Arrived in London shortly after noon Saturday on an overnight flight which had left Dallas at 9:00 p.m. Friday. It was 4:00 by the time we made our way to our hotel and were settled in. Hotels.com had cancelled our paid-in-full reservation (let that be a warning to you) but Marriott County Hall made good on it; read to the end of this blog article to see how. After a shower and supper we went to bed and didn’t see the light of day until 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning---must have been tired.
Saturday started with no seats at the hotel breakfast, so the lady made good on that with four vouchers to the buffet downstairs…….$90 breakfast tab, no charge. Thank you very much! We’re off to the Tower of London.
The Tower of London is really a fortification along the Thames with several towers. It was home to the English royalty for centuries. The first structure was built by William the Conqueror 1000 or so years ago. Today’s it’s the home to the Crown Jewels (kind of gaudy….not really that impressive, but what do I know) and has a number of historical artifacts complete with Beefeaters who giving tours which include details on all the beheadings carried out by the threatened Kings. Think of a cross between the White House and Plymouth Plantation and Silver Dollar City and you’ll kind of have it pegged. As the tour unfolded I came to understand why the British term “bloody” means damned, for apparently anyone who crossed the Monarch was just that. Bloodied.
Apparently the biggest stink over the centuries---at least the biggest I heard about---related to Henry VIII wanting a divorce which Rome disallowed, so he broke away from the Catholic Church at established the Church of England. Evidently Rome and its various authorities dispatched to England weren’t real keen on this idea and protested vigorously. Perhaps this is where the term “he doth protest too much” came from, because any notion of speaking out against the Monarch apparently earned you the designation “bloody.”
So, we saw the crown jewels, the guns, the cannons, the demonstrations of firepower, spinning, cooking pottage…..the pretend war was kind of interesting. Watching the soldiers line up in four columns of four rows with the front row firing and then running to the back so that row two could fire gave clear meaning to the concept “rank and file.”
I found the terminology around the Tower interesting. They spoke of the “bulwark”….a term you might have heard if you ever sang “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” It means “wall.” The implication is that a wall is protection. Kings were quick to build walls. Apparently, being King makes you a target for people who aren’t so keen on being “subjects.”
It seemed that the Kings built their houses as towers. The top floor was theirs, underneath lived their servants, under that lesser servants, and in the basement……..well, that’s the dungeon where they kept their prisoners. Back to the towers……there are lots of towers……..which brought to mind that more contemporary song we sing “The name of the Lord is, a strong tower. The righteous run into it, and they are saved.” Well, in rural Missouri the concept of a tower doesn’t mean a lot. (We’ve got the Hammon’s Tower in Springfield, but that’s about it.) But here in the land of castles and moats, you begin to understand the imagery in the songs when they speak of bulwarks and towers.
I was impressed by the close tie of church and state. The murderous Kings exhibited a lot of religious behavior. They had private chapels and Mass was offered regularly. Then they went out and had their wives heads chopped off. Hmmmm. Some significant inconsistencies----religion as a tool, not a demonstration of devotion.
From there it was on to the Tower Bridge……a really cool old drawbridge built next to the Tower and containing towers itself. I thought of my friend Stan Elmore as I toured Tower Bridge. It’s an engineer’s dream. Uh, to me…..it was……a bridge. But apparently England is proud of it. (Did I ever mention I grew up in Galena. We had the “Y” bridge---one of only two in the world. The other is in Ohio. I got to see it a couple of summer’s ago when I judged a goat show in Ohio. OK. That’s all I’ve got on bridges.)
Next stop: Hyde Park and Speaker’s Corner. If you have ever been to New York City and seen the goofballs screaming from the street corners on Time’s Square you have a little concept of Speaker’s Corner. If you
want to make a public spectacle of yourself in London, this is the place to do it. There were probably six to 10 different speakers standing on their soap boxes (usually an aluminum step stool). Some were talking rather softly. Many were shouting loudly. I’d guess it was about half political speech---most seeming to be middle eastern in nature---and about half preaching, mostly Christian with maybe one or two Muslims mixed in.
