Fischberg Flashback 8: Parental Advisory

 Original date of post: September 20, 2013

Yesterday, as I finished my final classes for the week, I felt an amazing sense of relief.  I had been making study plans with my new friends and my various papers were starting to come into focus.  All in all, the work for the semester was looking doable and my worst fears were being put to ease.

My day was about to get better.

I put on my backpack, resolved a few paper-related things with my history professor, and left the AHA center, only to be greeted with this heartwarming sight:

That’s right-my parents had come to visit!

We caught up over beers at the The Old Mitre (known to some as The Bishop’s Mitre), an old English pub dating back to 1546, which my politics professor had recommended.

Though it was raining, we visited a few landmarks, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge, both of which are visible in this photograph:

All in all, it was fun day with a pair of great people!

…But wait, there’s more!  I met up with them again this morning to do more things today.  Our itinerary: visiting political locations such as 10 Downing Street and Parliament, followed by a walking tour called “The Inns of Court-London’s Legal Enclave” (my parents love me).

After loading up on photos at the political locations and having lunch, we embarked on the walking tour, which took us to the Inns of Court, the professional organizations that all English barristers must belong to.  Along the way, we passed through Lincoln’s Inn Field, a peaceful park that, as I was pleased to find out, used to be a place of execution, making it an accidental stop on the Criminal Justice Pilgrimage!

We also passed by a store selling robes and wigs for barristers and judges.  all of which seemed tantalizing…

Finally, we ended up in front of the Royal Courts of Justice, the highest civil court in the country.  The courthouse is a pretty big, cathedral-like building.

Overall, the tour was interesting, as it provided some interesting insights into a different legal system.

A few final bit of silliness: we went to Trafalgar Square afterward, which is located near the center of the city.  There, we paid respects to Admiral Lord Nelson, a hero of the Napoleonic Wars (and the victor of the Battle of Trafalgar, the namesake of the area):

…However, I was nearly savaged by one of the four giant lions surrounding his statue!

After escaping, I then examined the most unusual artwork at Trafalgar Square,…this giant blue chicken:

Having had a wonderful time with my parents for the last two days, I bid them adieu, wishing them well in regards to their upcoming trips to Portugal and Spain.  As for me, I’ve got places to go, things to see, work to do, and executions to study.

Present thoughts:

Given the extensive photos they've taken during their last few vacations, I'm starting to think I get my taste for adventurous travel from my parents.  They were good sports in helping to get these pictures. :)

I still consider the robes and horsehair wigs worn by British barristers to be quite stylish, though I imagine they might get uncomfortable during the summer.  I've never officially worn robes and wigs to court, but I would experiment with that look later in the 2013 fall semester...