Original date of post: December 1, 2013
Remember how I ended the last blog entry on a nervous note about my upcoming papers? Once again, I have been more cautious than necessary, as I have finished one of my papers and written out outlines for the other two! That’s the good news. The bad news is that I got nothing done today. The great news is that I enjoyed my time outside, scoring three more quick stops on my Criminal Justice Pilgrimage! These stops will be mentioned in white text when appropriate, so highlight away!
The first place on my agenda was Tower Hill, a place I have passed by and through on several occasions. As the name implies, it is a hill overlooking the Tower of London (special thanks to Captain Obvious for writing this sentence). During the Late Middle Ages, European Renaissance, and Georgian Era, it was a place of execution, where noble prisoners of the Tower of London convicted of treason or other felonies were beheaded. I had wanted to find the site of the scaffold to both document it for the CJP and pay my respects, but I had been unable to find it the last couple of times. However, I had done my homework this time and was able to locate it in a park next to the nearby Tube station (that I had arrived in, playing video games on the ride) that was filled with all sorts of war memorials. As you can see, the site is somewhat pretty and is filled with lovely greenery. In particular, I was struck by one tiny blood-red flower that was poking out a mostly barren patch of space, filling that tiny section of the park with color. I’ll leave it to the poets to figure out the meaning of that.
After photographing to my heart’s content and allowing for a moment of respectful silence, I headed down to where the Tower of London is, passing by a completely different kind of scaffold along the way. I chose this moment to embrace my inner psycho headsman/horror movie villain.
I was slightly tempted to go into the Tower and see the Bloody Tower and Crown Jewels, but visiting the Tower is an all-day affair, and there were other things I wanted to do. I ate lunch in the space beside the Tower, which was…interesting (I’ll explain why in a bit), and I observed with some amazement the ice-skating rink that had been erected since my last time in the neighborhood. I was tempted to skate, but, once again, that was a kind of all-day event, so I crossed the River Thames to the south and sought out the next CJP stop: the Clink! The Clink was a notorious medieval prison in the southern London area that existed well into the Georgian Era before being burned down by the Gordon Rioters. For centuries, it was a place of unspeakable cruelty, barbaric torture, squalid living conditions, vermin infestations, mind-boggling corruption, and religious persecution. Suffice to say, bad things happened in this place. Today, the site hosts a museum that claims to replicate the original conditions of the prison (including interactive torture exhibits). I say “claims” because I never went inside to check for myself. I was in a bit of a rush, and I was more than happy to enjoy the Clink from the outside…for now.
My third and final CJP stop for the day was quite different from the prior two historical sites: the London Dungeon, a hybrid between a haunted house and a museum that explores aspects London’s sordid past, including executions, witch trials, Black Death, the Gunpowder Plot (Remember that from the Guy Fawkes Day post? Good times.), and Jack the Ripper’s rampage. It is one of the most widely advertised attractions in London (See the photo of the weird pillory/chopping block above.), which made it all the more infuriating when I kept having difficulty actually finding it. After about 30 minutes of wandering around South London (which, given the place’s reputation, is more time spent there than I would have liked) in circles, I FINALLY found a billboard announcing it…’s relocation. Peachy. Actually, that was OK; as with the Clink, I was more interested in finding and documenting its location than actually visiting. Because an abandoned Dungeon is still a Dungeon, I took the time to take some frightened selfies next to the statues and portcullis left over from the moving.
After that nice long trek, followed up by a long Tube ride (complete with more gaming--I game a lot is the point I’m trying to get across…again), I made it home safe and sound. All in all, a good day…with one additional twist. You know the lunch I was vague about 2 paragraphs ago? What exactly did I eat? I had…fish and chips! For those who don’t realize that significance, I’ve been a vegetarian for 16 years. I have a few moral and health-based reasons for not eating meat, but my primary reason is simple: the flavor and texture of meat trigger my gag reflex, making it virtually impossible to force down animal flesh (sorry if that was too much info). However, in the last year or so, I’ve gotten tolerant of certain forms of meat (I can have chicken broth and eat salmon, as long as it isn’t too smoked). In the spirit of being adventurous, I bought some (rather expensive) fish and chips near the Tower of London and ate it there. Though it was quite greasy and the flavor wasn’t something I exactly crave, my gag reflex hardly triggered at all and I found myself actually enjoying its texture! This marks the end of my 16-year experiment with vegetarianism, as I now feel encouraged to go try other types of fish out there. I still plan on mostly having a plain pasta and vegetable-based diet, but at least more options are available for me.
(Quick side note: wow, compared to the photos I took at the beginning of the term (see previous entries for proof), my hair has gotten long!)
Three CJP stops and a complete lifestyle change (albeit a steady one). How’s that for an adventure?
Happy 5th night of Hanukkah, everyone!
Modern reflections:
In retrospect, this day may be the most important one I documented throughout my travels. Most of my Criminal Justice Pilgrimage stops were dreams come true, but becoming pescatarian opened more doors for me than I thought possible and has made eating out infinitely less stressful. For this reason, the ice rink by the Tower of London will forever remain a memorable place for me.
Also in retrospect, the fish and chips I had that day was somewhat subpar compared to most others I've had. If I ever return to London, I'll want to try out the local chip shops in various areas.
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