I have ALWAYS claimed that I was born in the wrong country and in the wrong century. Dead serious. Everyone would just laugh and say "Yeah!? As a peasant living in filth!" and I would argue back saying "Do you know me?? Do you not think that even IF that was the case, I would just sit back and accept that fate? You KNOW that I would do anything that I possibly could to make sure that I WOULD NOT have that kind of life." And still they would just shake their heads and laugh. Well guess what? For the past year, I've been researching my ancestry and HAVE PROOF that I would have been that person that I always knew I would be! And yes. I DID call every one of those doubters with my excitement! Dukes, Duchesses, Earls, Ladies, castles, and connections with the Royal Court even as far back as William the Conqueror, who I am also related to! After these discoveries, as well as the ones that I am currently making, only made a trip to London that much more importantly needed! I had even begun to make a list of cathedrals, castles, ruins, and sites that were connected to my ancestors that I wanted to and will go to! I even found and bought a book that was written about my thirty-something great grandmother, who is William the Conqueror's niece. It's called "The Winter Mantle" and is written by Elizabeth Chadwick who is also now my favorite English historical author. Anyway, just a million new additions to my bucket list.
So why am I even talking about this new "plan" and "mission call"?! Well as you can obviously tell by my blog title, yep, I made it back and crossed a few off "the" list!!!
Now how did this all come about? Long story short. My freaking
AMAZING...MILLION GOLD MEDAL WINNING...PARALYMPIAN FRIEND who has paved the way of so many accomplishments in the world of the Paralympics, invited me to come with her to London to possibly be her assistant and do some blog/media work, interviewing some of the athletes. It was LATE and spur of the moment but I knew that I couldn't pass up the opportunity for such a GREAT experience! Especially since I was offered a sponsorship to head over. A free trip for 2 to London?! Uh...YEAH!!!
Because the trip and the reason for my going was so last minute, we really weren't sure of what I'd actually be able to do or how involved I'd be. Obviously the security is hard core and the planning has been in motion and set in stone for months. Unfortunately we discovered the moment that we arrived that most of what we had planned to do was not going to be able to happen. Not to mention that the tickets were non existent and when a few would pop up, they were extremely expensive. We had hoped to have been granted a media pass which allows you to attend all of the events but sadly they too were completely gone. We decided to concentrate more on the accessibility and the accommodations of the city of London since it was something that was just as important during the Paralympics. Of course we became glued to the TV coverage every morning in our hotel as we ate breakfast and when we arrived home late at night. I was very impressed with the local media coverage and the constant sense of pride that you felt by all who were from the country. Especially since when Salt Lake City had held the Olympic and Paralympic games, we heard NOTHING of the Paralympics! Very unfortunate as I'm sure that there were many extremely inspiring stories back then just like I was able to experience while in London. It obviously shows how hard they've worked and in how far they've come in being accepted and treated like any other athlete. Both games are inspirational and they should both have the same respect. Here are just a few examples of the many athletes that inspired me beyond words and because of their courage and accomplishments, it continually brought me to tears.
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| Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates winning the Men's 400m T44 Final at the 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, on September 8, 2012 |
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Competitors in the men's marathon T54 classification pass the Palace of Wesminster and Big Ben during the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, on September 9, 2012.
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Sergei Pozdeev of Russia (left) reacts with team-mates after they lost their sitting Volleyball bronze medal match against Germany at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, on September 8, 2012.
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| American Matt Stutzman won silver in archery at London 2012, but he became one of London’s biggest inspirations and images of him shooting without arms have become iconic of London. |
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Former Formula One and Cart racing car driver Alessandro Zanardi of Italy, celebrates after receiving his gold medal for the Men's Individual H4 Time Trial during the 2012 Paralympic Games at Brands Hatch racing circuit near Sevenoaks, September 5, 2012.
Zanardi, raced cars at Brands Hatch before loosing his legs in a racing accident a few years ago. |
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Denmark's Kasper Zysek carries away his prosthetic legs after failing to get a place in the men's 400m Freestyle - S9 race during the 2012 Paralympic Games at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park in London, on September 4, 2012.
The S9 category is for swimmers with joint restrictions in one leg, double below the knee amputations or an amputation of one leg. |
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| Poland's Lukasz Mamczarz starts his run up during the men's high jump F42 final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, on September 3, 2012. |
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China's Lu Dong trains during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Aquatics Centre, on August 30, 2012.
