Joseph Sulaiman
SDSU Summer Music
Mid-West Ambassadors of Music
6 August 2013
Europe...Same Old and Something New New discoveries, new fiends, new memories, and new family; old friends, old homes, old family, and history. For me, Europe has been, is , and will always be somewhere special. Being a world traveler, I received quite a different experience on the Mid-West Ambassadors of Music trip than did most of the students I traveled with. I had new experiences with friends and sights, but I also had nostalgia, a type of memorial trip. Traveling where I had been time and time before, but somehow it was different, new. Upon our decent into London-Heathrow, the jet lag seemed to cover everything around me, yet somehow I had remained free from it’s grasps. Being my umpteenth time across the Atlantic Ocean, I slept like a baby and woke up ready to go for a full day of adventure. Windsor was a new experience for me, never having been to this “royal village” in England. I reminded me of my cottage in Bordeaux, France, but there was a quaint jolliness, “britishness” to it now. Exploring, I asked a tour guide for the “Top Ten of Windsor in One Hour” and with a response as friendly as the scenery, she told me the street to go down, where to stop for a photo and how to see the royal horses. A wonderland of sorts began to unfold. As hills rolled by on our way back into London, we saw plenty of down-home comforts: sheep, goats, cows, horses, and farms. However, the scene change was quick and before I knew it, I had reemerged in Big Apple of the Unite Kingdom--London. The sound of traffic and backwards driving was a sort of comfort to me, the most orderly traffic I’ve seen in Europe. The staple cabs that I had ridden in oh so many times, Big Ben, the London Eye, and all the reminders of where I was. While in one of the top cities in the world for night life, it was obvious what we had o do that evening...go on a two mile walk through old london past pubs and get called after by a young group of cockneys who had had one too many, by far one of the most memorable parts of London. A good nights rest and new day was ready for me. While having gone to nearly every part of London, yet never having seen the crowned jewels, my option at the tower of london was obvious, to actually see the most valuable collections of jewels and armory in the world. After what seemed like at least one hour in line, we finally entered, and it was worth the wait. Riding the conveyor belt through the prized possessions of one of the most talked about monarchs, you feel a bit of British pride rise up in you, you start to feel your loyalty to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Windsor, the Queen of England (whose title I learned in the tower of London). I also learned that the pride I felt is nowhere near what the British felt for the Crown Jewels, learning that the only offense punishable by death in England is the stealing of these beloved British possessions. The culture of a Western nation with the old timeliness of a monarchy, only in the United Kingdom. The culture did not stop at the Queen, however. Being able to take in some broadway style musicals in the motherland was wonderful. The Lion King and Wicked, spectacles of New York, plus entertaining accents and dialogue. The last stop on the cultural trip through London had to be shopping and dining, and let me just say, London is great at that. Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dolce&Gabbana, the one stop paradise for shoppers. After ruining my credit on our last day in London, I had no choice but to take in sone real British food, and what better than mutton, cooked in rosemary and served atop Irish mashed potatoes. A wonderful finish to a wonderful city. As we arise the last morning, after saying “cheerio” to our wonderful staff at the Barbican and to the wonderful history of a monarchy to whom we can thank for our nation’s existence, we board the ferry to cross the channel and arrive