Churches, Romeo, and Saatchi

Yesterday was one of those ongoing days, but it was really great. I had my GST and Theatre class, but after that things picked up. Amanda and I went to get Thai down the road at Boonchoo. I realized how much I am going to miss the food when I get home. I don’t know how everyone gives London such a bad reputation for food and weather because both have treated us very well while we have been here. We made a very flexible plan of action to see some of the very old, smaller churches in the city. I had 3 that I knew I really wanted to see before I left London.

After lunch, we made our way towards Fleet Street to see Temple Church and St. Bride’s Church.
Temple is well known today because it was the church featured in the end of the Da Vinci Code. It is really cool and has several effigies of knights along the floor. It was a really light church, which was pleasantly surprising – there is something about dark churches that really turn me off. Afterwards, we made our way down Fleet Street to find St. Bride’s Church. St. Bride’s was beautiful and it has a great crypt that was discovered during the bombings of WWII. In the crypt, you can see the remains from the ruins of previous churches that were on the same site. There is even a perfect place that you can see where original Roman pavement once lined the ground. I was so excited to see the layers of history under this incredible and historic church. St. Bride’s is known for its wedding cake like steeple that towers close to St. Paul’s Cathedral. After St. Bride’s, we went to Southwark Cathedral, which was across the London Bridge. It is a gorgeous church, but unfortunately, we were not able to go in because they were having a service. Hopefully I will be able to make it back sometime before I go back home.

After the small church tour, Amanda and I came back to the flat to regroup and eat dinner before going to The Globe. We got to see Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet! It was absolutely incredible and we got standing tickets to make our experience a bit more “authentic.” The performances were great, except Juliet was a bit below par. She was really awkward in speech and movement, but Romeo and the other male roles were so incredible that it made up for her weaknesses. It was possibly one of my favorite experiences while in London this semester.

Today was another Wednesday filled with art and theatre. After waking up to get a bit of work done and such, we went to meet at Saatchi Gallery. Saatchi is one of the best contemporary art spaces in the world, so I was really excited to see it. The current exhibit is called “Unveiled” and is made up of Middle Eastern art. I was nervous about this part because I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so impressed. Many of the artists were working to break the stereotypes that have been created about them. Many of the female artists confronted the stereotypes that surround women in the household, but they did it with so much humor! After Saatchi, we went walking in Chelsea and found a great place to eat called Trafalgar. We went on to the theatre to see Tusk Tusk. I can’t believe that we just saw our last performance in London! The show was incredible and very moving – we definitely ended the theatre class on a great note!

Thank Goodness for Oxford, Steve, and Protesters!

Well, on Friday I spent a glorious day in Oxford. I cannot tell you how incredible this town is! It was super cute and had such a great atmosphere. Once I got there, I immediately saw the building for the university history faculty. There are really great bookstores that I could probably spend all day in, but I knew that I had to see the actual colleges. 39 colleges make up Oxford University and they are spread out over the town. Christ Church is probably the most well known college, and it did not disappoint. The cathedral was gorgeous. I wanted to go into the library, but I didn't have the time for it because you can only see it by going on a tour. I sought out Lincoln College, which is the college that I would love to go to if I went to graduate school at Oxford. I met with the woman in charge of graduate admissions that I had been corresponding with all semester to find out more information on the college. I was so excited to walk through the college where I could be in just a few years if everything actually works out. I'm not even sure that I could get in, but it is really exciting to have it as an option. Oxford is a fantastic place and I definitely didn't have enough time there, so I know that I would love to go back one day, even if it isn't for school.

On Saturday, Natalie, Sam, and I went to explore in Camden Market. It was such a great place to wander around. Camden is known for being a bit outrageous and bizarre. There were a ton of shops and booths set up with clothes, jewelry, and crafts. A lot of the things being sold were organic and natural, so it kind of reminded me a bit of the stores you could find in Boone. There was a lot of booths with all kinds of food, and we eventually got Chinese food from one of them. I ended up making a purchase for myself, which was a pretty cute summer dress. We spent a few hours just walking through the markets. It was a gorgeous day, so I really enjoyed spending it walking around outside with all types of people.

Sunday was a fantastic day because it was the day of the London Marathon. I was so overjoyed to see so many (about 36,000) people running the 26 miles for such great causes. Natalie and I tended to cheer for a lot of the runners by name and I can't believe how many were named either Steve, Neil, and Dan. I loved the Steves because I cheered for every one that I saw. There were so many people dressed in costumes such as Santa, Rhinos, and Tigger. I saw 2 men dressed as Pam Anderson and David Hassalhoff with a Baywatch theme. There were even a few of the runners who were on their cell phones! We saw so many great causes being represented by the runners, everything from breast cancer to seeing eye dog care. A few of the runners would acknowledge you when you cheered for them and that was really exciting! There were so many people that came out yesterday to see the runners and cheer them on as they supported such great causes! It was so cool to see something so wonderful bring a city as large as London together.

We went to see Parliament in Action today! Sam, Natalie, Chelsey, Jordan, Megan, Amanda, and I went to see the House of Commons debating. After spending about an hour in lines, we finally got to the last part right before going into the House. Unfortuately, right as we were getting ready to go in, there was a small group of protesters across from us that started chanting. We were like what!? All of a sudden there were policemen that were surrounding the people and we found out that they actually were super glued together around a statue! So we were disappointed to have our line diverted when we were so close to going in, but little did we know the people were going to take us up to the viewing gallery behind the scenes! We got to go up to the gallery and see things that the public normally doesn't see, which was awesome! The House of Commons was more empty than I expected, but it was definitely entertaining. I never thought that debating over the budget could be so funny until I saw a bunch of British men cutting each other down about it. I also learned a lot about the Swine Flu during the session because the English government is trying to create a plan of action for what may happen in the near future. I was so excited to see the room that so much history occured in and so many great men and women have been in. I learned so much about the House of Commons in AP Government in high school, so it was so interesting to actually see it in action live. Afterwards, I came home and got a ton of work done. I can't believe that this is the last week of classes!!

Such a Quick Week!

Sunday was an incredible day! Sam, Natalie, and I went to Hampstead Heath to see the city from a park on the hill. It was about a 20 minute bus ride from our flat, so it was conveniently close to be such a beautiful area. It took us a while to find the right place, but once we did, it was breathtaking. On the way to find the hill, we walked through the great park. There were several ponds that people are able to go fishing and swimming in, which was really neat to see. It was such a gorgeous place for just being right outside the city and it helped that it was a perfect day. I could not believe the view that we had from Hampstead. You could really see the entire city from Kite Hill. I saw Parliament, the London Eye, Canary Wharf, St. Pauls, and just everything along the Thames - it was incredible!

Monday was a very relaxing day. I woke up really early to get some work done, but ended up watching a movie and going to sit in a park for a couple hours. I think that I made the better decision in that situation by taking advantage of the pretty day. We had our last Education Seminar, which is crazy! I can't believe that the semester is coming to a close so quickly. I went running with Zane, and it was so great to get out and get some endorphins flowing!

Tuesday was a pretty average day. I had my GST and Theatre class and then came back to the flats to do some work. I went running with Zane again today, which was excellent. There really wasn't much to the day, but I think it is just fine to have some of those!