Dong, who does not have arms, went on to win a gold medal in the women's 100m Backstroke S-6 event |
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| Britain's Nathan Stephens competes in the men's javelin F57/58 classification final during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium, on September 8, 2012. This classification is for wheelchair athletes |
Now in no way do I want to take away from the extremely talented athletes of the Olympic games and I'm sure that I may receive some disagreement but after experiencing what I did and seeing what the athletes of the Paralympic games have been able to accomplish with the added challenges that they each face in their own way, I actually believe that they are greater athletes. They are accomplishing the exact same things as those who do not have the same physical challenges and proving the idea of "the ability within the disability." They are hitting their challenges head on, and creating an outcome that inspires and touches many. Proving that anything is possible when you become determined, knowing that you can achieve anything that you set your mind to! Such a great experience. One that I will never forget as it left me completely humbled and determined to never give in to the hard or sell myself short, no matter what it is.
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| The Olympic Park |
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| A few night shots |
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| The Tower of London Wall |
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| The Traitor's Gate |
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| The Tower of London |
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| So what exactly is this added wheel that I have attached to the front of my chair and what purpose does it serve? It's called a FreeWheel Attachment and as you can see it clips on to the front wheels/casters, lifting them off of the ground, and creating more of a 3 wheeler "ride". I wish that I would have purchased one sooner as it made the gravel, cobblestone, grass, and terrain so much easier to tackle! It was perfect and exactly what we needed |
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| The Thames Tower Bridge |
It is such an amazing structure. Call me a total history nerd like I know that I am, but I couldn't help but think that I was walking in the exact same places/buildings/steps as so many historical figures have also done. Kind of surreal aaaand maybe a bit cheesy but whatever!
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| Every structure that was "touristy" was fully accessible. You can tell that they are definitely trying to continually improve when it comes to making everything do-ble. Which, as you can imagine, is not easy because these structures and so old and built in a way that is very hard to "tweek". But there were always elevators that sometimes led you through "secret" rooms to get you exactly where you needed to be. Plus everyone was SO willing to help and make sure that you did not miss out on anything that was there to see. Is it perfect yet? No. Are they trying? Yes and that is all that matters. |
My two all time favorite modes of transportation! The Tube had it's moments and yes, they are trying to be more accessible and yes, the longer that we were there and used it, the more it made sense. I think the aspect that made it such a pain in my arse was how SLOW that it could be, stopping at every million stop along the way. It just always took forever to get from point A to point B I will admit that I did have a personal epiphany about how spoiled and impatient that I have become. The ability to just jump in my car, drive as fast as I choose to, and get to a location based on a --- mph travel time is. SO. NICE. Public transportation is just something that you have to get used to I guess. and like I said, the more we used it, the more "calm" I became. But still. I'm spoiled and I love it! The cabs were by far the easiest and the most accessible as they ALL have ramps that extend out. They are expensive but so worth it! Plus the conversations were always interesting and the tips that were given of what to see and where to go were always VERY helpful! I would have to say that the most interesting opinion that we heard a number of times was how much they wanted Mitt Romney to become the next president. They were NOT impressed with Obama at all. Another interesting tidbit on that subject was how honest the news was about things that were going on in the US, both with the government issues and world wide issues that our government was a part of. Granted you can never fully trust the media but it was interesting to see their take on it. It made you wonder since their country really has nothing to lose by telling the truth about our issues. Anyway, moving on...
