Seminoles Celebrate the Holidays Abroad

By Iretta Tiger

LONDON, ENGLAND — Sometimes we just want to escape from all the chaos of the holidays and just get away. For several Hollywood non-resident Seminoles that is exactly what they did.

Starting on Dec. 19, several families flew to London, England to spend Christmas and New Year with the Brits. Going from 80 degree weather to 30 degree weather was a welcome change for these travelers–it was how Christmas weather is supposed to be.

Not all the days were spent in London. Tribal Clerk and trip organizer Holly Tiger planned several day trips to the English countryside and even a day trip to Paris, France.

One of the greatest assets London has is its public transportation system. Very efficient and vast, “the tube,” or subway, extends several miles in each direction from London.

Seeing some of the city without walking was also very convenient thanks to the Double Decker buses which run all night. It’s also a very economical way to see the city. Mercedes Osceola and her siblings spent a few evenings seeing London this way.

However, those with deep pockets splurged and caught a ride in London’s black taxis. The drivers are very knowledgeable and accommodating.

London is known for its uniqueness but, sadly, the city has become more Americanized. There were more American fast food places; there were even some in the countryside towns.

This loss of uniqueness was also apparent in the smaller details. The buildings which used to have so much history and character were less numerous and more modern, plain buildings took their place. The Double Decker buses now have a more modern exterior design. It is rumored that they plan to do away with the Double Deckers.

There were a few of the new buses driving around that would take the place of Double Deckers–They were plain one story caterpillar buses, similar to ones seen in Miami or New York City with one cart that leads and a second cart that follows and the two are joined by an accordion in the middle.

One place that has changed very little is Camden Town. Everything is a little more organized and there is actually some security now. Camden is where you go to find those wonderful punk rockers, Goths and all other different people. Here you can find the clothes and music that will be the envy of your friends–if your friends appreciate the unique.

Everyone looked forward to the day trips. One of the trips was to Oxford, Stratford and Warwick Castle. Oxford is a beautiful city but the main attraction was the opportunity to go to Christ Church and see the hall that the Hogwarts dining hall, seen in the Harry Potter films, was modeled after. Time restrictions didn’t allow us to go in, but we were able to see the outside which was very beautiful.

Stratford was also exciting because it is William Shakespeare’s birthplace. Several building dating from the time of Shakespeare were still standing. It was amazing just to see them.

Warwick Castle was fun and, if you ever get the chance to go, please go. It’s an actual castle built in the 14th Century that is open to the public. You can climb the towers and walk along to wall; the view is gorgeous. The interior of the castle has been set up so you can see what life was like in the castle. There is also a sort of medieval fair on the grounds.

We also visited Leeds castle and it was beautiful, but not as fun as Warwick Castle.

Other towns and sights visited were Stonehenge, Bath and the cliffs of Dover.

One special day trip was to Paris, France. If you really want to see and experience the city you need at least a week. Paris is beautiful! We only had a few hours and decided to do the guided tour which was not enough time. It’s nice to see all the landmarks that Paris is known for, but one wants to experience it all.

The line at the Eiffel Tower would take a week alone to get through but we did manage to get off the bus for literally two minutes to take pictures of the tower.

One amusing sight was the Louis Vuitton store, you can’t miss it. It looks like a huge Louis Vuitton bag, the white ones with the multi-color emblems.

The group decided to ditch the guided tour of the Louvre museum and walk around Paris for the hour-and-a-half of free time that we had. We were all glad we did. We found a little “patisserie” or French pastry shop, bought some goodies and devoured them on the steps of a local church. It was nice just relaxing, enjoying our pastries and watching some of Paris walk by.

Parisians are known for being rather snobbish but they were a little nicer than the English. We met the one nice guy in all of Europe and England. He was a nice elder gentleman who laughed at watching the kids play on the church steps and doted on Gavin Cypress.

We gathered together for dinner at the hotel for Christmas dinner. The hotel gave everyone a box of party favors and a cracker. Crackers are an English tradition; you and someone else each grab an end and pull. The cracker pops and a party favor is revealed.

For New Year’s our group booked a medieval banquet. The show was King Henry the VIII’s court–we even had our own serving wench. Magicians, jugglers and knights sword fighting entertained as we ate. We enjoyed the show, but decided to make our way to Tower Bridge before the New Year rang in. From Tower Bridge, we watched the fireworks at the London Eye.

Finally, our trip came to an end. It was wonderful to get away. If you get a chance to go to London or Europe go for it. Go out there and see the world; it’s important to realize that there is more to life than just the reservation. Don’t waste time and money partying, go and experience the world.

Thank you Holly Tiger, for organizing the wonderful trip.