Wednesday was really nice because we had a neat art class. We went to this sketchy road called Vyner Street which is lined with contemporary art galleries, but the average person would never know it because they don't really advertise themselves. We went through 5 different galleries, which all held some quite interesting and odd pieces in them. I've really gotten used to the work that makes my forehead scrunch up and makes me wonder what this artist was thinking while creating the piece. I really enjoyed it though because it was so different and unique. After art, we went to Angel to get ready to go to the theatre. We stopped into this mexican restaurant, which was the closest to a Moe's as it could possibly get in London. We were beyond excited, especially because they had free soda refills!! We went to the theatre and saw Parlour Song. It was pretty different to say the least, but there were a lot of really funny parts. I couldn't believe that Andrew Lincoln, from Love Actually, was in it!! It was so cool to see him so close because his story in the movie is one of the most touching to me. After the show, we came back to the flats and settled in for the night.

Today was not too exciting, but it was a really pretty day. We had GST today until 12:30 and then Natalie, Sam, and I went to the Swan to have lunch because we had a craving for pub food. They were going to work on their Sociology project, so I tagged along with them for a bit. We went to the park in Waterloo so that they could sit and watch people, so I just listened to music and hung out. Afterwards, I came back to the flat and just enjoyed the rest of the evening.

A Gorgeous London Day

Unfortunately, today was beautiful. We were going to have a day trip to Bristol, but we decided not to because today's weather was supposed to be nasty. We realized how wrong the weather report was a bit too late, so we just hung out at the flat and got a bit of work done today. We decided to take a break and enjoy a market. We went out to Convent Garden and saw their shops, which were really cool. There was also a craft fair that we walked through that had a lot of really interesting booths. I found a few really cool things there, but I didn't buy anything. It was worth just walking around and seeing what they all had. When we were through with our outdoors window shopping, we came back to the flat to have dinner and hang out. It wasn't a very eventful day, but it was nice to just relax a bit. Tomorrow should be nice, so we will definitely be going to do something fun outside!

War and Zac Efron

I have had such a fulfilling day today! After sleeping in a bit, I got up to go to the Imperial War Museum with Bo. I went briefly last week, but didn't have an opportunity to really look around and see everything that I was interested in. We went through the Trench and Blitz Experiences where we walked through models - it was great to see how the museum was able to bring it to life so well. The sections on WWI and WWII were great, but the cases were so full of things that it was a bit overwhelming at times. The Holocaust Exhibition was incredibly moving. We spent a great deal of time wandering through it and trying to take everything in. When we were finished with the Holocaust, we walked a bit in silence because we were stunned by what we saw. We came back to the flats after spending almost 4 hours there. When I got back, Natalie, Sam, and I went to see 17 Again with Zac Efron. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by how cute the movie turned out to be. It was really nice to sit back and enjoy a good, cheesy laugh. Once the movie was over, we went to McDonald's for dinner. It is so funny how we have come to crave it, more for the ketchup and fountain soda! A lot of our flatmates are out of town, so we came back to a quiet flat tonight to just hang out and all. I'm not sure what the plans for tomorrow are yet, but I hope we get to do something fun in London!

Quick Week

I can’t believe that I haven’t blogged in almost a week. What a bad habit I have gotten into! But in my defense, these few days have really flown by. ☺ I will begin where I left off last time. On Saturday, I stayed in and did a lot of my work for classes. There is quite a bit due around this time of the semester, but I was able to get a lot done.

Sunday was incredible! I was a bit apprehensive about spending Easter away from home and family, but we had such an incredible day. Jordan, Amanda, Megan, and I went to an amazing church service at Holy Trinity Brompton. It was the family service, so there was an abundance of super cute British children everywhere! Plus, the music and service was fantastic, so it was a fabulous day to start out the Easter Day. We even got to meet Sam and his parents there, so that was an added bonus. After church, we went back to the flat and met up with everyone else before heading out to Hyde Park. There was an annual roller blading event where people dressed up like bunnies. It was hilarious, especially the grown man in a yellow tutu trying to be a duck. The entire flat, plus Michael, went out there, so we were able to do a lot of great pictures together. We also got a lot of great Easter portraits in front of the gorgeous flowers. We even got to wear Natalie’s bunny ears in some! After we got back from Hyde Park, we worked together to make a huge and glorious Easter feast. It was so great to have all 8 of us sitting at 1 table to eat a meal that we all pitched into. It was really nice to have a taste of home.

Monday was a fun-filled day at Windsor Castle with Natalie, Jordan, and Chelsey. We got there right before the Changing of the Guards, so we were a stuck in a large group of people, but it improved over time. We weren’t able to see it, but we were able to find our guards later on. We went and saw the guards who were playing in the band. We learned that the queen was actually there! We got to see Queen Mary’s Doll House, which is famous for being so large and ornate. This dollhouse even has running water. Windsor has a special exhibit on Henry VIII, and I got really, really excited. I even got to see a letter that he wrote. It gave me chills to see how he formed his letters and wrote his sentences – it reminds me how passionate I am about history. Once we went through the portrait room where this exhibit was, we went into the State Apartments. In case you don’t know, this castle has been a residence for royalty since the late 1000s, so there is a massive amount of history within these walls. These rooms were so grand and decorated – I was immediately blown away. I believe that my favorite object throughout these rooms would have to be Henry VIII’s armor. It is the closest to the man that I will ever be – I was able to see the curve of his huge belly, the size of his feet, and the width of his shoulders. I can’t describe the feeling that I had standing in front of his armor. There are a lot of really nice rooms where the queen entertains guests and such. Afterwards, we went and got lunch at a Wagamama, which is an Asian food restaurant. We went back into the castle to see St. George’s Chapel, which was incredible. Not only was the Queen Mother buried here, but Henry VIII is also here with his favorite wife, Jane Seymour. We saw the flowers on the altar that was there for the Easter service for Queen Elizabeth II. We were just a day late! ☺ We were also able to take our tourist pictures with the guards. After we were done at Windsor, we walked down the road to Eton College. Eton is where the Prince Henry and William went. It was really pretty and Eton looked like Elon! After exploring Eton, we went back to the train station and went on back to London.

Tuesday was a boring day that started with classes. I had quite a bit of work this week, so I came back here and got a lot of stuff done. Unfortunately, I had to prepare for a big presentation that I had this week.

On Wednesday, I met my art class at Tate Britain to see the Triennial exhibit called Altermodern. There was a lot of interesting work there, but I didn’t really fall in love with any of the pieces. It was a bit too edgy for me. After going through the gallery, I went to meet Sam and his parents for dinner in China Town. It was a great dinner and it was nice to see the Jennings. After dinner, I came back to the flat to get ready for our presentation.

Today got better once class was over. We had our final presentation today, and I think it went pretty well. I’m just glad that it is over. After class, I met Natalie and we got Thai from Boonchoo. We went to the British Library – it was incredible!! I was able to see original works by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, and Emily Bronte. It was so neat to see their actual handwriting. I saw some writings from the Beatles – even some lyrics from Yesterday. I was able to see music by Handel and Beethoven. I got chills to see a letter that Elizabeth I wrote to the Houses of Parliament. There were incredible illuminated sacred texts from all sorts of religions. Some were from as early as the 1200’s and they look like they were brand new. I can’t believe how ornate their artwork was. The best part of this collection had to be what was waiting for me in the next room. I got to see an original copy of the Magna Carta!! That is from 1215 when the people were tired of King John. I was so amazed to be in the presence of such an influential document that paved the way for the Declaration of Independence and such. I was really impressed with the entire collection. Next week, a huge exhibit opens about Henry VIII and I am definitely going back! We came back to the flats after spending quite a bit of time in the collection to enjoy a relaxing night. I’m not sure what I will be doing tomorrow, but I hope it will be something fun!