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| Same with the bus. It's all about being patient. I was again very impressed with the system that they have down. They all have ramps that electronically lift out and there are specific buttons that you push right before your stop to let them know that you'll be needing the ramp again to get off. Very efficient! No one drives in the city of London. Really. They use the Public Transportation or they walk. Parking is nowhere to be found...nowhere so I am so glad that we had decided to NOT rent a car. Next trip we will because we'll be out of the city and traveling all over. |
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| So we decided to go for a little jaunt down to a different Tube station so that we could experience some of the city. Loved it but when we got to the station entrance, even though on their map it was marked as accessible, it was not. SO ANNOYING! But again, everyone was SO KIND, SO HELPFUL, and WILLING TO GIVE A SOLUTION! The nicest gentleman helped Trevor carry me down the two LONGEST flight of stairs. I just had to go with the flow, be OK to ask for help, and realize that their accessibility laws are different than the US's and that at least they are trying. The stations that can be made accessible are in the process of being made so and they've built a new above ground train system that is fully accessible. The whole "mind the gap" tube announcement is not part of this system...lol Anyway, it was a great learning experience. Especially when it comes to our future European travel plans. Now we know what to expect and how to be better prepared! |
Westminster Abbey. This building is so full history. To think of how many kings were crowned and are now buried here. It was gorgeous inside as well. I hated that you couldn't take pictures inside to show it's beauty but I completely understood. Again, pretty surreal after how many things I have read and researched about all of the historical events that have taken place in this Abbey. The detailed architecture was absolutely amazing and so exquisite. The minute you come out of the station, the Abbey is right there and it just hits you! I was immediately taken back with it's grandeur and just had to pause for a minute, ignore the hustle and bustle that was going on around me, and full on cheer in my head with excitement that FINALLY I WAS HERE IN LONDON!!!
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| The Statue of Richard I in front of Parliament |
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| Big Ben, the buildings of Parliament, and the London Eye... |
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| I can't help but think of "Peter Pan" when I see this picture :) |
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| The Coppers, the Bobbies, or the Constables ;) |
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| Buckingham Palace and sadly the Queen was NOWHERE to be found ;( |
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| The Changing of the Guards... |
I always wondered why some "buildings" were called Palaces and some were called Castles and now I know...
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Safety and protection is the purpose for which a Castle is generally built. Decoration is secondary.
Decoration and comfort are the main concerns when it comes to building a Palace.
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| The Victoria Memorial |
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| The Horse Guards at The Household Calvary Museum |
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| More of Big Ben and finally getting to hear it's chimes. So amazing! |
This is St Pauls Cathedral. I am glad that we went to see this buuuuuut I have highly come to understand that once you've seen 1 Cathedral, you've seen them all! My college semester in Italy completely took care of that! lol :) Ok but let me rewind that last statement...IF you HAVE the time to SEE all of the cathedrals and abbeys that you'd like to see, then DO IT! They're all gorgeous and unique in their own way. If you'd like to sit and listen to their video commentaries and you have the time then do so, then DO IT! I've decided that I'm more of a go in, check it out, see what I want to, learn what I want to, and when I'm ready to leave, then leave. Basically a get in get out kind of girl especially when I don't have the time to slowly mozy and wander. Probably because I have seen so many but I know that if I don't make the effort, I will regret it. We were so "booked" during this trip but on the next one it will be different. Especially since there are so many cathedrals and abbeys that I do want to see because of a historical, personal, and ancestral reason. Anyway....
While on the train (our public transportation adventures were ALWAYS beneficial and the HOOKUPS were amazing btw) we met a gentleman who comped us tickets to the Broadway showing of "Wicked". Now I had seen "Wicked" twice before both in LA and in San Francisco but to see it in London was AMAZING! The actors/actresses were incredible and the English accents made it phenomenal! By far my favorite production of "Wicked" plus to finally see it with Trevor was the BEST! xx
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| LOVE this boy of mine! xx |
Our hotel was just to the left of the tower, which allowed us to watch the marathon from our restaurant deck. I loved the saying "inspire a generation". So true and I was continually inspired throughout this experience. To be there and be a part of it was indescribable! And while we're talking about our hotel location, we lucked out when making the decision to stay there because it really was the perfect location. It was close to the places we wanted to go plus there was both a tube station and the new over ground train system 3 minutes from the hotel. The ONLY thing that was a full on pain was that there was not a "ramp" up the curb to the sidewalk. So you were either full on in the road or Trevor had to prop me up every time. Sidewalks here at home, I've learned to just pop up by myself if needed but these suckers were huge and impossible for me to do alone. I tried and I would just bottom out. I know that I could have done this trip alone and made it work like I always do but it was so much easier having Trevor there to just help me when needed. Plus I'm glad that we got to do this adventure together! And of course it would not have been as much fun without my bestie! :)
My third favorite mode of transportation...the train/rail. Especially because it allowed us a few additional great adventures outside of London.
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| Windsor and Maidenhead, Windsor, Berkshire |
Yes, I'll admit that it had it's touristy moments but it was such a fun and colorful little town with such character!
