Photo of the Week

Along the lines of cool things I've been able to see, here is an old Roman bathhouse in the town of Bath. When the Roman Empire controlled the UK, it was mainly just a retreat for soldiers and nobles to get away and relax. 

Sights I've Seen

It's so crazy to think that it's almost the end of the school year! And as my classes here start wrapping up, Ive been very reflective and a bit nostalgic lately. So instead of being sad that this experience will soon be over, I've decided to remind myself of some of the amazing places I've been able to go since coming here. 

York

From the gorgeous cathedral (shown in the upper left and lower right) to the impressive wall (upper right) that dates back to the times of the Roman Empire, it is clear that this town has a lot of history, which I always find fascinating when visiting a new place. Additionally, the town has been visited by many monarchs who stayed in the building on the lower left (now the University of York) and holds a really cool open market. 

The Highlands




 Although I really enjoyed visiting Edinburgh, my favorite part of Scotland that I was able to visit was the Highlands. Being a nature lover, the gorgeous scenery of this part of part of Scotland left me speechless. It was also cool that I got to see a few castles while I was there and a highland cow (yak). 

Brussels

               

During the Winter break, my dad came to visit and we were able to travel around a bit. Our favorite city on this trip was easily Brussels. Dating back to the late 970's, just under halfway through the Middle Ages, the city is full of history. Being a small city in a small country between bigger forces the city has been conquered time and time again and has still managed to maintain its own culture through these changes of power. Being there in December we also got to see many Winter markets and even the city's most famous attraction was dressed for the occasion (pictured below). 

                                       

Manneken Pis (the Peeing Man pictured up to the left) is a statue that was once very random in the city. Although its origin is still somewhat disputed, its rise to fame is fairly agreed upon. During a raid of the city, a nostalgic family that lived close to the statue hid it to prevent it from being stolen or destroyed. When the conquerors heard this statue was missing they made great, unsuccessful efforts to find it.

While the statue has been stolen from the city many times, it has always been returned and has become an icon of the city. Throughout the year, it is dressed up in all kinds of outfits depending on the events of the time. 

Stonehenge

Although I enjoyed most of these places for the history they carried, I've always been fascinated by the theories behind Stonehenge. Ranging from a communal gathering place to a place of Pagan worship to an amphitheater for entertainment, there are many theories about what Stonehenge ever was when it was first built around 3000 B.C.E. Between this mystery, the age, and the size of this construction, I found it to be a very intriguing place.

  

All of these are also places I had wanted to visit for a long time, so I think this made the experiences of going there all the more special. Where are some places you guys would like to go someday?

Also keep in mind that I'll be interviewing my friend's brother this week so comment any questions you guys would like me to ask him. 

Photo of the Week

Here is an outside view of the stadium on my campus from right next to where I take the bus. As you can imagine, it gets very crowded on game days.

Football (Soccer)

In a country as small as the UK, there have always been local rivalries to determine which city is better than another, and out of this competitive spirit, sports have become widely popularized. The most popular of these sports is noticeably football, known to the US as soccer.

Football has been played in the UK has early as the 13th century and has had its history forever intertwined with the Kingdom's.

The world's oldest football clubs began in England in 1843 with uniforms consisting of jerseys, shorts, and more primitive versions of shin guards. In 1870 the game was slightly modified in London to become the sport as we know it today, and the next year the first official tournament began in England, being called the FA Cup.

96 teams from around the country played single game elimination until there were only 32 teams left. From there, the top 32 would face each other in a tournament setting to see how they placed. To win, a team would have to win about fourteen games in total.

Due to the popularity of the tournament, the first Football League was started in Manchester in 1888 consisting of only 12 teams. Each team played each other twice, once at home and once away, a sports structure to which we have become accustomed. 

With the sport having a history so rooted in England, it's only natural that it should continue to be popular here today. I live on a campus with the local football stadium where the Brighton and Hove Albions play. 

Every Saturday, I see hundreds of fans pour out of the train station to watch spirited games take place, and you can tell from the fans that the sport remains popular today. The rowdy spirit and energy released from the fans can be heard hours before the game even begins.

While most of my friends here don't share as much passion for the sport as many of the country's fans, the majority of them have a team that they'll support in any circumstance. 

How many of you guys follow football? What other sports do you guys like?

Also, in a couple weeks I'm going to be interviewing my friend's younger brother to get some insight to the schooling system here and how it differs from that of the US, so start thinking of questions you may want me to ask him.

