In big cities across the world, you will always find people rushing. Rushing to work, away from work, to lunch, to the mall, on and off the subway/metro/underground system, rushing to catch taxis and rushing to make it on a bus before the doors slam shut. The main difference between rushing Americans and rushing Europeans (besides the accents, of course) is they way they treat eating and food. Americans are all about fast food and large quantities; they eat as a function of life and, while appreciative of delicious food, will eat regardless of the quality of the meal. Europeans, however, have mastered the art of savoring.
This is one of the first lessons that Eugene wanted to teach us while we were in London. He gave us each a small square of gourmet chocolate and told us to savour it, in our own time, in a quiet location by ourselves. The packaging read, "each of these elegant delights will take you on a sensual journey...the flavors flirt with each other in a magical dance...crunch into a crystal.. each reveals its secrets." It was a lesson in enjoying chocolate for its quality and flavor--not because we were hungry. In my opinion, the chocolate wasn't any better than some I've had in the US, but it was a good reminder to savour every experience this semester.
So far, we've gone to a sung Eucharist service at Westminster Abbey (the music, architecture, and tradition embedded in the church service was awe-inspiring). We visited the Tate/Tate Modern, British and National Museums, Saatchi gallery, and the Wallace collection where we embarked on a scavenger hunt in search of some of the most influential pieces of Western Art (works by Van Gogh, Dali, Da Vinci, Monet, and many many more.) We stood for 3 hours as commoners at the last performance of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare's Old Globe theatre. We attended the incredible musical Les Miserables at the Queens Theatre in piccadilly circus, where we laughed at the antics of the Thenardiers and cried when Eponine died. We found our way around on the London underground, and navigated the night bus system when we were out too late to take the tube. We have walked across the Millennium bridge (the one that falls down in Harry Potter) and have taken pictures by platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. We've seen Big Ben and the London Eye, Parliament, the Victoria tower, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Thames river. Consequently, it has been an extremely full first leg of our Euroterm adventure.
I intend to savour every experience of this trip, and hopefully recreate some of that delicious magic that is Europe through the words in this blog, and through the artwork I create while I'm here.