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| I loved all the dimensional landscape of the castle that were built over the centuries depending on who the King was. |
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| Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the
Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. Its history spans almost 1000
years and was originally built by William the Conqueror who is also an ancestor! Yes. Yes he is! |
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| The Round Tower in the Middle Ward, built by Henry II |
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| The Norman Gate, built by Edward III |
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| xxx |
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| A car show which is such a European thing. Next is Monaco! ;) |
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| I'm still amazed that these ancient structures that have been around for close to 1000 yrs are still in tact, still strong, and built to survive! We can't even keep a building from crumbling after a few hundred years Just additional proof that once upon a time, buildings and the necessities were built MUCH better and built to endure. |
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| The Henry VIII gateway in the Lower Ward |
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| The café that we ate lunch at before we headed back to London. Let's just say the perfect "people watching" spot!? ;) |
Look at that image of Windsor Castle as we were on the train back into London (minus the football field-goal...lol)
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| An aerial view of the estate. |
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| We decided to head out to the country for a little day trip. |
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| Stratford on Avon which is the home of William Shakespeare. |
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We finally were able to experience an "English downpour" on this little adventure. We were down by the canal, eating the towns famous "Fish and Chips", and as we headed back to meet the group, the rain clouds came out of nowhere. Did we have an umbrella? Of course not! We were drenched by the time we found the "meeting spot"! Not too mention that we had gotten lost and all turned around. It was a classic I'm right and you're wrong experience between Trevor and I. Finally this time neither of us were right and we finally were given the correct directions. It's all part of the adventure, right?! |
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| A classic Tudor building style all crooked and leaned over. |
Now why was I so excited to go to Warwick Castle? Well, because in 1292, my 32nd great grandfather was an inhabitant of Warwick Castle. He was also an important Counselor to the Earl who resided here. I'm so glad that we were able to go there because it's part of my heritage and makes me feel somewhat connected to my ancestors.
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| This is one of my favorite pictures that shows part of the original castle wall. |
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| This is when pictures frustrate me horribly because the scene above and below were absolutely gorgeous with both the colors of the landscape and the sky. It was so peaceful. Too bad I didn't video it... |
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| So we asked this woman that you can see in this picture that is headed towards us a question about the castle because she sounded like she was a guide. She wasn't a guide but she had grown up just a few counties over. She is currently living in the states with her family and was back for a high school reunion. She asked where we were from and we told her and of course asked her the same question. And of all the places that she could have said, where do you think she did?! Yeah. Logan, Utah. How so VERY random. Pretty funny actually. |
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| Gorgeous! Especially when the sun would break out from behind the clouds. |
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| We walked around to the back of the castle so that I could get this closer shot. Again, much better in person! |
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| The Cotswolds |
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| When I earn my million dollars I WILL have a home here. NO LIE! ;) |
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The Cotswolds are a range of hills in southwestern and west-central England, an area 25 miles across and 90 miles long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it WAS! So quaint and exactly what you'd imagine the countryside of England to look like.
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| Wellington Square, Oxford |
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| Oxford University |
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| For the record, I looked EVERYWHERE for Daniel Faraday but he was nowhere to be found :( |
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| Another extremely detailed ceiling. I am still amazed at how they created and built this. |
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| This is their dining hall where they hold special dinners and meetings with the students. It was also where they filmed the great hall scene in the "Harry Potter" movies. |
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| While we were sharing a taxi with a couple who were also in London doing some work with the Paralympics, we started talking about some of the things that we had each experienced. We were all surprised at the lack of tickets that were actually available and how the ones that were, were extremely expensive. (even more than Trevor and I had seen during the SLC 2002 Winter Olympics) Anyway, they looked at each other and said, "We have a proposition. We have 1 extra ticket to the Closing Ceremonies and we'd like to give it to you. Would you like it?" Now I am going to stop here and just point out that I almost told them no. For a split second a horror scene of human trafficking/kidnapping flashed through my mind. I had a mini freak out at the thought of being completely alone WITH them, without Trev. I know. I've seen one too many movies but come on, you just NEVER know. But of course I couldn't actually decline the offer. So instead I said "Uh. Uh. YEAH!" And let's just say that Trevor was all too willing to let me take the ticket and go solo. And why you ask? Because who were the performing acts? His ever so favorite performers...Jay Z, Rihanna, and Coldplay. Coldplay he can handle but the others just wiped his interest plain clean...lol! and yes. it. was. AWESOME! It was also the BEST firework show ending I have ever seen! Sorry "Stadium of Fire". You've been highly outdone!!! And obviously I didn't get kidnapped. In fact, I didn't even sit by this couple. They gave me the ticket when they got out of the taxi and wished me luck. I actually sat in the middle of a group of people who seemed to be from Eastern Europe but I don't know for sure but their language sounded so. |
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Trevor was back at the hotel watching the ceremonies live on the TV and this was HIS view of the fireworks. I LOVE the pictures that he got with the fireworks and the Tower of London! I will admit, I have trained him well. He knows just how anal I can become about pictures...lol...but I think he did AWESOME!
