Archive for date: August 5th, 2015

Our last day in London was spent more quietly than the others. We started it by going to trafalgar square for a presentation. When we got there we realized how lovely the place was. There were performers on the side and artist drawing with chalk on the floor. Since I was with the group that presented I had the opportunity to join them in their search for an artifact. They eventually found this man who made rings for people to take, all he asked for was tips.  

 
He was very sweet and the rings he made has awesome designs. You could even ask him to make you a particular one. 

After the presentation, we all headed over to Camden Market for one last souvineer shopping trip. Of course, shopping can be a tiring feat in itself so we all took a nap as soon as we got home to recover. 

Feeling a little sad that we didn’t get to see St. Paul’s Cathedral, we decided to walk over there after dinne. It was absolutely beautiful. It was so big and ornate, especially when it was lit up at night. 

  
We spent the rest of the night there commemorating what our favorite parts of the trip was and how much we enjoyed the experience. It was definitely a bittersweet moment. At one point we were laying down in the rose garden, talking and Jesse says “We are just hanging out at St. Paul’s Cathedral-no big deal” almost emphasizing how surreal this whole experience was. 

While I’m incredibly disappointed that tomorrow we have to get on a plane that will take us home, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to build these memories that will last a lifetime. It feels as if I have known some of these people for my whole life and it’s comforting to know that even after his ends our friendships that we have made will continue.  

 

Today we had a tour of the Tower of London, went across the Tower Bridge to Coty hall, went to the Shard and the Borough Market! Another full and exciting day for the London Brigade! 

Our first stop was the Tower of London.  This place was crazy.  In here we saw the Crown Jewels, and learned that this place was practically a zoo!  Going through each building within the tower was cool because each room contained something new and interesting.  One room showed, as I mentioned previously, all the animals that were kept on site.  One king had a polar bear on the premises! There was also a room that was filled with monkeys that were not in cages.  Unfortunately that room was shut down after a little boy was attacked.  However, in the end the animals were sent to the London Zoo.  My favorite room through out the tower was a room where prisoners carved works of art into the marble.   

   
This was absolutely insane to see.  I really enjoyed that.  
After the Tower of London we went across Tower Bridge.  The same bridge that many people call the London Bridge, but that one is in Lake Havasu.  

  
It truly is a breathtaking bridge.  It is kind of surreal to walk over it, because it is hard to believe you’re walking over a body of water let alone on this beautiful piece of architecture. Once we passed the bridge we saw City Hall.  A building we had learned about in class.  Definitely a modern building that was designed by Norman Foster who was the same architect for our very own Broome library.  So that was pretty cool! 

We finally made our way to the Shard, and going to the top of this building was something I was truly excited for.  Seeing London in a whole new light. The building measures at just a little over 1,000 feet.  As we all made our way into the express elevators there was a sense of excitement and nervousness in the air.  We finally made it to the top, and the view was absolutely stunning.   

   
My favorite part was probably he too most level that was outside.  It was crazy to be able to feel the wind blowing above you and being up that high.  Truly a memorable experience.

After the shard we made our way to the Borough Market which was so cool!!! A group did their presentation and as their beginning activity they asked us to go try something we have never tried before.  So me and a few other people went and tried oysters.  

 They were so fresh, just like everything at the market. And thy were actually surprisingly good. After that we all reconnected to hear the presentation.  It was a great presentation and we were all eager to go out and explore the space! Once we were free to walk around there was so much to see.  Fresh produce, fresh seafood, cheeses, meats, fruits, wines, teas, chocolates, everything you could think of!  It was a farmers market on steroids.  I thought it was really cool to see that people were just coming here to get their groceries instead of going to a chain grocery store.  Seeing the support the people of London had for their local food was something I really appreciated.  Another thing I loved was seeing how busy it was.  It was packed with people.  And that’s how most of London seemed.  People taking the public transportation, so many people biking, walking, lots of people outside, socializing.  I thought that was really cool, because we don’t see a lot of that in California.  

Overall today was a really great day.  I truly enjoyed it!

  Los Angeles, USA 8:00 AM

I have been in Los Angeles for a full 24 hours now. The flight home was 10 hours, but the plane followed the direction of the sun, so I did not get much sleep on the way back to LAX. Jet lag hit me hard coming home, so I have been feeling exhausted come 7 o’clock these days. However, I would deal with jet lag all over again if it meant getting to spend more time in London! A lot of people think you can “do” London in two or three days, but I could not disagree more! I was there for a week, and had I spent another week there, I still could have found things to do every day. Looking back, I could not be any happier with my trip. Had CSUCI not provided me the opportunity to travel to London, I never would have been able to afford the trip by myself. I know I will not be able to afford to go back for a long time, but I do not feel like I wasted any time while I was there. Every day was jam packed with tours, sightseeing, and lots of walking. When speaking to London locals they even admitted how they have not toured most of the sights I was visiting. On Sunday (our last full day) I even got to do something extra special and attend a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The picture above is what the outside of the Cathedral looked like walking up to it. No one was allowed to take pictures inside, so I am especially glad I got to see everything during the service. After church on Sunday, we visited our last sight as a class at Trafalgar Square in front of the National Gallery. Afterwards, a small group of us broke off and visited Camden Market. The market was clearly a tourist trap, with vendors tying to sell fake designer purses and cheap t-shirts, but it was fun to look around nontheless. Afterwards, I ate dinner for the last time in London and had chocolate gelato for dessert. There was no better way to end my time in London, and I am so happy I got to share my experience with everyone reading this blog! Cheerio!