"MIND THE GAP!"

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't been around much lately. My last review is from the end of June. That's because I just spent six weeks in England, and whenever I wasn't doing work for my classes I wanted to be taking advantage of every free minute I had, even if it just meant hanging out in the dormitory lobby with my new friends, many of whom hailed from other countries. Anyway, I'm back now, ready to write and hoping to earn back my role as advisor as well (or "top reviewer", to use the new term).

While I was overseas, I spent the majority of my time on the campus of University College Northampton, which is just a couple of hours away from London by train. But part of our program included a one-week field trip, to be determined by the classes we took. Mine took me to London, while the other students hopped around Italy and France. My group stayed in London from noon on Monday until 6:00 pm on Friday. There were one or two scheduled excursions each day, which we were not obligated to attend. Essentially, we had free reign to decide what we did and did not want to do.

I know that there was a great deal in London which I did not see, but we managed to squeeze a lot into the time we spent there.

The Tower of London: This was our first stop, after we purchased our Tube passes. Really a misleading name, because the "Tower of London" is comprised of many towers and buildings. We were on a limited schedule and weren't able to see very much of it; I don't think any of us were expecting it to be as vast as it was. Tickets were about $12 per student; adult rates were higher.

Important advice: If you are a student, bring proof. ISIC cards are ideal, but most places will accept high school or college ID. Almost every place with an entrance fee has a student rate, so it's a big money saver.

Our first glimpse of the Tower consisted of an antelope placidly grazing in the yard outside of one of the towers. A plaque introduced him as Bobby, the tower's mascot. An English antelope... intriguing. We also got to peek at the royal ravens and walk along the upper wall to view the grounds below -- and to discover, to our surprise, that there are apartments just on the other side of that wall. In the courtyard, an English guard bedecked in traditional regalia stood watch; we took pictures of his giant teddy bear counterpart. And of course, we had to see the Crown Jewels. That had been our main reason for coming, after all. And they were most impressive. Glittering and gorgeous and I-don't-even-want-to-think-about-how-expensive. Not surprisingly, we weren't permitted to take pictures, but it was still worth the half-hour wait to get in to see them.

Jack the Ripper: Okay, so this wasn't a typical historical landmark, but on our first night our entire group went of a Jack the Ripper tour of London. Thank goodness it stayed light until quite late that night; I don't think I could've handled this tour in the dark. Our extremely knowledgeable tour guide took us to all the places where Jack the Ripper committed his murders and described in gruesome detail just how he carried them out. It was most informative but not for the faint of heart.

Globe Theater: Recently redone, this outdoor circular theater allows viewers to see plays staged much as they would have been in Shakespeare's day. This was also a pre-paid part of our trip, though I think the cost was also around $12. The seating areas are hard wooden benches, so investing in a cushion for $1.50 isn't a bad idea. And since Shakespeare isn't always the easiest fellow to follow, you might do well to purchase a program, which gives a nice synopsis of the play as well as background information on it and on the theater itself.

Westminster Abbey: Massive and marvelous, this house of worship is well worth visiting. Look inside ($6 for students) and see the walkway where Princess Diana's casket made its procession during her funeral. Stop by Poet's Corner, where you'll find plaques commemorating such greats as Lewis Carroll, the Brontes, and Geoffrey Chaucer. Walk through the rooms of statues memorializing the monarchs of the past and gaze upward at the intricate designs on the ceiling and around at the delicate stained glass windows. If a priest comes out during your stay in order to lead a moment of prayer, take the time to sit in the pew and use this building for its original purpose. When you leave -- or before you go in -- be sure to stop by Big Ben, probably the most famous clock in the world. It's a very short walk from one to the other, and if you go just a little further, you'll bump into the London Eye, the enormous ferris wheel constructed in honor of the millenium.

St. Paul's Cathedral is the other church you won't want to miss. It was high on my priority list because it is the backdrop for one of my absolute favorite Disney songs, Feed the Birds. Ironically, you won't find too many birds fluttering around the front of the cathedral, looking for a handout. For that, go to Trafalgar Square, where producing a bread crumb causes 50 pigeons to land on you. What you will find at St. Paul's, aside from another beautiful church, is an astounding view of London, should you feel inclined to climb 560 stairs to get it. It's a tough walk, but it's broken up by two earlier lookout points. One overlooks the sanctuary, the other overlooks London. At the very top, it's much like the Statue of Liberty in that the walking area is tiny and there are lots of people trying to see. So, despite the view, you won't want to stay up there too long for fear that an irate fellow traveler will attempt to fling you from the balcony. But I certainly considered it another $6 well spent.

Buckingham Palace, Downing St., and Scotland Yard are all nice to see, but that's about all there is to do. All three sites are very crowded, and there are thick gates obstructing the view to the first two. One plus to Scotland Yard: the mounted guards are out in front and more than willing to let tourists introduce themselves to their horses.

Kew Gardens is one place I'd actually never heard of, but I went there on the last day of my field trip. It's an amazing horticultural park filled with plants from all over the world. Beware: the top level of the main greenhouse is stifling and sweltering. However, if you go directly from the top to the bottom level, where the aquarium is housed, you'll get a nice refreshing blast of cool air to bring you back to life. The landscaping outside is amazing, and wild birds abound, gliding gracefully over the park's waters. This particular attraction is located in Zone 3, which is quite a distance away from most of the major tourist spots. I believe admission was about $8. In the more central area of London, you can find equally gorgeous landscaping and an overabundance of waterfowl in such refuges as St. James Park and Heyd Park, which are free as long as you don't sit on the lawn chairs.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of what there is to see in London. Be sure, before you go, to get a guide book so you have some direction and some idea of what you want to see. Another essential investment is a Tube pass; it will get you within visual proximity of virtually anywhere you want to go, as long as you can figure out the Tube map. It takes a little practice. And, of course, lots of film and lots of money. London is very expensive. But make sure you keep your money secure, because pickpockets are not an unusual phenomenon. One of the teachers in our group, an experienced traveler, fell victim to an Artful Dodger during our stay.

Whatever you do, keep an eye on someone in your group at all times. London is extremely crowded. People are everywhere, and if you turn your head for a minute, you may lose your companions entirely. And prepare yourself for the Tube. There is often a mad rush to get on and off, and more than once the subway doors closed with half our group inside and half out. There are often more people than seats, so make sure you situate yourself near a bar that you can hold on to if you're forced to stand.

The most amusing / annoying aspect of the Tube, at least to our group, was the constantly replayed reminder to "MIND THE GAP" -- that is, don't fall down onto the track when you're getting on or off the train. By Friday, we'd grown quite accustomed to it, just as we'd grown accustomed to the constant chorus of mobile phones, the shoving crowds, and the blanket of cigarette smoke that enveloped us everywhere we went. We grew accustomed to nearly being plowed down by motorcycles as we crossed the street and receiving looks of bewilderment when we asked for separate checks in a restaurant. And almost all of us returned for a day or two once we got back to Northampton.

London is an amazing city, and it is definitely worth a visit. I would recommend it to anyone for a week, but I could never live there. Too many people, too much second-hand smoke, just too much of a big city. But in small doses, London is a city with something for everyone and a place where you can make memories to last a lifetime.