Hampton Court and Such

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I had my group meeting with Jimmie, our GST teacher, which went well. Afterwards, I went with the history class to the Imperial War Museum. I have heard great things about their teacher, so I wanted to see him in action. He did not disappoint me - he had these incredible stories in relation to WWII that just blew me away. I can't believe that I didn't take this class, but at the same time, I am glad because I went outside my comfort zone and took Art in London instead.

This morning, Natalie and I got up really early to head out to Hampton Court Palace. It took a while to get out there, and at times it was a bit stressful, but it was definitely worth it. Henry VIII built it in 1515 and they have some great exhibits on him. We started by going out into the gardens and the maze. This maze is world famous and is the oldest in the United Kingdom. We had so much fun making our way through it, especially because there wasn't anyone else in it at the time. The gardens were absolutely incredible. It felt as if the daffodils went on forever. The weather wasn't the best, or else I think we would've spent a lot more time out there. The palace itself was so cool, but it was so confusing to get around! There were so many great rooms and exhibits - especially the one called Henry's Women. It focused in on his 6 wives and his 2 daughters. We saw Henry VIII's apartments, as well as William III and Mary II's. I was really impressed with this visit! We came back to the flats afterwards and just hung out and relaxed for the night. Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to homework - not too exciting! :)

Wednesday Update

Today was a really laid back day. I had a fantastic lunch with Courtney and Lauren. I don't live with them or run into them often, so it was really nice to catch up. We left for art class around 1:45 and met at White Cube Gallery. The exhibit was really interesting and colorful. After walking through it, we continued our journey to the next gallery. The Thomas Dane Gallery had a video installation in which the artist combined 2 family home videos from the 50s and 60s. It was really interesting to see how he presented 10 different stories on several large television screens. We then went to Mythologies. This place was so bizarre! There was some pretty dark and twisted art here.. some which really made my head spin. I did thoroughly enjoy one piece though. This woman asked a few blind people what they imagine in their head when they think of beauty and then she went out and tried to photograph that image. It was really sad though because one of the men said that he does not conceive the word "beauty" anymore, so the space where the picture was supposed to be was blank. It was quite moving. After art was over at 6, we came back to the flats. I made my dinner and just hung out with everyone, so it has been a really nice night!

Here Are Some Pictures from Kensington and St. James' Park

It Has Already Been A Week?!

I can’t believe that I have gone so long without blogging – I am so sorry to my faithful readers! This past week has gone by so quickly! I will start where I left off last week…

Last Monday was my last day at Hurlingham and Chelsea for my practicum. It was a pretty bittersweet day. I have been able to learn so much from my time at the school, and I am excited to take these experiences back home with me. I had a few bad days there this semester, but I also had a few really good ones. It has been great getting to know what the education system is like here, especially in a school that is so different than any I have been to before. I am excited to now have my Mondays free though. Now that time is starting to really slip by in London, I need to take advantage of every moment. And as much as I have enjoyed learning from Hurlingham and Chelsea, I am really excited to spend that time elsewhere by making sure I get everything that I want to see into my schedule. This particular day was difficult in the fact that it was the first day back since a relaxing Spring Break. It was definitely a rude awakening to the life that I left behind for that week. After practicum, I had my Education Seminar class until 6. We got a quick bite to eat and then headed to the National Theatre for our theatre class. We saw The Pitmen Painters, which was well done and quite entertaining, but it was a bit drawn out. I was so tired by the end of the day that it was hard to stay focused during the dry parts. Afterwards, we just went back to the flats and settled in for the night.

Tuesday was about as boring a day as any. I had a presentation in my GST class, which we did very well on. Afterwards, we had Theatre and talked about the show from the night before. After I was done with classes, I got some groceries and came back to the flat and ended up staying here for the rest of the day. I just worked on some assignments and got my life back in order.

Wednesday can be summed up in one word: cultural. I am so excited to be taking part in all of these amazing opportunities that London has to offer in the realm of arts and theatre. I haven’t ever been able to fully engage myself in these areas, so it is a lot of fun to open myself to it in such a great place. We met for Art Class at the Photographer’s Gallery. I love photography, so I was excited to see what this gallery had to offer. There were 4 photographers presented, and we went through and analyzed them and talked about our favorite pieces. I immediately knew that I was really going to enjoy this laid back atmosphere of the 2nd ½ of the semester, now that the factual midterm is over. Afterwards, we went to another gallery that had a few cityscape pieces around London. I did not like this place very much – the building was ugly and unfinished, while the photos tended to be dark and gloomy. Not really my thing. I loved the next gallery though. Our group was invited to a private opening of Marcus McAllister’s work. The gallery is on a rooftop and is actually the location of my own fake exhibit that I have to come up with for my final project. McAllister’s work was really fantastic and we were even lucky enough to meet him. He gave us an interview and talked about how he got to the point he was at and where he got his inspiration. It was really interesting to talk directly to such a great artist, especially when he was super nice. His pictures tend to have themes that deal with rabbits and moons, mostly because they symbolize the passing of time. Time is the main focus of my final project, so I was really intrigued. After art was over, Amanda, Casey, and I grabbed something quick to eat and then went straight over to the Queen’s Theatre to see Les Miserables! What an incredible show with even more mind-blowing music that I had even imagined. I loved how it was a musical reflecting the French Revolution in a way that reflected the darker and poorer group of people. It is a story that I would love to incorporate in my class one day because I like integrating literature and history because it can have a powerful impact. The music was absolutely brilliant, and I see how it is one of the most famous musicals of all time.

Thursday was a really nice and relaxing day. It started out with class, but at least our group’s presentation was already over, so I just had to sit through other ones. After class, Sam and I went to Piccadilly Circus to do a little shopping and to eat in China Town. We got back just in time because we found Jordan, Natalie, and Chelsey getting ready to go to the primary school that Chelsey has her practicum at. Her students were selling fruit kebabs and cupcakes to raise money to help the rainforest. It was way too cute! Their goal was to raise £100 to buy 2 acres of land and they ended up raising almost £150!! After enjoying some chocolate and fruit, Natalie, Chelsey, and I went over to the National Portrait Gallery to see what it was all about. It is on the backside of the National Gallery at Trafalgar’s Square. I am SO glad that we went here because I was so close to pushing it off my list. One of the only possible true portraits of Shakespeare is there, as well as the only sketch of Jane Austen. There were also a great room dedicated to Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and other Tudors. I saw Dickens, Tennyson, Keats, and even George Washington! I ended up buying a small poster of English History that I will be able to put in my classroom! ☺

On Friday, Natalie, Amanda, Sam, and I went to the Kensington Palace. This is where Queen Victoria lived before becoming queen and even Princess Diana lived here for a little while. It was a really neat place and it had a lot of Princess Di’s dresses on display. I walked down the stairs that Queen Victoria did when she saw Prince Albert for the first time – talk about goosebumps! There was a great exhibit on debutantes and we learned how to tie bowties, curtsy properly, and waltz. I’m still working on the waltzing part haha. The rooms were so amazing, but I really liked the gardens. We tried to sit by the pond for a while until we found out you had to pay for those seats… so then we went and had our packed lunches on a bench. Afterwards, we relaxed and people watched for a good while and then continued our day. Sam left us to go back home and the girls and I went to the Science Museum to play until we were to meet Jordan and Chelsey at 5:30. The Science Museum was so cool! We decided to see a 3-D IMAX that was a cartoon about flies going to the moon with Apollo 11. It was really cute! After the movie, we played with some of the interactive exhibits and saw what we were going to look like when we are old or if we were men. If that game is right about my prediction then it is a good thing that I am a woman! A few nights before, the five of usdecided we wanted to see Spring Awakening again because it was just that incredible. Chelsey found a special deal with dinner and the show for only £20, so we did it. At 5:30, we met at the Sway, which is this little hip club/bar/restaurant to have our dinner and it was delicious. Afterwards, we headed to the theatre and found out that our tickets were upgraded!! We were moved to the middle of the 6th row… they were perfect seats. The show was even better the 2nd time, if that is possible. Afterwards, we went to the stage door to see the cast come out. It was so great. We walked to Piccadilly Circus to grab Cinnabon and go back to the flats after a long and wonderful day.