The Jesus’ speakers were doing a reasonably good job of communicating accurately, though I’m not sure they were being very persuasive. One was being heckled severely by a group of Muslims. But he was withstood them well.
Another preacher clearly presented the Christian gospel and then began to pray for a man nearby asking God to bless the man. An onlooker got miffed about it, and suddenly came at me to talk in a “making fun” sort of way about the preacher. I told him that Jesus was my Lord and Savior and he just looked at me bizarrely and walked away.
Then there was the guy with the chicken hat---himself a speaker---who yelled that Jesus was a homosexual, the bed partner of Peter……………………………
There were a number of quieter evangelical witnessing huddles where seemingly better dialogue was being had. But I don’t know that the venue is the most effective way to reach out in London.
I took my girls aside and shared this with them:
- Nobody is arguing about Shakespeare or Napoleon, but when Jesus is injected there is instant consternation. I find that fact alone compelling. In all of history everybody has a “live and let live” attitude except when it comes to mentioning Jesus. His name alone sets people on edge like none other. I think that is worthy of attention.
- There was a lot of arguing going on about Jesus. I explained to the girls that I didn’t think the arguing was the most effective tool, but that instead just telling the story of what Jesus had done in your life was most compelling because no one can argue with your personal experience. “Jesus is the Son of God” is arguable. “Jesus changed my life in this way….” that personal experience can only be observed, it can’t be taken away.
As I listened to the speakers I thought of Steve Akeson, a psychologist friend of mind. I think he’d have found several diagnoses among this crowd. (As we sat down for dinner later Kelly confirmed my thought saying “A psychologist would have a hay day with those guys.”)
After a heck of along walk we were then off to Kensington Palace, home to Royals ad-infinitum; most recognized these days as the home of Diana. Uhm……ya know……it was a really big brick house……but nothing to write home about…..not all that impressive except for it’s scale. If I’d have had to live there I might have been depressed, too.
The Cult of Diana is interesting to me. Based on the press reports my only significant thoughts were; #1. What a troubled soul. #2. How much good she could have done if she’d had her personal demons worked out so she could have leveraged her celebrity for another 40-50 years. Truth is, she could have benefited from some of the message being communicated at Speaker’s Corner.
Here was something I observed in London: lots of blatant lesbians walking the streets; the I’m-out-and-I-want-you-to-know-it types. Parenthetically, I read in the press that a preacher in Speaker’s Corner was arrested a few weeks ago for speaking out against homosexuality.
London is a big city. Lotsa people. Lotsa Muslim women covered up. (Saw one all dressed in black, but then covered with a white towel to ward off the sun…….kind of confused me…….I’m thinking if God does require you to be so covered, he would be OK if you were covered in white. Saw any number of middle-eastern guys walking the streets in white robes. Hmmmm. I think the women should form a committee and talk to the Imam’s. )
Lotsa fashion in London. I’m not a big fashion guy, heck, I own only two pair of jeans. But I just happened to notice lots of people dressed in high style. Kind of interesting.
Kel tells me we are off to Windsor tomorrow. I’ll let you know what we find.
OH, wait, one final thing: The young lady at the front desk of the Marriott made good on our room problem. Today we got moved to the top floor of the hotel, with a balcony, looking out directly across the river at Big Ben. We are livin’ in style. I doubt there is a better room anywhere in London. Made me feel better about the $500 per day or whatever we’re paying---I don’t want to know. Kel and I have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on the hotel costs. You know, I’m kind of a Holiday Inn kind of guy…..well, not really. I’m really a Ritz Carlton & Four Seasons kind of guy. I just have a Holiday Inn conscience. But these digs are just one more reason I shudder for the poor boys my girls might marry. These girls have no concept of the “motel.” But I’m thankful that we’ve been able to travel so much and live so well while doing it!
Big Ben is donging mid-night. I gotta go to bed.
