Stonehenge, Bath, Warner Brothers, Parliament & Dublin
12/7/16
What a busy week I've had! On Friday, I made my way to Stonehenge and Bath through a trip organized by Arcadia. It took us about 3 hours to get there by train. When I arrived at Stonehenge, I could have mistaken the location for good old Central Pennsylvania. There were miles and miles of open farmland. The visitor's centre features videos of what Stonehenge looks like in all the different seasons, and details some of the history surrounding the stones. Though the origins of Stonehenge are still a mystery, it's amazing what people have discovered about the engineering and construction of it.
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The stones are arranged according to sunrise and sunset, and also coincide with the solstices. For something built over 4,000 years ago, the advanced thinking behind the sacred ground is amazing. Numerous burial mounds also surround the actual stones, signifying that it was part of an even larger sacred landscape. New discoveries are still being made about the purpose behind the stones' placement, as well.
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I was not expecting to get as close as we were able to (as you can see from some of the pictures). However, people are typically not allowed beyond the constructed boundary because of the delicate nature of the land. There are so many intricate details about the stone placements and holes dug in the ground, that they could shift very easily if people got closer.
Above: Supports for the floor in the steam room. Romans raised the floor so heat could seep underneath and keep that warm as well.
Below: The sacred spring—Romans did not immerse themselves in this particular area.
Next we headed to Bath. This is a famous city from the Georgian Era, but is known specifically for the baths built by Romans as early as 20-30 AD. (It was also frequented by Jane Austen, which I found particularly interesting!) The Romans constructed baths on top of places where they could access the natural hot springs flowing from underneath. Again, another location featuring some pretty intricate (and genius) engineering!
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It was pretty chilly that day, so the warm, steamy water in the Great Bath was pretty tempting. Unfortunately, we were unable to get in; we were able to drink the water though. I had to pop in a piece of gum after that experience. The water was warm (obviously) and tasted like metal. But now I can claim that I've sampled water from the same location Romans did in the early fourth century!
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The Romans constructed steam rooms, healing baths, cold baths, and rooms for relaxation. Just walking on all the original stone was amazing.
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On the left are pictures of the steam room and the Sacred Spring. On the right are pictures of the Great Bath and the original steps that led up to the Roman Temple.
Above: The Great Bath with a view of Bath Abbey. Unfortunately the pictures don't show the steam that was coming off the water!
Below: original steps up to the Roman temple. So cool!
Later on in the weekend, Arcadia organized a trip for us to go to the Warner Brothers Studio. (Get ready, here comes some more Harry Potter information. If you're like my family members and don't particularly fan over Harry Potter, feel free to skip this section! But, it was pretty cool.)
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When you first enter the tour, you're seated and greeted by a video of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley). They're standing in front of the massive, iconic door in Hogwarts that opens into the Great Hall. When the video finished, the screen lifted to reveal the actual door itself, and it opened into the actual Great Hall used for all the films. It truly was magical, if you will. I can't believe I actually got to be on set! We got to see the sets used for the boys' dormitory, Dumbledore's office, the common room, and various props such as the invisibility cloak, the car Harry and Ron drove, the life-sized chess pieces, and more. We also got to see all the actual costumes, and things like the Hogwarts Express train.
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I consider my knowledge of film production to be pretty limited, and the most interesting part of the tour for me was seeing the huge model of Hogwarts that was used for filming. I don't know how I thought they filmed scenes of this massive castle, but I didn't expect them to film an actual model for all the movies. It was so precise and unique. Just look at the pictures below!
Kait and I also had the chance to go see Dublin, Ireland this week! It was only an hour plane ride, and we were feeling spontaneous, so we just went for the day. Got to love UK travel! Unfortunately it was pretty rainy and cloudy when we went, but we still made the most of it. I'm very proud of us for the success of this excursion. Kait and I have come a long way! (Does anyone recall the Heathrow mishap of September 2016?) We've been drowning in academics and exam work for the past week or so, and it was definitely nice to spend the day sight-seeing and relaxing a little bit. We flew into Dublin around 10am, and took a bus into the city centre where we went on a hop on/hop off bus tour. This took us to a number of different spots around the city. We saw the castle (or what's left of it), Trinity College, a couple different parks, and had lunch in a cafe. I got a Reuben, which I haven't had since August at Tuckahoe Inn in Beesley's Point, NJ. At first while looking for places to eat, Kait and I got worried. We couldn't understand many things on the menus! They were full of elaborate descriptions and strange words/foods. The way it was worded, I actually had to decipher what the menu was describing when I figured out it was a Reuben. (But it was delicious, and paired with an excellent curry sweet potato soup!)