I almost forgot all about Saturday. That could be because I did absolutely nothing. I slept in a bit and got a good amount of work done, which was really nice. We went down the street for dinner at a great little Thai place, but that is about it.

We found out earlier in the week about a Chocolate Festival at Southbank, so we went on Sunday. It was really cool and some places even had free samples! I had an organic chocolate milkshake and they put apple juice in it… it was interesting to say the least. We walked over to the Thames and sat for a street performer who was incredibly funny and entertaining while escaping from chains. Afterwards, we decided to come on back to the flats. We just hung out until watching a movie – High School Musical 3 actually. We had a marathon this weekend by watching the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd each night. I finally gave in to the madness of High School Musical, and I must say that it was quite cute and enjoyable.

Yesterday was pretty good. We went to St. James’ Park and hung out there for a while before we had to go to Education Seminar. Bo and I played catch with a Koosh ball while others lay on the ground and enjoyed the day. We went from there to seminar where we learned about Religious Education in the London because it is taught in their public schools here, something that I could never imagine happening in a southern American town. After seminar, Sam, Natalie, and I grabbed Subway and then went to the Old Vic Theatre to see Dancing at Lughnasa. It was a pretty neat theatre, but the play didn’t really hit the right spot for me. I liked reading the script much more than watching the production.

Today was just one of those Tuesdays. I had GST and Theatre where nothing thrilling happened. I did get to go to Alan Christea Gallery to see Ian Davenport’s exhibit. It was so cool! We have to chose an exhibit and write a criticism about it, so I chose this particular one because he uses great colors. I really enjoyed the simplicity and beauty in his work. I plan on spending the rest of my day to get work done, so that the rest of my week is more relaxing. I will definitely not let this much time go by before posting another blog. Sorry for the length!

Pictures from Italy!

Sorry it took so long to get some pictures up on here, but it has been a crazy few days. I took almost 2,000 pictures, but I condensed it A LOT on Facebook. Here are the websites that can take you to my albums...

Siena- http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008868&id=1391880109&l=7b62b3d384

Florence- http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008869&id=1391880109&l=5372eb4880

Venice - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008871&id=1391880109&l=3f89ef8d0c

You may have to copy and paste it into the address bar. Sam also has pictures on his blog and some are different than mine, just so you can look at those too!

Italy For the Past Week!

Saturday
What an amazing day! I can’t believe first off that I got to wake up in Rome this morning and just walk 10 minutes to go to the Colosseum. It was even more incredible than I imagined. Luckily, Sam enjoys this as much as I do, otherwise I would feel bad about being so immensely excited! The weather today was perfect… a little chilly and windy, but the sky was perfectly blue, so the pictures turned out great. I was in awe as I walked around inside the Colosseum. As I stood in one area of the arena, I tried to imagine what it would’ve been like so long ago at an actual gladiator event… the roar of the crowd, the gruesome sights in the middle, the noise from under the “stage”, and even the awful smell that probably came from the multitude of people and the dead. I couldn’t do it. I tried so hard to picture it all, but I was just baffled being inside. I know that one day I will have to teach about Roman games, and it is so great to be able to share my own experiences and pictures with my class. I even did a project on Gladiator Combat last semester in one of my history classes and the pictures I found online were not even as good as the ones I got today. Needless to say, I was just blown away. I’m still blown away just to think about it. It is incredible that it is still even standing as well as it is. I am so lucky to have been in the presence of such amazing history. After the Colosseum, we roamed through the Roman ruins that mainly consisted of temples and such. Some areas were in great condition, while others where just the foundations. I couldn’t believe all that we were walking through. There was just SO much and there were pathways all over the place, but we just walked through and saw as much as we could in the time that we had. My only issue was that nothing was marked, so unless I had a guidebook or something, I had no way to know what I was looking at. That got a bit frustrating because I wanted to know what I was walking through SO badly!! It was incredible anyway. It was definitely a beautiful day to walk through the ruins.

After finishing up the Ancient Roman areas, it was about 10:30 and we went back to the hostel to pick up our things to get lunch and get to the train station to head to Siena. Rome was definitely an amazing place, but I was ready to leave and see a smaller place. There is just something about cities that I just can’t connect to, I guess I’m just a country girl, plus Siena is supposed to be gorgeous! So, we get to the train station and all and figure out where we need to go. The route calls for 1 change and the whole ride was 3 ½ hours. Poor Sam got so stressed out with making sure that we got to switch at the right place and all. He is definitely the map man and enjoys figuring out where things are and how to get to where we are going. Good thing because that is not my strength! Well, after that time, we got off the train at Siena. It was like cool, we are in Siena...but what now?! We eventually found a bus stop after a bit of wandering around and asking (the people were VERY helpful here!). So we had directions, but were not exactly sure where we needed to go at all, but we eventually figured it out while exploring some of the streets. We found Piazza del Campo, which is like in the middle of everything. We found our bed and breakfast, which is incredible. The view from my window is incredible!! This is such a beautiful place… I am so glad that we stopped off here. We had dinner at this great little place that was recommended by our B&B manager. I absolutely love the food in Italy. I think it is even better than I expected. Afterwards, we walked through the city center and found our B&B manager’s house to pay for our 2 nights and on the way back we got gelato. Amazing! Gelato has completely transformed my world ☺ So good. After our long day, Sam and I just came back to the rooms to hang out. It was great just to chill out for a while. The next week is going to be very nice because relaxing is a priority for both of us. I told Sam that from here on out, I just want to eat a lot of great food and see a lot of really pretty things. I know that that won’t be hard to come by while we are in Italy. I still can’t believe that we are actually here!!!

Sunday
Today can be summed up as my favorite day by far on this trip, even though I haven’t even gotten ½ way through. Sam and I started out at about 9 and just wandered the town. It was incredible. We found some great churches and streets that had amazing views. I wish that my pictures could do the town justice for its beauty, but unfortunately, they cannot. We walked down the road and these gorgeous buildings and views would just pop out of nowhere! The first church that we saw was so cool. It was great because there was a large open area in front of the church and I just sat there in the Tuscan sun. It was the best feeling to not have any worries and be in one of the most beautiful places in the world. After going inside and hanging out around there, we just kept walking around the city. We made it around to the Piazza del Campo, which is like the center of Siena. The space is gorgeous and is shaped like a seashell. We followed suit and took a seat in the Piazza and just enjoyed the relaxation and sunshine. It is also a great place to people watch because it seems that there were all kinds of people brought together in one place. While we were walking around the town, it was important to keep an eye on what you were walking by or under because there were so many places with incredibly old paintings and artwork on the buildings, but it was just so easy to miss it. Eventually we got to the Duomo, which is Siena’s cathedral. It was absolutely incredible. It was built in the late 1200’s, so it was astonishing to see the architecture and the inside because it was just so ornate. I’m so glad that Sam’s brother recommended Siena because it could have been so easy to miss. Sam definitely had a blast because he loves architecture and there were plenty of amazing buildings here. Luckily we walked down a hill and saw that there was a great view and a path that led to a really neat looking church. Once we got up to the church and went inside, we kept walking up a hill that led to another incredible view of Siena. Sam and I sat there for a good while just taking in the view and the sunshine. We found this raised garden that also had perfect views of the Tuscan countryside. I have never seen such a gorgeous landscape and my pictures just can’t do it justice. After walking around and enjoying that view for a good amount of time, we worked our way back down towards town and to our rooms. We decided to go back and freshen up before dinner, so I took a quick nap before venturing out again. We ate at this cute little place in the Piazza del Campo and then got gelato before going back to the room again to hang out. I’m trying to sample a lot of different flavors of gelato before I leave because it is just so much better than ice cream!! I am going to miss it SO much once I leave Italy. I had coffee and chocolate tonight, which was my favorite so far.

