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European Reflections

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Hidden Treasure in the British Museum

Monday, August 6th, 2007

The British Museum contains some of the greatest treasures of the world. Here you can view that actual Rosetta Stone. This amazing museum is filled with the finest remnants of the ancient world. If you visit the once-famous Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, for example, you’ll see only one lonely pillar, unadorned in the middle […]

Stumbling into Pottermania

Friday, August 3rd, 2007

While Linda and I were in London, we stumbled into a bit of Pottermania. Taking the Tube to Leicester Square, we emerged to find unexpected crowds of people, especially teenage girls. What was going on? We had accidentally crashed the London premier of the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the […]

Happy Surprise on the Fourth of July

Thursday, August 2nd, 2007

My wife and I were in London on July 4th, Independence Day for Americans. For the British, of course, July 4th represents the beginning of a losing war effort and the ultimate loss of the American colonies. So I was prepared to receive a cold shoulder from the folks in London that day.
At lunch, an […]

Nisi Dominus Frustra

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

While in London, my wife and I visited several of the usual tourist sites: Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. For those who haven’t been to London, let me say that the Tower of London isn’t a tower so much as an ancient castle. The Tower tour is both […]

Loving Language, Section 2

Tuesday, July 31st, 2007

In my last post I talked about having fun decoding some of the modern Greek I saw during my recent trip to Europe. I also enjoyed some of the peculiarities of English in Britain. Of course the Brit might well object that their ways are standard, and ours are peculiar, since their claim to English […]

Loving Language

Monday, July 30th, 2007

One of the things I most enjoy about traveling in foreign countries is being exposed to different languages. During my days as a student I actually studied seven languages. Yes, seven: Spanish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin. All of these except Spanish were required for my doctoral program. Now let me hasten to […]

Evensong in London

Saturday, July 28th, 2007

While in London, my wife and I attended a Sunday Evensong service at St. James Paddington Anglican church. While walking in, I noticed the sign advertised: “Professional choir at both service.” This made me worry a bit. Are folks coming to hear beautiful music, or to worship and commune with God.
As it turned out, not […]

Just in Case You’re Confused

Wednesday, July 25th, 2007

Just after I got off the plane in London, I saw the sign to the right. I had to chuckle. Of course we Americans would refer euphemistically to the “Women’s Restroom,” though women don’t actually rest in such places. We Americans aren’t quite so blunt about the existence of toilets in our so-called restrooms.
But, even […]

More from Kensington Gardens

Tuesday, July 24th, 2007

Part 8 of series: European Reflections 2006
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In my last post I talked a bit about Peter Pan, who was “created” in Kensington Gardens, Londan, through the creativity of J. M. Barie. Today I thought I’d share a few more fun pictures from this lovely park.
There are […]

Peter Pan Still Charms

Monday, July 23rd, 2007

Part 7 of series: European Reflections 2006
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One of the most beloved of plays written for children is Peter Pan, by J. M. Barie. It began with stories that Barie told the children of a close friend, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. One of these children, Peter, gave Peter […]

Santorini

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

Santorini is a collection of islands in the southern Aegean Sea. Technically, it’s called an archipelago, and it is part of Greece. Santorini was formed from an ancient volcano, which, when it blew its top, left a circular group of islands arond a central caldera. (The photo shows part of Oia.)
We visited Santorini for a […]

Photos from Ephesus

Friday, July 20th, 2007

On our recent trip to Europe, we had the chance to visit Ephesus, which lies just off the western coast of Turkey. Some of what we saw in Ephesus was truly amazing, such as the theatre in the photo to the right.
Only a few steps from the place where I snapped the photo of the […]

Friends

Thursday, July 19th, 2007

Friends sitting in an open market in Tuscania, Italy.

Being in London as History is Made

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007

Part 6 of series: European Reflections 2006
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As the last leg of our European sojourn, my wife and I spent six days in London. We were there from July 1 to July 7. Though it was not our plan, we ended up there as history was being […]

Flowers, Anyone?

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

The flowers throughout London are wonderful, especially in flower boxes and hanging baskets. On their exteriors, most pubs feature baskets spilling over with bright, colorful flowers. But the Churchill Arms has to take the cake (or the scone, or whatever you take in Britain). This pub, just to the west of Kensington Garden, has more […]
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