DAYS 1 & 2 - 18 Days in the Countries of My Heritage

Sept 3 & 4 - United Airlines Does NOT Compare to Turkish Airlines

Flying overseas is a L-O-N-G trip.  I did it once when I was 18 as I took a 5 week trip with the "American Youth Symphony & Chorus."  It was an unforgettable trip and part of it was the comfort of the airline (don't remember which one it was), but the food was good, the company was amazing, and we were all so excited to be presenting our music in 12 different countries.     

  I remember watching the sun rise in Ireland, before we descended upon London.

Last year, Rich and I flew with Turkish Airlines and landed in Istanbul.  It was a fantastic experience and I was able to get some good rest.  We had awesome food, plenty of space to get comfortable, and we had so many things given to us....from Turkish Delights, to a hot cloth to wash our faces to a bag full of little things to make us comfortable.

 Now I embark on a trip by myself on United Airlines.  I head out very early with my backpack and one suitcase that I will check.  I'm excited to head to the lands that my ancestors came to America from in the mid 19th century.

It wasn't the most pleasant flight, so after 14 hours in the air, I'll be glad to be on the ground again.

 I will meet my 3rd cousins in London.  Lloyd and John's great-grandfather was my great-grandmother's brother.  We just discovered each other last year after I went to England and got Lloyd's address.  Now - here I go to meet them and we'll re-visit the village where several generations of our ancestors are buried.

Here we go - long line as we go into the UK borders...oops - I got into trouble taking this photo!

  I checked into my hotel at the Heathrow Airport Hilton Hotel about 8:30 a.m. and they had a room available.  YEAH!

  The room available was a handicapped room which I didn't mind - on the first floor with easy access.  I took a shower and headed out to the underground subway to the big city.

Off I go on my own!

 A whole day to myself!!

Some sights of London.....

 Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, the traditional British red telephone box can still be seen in many places throughout the UK, and in current or former British colonies around the world. The color red was chosen to make them easy to spot.  From 1926 onwards, the fascias of the kiosks were emblazoned with a prominent crown, representing the British government. The red phone box is often seen as an iconic British symbol throughout the world

Such a great London icon...the red telephone booth!

 I decided to go find the Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street.

 This was home to the great baroque composer George Frideric Handel. He lived here from 1723 until his death in 1759, and composed some of the greatest music in history, including Messiah, Zadok the Priest and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

These are the very steps that Handel used to walk up to his flat and here I am on the same stairs.

This was the house Handel lived in for 36 years.

 I wish I could have taken some photos in the house, but it was not allowed.  It was interesting seeing his bedroom and desk where he composed his famous pieces, especially "The Messiah."

Handel set to work composing on August 22 in his little house on Brook Street in London. He grew so absorbed in the work that he rarely left his room, hardly stopping to eat. Within six days Part One was complete. In nine days more he had finished Part Two, and in another six, Part Three. The orchestration was completed in another two days. In all, 260 pages of manuscript were filled in the remarkably short time of 24 days. 

How I LOVE his music!

Looking through a window from Handel's house.  This was his view.

 A friend who visited him as he composed found him sobbing with intense emotion. Later, as Handel groped for words to describe what he had experienced, he quoted St. Paul, saying, "Whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it I know not."  The Messiah premiered on April 13, 1742, as a charitable benefit, raising 400 pounds and freeing 142 men from debtor's prison.

The Messiah is a fantastic work - I have sung and performed many of the Soprano Arias.

This is the church where Handel went and was said to have played organ in.

St. George's Church in Hanover Square - Handel frequented it often.

Handel was totally blind by 1753 and he was crippled with arthritis, but he still made his way to St. George's.  He attended for 35 years before he died.

Beautiful organ that Handel played.

The famous double-decker buses...we loved riding on one.

Beautiful trees in the famous park nearby.

 I enjoyed going into Westminster Abbey for free for  Evensong.  It is the most beautiful of services where the Abbey choir sings. The Choristers of the Choir are educated at Westminster Abbey Choir School and are all extremely talented.  There were young boys that had amazingly high voices, as well as a men's choir.  I got to sit right behind them.

The famous clock tower - Big Ben...I'll see more of it with my cousins later next week.

 Since I didn't get much sleep coming over on the airplane, it was time to take the hour-long train back to the hotel.  In bed by 8:30...it will be a big day tomorrow!