Hampton Court Pictures!

Sorry for the long delay, I'm still figuring out Photobucket. Here are the Hampton Court photos. If you click on slideshow, make sure you also click on reverse order, so you can see the pictures from the beginning. Enjoy!
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/hampton%20court/

Hampton Court and the First Paper

My dear Friends,

Forgive me for not writing sooner. Life has been uncommonly hectic the last week or so and I haven't been able to write. Between classes, field trips, and frantic researching and writing, any spare time is spent wandering about Oxford with my new friends or sleeping. The camaraderie between all of us here at The Vines is amazing! All this last weekend, while the majority of us were in the throes of of writing our first Oxford paper, we continually empathized with each other, made coffee and tea together, and at times procrastinated together. Even at four in the morning, we still found time to talk and encourage one another that yes, we would finish this paper and sleep tomorrow. So yesterday I turned in my first research paper of the semester and then spent the afternoon relaxing. I went to the Eagle and Child with Courtney, Andrea, and Courtney's friend from Messiah. Then we went to the English Faculty Library to get books for our next paper. (Mine is about the role of literature in the abolition movement.) I returned to the Vines and watched the last hour or so of the BBC "Pride and Prejudice." Later that night I got talked into watching Planet Earth, which was excellent. I finally went to bed around eight and slept soundly until about eight in the morning! At the moment I'm feeling a little bit sick, but hopefully it will blow over soon. I'm splitting up the evening researching and watching "Amazing Grace," compliments of youtube. On Thursday we will all be heading to Bath. Hopefully, this Saturday I will join a small group and go to London for the day and see some things I didn't see last time, namely Westminster Abbey and Tate Modern.

Now, for a brief summary of the Hampton Court excursion. Hampton Court began its existence a long time ago, but it is most famously known as one of Henry VIII's palaces. Before it became Henry's, it belonged to Cardinal Woolsey, who had the misfortune of being unable to get Henry a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Due to this, he fell out of favor with Henry and was forced to give up his lovely home. I don't have time to go into the fascinating history of Hampton Court, but do google it sometime. Basically, we spent the day wandering around, taking pictures, and looking for ghosts. (Rumor has it there are a few ghosts lingering in the palace, one of them being one of Henry's wives that he had beheaded.) Courtney and I bought some grapes that are grown there and felt very distinguished as we ate the "historic" grapes. I will load some pictures sometime soon so you can see what it looks like. In the meantime, I must return to my research.

London

Last Saturday I went to London with most of my fellow SCIO students. It was an exhausting, exhilarating, and wonderful day. Thankfully, it did not rainy and it was actually fairly warm and sunny. First, we made our way to a small park with a statue of Pres. Roosevelt, which is near the U. S. Embassy, just because Jonathan wanted us to feel close to home. Then we went to Hyde Park, which Jonathan says was created by Henry VIII. Basically, Henry dissolved the monasteries that were originally on the grounds and then used the park for his pleasure in hunting small animals. The park was lovely, with great big trees and the most wonderful green grass. We walked across the park to Buckingham Palace. The palace itself isn't really that pretty, but the gates are splendid and the big statue for Queen Victoria is fabulous. I was very excited to see the guards, which reminded me of the A. A. Milne poem "Buckingham Palace."

After taking several pictures, we hurried along through another lovely park complete with black and white swans and pelicans. I saw a very interesting man sitting on one of the benches, a pigeon in one hand and a squirrel in the other. We made a brief stop by Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, but we didn't have time to go in. Next it was lunch break. I got a sandwich and drink at the cafe in The National Gallery and then spent about twenty minutes wandering through a few of the galleries. Even that brief space of time was wonderful, around every corner was another master: Titian, Velazquez, Rubens! I can't wait to go back to London and properly visit the Gallery. We all regrouped outside the Gallery where a concert was going on for London Peace Week. By now the group had split up into various groups, but I remained with the tour. We went on the tube and then traveled down various winding streets. We saw the place where the Great Fire started and then we visited several of Christopher Wren's churches. Then we stopped by the castle where Guy Fawkes was imprisoned and tortured--a terrible story and very sad. We saw Tower Bridge, which was quite lovely. We also saw the site of England's first coffee house, which I was very excited about, but unfortunately, they no longer serve coffee because the building is now a Jamaican wine house. Finally we made it to St. Paul's for Evensong. St. Paul's defies description and is altogether magnificent. The choir was truly angelic, but sadly, I was so tired from walking all over London that I actually fell asleep! Lastly, we went to China Town for dinner, which wasn't so great because the restaurant owners segregated me and the other vegetarian and they weren't very nice to us. Plus we couldn't take the leftovers (which were plentiful) home. At last we got on the bus and came back to sleepy Oxford.