Monday
Monday was a pretty sad day for me. I just did not want to leave Siena for the life of me. Sam and I had such an amazing time there and it was just so beautiful. I can’t remember the last time that I was just that relaxed and happy. It was the first time that I didn’t have a million thoughts and things to do running through my head and that I was overly stressed about everything going on in my life. We went to the train station and got on the train to Florence a little after 11 am. It was fairly easy getting to the hostel from the train station, and we set our bags down around 1. We ventured out to get lunch and I got a pizza at a little pizzeria close by. Florence has these incredible markets that we walk through all the time because they have some really neat things. We wandered towards the Duomo of Florence, which was absolutely stunning. I am awed at how detailed these cathedrals are. After wandering through and around it, we continued our exploration of Florence. We eventually got to the river, which is what I like best in the cities. There was a bridge that was built in 973, but rebuilt in the 13th century. Incredible! It even had stores along the bridge, but they were REALLY high-end jewelry stores. Needless to say, I did not make a purchase on this bridge, but it did offer a great place for pictures of the river! Later, we wandered back over the bridge to grab dinner at a neat restaurant. We sat outside and enjoyed the evening. Our waiter was hilarious and offered a lot of great advice to us, which included his favorite place to get gelato. Of course we had to go there after we finished dinner! The best part about eating dinner in Italy, besides the incredible food, is relaxing afterwards. They aren’t in a rush to turn tables, so we just got to sit and enjoy ourselves before continuing our night. After we got gelato, we wandered back towards the hostel because we were just plain tired.

Tuesday
What an early morning! Sam and I decided to get to the Acadamia right when it opened at 8:15 because the line wouldn’t be bad yet. We wanted to make sure we got in to see this because it is where Michelangelo’s David is. I was immediately surprised at how big it was! I knew that it was going to be amazing to see it in person, but it was even better than I expected. So big and detailed… you could even see the veins in his arm and the muscle definition in his legs. Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about art to have enjoyed the rest of the Acadamia to the fullest, but it was definitely interesting to walk around and see all of the other artwork. Afterwards, Sam and I decided to continue exploring Florence. We made our way back to the water and found this little waterfall. Sam had a hard time letting go of some stress, so I made him let go of the map. One less thing to worry about. I must say, that was a great decision on my part ☺ Our best stories and pictures are just from wandering, so why not? We found the Basilica of Santa Croce. Amazing!! I am so glad that we went through, because little did we know, this is where Dante and Galileo are buried! It was so beautiful inside, and I really enjoyed the courtyard outside too. The architecture and art has been so astonishing everywhere we have been. We also found Dante’s house and where he went to church. It started to drizzle and of course I forgot my umbrella and raincoat in the room, so we drifted back to the hostel. This led to a well-deserved nap. Great decision because we slept through the rain and then got back up to continue the fun in Florence. We walked a different route back towards the water. That is what happens when I lead the way… go towards the water. It was so gorgeous to stand of the bridge and see the orange tint of the Italian sunset and even get to see the snow capped mountains in the far off distance. We found a great place to get dinner and then gelato afterwards. Again, with our tired bodies and full bellies, we just went back to the room to relax.

Wednesday
What a great day! I think Sam got the map out only once to get a general direction of where we needed to get. I love days with no maps. It was a bright and sunshiny day, which meant a perfect time to see Florence from up on the hill. First, we went through the market again because I was determined to make some buys and I did! Yay! Once that was through, we crossed the river and started our walk up. I cannot believe how amazing the view was from up top. It was even cooler to see that there was a very distinct line between the city and the countryside. It was very peaceful up there. We had lunch on the terrace overlooking the city and just enjoyed the sunshine of the day. We also went ahead and got gelato, which was a great addition to the day. We wandered up this path and found a bench sitting in the sun where not so many people went. I felt like it was just sitting there with Sam and Kinsey written on it because we walked directly to it and sat in the sun for a good while. I love just being able to sit and enjoy the sunshine and good company because I knew once I went back to London and the States, it just gets so hard because life gets so stressful. It has definitely done me a lot of good to learn to just sit back and enjoy the simple things. When we decided to keep moving along, we went up his path and it led to a huge cemetery that was really interesting because there were a lot of family buildings where everyone is buried inside. I had never seen a cemetery like this, so Sam and I just wandered through it. Turns out, we were at the back of a church with another incredible view of the city. I was so busy walking around outside of it, enjoying the view that I completely forgot to just go in. Sam went in though and said it was incredible. After taking in the view for a while longer, we decided to start walking down the hill towards town. On the way, we see this small road that seems to lead to something really neat. Sam decides that we should go, so we start walking up this hill. As we continue walking it grows steeper and even more endless. It was just so funny because once we finally got the top the place was closed! So we decided to keep walking and see if there was anything else up there, but there wasn’t. We eventually turned back and just walked down another steep road towards town. We got our last dinner in Florence in a piazza that seemed to be pretty cool. I must say that I will really miss the food in Italy. After dinner, we got gelato again, of course. Then we just worked our way back to the hostel to go in for the night.

Thursday
Today has been a long day. We left Florence and took the train to Venice around 10:30. We got to Venice around 1:30 and set out to find the hostel. Based on the other days, we would come out of the train station and grab a bus to take us to where we were staying, but when we came out of the station, we got to take a boat to our stop. I knew that Venice was a city on water, but it is just so incredible to actually see because it is gorgeous. I love how the buildings seem to have double entrances, one by foot and the other by water. It is hard to imagine how the city came to grow so big since there is so much water in and around it. We got to the hostel and it looked so great from the moment we came in and paid and all. I can’t speak for Sam, but once I saw the room that we were staying in… I was a bit disappointed. It is super small with 7 beds crammed in and the people that we are in here with aren’t exactly the cleanest bunch, but that is okay. We are just going with the flow ☺ When we left the hostel, we found a map to get a general idea of Venice. We started wandering through to get to the tip of one of the islands to be able to see the Basilica from across the water. We then went towards the Basilica and eventually made it there. It was so windy right there on the water, but it was gorgeous because it was just around sunset when we got there. We kept wandering along the water until we found a place to grab dinner. I had fettuccine alfredo, which was incredible. We then just wandered back towards the hostel, but we didn’t find a place to get gelato, which was really disappointing because it is just so great.

