




Finally the castle http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-bodiamcastle





On the way back we walked past The Castle Inn.




Then we walked over a bridge...




past an old graveyard...





We were soooo hungry so we stopped at one of the fifty best Pubs in England and ate a wonderful handmade pizza...



we washed down the Pizza with a Pint of Harvey's Bitter.



Then we were back in Robertsbridge and we walked past a cricket match...



then back to the train station!

Borough Market

Sensory overload today at The Borough Market. Large pots of Thai food,fresh fruits and vegetables, wines, cheeses, baked breads and pastries, olives from Greece and Italy, Fresh cut flowers, juices, oils, oysters, chocolate and fresh berries. I don't think I can write any more I am making myself too hungry.

Smart Boards at The Study Centre

One of my tasks at work is to make a video on how to use The Smart Board technologies in the classroom. SmartBoards are fun and easy to use. Essentially it is like having a large computer on the wall that you can use with your finger as the mouse. You can also draw with your finger on a web page, erase things with your palm and watch videos. You can import images, save maps etc. It can be a very valuable teaching tool and just extremely fun to use. I have already made some video footage demonstrating how to use the SmartBoard but I was tired on that day and the lighting was poor so I think that I am going to redo it. One of the tricky thing was converting the footage from the mini DVD in the camera to the MPEG4 format but I was able to get it done. I am using Windows Movie Maker which is not as fun to use as Imovie but both products are free and I think it is important for me to learn to use both Windows and Apple programs.

Also notice the beautiful chandelier and molding on the roof of this classroom. The FSU Study Centre truly has a fabulous building in a very central location. I am fortunate to be working here.

Camden Market

"Punk's not Dead" in Camden


West African Food at the Camden Market

Yesterday was Bank Holiday in England and I had a very good day. While most people were at The Notting Hill Carinval, I avoided the crowds and had coffee with a wonderful person that I met at the ATLA conference and who is the director of a Theological Library in Chicago. She is the editor of a journal to do with Theology and Librarianship and I am going to try my hand at writing a book review. What I enjoyed most was the coffee and conversation, however.

Later I headed up to The Camden Market for some street food. Camden is sort of a bohemian, multicultural, goth, punk, slightly dirty, slightly seedy, artsy part of London. The market is located right next to the Canal and occupies a large building that looks like horse stables. The food is hot, ready, ethnic and not too expensive. You can get everything from Thai, Brazilian, Lebonese, African and on and on. I got some food to go and then sat by the water to read a book and enjoy it. Oh yeah and I saw a few Punks as you can see in the photo at the top but this is not an unusual sight in Camden and North London.