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| Like I said, it was an awesome fireworks show! |
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| The Waterloo Train Station |
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| On our train ride to Hampton Court and I am SO EXCITED! I quite possibly could be just a tiny bit obsessed with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. OK. Fine. I TOTALLY am! :) |
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| Hampton Court |
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| I. Am. In. Heaven! |
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| This corridor and these rooms were the Medieval refrigerator during Henry VIII's reign. The way that it is set up with the building and the shade, it always stays extremely cool and was the only way possible for them to keep any type of fruit or meat from spoiling. The door at the end was the entrance into the massive kitchen. |
Now what's the story behind this? Welllll...1. It's absolutely GORGEOUS and so exquisitely detailed though it's hard to see in this picture. 2. It was Henry VIII's private cathedral. Think about how many great decisions and events took place here! 3. I had to see if I could get away with taking a picture without the flash going off...lol...plus I was dared and I NEVER turn down a dare! It's also a tradition. When I lived in Italy during that Summer Semester in College, I was given the same dare while in the Sistine Chapel and the dare WAS ACCOMPLISHED! I know. Grow up. Act your age. WHAAATEVER...I am who I am!
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| These are the wings that were added during the 18th century. You can definitely tell when the buildings were remodeled based on the style of architecture. |
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| The quiet little corridors were my favorite. |
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| Henry VIII's dining hall and where he would have entertained and received his guests. Again, I was standing exactly where he was. VERY surreal! |
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| A ceiling which showed all of the family crests of the nobility. And while we're at it can I complain some more? Why is it that for hundreds of years, these buildings were built with such detail by men who were extremely talented and they've endured? And we, in the 21st century, can't put the same detail and beauty into a building. Why have we become so lazy and impatient? Why do we build such garbage?! It just makes me sad why we've become so "cookie cutter". We're supposed to be so advanced and yet we are not even close to what could actually be done!? Anyway, just a frustrating thought.... |
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| Well hello there your Majesty :) |
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| More detailed ceilings. Love the gold, green, blue, and maroon! |
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| Again, the beautiful gardens that I imagine Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth, Mary and the rest of his family walked through and played in. I know. Just let me have my wishful thinking... |
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| One of my favorite pictures of the day! Hampton Court was my favorite site to visit. We were there all day as there was so much to see and to read about. It was exactly what I expected it to be and I'm sure, that because it involves my favorite historical character, Henry VIII, that only added to my love of Hampton Court. (Though I will say, that I've found a new obsession. My new favorite Historical Fiction Author, Elizabeth Chadwick, who I discussed earlier that wrote the book about my ancestor, has me now hooked on William Marshall, Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine who was one of the most powerful woman of the Middle Ages. I suggest finding her books and reading about these figures. They are so interesting and are my absolute favorite!) |
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| A cheesy MUST be taken picture while in England! |
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The River Thames which runs along side of Hampton Court, the Tower of London, the London Eye, Parliament, and Westminster Palace/Abbey.
We left for home early the next morning, and though we were excited to get back to the kids, we were sad to leave because we were just getting the hang of things. We realized that there was so many more things that we wanted to see and do but we just hadn't had the time to do everything.
But don't you worry! We're already planning a trip back but this time we'll head into Wales and then North and into Scotland, and then down south to Canterbury and Dover, ending in France. And let's not forget about Ireland, Spain, Germany plus I still want to take Trevor back to Italy. Big adventures to come and I mean BIG! It's all on the Bucket List and that's MY Holy Grail! ;) |
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