The tour took us past the famous Guinness storehouse and factory as well. A fun fact about the Guinness storehouse? It was founded in Dublin in 1769, and the founder, Arthur Guinness, signed a 9,000 year lease for the building. It's not going anywhere any time soon. Guinness produces 3 million pints of beer every single day. In history, Guinness was considered one of the best employers. Having a job at Guinness meant that you had a job for life, and it still generates a significant amount of employment opportunities in Dublin.
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In order to save our souls from Guinness, we also got to see some beautiful churches and cathedrals like St. Patrick's. This one's for my mom: we drove past the location of the very first performance of Handel's Messiah!
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All in all, it was a good day trip! The Irish people are incredibly kind and helpful, though their accents are some of the most difficult I have yet to come across.
Finally, my friends and I had the privilege of taking a tour of Westminster Palace and parliament. My friend Sam interned for an MP in parliament this semester, and they were able to get us a tour for free. His coworker led us through the underground tunnel that connects the houses of parliament with Westminster. He even took us outside in the courtyard right to the base of Big Ben. (I touched it!) Ironically, the base of Big Ben is a designated smoking area, which I thought was rather funny.
The tour is unique as it guides you on the exact path that Queen Elizabeth walks when she comes to give the "Queen's Speech" each year.
Some of the first things I saw were the actual death warrant for King Charles I, seals and all, and the Magna Carta. That's something I've only studied in books. I had no idea it was even located there, so it took me by surprise! They were very casual about it in the tour, as if it were perfectly normal to see an original document from 1215.
We also got to see the House of Lords and House of Commons. I thought it was interesting that votes from the House of Commons are either "aye" or "no" while votes from the House of Lords are "content" or "not content." I also learned that the Queen cannot enter the House of Commons at any time. In fact, she can't even go past a certain point in a hallway that's marked by a picture commemorating the day Charles I stormed the House of Commons.
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For anyone who needs a refresher, Charles I burst into parliament and demanded the arrest of five parliament members who he believed were plotting against him. The King had no right to be in the House of Commons, a people's house, and was executed. Oliver Cromwell assumed power. It was the first time the people made the decision to execute a monarch. To this day, the Queen cannot enter the house as a reminder that her power is not absolute. As the British say, "she reigns, but she does not rule."
The tour concludes in Westminster hall—the oldest building in parliament. It is the only part that survived the fire that destroyed most of the rest. The original beams still line the ceiling. They were constructed during the reign of Charles II. At one point, in order to avenge the death of Charles I, he had Oliver Cromwell dug up from his grave, and hung his head from the ceiling. Gruesome, but interesting! (It actually fell down at one point as well. Imagine getting hit in the head with someone else's…)
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Throughout the tour, they kept reminding us that Westminster was not a museum, but a fully functioning government building. So many procedures from history are preserved here, and the British definitely take pride in their journey to the current
democratic system they enjoy today.
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As I wrap up my last TEN DAYS in London, I'll be thinking about all these wonderful experiences I've had. London has been such an incredible place to spend this semester, and I'm going to miss getting to live here. As excited as I am to return to family and friends, I can't help but smile at the ways London has become familiar.
Edinburgh, Scotland
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Venice, Italy
11/04/16
This past week felt like a dream. It started last Friday with a weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, and concluded with a few days spent in Venice, Italy.
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Edinburgh is a unique city, rich with history. The Scottish do an excellent job of preserving old buildings and maintaining a distinct way of life. This place was extremely beautiful, with rolling hills and stone buildings as far as the eye could see. Most of the buildings are made of sandstone that is very easily impacted by soot and different things in the air, so many of them are now a dark shade of grey. They almost appear burnt. The picture below is an example.
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The whole city seemed rather medieval to me, and it was definitely an experience being there over halloween weekend. (We wanted to take a tour of some underground vaults and passages in the city, and of course, that came in the form of a "ghost tour.") Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of these underground vaults, but they appear exactly as they sound—small, winding passageways that exist below the city streets. At one point in history, some of these vaults were sealed because of outbreaks of things like cholera. Pretty grotesquely, people infected with the disease would be placed in the vaults and then sealed in while other buildings were built on top of them. It was a slow death from disease, starvation, and lack of oxygen.
