More Romans Ruins Found in London

An amazing find has been unearthed in a ditch at a dig at the Minories. It is so pristine that all that is missing is the paint. 1,800 years old and it looks like it was made last week. If fact, it was at first suppose to be a Victorian garden ornament.

The great news is that it is going on display for six months at the Museum of London, just 30 days from ditch to gallery. This means that we can go see it while we are in town. Pretty cool, eh?

Beginning to Pack!

Two jars of Peter Pan Creamy in the box and ready to go!

Making plans

Our travel authorization has been approved by the university. Time to start making travel arrangements. WooHoo!

Spent time today starting the sorting in preparation for packing. Since we know that some things like meds and health & beauty products we will be needing, we did some shopping. Spent some time laying things out and estimating space and weight.

I also sorted maps. We hope to make a visit to Italy, so I sorted some of our London Maps and a couple Florence maps as well. Can't take them all, just the best ones for sight seeing.

And as an extra step I got my flu shot today. Don't want to be sick in London.

Practicing for the Big City

Canon Hill, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA.

In case you haven't noticed by now, I like to take pictures. Some are good and some are really bad, but they are all fun. I've been spending time over recent months thinking about what pictures I want to take in London. I'm pretty sure that a few panoramas will be required to get the majesty of the city.

Amazing Innovation at the Bodleian

The Bodleian Library at Oxford University has made a major change. Now, after 77 years, they have changed the style of chairs on which the patrons sit. The change in the chairs coincides with renovations that are happening there. Renovations and new chairs have always been done together so the real reason for new chairs is tradition. 

Imagine that. Oxford following tradition.

It's getting a bit closer...

I have now signed my travel authorization so that I can buy plane tickets. It's really going to happen!

Also not that the weather in London is pretty close to Harrisonburg's just now. Helps get into the London frame of mind.

Some ancient history unearthed in London

Londinium was founded by the Romans on the site of the current city of London about 43 AD. Prasutagus was ruler of the Iceni tribe and he died around the year 60 AD. The Romans, doing what they normally did, annexed their territory. This made queen Boudicca mad and she led the Iceni tribe to war against the Romans. She gathered some neighboring tribes to help and destroyed Londinium and massacred the Romans.

Crossrail is digging tunnels for rail transport underneath London. As you might imagine, many artifacts are found including bones. Recently, however, some very ancient bones were unearthed. These are bones of Romans perhaps from about the time of Boudicca. It is possible that these are the bones from the massacre she directed or at least Roman bones from that time period.

Food for thought as we walk around the streets of London. In a few weeks, we'll find some streets so commonly trod as to begin to feel usual and maybe even a little boring. If I'm tempted by such a feeling, I'm going to pause, remember this story, and smile as I marvel at the place I'm standing.

Digital Packing

So we're going to London for 4 months. Photos will be made. Lots of photos - most likely we will each capture thousands of memories with our cameras. This fact provokes some thought: how do you get them home?

Packing

how to pack a suitcase

How do you maximize suitcase space without wrinkling everything in the process? It's easy with the smart tips in this video guide to packing.

I find it annoying that the video started when the page opened. I have replaced it with a link tothe video so you can control the starting and stopping.


I've been noted for my ability to fit 10 lbs of clothes in a 3 lbs container for many years, but I'm sure that preparing for a semester away from home will put my skills to the test. Here's a video that helps with preparing for the process.