Friday
I don’t have too much to say about today, other than the fact that we wandered through the city and really enjoyed it. Sam didn’t even need to look at the map today because we were just walking around. Venice really is a great city to get lost in. We began our day with the breakfast that the hostel provides, which was eggs and toast. Then, we walked to the San Marco Basilica to see the main attraction in Venice. It was absolutely gorgeous inside with gold plated mosaics all over the ceilings and walls. Unfortunately, they didn’t allow pictures, so you will just need to take my word for how amazing it was inside. Once we saw that, there wasn’t anything else that we really needed to see or do, so we just started walking. We went along the water for a while, then found a small park to sit in for a while and just enjoy the sunshine. Afterwards, we found lunch and then got gelato. We took it back to the park we were sitting in earlier and stayed there for a good amount of time. Eventually, we continued the journey to the Rialto, which is a great bridge, built in 1592. Somehow we came to a same dead end that we found yesterday, so that was pretty funny. We decided that it would be a lot of fun to do a gondola ride while in Venice, since it is the trademark thing to do. It was so great! We rode through the waterways and it was extremely peaceful. It was so funny sometimes when people would take pictures of us riding through the water… I have no idea how many pictures we were in today. Unfortunately, our gondolier did not sing to us… Sam said that was just a Hollywood thing ☹. I saw where Casanova lived and also the actual Marco Polo while we were on our ride. Afterwards, we continued wandering through the extremely narrow streets. It was so much fun just to go through them and see what we could find. We found another great place to sit in a piazza where a lot of kids were playing… it was super cute! We worked our way back towards the Rialto because we wanted to have our last dinner on the water. We chose a great place where we had a 3-course dinner. I had lasagna, calamari, and a fruit salad. Afterwards, we headed back towards the hostel and we got gelato! I sure am going to miss that. I can’t believe that we are going back tomorrow. It has been such an incredible, relaxing week through Italy with Sam. I know that once I get back into London I am going to be so stressed and overwhelmed with school and getting back into the groove of things.

Saturday
I can’t believe that the break is over! Sam and I woke up and made our way out to wander for the morning after breakfast. I must say, Venice has really grown on me since we haven’t been using the map. I love just making our way through those little streets. We got to see a different part of the city and sat in a couple different places to enjoy some good old people watching before making our way back to London. I have really enjoyed this week, but I am excited to go back to London and get back into the groove and see everyone. It is just so bittersweet to leave because Sam and I had such an incredible time together going through Italy. The travel back to London was a lot easier than getting to Italy, and once we got to the airport, it was smooth from there. I just know that Sunday is going to be a whirlwind to get back into the groove to be ready for school and such on Monday.

Pictures later!

And We Conquered Rome!

Today was such a busy and fabulous day! After our crazy day yesterday, I was ready to see as much as possible today. We started out by leaving the hostel at 8:30. The hostel, by the way, is really cute. We are staying in a 6-bed room that turned into 7 in the middle of the night. Our hostel manager is super nice and he gave us a whole run down of the city and recommendations of where to eat and get gelato. So, we left the hostel and went to get breakfast and get on the Metro. We went almost all the way to the other end to get off at the Vatican. We walked from the Metro to St. Peter's Basilica. AMAZING. I was awed at how amazing it was. The line was not long at all, so we went in really quickly. Inside was completely breathtaking because it was so ornate. We spent a good while walking around inside because there was so much to see. I knew that it was where the Popes were buried, but I didn't expect to see some of them in glass cases around inside. It was a little weird to see them just lying there and know how long they had been inside those cases haha. The pictures are not going to be able to show how beautiful and ornate it was on the inside.


Once we left St. Peter's, we saw that the line outside waiting to go in was SO long. Luckily, we got there just in time. But, that also meant that the line outside the Vatican Musuem, which includes the Sistine Chapel. I believe we were in line for at least an hour, but it was so worth it once we got in. By the way, it was cold and windy today, but it wasn't raining, so it was totally okay. I was overloaded by art once I got in. There were so many sculptures and paintings, that I don't even know how to piece it all together. I had to take pictures of all of the room names just to keep track of all of it. It was amazing though. We saw the School of Athens by Rapheal on our way into the Sistine Chapel. I learned about the significance of that painting in AP European History, so it was incredible to see it in person. It was much larger than I expected. The Sistine Chapel was incredible. I don't know what exactly I expected, but that wasn't it. I guess it had been built up so much through school that I expected something much grander. Nonetheless, it was breathtaking to be in the presence of such amazing artwork. Well worth the wait.



After leaving the Vatican, we started walking toward the Pantheon. We saw great things along the way.. beautiful areas of the city. I ate real Italian pizza for the first time and it was incredible! We did get caught in a tourist trap though.. haha. These 2 guys were dressed as gladiators and wanted us to take pictures with them. Of course we did because it was funny.. right after one said 5 Euro. WHAT! It was so funny though.. well worth the money. We saw the Sacred Area of Argentina, where parts of it were built like 100 BC. WOW! We made it to the Pantheon like 10 minutes before it was supposed to close. It was huge and amazing, like everything else :) I was really impressed. Afterwards, we got gelato at the best place in Rome, and it wasn't crowded because it was so cold today. It was so much better than ANY ice cream that I had ever had. We saw some other neat things along the way to find dinner in a recommended part of the city where a lot of tourists don't exactly go. We found a cute place called Papa Re. I had fetticine with mushrooms.. it was very good. I'm trying to expand and try new food. Once we left the restaurant, we went back towards the hostel. We got to see the Colosseum at night!!! SO AMAZING. It was so wild standing next to such an amazing place that it so well known in history. I am so excited to go back tomorrow before we leave Rome and go inside. We leave for Siena at like 1:30, and it will be about a 3 1/2 hour train ride. I won't have internet while I am at the B&B there, but I will when I get to Florence on Monday, so I won't be able to blog for a couple days. I am so excited about Siena though. I think it will be my favorite because it will be so beautiful!

ROME!

After a long day of traveling, I can say that Sam and I are officially in Rome! We didn't get in until 10:30, but we made it to the hostel, which is great. Tomorrow we are going to the Vatican and Colosseum and all that...I can't believe that I am actually here!! I can't wait to eat really good food! I will write more later!

Dancing Queen!

Today was a completely beautiful, spring day in London! Unfortunately, I had to spend some of it studying and taking my Art History midterm. It wasn't bad though, so I feel pretty good about it. After art, I came back to the flat to get some things done before we went to see Mamma Mia.

We went to Piccadilly Circus to eat dinner at a great Mexican restaurant where we were also able to see the beginnings of a British world premiere movie in Leicester's Square. Very cool. Then Jordan, Chelsey, Amanda, Natalie, and I went over to see Mamma Mia! It was so funny and very cute. I don't know how our luck has it, but the cast had to leave the stage during one of the songs due to technical difficulties, but it just made it funnier. Overall, I thought it was a great performance and the very ending was worth the whole thing. After, we went and got ice cream and I came back to pack.

I leave for Rome tomorrow with Sam! I am taking my computer, but I'm not sure how regularly I will be able to update my blog, but I will when I can!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sorry again for going a while without blogging! Sunday was a pretty great day. We went to the London St. Patrick's Day festival in Trafalgar's Square. Unfortunately, it was pretty lame, but that is okay.. we just went back to the flats. Around 6, Micheal and I left for the Snow Patrol concert! It was the most amazing time ever. His aunt works for the record label that they are on, so we got a 2nd set of seats and backstage bar passes for free. They were amazing live!! I can't wait to go see them again when they are in the States. The Backstage Bar was pretty cool, we felt really special with our passes, but we didn't get a chance to meet the band or anything.

On Monday I went to my school for the 5th time. I can't believe that I only have one visit left!! Most of the classes that I observe happened to be watching movies yesterday, so it was a pretty laid back day, at least until lunch. After lunch, the kids went nuts and were just awful. I was in that situation where the class was so bad it made me actually laugh. I couldn't get angry because it was ridiculous. Afterwards, we just went to seminar and came back to eat dinner and do some homework.