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We did participate in some more uplifting activities, though. We received a guided walking tour around the city, in addition to touring the Edinburgh Castle. The castle features amazing views of the city, which you can see below.
We also spent one afternoon hiking up Arthur's Seat. We joked about the fact that there were no actual seats at the top, and thus we were pretty tired later that day.
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I also experienced far more Harry Potter than I thought I would this weekend, as Edinburgh is the home of author J.K Rowling and the location in which she first composed the famous book series. We actually got to eat in the cafe where she wrote them, which was very cool! We also saw the school that Hogwarts was based off of, and the alley that inspired Diagon Alley in both books and film.
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Though the weekend was short, I felt as if I got a good taste of Scotland and its culture. I saw many famous landmarks (and far too many kilts), explored some new places, and soaked in all the history.
We arrived back in London around 11:00pm, and it was the start to a crazy night! My friend Kait and I had a flight leaving from London Gatwick for Venice at 7:00am the next morning. We hastily repacked all our things, got a quick hour of sleep, and then headed out around 2:00am for the airport. Since no city buses or tubes go directly to the airport, we had to board a coach bus from London Victoria Station as well. In order to get to the coach station, the easiest way is to take a tube, which brings you directly there. However, London differs from New York City in that its public transportation is not a 24 hour service—something we forgot. There Kait and I were, standing outside a locked tube station, wondering how to get to our bus in time. We quickly looked up directions by taking a bus, which required far more walking than we thought, but eventually made it with time to spare—no worries!
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Our flight to Venice was only 1 hour and 40 minutes, and we arrived at 9:30am (there's also an hour time difference). From the airport, we had to take another bus and then a water taxi because there are absolutely no cars in Venice! That was something we both loved. It's all foot traffic and boats passing through all the canals.
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We stayed in an air bnb only minutes from the famous Rialto Bridge and market. It was such a central location, and our host was incredible! He owns and manages numerous buildings around the city, and he has lived in Venice all his life. He knew everything there was to know, and even provided us with breakfast and cappuccinos every morning.
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I'm fairly certain that Venice is the place for me, because our first and most important piece of advice was: just get lost. (If you know me, you know I'm pretty good at this. Directions aren't my strong point.) Venice is simply a city for wandering. There are so many narrow streets and twists and turns; it's almost impossible to navigate just by using a map. So, our first day was spent simply wandering around the city. It was incredible.
We spent the next few days exploring the islands: Murano, Burano, and Torcello, in addition to eating our body weight in gelato, cannolis, pizza, and pasta. Murano is famous for its glass, which is evident in many of the shops around Venice. They have so many beautiful pieces of jewelry! Burano is a smaller island known for its colorful buildings and charm. It's a little slower pace than the mainland, and the homes are truly stunning! The picture at the top of this post is from Burano, and colors like that are everywhere. Torcello was the smallest island, and it's just very removed from other areas. It takes about an hour by boat to get there, and it simply features many walking trails, a beautiful old church, and serene places to eat gelato along the private canals. There was actually a decent amount of fall foliage on this island, so that was refreshing to see!
<— Gelato & exploration on the island of Torcello
San Marco Basilica in St. Marc's Square —>
On our last day in Venice, we broke down and decided to take a Gondola ride. They are so incredibly overpriced, but come on, how many times will you be in Venice? We were so glad that we did. It was so relaxing, and a great way to view the city. We chose a ride with time spent on both the Grand Canal and smaller canals throughout the city. I'm so amazed at the ways people steer those boats. There's a lot of water traffic in that city, as you can imagine. Our gondola driver was telling us that Venice gets over 30 million tourists every year, and after experiencing it for myself, I think that number will only increase. It's a magical city. Fun fact: our gondola ride took us past the home of famous explorer Marco Polo! It was something we honestly would have missed if we didn't see it from the canal.
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As our final hurrah, Kait and I had lunch at a restaurant right alongside the canal. We enjoyed some fettuccine alfredo and spectacular views! It was a lovely way to end the trip. I'm so grateful to have had that experience, and Venice is a location I would recommend to anyone. It's just as beautiful as you could ever imagine, and it's the Italy I've always pictured in my mind.
