Abroad in Wales

The Jack the Ripper Tour

Also while in London, we took a Jack the Ripper walking tour.  We took the Ripping Yarn Ltd. 'From Hell' Tour - one of the highest rated.  It's actually given by a group of beefeaters and retired Army and Marines.  Because of their association with the police force, they have access to files the other tours don't.  And, oh yeah, since the beefeaters - modern-day guards and specialized police force, basically - worked with Johnny Depp for three weeks in his preparation for his role as Detective Aberline in the movie From Hell, they get to name their tour after the movie.

 Our tour was given by Mark of the Awesome Hat, a beefeater, as pictured below.  These are the only pictures you're going to find here - it was too dark for decent pictures so I stopped trying.

The tour started at the Tower Hill Tube Station at 6.45 pm.  Mark started with some general information including that he lives and work at the Tower of London - lucky duck.  From there he took us into the heart of Whitechapel.  Not a place to go alone at night, mates.  As Mark put it, 'Ladies, if any fighting break out, the rule is to get as close to me as you can.  Gents....you're on your own!' 

He took us to scenes of interest as well as each of the murder sites.  Well, as close to each site as possible.  One was destroyed by the Germans in World War II and the other is now a parking garage.  We also saw the Prostitute's Church, the spot of the Writing on the Wall, and the Ten Bells Pub (which is still standing and in use today).  But he also pointed out un-related sites, such as where they filmed Harry Potter's Diagon Alley and where Val Kilmer used to live.  (Kilmer's old flat is now up for sale.  It's going for £3 million.  But not because Kilmer used to live there or even its proximity to a Jack the Ripper murder scene, but because it has a '1/2' in the address label - a practice now banned within London.  Welcome to London real estate.)

At the end, he gave an interesting theory I had never heard before.  It wasn't all too removed from the movie From Hell.   Mary Kelly, the last of the victims, had belonged to a brothel near the palace and was likely a companion of Prince Edward.  She was abruptly dismissed from the brothel and moved to the East End in Whitechapel.  Some speculate she had become pregnant by the prince, and since she was Catholic, the Crown would have nothing to do with her or the fetus.  Thrown into poverty, she may have blackmailed the throne and the royals may have responded by hiring a member of the Masonic Order to do away with her and her unborn child.  The four, possibly five, murders committed prior to her death may have been practice or a case of mistaken identity (one of the women had similar coloring to Mary Kelley). 

After her death, no more Ripper murders occurred.  A month and half later, one of the Ripper suspects was found in the Thames with a one-way ticket to the States  and American money in his pockets.  Since he hadn't been robbed, it is speculated that higher-up in the Order had this supposed Ripper disposed of too, should he ever change his mind and reveal the truth about the murders. 

Recently, the FBI processed the Writing on the Wall through one of their lovely analysis machines.  From the words, 'The Juwes are not the men who will not be blamed for nothing.' they could a message that mocked Aberline and the police.  The left over letters formed the name of the man who would later be found in the Thames.

If you are ever in London, definitely worth checking out.  They start every night at 6.45 just outside Tower Hill station.

Posted at 11:28AM Mar 11, 2008 by Jill S Brink in General  |  Comments[0]

The British Museum

We also went to the British Museum, one of the best in the world.  I will post a few pictures here, but I am also including the Facebook photo album links so you can see all the photos I took.  There was just too many beautiful and amazing things to put into this blog.

The Rosetta Stone!

Statue from the Parthenon. 

 Marble frieze from the Parthenon.

 Roman noblewoman.

 Pharaoh Soandso.

 Sumerian frieze.  The jibberish across the middle is cuneiform - the oldest known language.

 Japanese pottery.

 Samurai armor.

 Here are the links to the Facebook albums.  This was only a very small and brief sampling of what I saw.  I could write whole blogs on each exhibit, but my brain hurts from all the papers I've been writing, and the blogs would be apt to be a little punchy. 

Asia Exhibits - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044819&l=cd1cf&id=41302144

Egypt and Sumeria - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044821&l=d9837&id=41302144

Greece and Rome - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044823&l=966f4&id=41302144

The Parthenon Marbles - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044826&l=51b77&id=41302144

Everything Else - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044827&l=200c9&id=41302144

Posted at 01:30PM Mar 08, 2008 by Jill S Brink in General  |  Comments[0]

The British Museum of Natural History

Our first day in London we went to the Museum of Natural History.  It was real close to our hostel.  It was definitely more family oriented, but we had fun anyway.  I pretended to be a raptor through most of the dinosaur exhibit, much to the delight of all the three-year-olds in line.

 The building it self.  Impressive all on its own.

 Let me see your pouncing raptor!  Rawr!

 This was one of many 'unique' extinction theories listed.  Others were suicide, cannibalism, and alien abduction. 

 Dooooooo yyyoooouuuuuuu spppppeeeeaaaaaak  wwwwwhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaale?  The little girl in line didn't.  Most disappointing.  I continued to speak whale regardless.

Yes.  Yes I can.  And have.  It's not so bad.  (It's also only -4 F.  Haha.) 

Celestial exhibit.  Coolest ever.  The constellations on one wall, the planets on the other, and an escalator takes you into the iron globe at the far right of the photo.

 Part of the mineral exhibit.  Each section is either a precious or semi-precious stone.

 Opal!  As iridescent in the photograph as in real life.

 This was just outside the museum and I had to share.  I think the sign was a little low, too.

Posted at 12:20PM Mar 08, 2008 by Jill S Brink in General  |  Comments[0]

London Calling

The other weekend me, Melissa, and Natalie went to London for a weekend holiday.  Of course, we had to hit up the big places.  Here ya go.

Tower Bridge.  This is the bridge most people think of when they hear 'London Bridge'.  That's Fergie - you truly are 'Glamorous'.  

The Tower of London.  Not so much a tower as a prison.  But they still keep the Crown Jewels there. 

King's Cross Station.  Just massive. 

Platform 9 3/4!  No wizard activity going down here. 

Bye, Mom!  Off to Hogwarts!  I'll send you an owl when I get there. 

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. 

Big Ben and the Halls of Parliament.

Westminster Abbey.

 Buckingham Palace.  Apparently the queen was there that day, but she wasn't taking my calls.

 The gates in front of the palace.  Gorgeous.

 That's pretty much it.  Pretty standard sight-seeing photos, really.

Posted at 10:58AM Mar 08, 2008 by Jill S Brink in General  |  Comments[0]

Stonehenge

During our trip to Bath we took a tour of Stonehenge, which is an hour's drive away, out into the country.

There are many theories as to why Stonehenge was built, but the most widely accepted amongst scholars is that it is some sort of solar calendar built in correlation with religious purposes. The stones help mark the solstices and the months.

There are even more myths surrounding the origins of the stones.  Geologists have been able to establish that the stones were imported from South Wales.  But according to one legend, the Wizard Merlin (who happened to be Welsh) grew impatient with the erection of a monument in his honour.  So he used his magic to transport the stones from Ireland, where they had previously stood as they do here.  A later tale tells of the Devil tricking an old Irish woman of the stones and then flying them to the site.  Several supposedly fell during transport, including one just a few meters from the site.  This is called the Heel Stone, and supposedly landed on the heel of a friar who vowed to tell the world of the Devil's hand at Stonehenge.

On the way, the driver pointed out this hill.  An old Celtic tribe once lived on this hill.  If you look to the left side, you can still see the defense trenches.

Now, for Stonehenge itself.

One of the burial mounds surrounding the site.

Posted at 08:22AM Feb 20, 2008 by Jill S Brink in General  |  Comments[2]