Today has been pretty good. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Classes were fine, but I' m glad that I have the day to do work. After class, I went to Oxford Street and wandered through the stores for a little while and bought a couple things. It's nice to have retail therapy every once in a while. :) I have an Art History midterm tomorrow, so I plan on spending the night in and getting a lot done, especially since I'm leaving in 2 days for Italy!!

I Love Toy Stores!

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday. Not much happened though.. I went to Hurlingham and Chelsea to see what a different day was like. If you've been keeping up with how my visits to the school have gone, you may be surprised to know that I had an incredible day! I saw some different groups of students and for the most part, they were great. I feel a lot better about my school now that I have seen some good sides of it. I can't believe that I only have 2 more visits left. One of those is on Monday, so it is going by so fast. Last night Natalie, Amanda, Michael, and I went to see a movie in Leicester Square. We saw He's Just Not That Into You.. it was super cute and the theatre was awesome. The seats were really comfortable and even reclined and the theatre itself was huge. I was really impressed.

Today was such a fun and girly day. First, Natalie and I went out searching for the post office where my Snow Patrol concert tickets were because they couldn't be delivered to the flat. Once I got them, we went to Piccadilly Circus to grab lunch. We went to Pizza Hut! It was delicious and we even got free refills! Afterwards, we went to Regent Street to Hamley's. Hamley's is one of the world's most popular toy stores. Basically, it is 6 floors of amazingness.. we spent over 2 hours playing. :) I found a perfect little gift for Madyson, my niece. After we went through the store and saw all of the toy demonstrations and even had our fingernails doodled on, we went wandering on Regent Street, a high end shopping area. We went down this alley and found a Benefit and the woman gave us semi-makeovers which was so fun. We then found all these little cute shops tucked away and spent some time going in them. Eventually, we made our way back to Regent Street and went into some stores such as Burberry and National Geographic... super cool, although I wasn't too impressed by most of Burberry. After a long day of walking and playing, we came back to the flat and I tried to do some work, but I didn't get as much done as I hoped. Sadly, I watched to scoreboard for the UNC game since I couldn't watch the actual game... Better luck in the NCAA tournament. Tomorrow is such a big day.. we are going to the St. Patrick's Day Festival in Trafalgar's Square and then Michael and I are going to SNOW PATROL! I am so excited... this should be an amazing concert. I won't be in til late tomorrow, so I probably won't get to blog tomorrow night, but I will on Monday.

Just a Thursday

Today started out at the Museum of Docklands with our GST class. Our group was observing how the Thames has affected transportation and commerce. After the Docklands, I came back to flat where I have been doing work and stuff ALL day. Not too eventful, but tomorrow will be. I am going to Hurlingham and Chelsea tomorrow for my 4th day of observation. I believe we are going to go see a movie tomorrow night, so I am really excited to be done with this week tomorrow afternoon. Also, Sam and I finished a lot of our Italy bookings last night. We got all of our rooming done, so we are going from Rome to Venice with stops in Siena and Florence. I am so excited! I can't believe that we leave in less than a week!

A Cultural Day

Today began by waking up to find out information for Mamma Mia. We found out that there is no student discounts, but if you go the day of, you can get cheap tickets the day of as long as you are in the front of the line. We decided that next Wednesday will be the best day to see it. Afterwards, we went by STA to find out travel information and then to see about Phantom of the Opera tickets. Jordan, Amanda, Natalie, and I then walked to Trafalgar's Square to enjoy our lunch on the steps outside the National Gallery. It was such a sunny and warm day today! We then decided that it would be nice to walk to Big Ben to get to the Thames. Our final destination was the Tate Modern Gallery to get to Art History class. As we were walking to Big Ben, we saw the street that the Prime Minister lives on and we saw the War Cabinet Rooms from WWII. It is so cool to realize how close everything actually is once you are walking and not riding the Tube.

Natalie isn't in the GST class, so we took her on the Thames walk towards the Tate. It was such a great day to take a walk today. Once we were across from the Tate, we got to walk over the Millenium Bridge, which is a walking bridge over the Thames. We got to the Tate early, so we decided to find a place to get dinner. We walked by the Globe Theater (YAY!) and found a nice cute restaurant called Pizza Express that we would go to after class. We then walked back to the Tate Modern and had class. The Tate is arranged thematically instead of chronologically, which bothered me a bit because I like things organized and in order. There was some great pieces of art there, but there were a few that just puzzled me, but I guess that is how it is in a modern art gallery. Overall, it was really interesting and I enjoyed most of the things that I saw. We ate at Pizza Express where I got a pepperoni pizza and we got gelato for dessert (amazing!). After dinner, we rushed over to the theatre and saw the play Over There. The playwright is called the bad boy of British theatre, so there was a lot of controversial issues in the short play...a bit of puzzling, awkward, and hilarious scenes, but I thought the guys did a really great job. I have class until 12:30 tomorrow and then I plan to come back to the flat and try to get a lot of work done. I really want to have a laid back weekend before Spring Break in ITALY!

Another Busy Day

Tuesdays are my big class days, so I started out with my GST and Theatre class. It was my turn to help lead discussion about Mrs. Affleck, the play we saw last night. I think it went really well and I am relieved to be done with it. After class, I came straight back to the flat and have been doing work all day. I did take a wonderful break around 5:30 though. Sean Boyle, the man who has been so great to the Elon kids and taken us on all of our tours, offered a Jack the Ripper tour to us. I almost didn't go because I had so much to do, but I knew that Sean would do a fabulous job, so I didn't want to miss this opportunity. I really enjoyed the tour.. it was interesting to hear how he presented the information. I was thrilled to find out that he was actually a history teacher, so he focused more on the historical side of the stories. He is such a wonderful storyteller and he is able to be quite theatrical. It was chilling to be on the trail of Jack the Ripper and see where people actually found his victims. It always seemed so mythical hearing about it because it was so brutal, but actually being there and seeing these places is just mind-blowing. Sean did tell us who he thought Jack the Ripper actually was, and it really makes sense from the evidence, but everyone has their own theory. I think that it is interesting how the media of 1888 played up these tragic events so and even gave him that name. Apparently, Kosminski was commited to an insane asylum soon after the last murder where he stayed for the next 30 years. Everything fits the timeline and the personality, but there is no sure way to know who the real Jack the Ripper was. Sean did a wonderful job with the tour and afterwards, I went back to the flats to work on even more things. Tomorrow is going to be another packed day. We are waking up to get Mamma Mia tickets, going to Art History at the Tate Modern Museum, and then going to see Over There for theatre. I definitely won't be getting in til fairly late, but it should be a good day!

My Parisian Adventures (Sorry for the Long Blog!)

I’m actually having a hard time believing that I just spent a weekend in Paris.. it was that incredible. I was so amazed that I could wake up in London on Friday morning and fall asleep in Paris, France. We, which included Katie P, Katie M, Chelsey, Sam, and me, woke up very early on Friday to get to the Eurostar to go to Paris. It is pretty neat to say that I have traveled through the Chunnel and the trip only took about 2 hours. The first thing that we did was go on a 3 hour coach ride through Paris where we could see the major sights and get our bearings. We stopped midway for lunch and we went to this amazing little crepery. The man did all the cooking and didn’t speak good English, but we communicated well enough to get out first real, French crepes. They were amazing, but way rich. After the coach tour, we went to the Hotel Ibis to drop our things off and revamp before our first walking tour with our tour manager, Gary.