Overall, the trip was great and definitely whetted my appetite for further exploration.

Hey everyone!
There's not much to report today. I had my library orientation, which was a bit confusing because there are over 100 libraries in Oxford, but you can only use certain ones, and they all have different rules. However, with a total of 11 million books, I won't complain from lack of resources! Other than that, I went grocery shopping and had some good conversations with my new friends and housemates. Right now I'm doing preleminary work on my Arthur essay. My topic is: Discuss Arthur's career in literature with detailed reference to one British work of literature and its historical context. I picked T. H. White's Once and Future King because it's so different and funny and good. I think that this paper will be a lot of fun to research and write. Tomorrow I am off to London! I can't wait.

P.S. Here is a link to a youtube video of one of my favorite songs. I bought this album (For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver) this summer and I love it! Hope you like the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePatJIwB-sI

More pictures!

http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Stonehenge_and_Salisbury/

Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge

Hello all!

Today was a very exciting day! All of us embarked on a pilgrimage to Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge. Salisbury Cathedral is 750 years old and has the tallest spire in England and is astonishingly beautiful. But more amazing than its beauty is the genius of its construction. It absolutely blew my mind that people in the Middle Ages were capable of constructing this massive and complicated structure. Over the years, things have been repaired and adjusted, but the Grey Lady remains the same--majestic and awesome. Also, as a point of interest, we stopped by the Chapter House, which has one of the four copies of the Magna Carta, a document that Simon Schama described as the death certificate of despotism. Basically, the barons under the rule of King John were so appalled by his actions that they demanded that he should also be subject to the law, not outside of it.

After this, we headed over to Old Sarum. Old Sarum is an Iron Age hillfort that basically has three levels stacked up like a cake, but between each level is a very deep and steep-sided valley. When the Romans came, they renamed Old Sarum Sorviodunum and used it for military purposes. During Henry II's reign, he used the castle at Old Sarum as a place to stow his queen and keep her safe. Later, the castle, cathedral, and walls were dismantled and the stone was used to build the cathedral and walls of the town of Salisbury. So, today Old Sarum is mostly ruins, but still an awesome testament to the Iron Age fortifications. It also provides a splendid very of Salisbury and the surrounding countryside.

Next we were off to STONEHENGE. Seeing Stonehenge and being only several feet away from it was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Here I was confronted with this almost mythical structure, something so ancient that no one really knows anything about it or those people who built it. It was intimidating and difficult to realize. I kept thinking, "Okay, so what is the big deal? What is this really all about?" Stonehenge represents that almost universal appeal of works of art such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"--there is something in these works that is haunting and irresistible.

But my reveries didn't last for long. I was soon swept up in a picture taking extravaganza. Everyone was taking pictures of everyone. Having a large group of American college students at an ancient monument suddenly makes such things extremely exciting and almost silly. Be sure to check out the pictures and tell me what you think.

*Historical information from British Landscape lecture by Simon Lancaster*

Cherwell Day!

I had class all this morning and then I decided to follow the Cherwell River into Deer Park. However, I managed to get on the wrong path, so instead of walking on the right hand side of the river, I walked in the middle. Let me clarify, the Cherwell splits into two, and there is a path on the land between them and this was the path I took. The problem is that this path did not lead into Deer Park, but led to Marston Road. So I tried to get to Deer Park by crossing the Greyhound and the Angel Meadow, but it was a no go. Plus the meadow turned out to be pretty green grass in several inches of water and mud, which was very messy. I finally had to admit defeat, and I decided to try the Botanical Gardens, but they were closed. So my big plan had failed, but I did enjoy some lovely scenery and have now devised a new plan of attack for my second attempt. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pictures that I took.
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Cherwell_Day/

Orientation

Class actually started this week! At last the time has come for researching, reading, and writing! At the moment we are watching a series of history videos called "History of Britain" by Simon Schama--they are pretty hilarious, Schama has a great sense of humor.