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Ti amo, Venezia
Wales Weekend
10/17/16
Wales was a very interesting place. The word that kept coming to mind was 'quaint.' Cardiff was a city, but compared to London, it seemed more like a town. We were surprised by the pace of the city, and how it almost seemed empty because of what we were used to. However, I think this is one place I've felt the European vibe most dominantly. From the architecture, to the cars, to the lifestyle of people, it just felt like what you would expect from Europe.
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On Sunday, we explored the city a little more, and actually took a hop on/off bus tour so we could get off and wander around different places. We walked through a lot of 'arcades' (outdoor—but covered—alleys with quaint shops and restaurants) and went to see Cardiff Bay, where we sampled some Welsh Cakes. (Delicious!)
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We also learned that the Welsh are typically pretty nice people! Mostly we figured this out when we had trouble crossing the street, and no one honked at us like they would in London.
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It was a successful weekend, and much-needed getaway to enjoy some time in nature. I'm definitely missing the fall season as it is at home, but it was great to have this outdoor adventure with some new friends.
This weekend, a group of people from my house and I decided to escape the chaos of city life by heading to Wales. It was a pretty short trip, as we arrived on Friday night and left late Sunday afternoon. (Most of us still had to work on Friday and had class assignments waiting for us on Sunday night.)
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It was so refreshing to have some time outdoors to enjoy the natural beauty of this country. We stayed at an airbnb in Cardiff, the country's capital. For those of you unfamiliar with airbnb's, they're simply rooms, apartments, and houses that people rent out to visitors. They're often cheaper than hotels and give you your own space. Ours was pretty centrally located, and we were able to walk to the city centre and bus stops within 20-30 minutes.
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On Saturday morning, our group of nine took a bus to Brecon Beacon National Park to tackle a five-mile hike. We were all blown away when we got off the bus. The countryside of Wales is made up of rolling hills, and those hillsides are all dotted with plenty of sheep! There were also some wild ponies. Bonus! The hike was pretty tiring, but reaching the top was incredible. I've never experienced a view quite like that. (I've also never experienced such a difference in wind from the bottom to the top!) Even though the top of our hike was windy and cold, we were determined to eat our packed lunches there. The views were too good to miss, as you can see from the pictures.
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21st Birthday: London Style
10/9/16
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This will be a bit of a shorter update, but today I had the privilege of spending my 21st birthday in London! I started the day by sleeping in​—a wonderful treat after a busy week. My lovely roommate decided to bring me breakfast in bed, which was another great way to begin the day.
We headed to a local restaurant for lunch, followed by a ride on one of London's ultimate tourist attractions—the London Eye.
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The iconic ferris wheel stands at an impressive 443 feet tall, and features 32 capsules that hold up to 25 people each. The 32 capsules actually represent the 32 boroughs in London. It's a little difficult to capture the incredible views in photos (especially when you're surrounded by 24 other people trying to do the same thing), but take my word for it: they're stunning! It's unreal being able to view London and the winding Thames River from 443 feet in the air.
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It was very strange being so far away from home, family, and friends today, but I got to enjoy my 21st birthday with beautiful views in a city that I'm growing to love more and more every day. It was certainly a birthday I will never forget!
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On Sunday afternoon, I ventured to Westminster Abbey for a 3pm evensong service. The service was free and open to the public, and featured some readings, a short message, and music led by the choir. Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures within the church, but it was breathtaking. I'm usually not a huge fan of large religious buildings like cathedrals; their overwhelming size and intricate architecture often strike me as more intimidating than beautiful. However, I couldn't help but admire the grandeur of this place. Additionally, I've never actually participated in a service in a church like this. Maybe it was this significant difference that made me feel less intimidated by the building.
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The choir was incredible. The purity in the blended voices was like something I had never heard. As you can imagine, the acoustics of the building only served to enhance the sound. I'm so grateful to have experienced and participated in a service in this place that has so much history and significance in England.
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Westminster Abbey &
Sky Garden
10/3/16
Later in the day, I headed to Sky Gardens. This was an incredible experience. It basically consists of an indoor garden, restaurant, and observation deck on the 35th floor of a building nicknamed after a walkie talkie because of its unique shape. This was another free excursion. Our tickets had to be booked a few weeks in advance, but otherwise, no charge!
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Pictures will never be able to do the views justice. We booked our tickets for around 6:30pm, so we were able to experience the views in the daylight, at sunset, and in the evening. Even once it was dark, the glittering lights were very impressive.