The first walking tour had a theme of the Latin Quarter and the Historic Heart of Medieval Paris. All three walking tours were optional, but we only did the first 2. Gary gave us the Paris Underground Metro 101, which came in handy for the rest of the weekend. Some of the things that we saw on this tour were St. Sulpice Church (where the Rose Line is), St. Severin church (9th century church), and Roman remains of a bath. We walked through the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens (most popular park in Paris)… I would LOVE to take Dad there one day! We walked through the student district, which was in and around the Latin Quarters. It was simply amazing just to walk through the streets because the buildings were all so magnificent. The city is centralized around the river Seine, so we were able to see it and it’s great bridges around sunset towards the end of the tour. The tour actually ended at Notre Dame. I have heard so much about this church throughout my life that I still can’t believe that I was standing right outside it (we went in on the next day). It was so breathtaking. Actually, the entire trip could be summed up with that word. Breathtaking.

After the tour, we went to the Louvre. On Fridays after 5pm, you can get in free if you are under 26. Luckily the museum was open until 10, so that worked out perfectly. Some of the great things that I saw there was the Mona Lisa, Napoleon III’s Apartments, the Crowned Jewels, and the Code of Hammurabi. I actually cried in the Louvre when I found out that the Code was there. Incredible. And yes, I have a picture beside it! After the Louvre, we went back to the Latin Quarters to get dessert and I had crème brulee. ☺ Finally, after an exhausting day, we went back to the hotel.

On Saturday, we woke up and enjoyed a long and wonderful European breakfast… I love how well they eat! We went from breakfast straight to the Eiffel Tower. I never realized how ornate and large it actually was… I don’t think that you could ever take in its magnificence until you are standing right beside it. We climbed the 668 stairs to the 2nd level. I didn’t go to the 3rd, but you could still see everything from the 2nd, so I was happy. It is such a beautiful city… I really understand why it is called the City of Love. After the Eiffel Tower, we went by the Hotel des Invalides, which has a huge gold dome and it houses a war museum and Napoleon’s tomb. Because of the time issue, we didn’t go in. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch and went to eat it in front of Notre Dame. Haha yes, we just sat in front of that glorious cathedral and ate our paninis. The gypsies are really bad in Paris and try to steal and scam you, so that was our only issue there. We went through Notre Dame, which is even more beautiful inside. I can’t wait to show you my pictures.

After we were done, we went to meet for our Walking Tour 2. The theme of this one was the Creative and Historic Hearts of Paris. We began at the famous Moulin Rouge and worked our way through the village of Montemartre. I saw where Van Gogh and his brother worked and lived and even a place that he enjoyed eating at. There are still 2 windmills on the hill overlooking the city, so that was great. Some other things to note were Paris’ only vineyard and Place du Terte (a gathering place for artists). It was really interesting to see the artistic side of Paris, which it is so well known for because I know that it would have been difficult to get to that part of the city if we were doing this trip on our own. The tour ended at Sacre Coeur Church, which is at the top of the highest point in Paris. It was so gorgeous and inside was a massive mosaic of Jesus’ open arms welcoming you into the church. The view from the hill was incredible.

After the tour, we went to go find dinner and decided to go all out. We went to this nice little place across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower and we all got real French Onion Soup…or Onion Soup as they call it in France haha. I must say… for those who have been to Pepper’s in Boone…they definitely rival each other. After dinner, we walked down the river towards the Eiffel Tower to see its show on the hour. On every hour from 7 to 12, the tower glitters for 5 minutes. It is AMAZING! We all got videos of it, so I will have to show you. We continued down and got dessert. This time I had a chocolate and banana crepe. Delicious. We were SO tired by this point that we just had to go back to the room and get a good nights rest.

Sunday started out with another great breakfast. It was raining, but we still ventured on with our plans. We went down to the Tuilleries, just right in front of the Louvre. From there, we walked up Champs Elysees, one of the most well known roads in the world filled with very pricy stores, towards the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc was built by Napoleon and was so incredible. If the weather would have been better, we may have climbed it, but because it was so gross we kept going. We stopped at a store on the way to the river to get on our boat tour to get bread, cheese, and chocolate. We went on our amazing boat tour with our authentic French picnic and it was wonderful. By this time, the weather was clearing up and we actually saw blue skies. It was really neat to see the city from the river… such a different perspective. And I got a lot of great shots of Notre Dame. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to wait for the coach to take us back to the train station and then we would leave for London. I was actually excited to go back to London!

Overall, this past weekend was absolutely incredible. I didn’t know any French before going, but as long as you learn some polite words, you can get around fine. It was definitely an adventure. French food will be something that I will crave for the rest of my life and the French people seemed extremely nice and helpful. I definitely can’t wait to go back.

And for today… I went to my school for my 3rd day of observation. It went so well. It was the first day that I really feel good about the school. I am going back on Friday to see it on a different type of school day. Tonight was another play. We went to see Mrs. Affleck, which is a modern adaption of Ibsen’s Little Eyolf. I’m not exactly sure how I felt about the play at this point. It definitely left me feeling pretty sad. But, I’m sorry for the extremely long blog. I hope you enjoyed it!

A Wonderful and Exhausting Weekend

Paris was AMAZING! I am blown away by how incredible one city could possibly be. We saw so many great places and ate wonderful food, but that means that I am beyond tired now and we have our education practicum tomorrow, so I am just going to bed. I can't wait to tell you all about Paris, hopefully tomorrow. It was a great weekend, but I am actually glad to be back in London since I have become so comfortable here now!

What a Wickedly Awesome Day

Sorry for not posting yesterday, but it was a busy day. After buying our AMAZING Wicked tickets at 10, I decided to wander around before Art History. I went to Westminster Abbey.. and I was awed about how gorgeous it was and how much history is in it. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside, but it was great. I went at my own pace and was even allowed to go in a special area that was a Shine for St. Edward the Confessor for prayer that is closed to general tours. All of the monarchs and important writers are buried in the Abbey. It was simply breathtaking. Afterwards, I went to wander some more and then went to Art History. After Art, I went to get a quick bite and then went to see Wicked. I cannot describe how great this musical was. I came to tears several times throughout the show and at the end, I was bawling because I was so blown away. Luckily, Natalie was just as emotional, so I don't feel quite so dumb haha.

Today was a pretty good day, but it included A LOT of walking. We had a walking tour for GST around the docklands and afterwards ate at the Prospect of Whitby historic pub. Then our group went out and completed the Thames walks, so that is relieving. Once I got back, Sam and I booked our plane tickets.. so we are going to Italy! We fly into Rome and fly out of Venice and are planning to see 6 different cities, but we are going to finish the plans after we get back from PARIS! I can't believe I'm leaving for Paris in the morning.. it is still so surreal! But as for my blog, I am not taking my computer or anything, so I will update it on Sunday or Monday. I can't wait!!

Crazy Things on Poles!

Today was a very full, but great day. I had 2 classes this morning, but afterwards, I was went to lunch with Katie, Casey, and our GST teacher. I tried Thai for the first time and it was so good!! After lunch, I came back to the flats and worked on my Art Journal some more until we left at 6:30 to go see Traces. This was an acrobatic dance show that included other talents such as playing music on the piano and guitar and singing. I was mesmorized by how talented the group of 5 were. There were two poles on the stage and they could get up them in the most incredible way and do all sorts of flips and such. I loved it, plus the music was excellent. I guess it can kind of be compared to Cirque du Soleil. Tomorrow should be great as long as everything works out.. we are going to the box office early tomorrow morning to try and get Wicked tickets for tomorrow night. Afterwards, I plan on going to Westminster Abbey until my class at 2:30. I am so excited!

More Warwick and Stratford Pictures