Sunday, April 12: Writers, Wizards and Lots of White People

Our morning began with a full English breakfast at the Latvian House, sitting next to a few German people. We are not entirely sure why the full English breakfast (everywhere, not just here) comes with a scoop of baked beans, but it does. They apparently do not understand that baked beans were created to go with burgers or dogs on the grill and potato salad, not eggs and toast and the occasional bowl of cereal. In other food news, unlike our experience in other areas of Europe, chocolate is not a staple of every meal (chunks of chocolate in your granola, Nutella in your crepes). Baked beans are probably a healthier breakfast component than Nutella, but chocolate goes down a lot easier.

Today we had two things on our itinerary. First, we’d heard from friends that the British Library had a great exhibit of documents. This might not sound very exciting, but it really is. At least for 4 out of 5 of us. Especially when Andrew took a picture of a “Beowulf” manuscript and then realized no photography was allowed. Would’ve been more exciting if they’d actually thrown him out or, worst possible scenario, confiscated his beloved phone.

There were documents in the handwriting of famous historical names:  A look at “Jane Eyre” from Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”, Michaelangelo’s letter telling his dad that he’d finished painting a chapel ceiling and the Pope seemed pleased, Paul McCartney’s scratched out lyrics to “Yesterday.” Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII’s joint (and conversational) letter to Cardinal Woolsey, who was in the process of annulling their marriage. Also there were a multitude of illuminated Bibles and other sacred texts (including a Codex that kept coming up over and over when I helped edit the Archaeological Study Bible).  Best of all, this was free!

Allison enjoys some "butterbeer"

Next up, not so free. We went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. But wow, was it amazing! The filmmakers knew from early on in the process of putting together the first film that this book series was making an impact on the world. So they saved everything, and you can see full-size sets that make you feel like you have stepped into the world of Hogwarts. It was more fun than Brian and I expected it to be, and they’ve done a great job of putting it together. I remember taking Andrew and Natalie to a midnight release party for the 7^th book, and it was a big cultural component of their childhoods. So it was a lot of fun to watch them see these things.

Also, when you have kids with an artistic nature, and they have all been involved in stage productions in one way or another, it’s great to have the chance to see how these things come together. The combination of our earlier Doctor Who tour and this tour has really sparked their interest in making stories come to life on screen.

It has also contributed to what may just be the least diverse trip to the UK that one could possibly make. I'm reading the YA novel "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld right now, and it has a lot to say about how important diversity is to both ecology (healthy diversity of species) and, I think, society (diversity of people). Let’s just say that the diversity of London specifically and the UK in general is completely undetectable at the Doctor Who Experience and the Harry Potter Studio Tour. The city of London is so diverse, as highlighted by our first weekend renting a place among communities of Russian, South Asian and Middle Eastern descent and our second weekend staying at the Latvian House. Perhaps at the British Museum tomorrow we’ll be in a larger swath of the general population.

I bring this up partly because it is voting time here—members of Parliament are about to be elected. We saw the clash between anti-immigration groups and those who protested their appearance last weekend. I’ve also been noticing posters on the walls of the Tube stations that have “I Am An Immigrant” at the top, along with a picture of someone who lives in the UK and their personal story of what kind of services they’ve been providing in their careers during the last 10 or 15 years. It’s obviously a way to get the message out that immigration has benefits to the whole society. For instance, we went to a pub tonight for one last British meal. It was a nice pub, with great food. Unexpectedly, they didn't serve fish and chips--not even the chips part! Instead, I had a great curry dinner, and Natalie enjoyed her hummus and pita bread.

But our time in the basement bar of the Latvian House last night was a good lesson in what it feels like to be in a situation that doesn’t fit my personal style and in which I find myself in the minority. The simplest thing to do is to excuse myself and do something else. So when I'm in the majority, it's up to me to try to make it a comfortable place for those who aren't. If I don't, who will?

On a completely different note, Allison wanted to add something today. She wasn’t sure what to write about, so I asked her what stood out in her experience in England. Here’s what she wrote:

There have been many interesting sights I’ve seen here. I really liked the Doctor Who Experience and the Harry Potter Studios, and learning about filming. A really weird thing that I noticed was I keep finding my knife placed in the middle of my fork, but Andrew thinks I’m wrong and is making fun of me about it.

It’s true, she does keep getting handed a knife and fork with the knife blade lodged in the fork tines. It is also true that her brother makes fun of her. Learn what you will from that.

Tomorrow is our last day here—we’ll be flying out late afternoon and making a midnight drive back to GR from Chicago. Andrew has helped us prepare for departure by polishing off anything we have left that is edible. Thanks for traveling with us!