茶碗蒸

I have a feeling I am going to struggle a bit putting together the highlights of this section of the trip after separating from the tour group – just because there is simply a mountain of fascinating sights I would so much like to share. Yet somehow I doubt it would be just as interesting for you if you had to plough through it all on a tiny screen and try to imagine the colourful tastes and sounds by squinting at black and white texts - when you could venture out there and immerse yourself in the full experience. That is why I have decided to sort some of the most memorable spots we visited into several key themes that I consider essential for a (first-time) trip to England.

Religion

I think it would be extremely difficult to talk about the history of England, or any country in Europe for the matter, without probing the subject of religion. Although religion may seem to play a much more minor role in many people’s lives now compared to a few centuries ago, its role in shaping the current face of society is unmistakable. And in some parts of England, the presence of religion over time can be felt even more clearly than others. The city of York, I think, is one of these places.

York was our first stop after going our separate ways from the tour group, and I immediately fell in love with its maze of medieval architecture and shadow of history that seemed to seep out from every weathered brick and stone. Despite the tourist crowds that seemed to either fill up all the loveliest shops on the main streets or deliberately pause in the most inconvenient of places to take photos, there were corners of the city that hinted at a past of neglect and bloodshed – many of it a result of the Reformation beginning in 16^th century with King Henry VIII's establishment of the Church of England in place of Catholicism, and the consequent Dissolution of the Monasteries that eventually led to public revolt (including the Pilgrimage of Grace that actually began in York in 1536). This past could not have been felt more distinctly than the site of St. Mary's Abbey, or rather what is left of it. Situated in the peaceful surroundings of the Museum Gardens, the crumbling ruins of the Abbey was prominent enough to find and yet deteriorated enough to make it hard to picture its past glory as one of the most important abbeys in England, with a size that apparently rivaled that of the still-standing York Minster. Nowadays it would perhaps be easier to comprehend its role in crafting York's reputation as one of the most haunted cities in England (although sadly the Ghost Tour we took part in did not include St. Mary's in its route!). A reputation that is, mind you, the last thing on my mind as we took a morning stroll along the York City Walls and was met with a breathtaking view of immaculate gardens bathing under the golden rays and set against the majestic backdrop of York Minster, the distant bells of which completed a picture of film-like European fantasy. It was truly as if I had stepped back in time, with neither the brilliant promises of the Enlightenment nor the threatening claws of the World Wars in sight.

From how the beginning of the Reformation in England had largely been attributed to King Henry VIII, it probably won't come as a surprise to learn of the complex and indivisible relationship between religion and monarch. The two were, and remains to this day, like two sides of a coin – with all British monarchs automatically inheriting the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England since Queen Elizabeth I's reign. But the relationship of course extends beyond the adoption of a mere title – the tradition of all coronation ceremonies taking place in a church, Westminster Abbey, ever since that of William the Conqueror in 1066 serves as yet another example of the interdependence between these two pillars that were once all that was needed to hold up a nation (before the Government came along). Just imagine my wonder at seeing the very wooden Coronation Chair that has been used by all the famous Kings and Queens ever since 1308!! Not to mention paying our respects at the memorials and monuments belonging to the likes of Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, G.F. Handel, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Ernest Rutherford… just to name a few! Although I was already aware prior to the visit that many monarchs and people with significant historical achievements or status were interred at the Abbey, I was still astounded by the number that was interred there – a staggering 3300! With that in mind, I just couldn't help but wonder… if William and Kate ever felt a slight chill while saying their wedding vows inside such an enormous tomb? (But then again, with England's long history of civilization I'm sure every inch of soil is bound to have seen some deaths in the past)

On a side note - we actually managed to visit the Abbey quite a few times over the week we were in London! First time for the Evensong service (where Mum and I actually couldn't see anything as we were placed behind the rood screen so a bit of a let down!), the second time for the vigil in commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of Somme (when I naively thought we would also be free to wander around other areas of the Abbey and be able to make the most of the late hour when there would be fewer tourists – but of course everywhere apart from the nave was closed off!), and finally our final attempt as regular tourists (at least we had London Passes… but still impossible to avoid the dreaded queues!)