Photo of the Week: Coat of Arms

Along with the role of representing the UK, the Royal family also gets this fancy coat of arms. The lion and unicorn represent the unity of England and Scotland. The first and fourth square on the shield represents England, the second square represents Scotland and the harp is for Northern Ireland.

Constitutional Monarchy

Do you guys know who either woman pictured above is? Chances are, if you recognize one, its the woman on the left. If you recognize both, then good for you!

On the left is Queen Elizabeth II, current monarch of the UK and on the right is Theresa May, the current Prime Minister. They are both figures of power across the nation but have very different roles. When I first arrived in the UK, I often wondered why there is still a monarch if there is another government system in place.

Like the United States, the UK has a three-branched system of government which functions much like ours. However, their system is known as a Constitutional Monarchy. So where does the monarch play into all this.

As the diagram shows, the Queen is the face of the UK and she signs Bills for them to become Laws so does this mean she does have some executive power?

While the Queen does sign Bills, she only does so for ceremonial purposes once it has already been passed. In fact, this is the basis of most of her duties. 

The Queen is also symbol of national identity and relations to maintain consistency through shifts from Prime Minister to Prime Minister. She is also in charge of any public recognition that needs to be given and is a symbol for voluntary service, as her life is devoted to the country. 

Additionally, any war declared and any treaty signed, whether done so in the knowledge of the Queen or not, is done on her authority. In this way she is also a symbol of unity.

In addition to the powers listed above setting the standard for fun hats, the Queen also has a few other unexpected powers endowed by her role.

She technically owns all swans and dolphins within 3 miles of the British coastline, as well as sturgeons, porpoises and whales because they are considered 'fishes royal'. She also does not require a driver's license or passport as they are both issued in her name. Despite this fact, she still drives and travels quite frequently.

She also has her own personal poet, has the ability to appoint Lords to sit at Parliament and doesn't have to pay taxes (though she still does). She can still appoint knights as well and is not required to disclose any information about the Royal Family. 

She is also technically the head of the state of Australia and therefore has the right to fire their government but hasn't done this since 1975. Lastly, she has the right to take the power of the UK in a 'grave constitutional crisis'. 

While she doesn't have any legislative power, the Queen still has many duties and responsibilities, and at 93 years-old she has had this responsibility for longer than any other British monarch in history. She has been in power for 67 years.

What do you guys think of the role of the monarch in the UK? Would you want this role? How many of you knew who she was before this post?

Castles!

Hey guys! I realized I'll have to do a bit more research on a post about the royals so stay tuned! But this week I want to talk about some things that are all over the UK: castles. Since I've been here I've seen quite a few and here are some of my favorites.

Bodiam Castle

Dating back to the 14th century, Bodiam Castle is one of the oldest remains of a castle that remains intact. Starting in the possession of Edward III's knights Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, the castle passed hands many times through the Hundred Years of War, The War of the Roses, and the English Civil War eventually leaving it to decay for nearly two centuries from the 1640's-1820's and has been in a restoration process ever since. This castle is also one of the few that still has a moat.

Palace of Versailles

Originally built by Louis XIV, the Palace of Versailles was actually built as a retreat from the city of Paris because Louis didn't like it. The lavishly decorated palace includes a gallery, an opera house, and an extensive garden, making it Paris' second most visited monument, just behind the Louvre.

Kilchurn Castle

Built in the 15th century Kilchurn Castle belonged to Clan Campbell in Scotland. Over the next 150 years or so, the clan extended across the country and eventually abandoned the castle in 1770 leaving it to ruin until it was taken under the care of Historic Environment Scotland. 

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Located in Edinburgh, the Holyrood Palace is still operational and acts as the official residence of the King or Queen of Scots. At the beginning of each summer Queen Elizabeth stays here to conduct business and ceremonies in Scotland. It is opposite Edinburgh Castle.

Doune Castle

Anyone who has seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail will know why I saved this castle for the last one. Being built in the 13th century and being rebuilt about 100 years later, the castle was mainly used as a hunting lodge or widows house until it saw its first military action in mid-17th century. However, the most important thing ever done here was the filming of the movie I mentioned. Every castle scene in Monty Python except for the last one was filmed at this castle in Doune.

Thanks for reading this week's post! I'm still open to suggestions for future post ideas so feel free to comment if you have any.

Cheers!

Have you guys been to any castles or are there any that you'd like to visit? 

Where's your favorite place you have visited?