LINCOLN

Traveled to Lincoln for a day trip. Lincoln is one of the oldest cities in England. It was originally founded by the Celts as Lindon and was greatly expanded by the Roman Invaders as Lindum Colonia. There are many interesting historical sites here, including the Lincoln Cathedral, the Lincoln Castle, and road markers indicating the boundaries of the old Roman forum.

Steep Hill, a nice little shopping street and workout route

The Lincoln Cathedral

The East Wall of the Lincoln Castle

LINCOLN - Archaeology Museum

Brief stop at the archaeology museum in Lincoln. Here are some interesting exhibits. 

Two handed broadswords, literally as long as I am tall.

The partial skeleton of a plesiosaur a.k.a. a Nessie

LINCOLN - Lincoln Castle

Unfortunately, much of Lincoln Castle was closed to visitors due to renovations. All that was open was the central courtyard and the Castle Wall Walks.

The castle was originally a Norman fortress.

A Hall within the central walls of the Castle

A bust of America's favorite British Monarch: George III. (As a side note, we ran into a few locals at a nearby pub who were quite confused by the sizable group of Americans in their city. We politely informed them that we were here to invade and conquer our former motherland, starting with the defacement of this bust. They got a good laugh out of it.) 

The top of the Cathedral from the Castle Walls.

 

LINCOLN - Lincoln Cathedral

The Lincoln Cathedral was originally built by the Normans in 1092 during the reign of William the Conquerer. Unfortunately, the building was severely damaged by a fire in 1141. The rebuilt section of the Cathedral features more Gothic architecture, including signature flying buttresses.

The Inner Sanctuary in the Lincoln Cathedral

The Window above the entryway

This gate separates the main room from the inner sanctuary of the Cathedral  

The stonework on the separation wall

The east aisle, which leads to the Choir and the inner sanctuary

The base of a pillar from the original Norman Cathedral

 

LINCOLN - Lincoln Cathedral - The Choir

The Choir was located in the center of the Cathedral. It was it's own separate area and was walled off from the rest of the main sanctuary.  

The Interior of the Choir

The Pipe Organ in the Choir

The Conductor's Chair and Podium

The Official Podium at the end of the Choir

The Bishop's Chair in the Choir

LINCOLN - Lincoln Cathedral - Tombs

This is the Shrine of 'Little Saint Hugh', an 8 year old boy who was found murdered after disappearing for a month. His death became the motivation for Blood Libel against the Jews of Lincoln. During the Middle Ages, many people travelled to the Cathedral to venerate the martyr.

This is the place where Eleanor of Castile's viscera are interred. Her body and her heart remain in a tomb in London.   

 The large stone tomb on the far side of the alter is the tomb of Saint Hugh, who served as Bishop of Lincoln during the 1200s and who was one of the signatories of Magna Carta.

This is Fleming's Tomb. During the Middle Ages, the threat of Black Death loomed over England, and many people were preoccupied with it at this time. This is why Bishop Fleming had a two tiered tomb commissioned. On top, he was depicted as wealthy and powerful, dressed in full ceremonial attire. However, on the bottom, he is shrouded and emaciated, showing that no man, no matter how powerful, could cheat death.

LINCOLN - Lincoln Cathedral - Politics

 This chamber was used for political purposes within the Cathedral. Whenever the king and his council would visit the Cathedral to hold religious ceremonies, they would carry them out in this circular ante-chamber.

The King's Seat in the Ante-Chamber

LINCOLN - Roman Architecture

This is the Newport Arch, which is the only remaining usable piece of Roman Architecture remaining in Lincoln. This gate was originally used as an entrance to the Roman forum of Lindum Colonia. The forum was used as fortress against the Celts and later against the Saxons. It is possible that the Ninth Legion marched out of this very gate to subdue Boudicca's rebellion. 

LONDON - London Trip

Our first official school sponsored trip of the semester was to London. I don't have a lot of pictures, but this was a phenomenal trip. I had a blast in London, and it was much different than I thought it would be. It's not at all like New York or Chicago, like I was expecting. If you ever have plans to visit Great Britain, make sure you reserve a weekend (at least) for London.

Bri, me, and Kayla at the Tube Station closest to our hotel

Our first pub visit since our arrival

There is no WiFi on the street, so they have these handy little boxes for public use. Fun Fact: the insides of these things are plastered with ads for prostitutes.

LONDON - British Museum - Favorites

Our first (and longest) stop on Friday was the British Museum, which had a bunch of really interesting exhibits. These are just a few of them.

Kayla and I in front of the Obelisk of King Nectanebo II

Everything in this case is an African throwing knife. No matter how bad they were at throwing, I'm sure their kill rates were pretty high. 

A beautiful conch shell trumpet from Tibet.

LONDON - British Museum - EGYPTIAN STUFF!

This Ancient Egyptian mummy still has hair. Can you see it?

The most famous exhibit in the British Museum was the Rosetta Stone, pictured above. This artifact, uncovered in 1799, enabled modern archaeologists to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics. It included lines of hieroglyphs, Greek text, and Latin text, all with the same meaning.

LONDON - King's Cross Station and the British Library

We also stopped by King's Cross Station and The British Library. Inside the Library, we were able to view a preserved copy of Magna Carta, which the barons forced King John to sign in 1215. It is one of the most influential government documents in the world. National Treasure 3 should be about Micolas Cage's attempt to acquire a treasure map on the back of Magna Carta.

Going Back to Hogwarts

Among the hedges outside the British Library

LONDON - Westminster

On Friday Morning, we headed down to Westminster to see all the touristy stuff.

Big Ben

Big Ben and Parliament

The London Eye

Westminster Abbey

LONDON - Buckingham Palace

We then travelled down along a lovely little park road until we arrived at Buckingham Palace. The British Flag was flying above the Palace, which indicated that the Queen was home. She did not appear for pictures.

Buckingham Palace

In winter, the Queen's Guard wear grey coats. I was a bit disappointed that they weren't in signature red.

The Australian Gate. One of three, along with the Canadian and South African Gates. There is no American Gate.

The Queen Victoria Memorial on the Mall

LONDON - Tower Bridge

Our final stop on Friday included a trip to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge (Mistakenly known as the London Bridge. There is a London Bridge, it just isn't this one.) I thought I got a picture of the Tower of London, but apparently I didn't, so I'm sorry.

Tower Bridge

The remains of a Roman Wall near the Tower of London