Archive for month: August, 2015

It’s a sad thought knowing this will be the last night I will sleep in this bed, in this amazing city. This entire trip had been more than I could possibly imagine. I have seen such breath taking places and made everlasting friendships.   
Much like I predicted, I bonded with the gothic styled cathedrals on this trip the most. The Westminster abby was by far the most remarkable building I was lucky enough to step inside of. This place gave me a strange feeling when I saw it though. So many people were buried there, which was a sad thought to me but these people were buried there out of the utmost respect which was a intimidating thing as well. Even being able to just walk through this building was an honor in itself, the people buried there were rare breads that have set the bar high for us folks here in the present. 

The amount of things that we did in only a weeks time blows my mind; there was the Westminster abby, buckingham palace, the London eye, oxford and many, many more tours. The exhaustion I felt on this trip was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, but that goes for my excitement as well. I can’t express how thankful I am to Dr. J for setting up this unforgettable trip. He has opened my eyes to the world of travel and the beauty of architecture. 

I will never forget you London, see you soon. 

  

After traveling for what seemed like days.  We all finally safely made it to London.   We went through some crazy turbulence, and some crowded underground rides but yes, we are here.   

For our first day Dr. J set up a tour of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, and also the changing of the guard.  We all got downstairs ready to go (on time, might I add) with excited expressions on all of our faces.  Eager to see the sights we made our way to the underground and got off at Westminster.  Right when we came above ground right in front of us was the breath taking Elizabeth Tower (AKA Big Ben).  I was so eager to see this amazing iconic tower because I had previously presented to the class about Big Ben and became personally invested.   

 After we all took pictures we made our way to Westminster Abbey.  We met with our Tour guide Sean (who was absolutely phenomenal) and began our tour.  What an incredibly space Westminster Abbey is.  The church was absolutely overflowing with history.  From poets corner, to all the kings and queens tombs, to the legendary services held there the place was remarkable.  One of my favorite things I learned about Westminster was about the coronation chair.  Behind a panel of glass was the chair every king and queen has sat in for their coronation.  However if you looked at the back panel of the chair there are initials of school boys.  This is because the chair used to be placed in a detention room at the boys secondary school across the way.  During their detention they would etch their initials into the back! Crazy! 

Another thing I loved about Westminster was that Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton are said to be buried there.  I was amazed that men of that scientific stature were buried in a church.  I thought that was so intriguing.   We also went by the poet’s corner that carried the bodies of Charles Darwin, and Sir Lawerence Olivier. 

The building overall was stunning.  The architecture inside and out was rich in English Tudor Style 

  
After Westminster was Buckingham palace, which was cool.  It reminded me a lot of Hurst castle.  It was very interesting to walk through and listen to the audio tours.  My favorite sections of the house were probably the art collections kings and queens have collected over time. 

Finally we made it to the London Eye.  It was a great sight all the way at the top of the observation wheel.   

 
After a long, but incredible day of sight seeing a group of us went to a small interactive play/theme park called The London Dungeoun.  It was scary but actually really fun! We learned a lot about some of the infamous dark times London has had.  Such as The plague and Jack the Ripper.  I don’t do well with scary at all, but when you’re with an awesome group of friends you can’t help but have fun in laugh!
Well, after a 12 hour first day we made our way back to the hotel.  Such an amazing first day, I absolutely could not be more excited to see what this city has to show! 

As I said before the trip on my first post I think that the Westminster abbey was one of the main historical sites that I wanted to take advantage of and see. It was definitely a site that was more than expected and it offered more than I had anticipated. The chapel was only the first part, but the main highlight was what was in the chapel, there are more than 3,000 historical figures buried in the walls and premises of the Westminster. They are more than breath taking to see because it is someone from history that was so important, perhaps edward the confessor or even King Henry the VIII. All that I know is that these were individuals who I was so interested in and this was a place that has been around for over 1000 years. It was the most important stop for myself only because I enjoy history and felt so privileged to be around the remains of individuals who went down in history as historical figures and individuals who helped or as a result shaped the democracy we have today. I hope that one day even you the reader will be able to see the greatness that these halls have to offer. 

 

Our free day without doctor Jenkins was one of the best days ever, there is  no direct correlation of course. While we were at the Shard we met a wonderful woman named Ish who took aside Ciara and I to ask us about our expereinces in London so far. After giving us a facisnating story about her stories in the states she began to give us destinations that would make us feel like we got a true Londoners experience. We of course took her advice.

I was able to see the Natural History Muesem, the British muesum , and eat food in China Town, as suggested by Ish.

One of the best experiences I  had was being in the British muesum. My day was literally made better walking into the British muesum and seeing the vast and intricate architecture. From Asian history to British propoganda, my world was blown. The most wonderful  part? When Raymond dragged me into the room where the glass roof had been added, not to mention mummies! Your eyes are automatically drawn to the beautiful glass roof, the lighting and the reflection of the marble. I can not describe in words what I experienced seeing this for the first time and the love I felt for this muesum.

What could make any experience better? Finding a small french bakery that sells fresh salmon and cream cheese bagettes with macaroons the size of your palm. I love food and I feel that part of the experience of the culture is trying just about every aspect you can even if you don’t like it, which was not a problem in my particular situation.

Just to finish the night with a bang we had some of the most delicious Chinese food I have ever had. We found out that in Europe the chinees food is a tad bit different, I personally felt that was just as delicious.

This day turned out to be one of the most in depth cultural
days I have had since we got here. We hung out with some of the local in Leicester Square and discussed the difference between English culture and American culture. This day ended with quite a wonderful bang!