History

Needless to say, although religion ultimately intertwines with the course of English history, the latter revolves around far more than that – particularly after the English Civil War between 1642 and 1651 that saw a fall-out between the Royalists and Parliamentarians and set the foundation for such a strong democratic parliamentary system in the UK (and perhaps its curious relationship with the Royal House) today. After hearing Mum mention her admiration for the demonstration of democracy since seeing a UK Parliamentary debate on TV, and after having seen "The Iron Lady" myself to reinforce this impression, I was very excited to find out that the public (including tourists) actually had the opportunity to sit in the public gallery of either of the two Houses at specified time periods of the week to listen in on the debates or activities that were being held. What I didn't count on, unfortunately, was the absolute carnage and flood of local English residents into the galleries after the Brexit Referendum took place (23^rd June). So the initial plan of visiting the galleries on the day we arrived in London from York (27^th June) turned out to be wishful thinking – in fact, just fighting through the hordes of international media reporters outside Westminster Palace was challenging enough as it was.

Not willing to give up such a rare opportunity (all the more anticipated by the flurry of post-Brexit activity), we turned up again the next day at the visitor's entrance at Cromwell Green and this time was successfully admitted to the House of Commons. However, after enduring through security, waiting for our turn in St. Stephen's Hall, and getting lost in the Central Lobby it came perhaps as a bit of a disappointment when we were met with the rather dull presentation of the Finance Bill in the Commons Chamber. All things considered though, just being able to catch a glimpse of the architectural wonders inside the Palace that have seen countless world-changing decisions take place, and getting the chance to experience the impressive degree of transparency and cultural sophistication the UK Parliament had to offer, was well worth the time and effort.

As much as politics feed into the river of history, however, one must not forget there would hardly BE any evidence of history without the development of written language and more importantly, knowledge. And I think few other places in the world could boast of as impressive a collection of human knowledge as the British Library (and of course, the British Museum  - where we also visited but since everyone else has most certainly included that on their to-write or to-visit list, I might be excused for saving my breath). Perhaps my new identity as a Library Studies student has particularly motivated me to nominate a visit to this site, but I think even for someone who isn't pursuing a potential career in libraries – or even hold an interest in books or documentation for that matter – seeing the permanent exhibition of the most famous treasures held at the Library is a trip well worth making.

Just think – the music manuscripts created by the very hands of Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the elegantly scripted letters penned by Lord Horatio Nelson and Queen Elizabeth I, the original Magna Carta that laid foundations for the obligations to which the English Monarch are still bound today (in impressively miniscule handwriting I must add), the powerful photograph and journal entry documenting the last days of Captain Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, and the faded diagram that literally illustrated the world-changing discovery of penicillin from a page of Alexander Fleming's notebook in 1928 – and hundreds of other equally valuable documents that we normally only ever read about in books, all displayed right before our eyes, here in this very same room. As you can imagine - words could not even begin to describe how overwhelmed I was as I stood for hours in front of each glass cabinet in utter disbelief and relish, trying to comprehend that these people were real, how they changed the world was real, and how their legacies and stories have transcended the incredible trial of time to become so embedded in the modern era even though their creators’ flesh and bones may have long since wasted away. It was an absolutely enlightening and moving experience that I would no doubt be repeating, and I simply can't wait to see what other great traces of history would be added to future collections.

Performing Arts

It is often said that the city of London remains as one of the most famous, and yet also one of the most merciless stages for theatre performances. Not only did many acclaimed English acting professionals make their humble beginnings from atop one of the myriads of stages scattered throughout the city, but the standard of performance is so high that the audiences have come to expect nothing short of perfection. Unfortunately, due to inevitable time constraints, we could not enjoy as many shows as we would have liked (and for some shows it was simply a matter of unlucky timing – such as "War Horse", which 焦老師 so enthusiastically recommended, had completed its last show earlier in the year but which I thankfully got the opportunity to see in Rialto cinema later in Auckland), but all three musicals that I managed to see at the West End – "Wicked", "Aladdin", and "Kinky Boots" were fabulously entertaining and far exceeded my expectations (which were already high to start with!).