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The entirety of the 35th floor is made of glass windows, so the view is excellent from any angle. I don't have much else to say about this building; I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and hopefully give you a glimpse of this incredible day.
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Tower of London Tour
9/24/16
Yesterday my housemates and I had the privilege of touring the tower of London, compliments of Arcadia University. (It typically costs about 20 pounds to go, so we were pretty grateful for the free entry.)
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We arrived at the tower around 10am, and were free to walk around the grounds at our own pace. Prior to entering, I had always been under the impression that the tower was a single building solely devoted to the torture of individuals who were considered traitors of some sort. I was quite surprised to find that the grounds were far more extensive than I realized, and really only one small area was dedicated to torture.
The oldest building on the grounds is the White Tower. Its original purpose was to serve as a fortress and means of accomodation for the king. From the 14th-19th centuries, the White Tower was used as more of a military storehouse, which is reflected in its purpose today as a display of royal armor of past kings.
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The building also houses incredible statues and sculptures of the kings and their horses. Not only do these figures help display the armor more realistically, but they are also unique pieces of art that took signigicant amounts of time (and money) to complete.
One of the other towers that interested me the most was the Beauchamp Tower. This building housed many prisoners. As someone who loves history, I was very excited to see that there were sections of original grafitti and writing on the wall from various prisoners.
On the second floor of the tower, there was a large fireplace with a bold inscription above it from Philip Howard, the Earl of Arundel written in 1587.
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It reads: "The more suffering for Christ in this world, the more glory with Christ in the next."
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Many of the carvings focused on suffering for Christ, as many of the prisoners housed there were present during a time of religious and political controversy.
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Some of the carvings were more difficult to decipher than others, but it was still incredible to see markings left by people hundreds of years ago. It really helped me connect to the history and brought it to life. At one point I just skimmed my hand along the stone, amazed that I could physically stand in the same building that had seen so many prisoners and injustices occur within its walls. Some of these stories were in history textbooks I've studied, and here I was standing right in the middle of it. It was amazing!
The Tower of London also houses the crown jewels. Unfortunately they did not allow photography in the exhibit, so I was unable to get any pictures. However, I don't think a picture would have captured the grandeur of the jewels anyway.
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The crowns are all on display in a row that you view from a magic carpet that moves you slowly along. (My friends and I may or may not have ridden this magic carpet three times.) The jewels are just so mesmerizing!
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In addition to the crowns, we were also able to see what Queen Elizabeth II wore for her coronation (robe, crown, ring, etc.) It was so interesting being able to see the video of her at the actual ceremony and then stare right at the pieces from that day in 1953.
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(Since I couldn't take pictures, I've included some generic ones.)
Even though the crown jewels were absolutely stunning, it was a little difficult to walk through the displays. Some of my past travels have taken me to places like Puerto Rico and Uganda, where I've witnessed cultures with almost nothing. Seeing so much wealth and luxury in one place is a sad reality. I don't blame England for using their resources and appreciating their history (and current status) as an elite nation. I come from an elite nation, too. But it certainly puts things in perspective.
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Sunday Riverboat Tour
9/11/16
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This morning our group took an interesting and informative tour along the famous Thames river. Our tour concluded at Greenwich, which we explored for the rest of the day.
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Since the area was so beautiful and historic, I focused on taking pictures so I could relay the information to the best of my ability.
Though this probably isn't the best picture I could have taken, I chose to post it because it includes a rare view that can really only be seen from a boat.
If your eyes follow the wall to the bottom left corner of the photograph, you'll see the words: "Entry to the traitors gate." Beneath the words is a walled up entrance where people would be taken in to be tortured. It's something you miss if you're just touring the tower itself.
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We also learned a little tip about touring the tower: if you wait around near the entrance for maybe 15 minutes or so, people will walk by who will give you free commentary on a tour around the building. These people are unique because they have knowledge from true stories passed down over hundreds of years. The information they give is something you'll never read about in any book.
The image on the right depicts one of many historic wharfs found along the Thames. For those of you who didn't know, like me, "wharf" stands for "warehouse at river front."
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Now a majority of these wharfs have been converted into flats priced at around 3 or 4 million. Fun fact? Oliver Wharf, shown on the right, was once home to Cher who lived in the penthouse. She filed a complaint about the riverboat tour company because they would advertise this information and people would stalk her apartment. She has since moved.
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On the left is an image of the University of Greenwich, which was once the Naval College in England. The architecture is absolutely stunning with open walkways, impressive columns, and towering buildings and arches.