Speaking of humor, here is a link to a video clip they showed us at orientation. The point they were trying to make was that herding cats was like looking out for all of us Americans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8

It's pretty funny, I hope you enjoy it.

Other than that, not much has been going on. I spent my free time yesterday and today just chillin' and exploring Oxford. Today I went to Blackwell's and it is great! Barnes and Noble doesn't even come close to it's five stories and three miles of books! Be sure to check out my new photos on PhotoBucket!

New Boots and High Mass

Today has turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day. I woke up early and went to church with Lindsey, Kristin, and some folks from Crick. We went to St. Mary Magdalen's which is an ancient church, quite literally--it was in existence before 1000, and the building we worshipped in was built in 1194 by St. Hugh. The "denomination" of the church is Anglican Catholicism. The service we attended was High Mass, which means that we got the whole package: incense, sprinkles of holy water, supplication to St. Mary Mags, robes, candles, and a very different style of communion complete with a common cup of wine. But it was so new and mystical! The sermon was actually pretty bare bones in comparision, but the theology was straight forward and the message was practical. (The passage for today was Matt. 18: 15-20.) If you're interested, here's the link to the church's website.

http://www.stmarymagdalenoxford.org.uk/index.cfm

After church we had tea and biscuits with the rest of the congregation. Most of the people were elderly, but the priest was young and had the cutest family. Everyone was very nice to us and asked us to please come back.

Next we traveled down High Street towards the Vines and ended up somewhere amongst little ethnic food stores. We then turned around and headed back to High Street and that is where I got my new boots! They are black and have stylized peacock feathers on them. Then we continued to stroll around the city center for awhile. I was finally able to get an adaptor and a watch. Kristin and I split off from the main group and wandered around. We found an amazing church that I think is called St. Thomas the Martyr. Soon we were off to Crick for afternoon tea, which was very nice. I eventually made my way back to the Vines via the park and a very muddy footpath. My legs and feet are protesting all of this walking, but the views are so lovely that I don't mind. Tomorrow is orientation, so say a prayer for me!

Check out my pictures

So, I'm having difficulties figuring out how to post a slideshow of my pictures on my blog, so here's a link to PhotoBucket. Enjoy!

http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/?albumview=slideshow

ENGLAND!!!

I have now been in England for about 24 hours and it's great! The flight was good, but I didn't sleep much, so when I landed at Gatwick I was dragging. I made it safely to the Vines, which is the house I'm living in. I met my roommates: Kristin, Lindsey, and Danielle. We all get along well and have settled in nicely. Last night we had a mini orientation during which I met most of the people living in the house. I went to bed at seven in the evening, which, if you know me, is a world record! I also managed to get a full twelve hours of sleep and started today at eight in the morning--yet another record!

Today I decided to find my way to Wycliffe Hall, which is the place were I will be having class. I walked through the city center of Oxford and was completely blown away. The building are so old and beautiful! I wanted to stop at each one and explore, but I was on a mission so I restrained myself. Thankfully, I didn't get lost until I was making my way back, but a nice English lady set me on the right path. I walked through one of Oxford's parks and it was so green and lush. The weather was overcast and cool, but refreshing. Well, I'll let you know more when I get an adaptor and can plug my computer in; right now the battery is dying.

Excitement!

The day for my departure to England is rapidly approaching and I'm still trying to wrap things up here. I am currently reading The Art of Crossing Cultures by Craig Storti and The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. I am learning quite a bit from both books. I'm also packing, which has proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be, even with the vaccum bags! However, I know that all this confusion and stress will pay out when I get to England. The first week I am there, all of the study abroad students will be taking trips to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and London! Some of the students are already looking into concerts and there is a possibility of going to see Hamlet at the Globe Theatre!!! Well, I need to go buy a bigger suitcase, more later.