For a huge Disney fan such as myself, Aladdin was unsurprisingly the most anticipated show out of the three – especially since it only opened in West End in the very same month we were in London. Apart from the dazzlingly innovative sets and rich vibrant costumes that seemed to transport the entire theatre into the world of the beloved classic, there were new songs and characters (I assume to fill in the obvious gaps left by Apu and Magic Carpet) that added an element of fun and surprise to the performance even for someone who already knew the original story inside out. However, I was definitely most impressed by the brilliantly realistic special effects when the Cave of Wonders emerged, and the (possibly) improvised stand-up comedies that Trevor Dion Nicholas wittily and flawlessly pulled off. Clearly everyone else in the theatre agreed with me on the second point, because the particularly thunderous cheering and applause when he took his bow at the curtain call almost brought the roof of Prince Edward Theatre down! I admit I was a tiny bit disappointed in the "A Whole New World" magic carpet ride scene though – most probably a result of ridiculously high expectations. Don't get me wrong, the starry sky effect was breathtakingly gorgeous (literally! Judging from the ripples of gasping all around me) – but I kept finding myself half-expecting some cloud, horses, and a sphinx to whoosh past onstage too… not demanding at all, I say!

But surely, one cannot think of England, of London, or even of theatre, and NOT think of William Shakespeare, arguable the greatest playwright of all time. Even though I would not call myself a huge Shakespeare fan, I did want to experience what it felt like to see a play in a theatre that Shakespeare most likely had in his mind when he created his literary masterpieces. Despite the fact that the theatre currently standing in London is not the same one that Shakespeare himself had set foot in (the original had unfortunately burned down in 1613, fourteen years after it was first built – the current one is located approximately 230m from the site of the original theatre and opened in 1994), the reconstruction was apparently based on careful scholarly inquiries over the last two centuries and can be considered more or less a realistic representation of the original "Shakespeare's Globe" (but with enhanced safety and comfort of course).

The play I picked to see was Macbeth – simply because I knew how famous this one was and how I shamefully still hadn't gotten round to knowing the story, and also because A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was the other play in the Globe’s summer programme at the time we were in London, seemed even less like Mum and Dad's cup of tea XD And oh my, what an experience! The simple but effective music accompaniment using voice, cello, and percussion was absolutely out of this world, not to mention the incredible acting by the cast that depicted the blood-thirsty struggle of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with power and fate (despite not being able to comprehend half of their lines in Shakespearean prose and verse – luckily we looked up the story beforehand!). In spite of the occasional spits of rain and absolutely freezing cold temperature (heaven knows how those groundlings survived the evening shivering on their feet for 3 hours in the packed courtyard with their hastily purchased raincoats from the souvenir shop), the dark gloomy weather did perhaps set the perfect scene for such a twisted and electrifying tale. It is also worth noting that the brilliantly ferocious actress portraying Lady Macbeth was Tara Fitzgerald, who also played the meek and considerably plain Selyse Baratheon in the wildly popular TV series Game of Thrones. This just proves 焦老師's point that regardless of one's acting experience or the degree of recognition an actor has received,  the challenges of live theatre are always real and serve as an important channel for self-improvement.

And that, my lads, is a wrap for my highlights tour of the second half of our epic England adventure.

But… what about the food, you ask? Blimey of course I have not forgotten! Despite the notorious reputation of English cuisine, the rebellious determination to prove this wrong perhaps came as part of the food obsession that has stemmed from the Chan Family DNA. So I would like to extend my warmest invitation to you all to join me for an upcoming feast of unprecedented style, and you will see why I have saved the best for last.