We also visited a Naval museum, filled with information on famous battles at sea, particularly in WWI.
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There was an abundance of information on trade in England, and how it shaped the culture, country, and world.
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To the far right is a picture of a particuarly interesting display. These are pieces that once took up residence on the front of large ships.
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The second picture is of the famous ball used to determine time for mariners. The ball rises to the top at 1pm and then drops throughout the day. It measures time since Greenwich is at longitude 0, setting the standard for the rest of the world. This is where we get the phrase "on the ball."
Within the University of Greenwich, there are beautiful halls such as the ones pictured to the left. These are from the "Painted Chapel" named for obvious reasons.
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The picture with the table was actually a set for a movie being filmed while we were there. This was cool, but unfortunately it prevented us from touring more of the beautiful room!
Today was also one of my favorite days because I got to experience an incredible cafe on a cobblestone sidestreet--something I've really been looking forward to. Quaint shops like this one pop up all over the place in London. This one was called the "Reddoor Cafe." My friends and I shared some excellent treats here.
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I enjoyed a foamy cup of spiced chai and a slice of coffee walnut cake. (It felt like something right out of a book!)
We could use more cobblestone streets in the United States.
Flying into Iceland!
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Waking up Across the Pond
9/6/16
After an extensive day (or night, rather) of travelling, I arrived safely in London yesterday.
My initial flight took off from Newark airport around 8:45pm, and after about 5 1/2 hours,
we arrived in Keflavik airport in Iceland for an hour layover. Arriving in Iceland was a unique
experience in and of itself. I'm used to the excitement of breaking through the clouds and
glancing down at all the glittering lights of the city below. In Iceland, there were no glittering
lights. It was simply a vast stretch of beautiful land and water. We learned that the entire
country has a population of only 330,000. After about an hour, we boarded our next flight to
London Heathrow airport.
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For anyone who knows me well, I am incredibly directionally impaired. Navigating one of the biggest airports in the world was neither an enjoyable nor simple task for me. Let's just say I familiarized myself quite well with their elevators and escalators. The line for border control itself took over 45 minutes to get through. Once I was through that, my travelling companion and I attempted to locate a group meeting spot. As it turns out, the last group transportation bus had left 30 minutes prior to our arrival. We walked around the airport in circles looking for the correct bus to take us to Paddington station (which we later learned was actually a train station rather than bus) all while carting our two 50lb suitcases, backpacks, and carry ons. We took the "tube" to Paddington station and from there wound up taking a taxi, as we figured it could deliver us straight to our apartment. I am proud to announce that this was successful!
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After a brief introduction and meet and greet in our apartment, we were free to shop for necessities and explore the city. A couple of my friends from Messiah and I decided to head straight for Westminster and London Bridge. From here we also got a chance to see parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye. Seeing parliament/Big Ben in person is an amazing experience. It's certainly one of the most incredible and intricate pieces of architecture I've ever seen.
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After sightseeing, we headed back to the apartment to unwind and unpack (both of which are still in the process). My apartment complex is much different than I expected it to be. I share a room with my friend from Messiah, and we share a common area, bathroom, shower room, and kitchen with about six other single rooms of girls. It's an interesting layout and a bit difficult to describe.
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This morning I had the opportunity to attend an orientation session at the Arcadia London Center, where I learned more of the basics about London's culture. For example, though they speak the English language, it is far different from how we use words in the U.S. After a long day, I will be extremely "knackered" (tired), and "peckish" (hungry).
From here, all of the students had the chance to go out and explore the city. We were encouraged to use public transportation all day and familiarize ourselves with some routes. (We'll learn how to get to and from our internships later on in the week!)
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A couple of us took this time to go see Kensington Gardens and Palace. We explored cobblestone streets and got our first cups of coffee to wake up a little bit. From here we decided to take care of a few things like cell phones, ethernet adapters, and chargers.
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Tonight we are spending time getting to know the people in our building and going out to a local pub. So far, London is striking in every way. It is beautiful, full of history, and extremely clean! I'm loving every minute--though I'm still a bit jet lagged.
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Tomorrow I look forward to some guided tours through different places in the city. I hope to update you again soon!
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Big Ben looked beautiful at night!
Many of the pubs in London are beautifully decorated with colorful flowers.
The gate at Kensington Palace
I had to take a classic telephone booth photo!