Greenwich, What Are the Polar Bears doing on the Thames?!?!

So today was another glorious Monday without any classes. Today for the adventure, I went out ot Greenwich with two friends who also don't have classes. One of the best parts of this trip was our method of getting to Greenwich. Instead of taking the tube like a regular person, we decided to take a cruise up the Thames instead! It was so much fun to see London from the River. There were some amazing views of Parliament, Big Ben, the Eye, St. Pauls, and just about every other major building in Central London. The harmony of old and new still ceases to amaze me. Going up the river today, there were buildings probably built in the 18th century or before and some built last year. The amazing fact is they all somehow blend together. Another random experience today was on the way over, by the Tower Bridge, there were two statues of a polar bear and a cub on a glacier being toted around by a boat. I don't quite know what they were doing on the Thames, but it was pretty funny to see them floating along.

Arriving in Greenwich, we went to the National Maritime museum. We saw some amazing small ships they had intact at the museum to Nelson's coat that he was shot and killed in. There was actually an entire wing dedicated to Nelson. I discovered that Nelson actully had one arm amputated at sea, and later led the British armada with one arm. Now his statue is on top of Trafalger square, right outside of our classroom building! I still have to pinch myself when walking to class, right through the heart of London. There was one small section in the museum dedicated to the discovery of America, and then the American revolution. It was a lot of fun to see a more British side to the Revolution Americans celebrate.

After the Maritime museum, we went to have an amazing panini at a cafe, and after that we went to the Queen's House and the Royal Observatory where the Prime Meridian is! The Queen's house had some of the most incredible and beautiful architecture I've ever seen. The main spiral staircase is Amazing! There was white and black check tiles everywhere. Unfortunatately you cannot take any pictures, so I was empty in the Queen's House. Another fun fact about the Queen's house is supposedly it is the building that the White House was modeled after. So it was really cool to see some of the similarities.

We then went to the Royal Observatory, where the Prime Meridian runs through. After taking a copious amount of touristy pictures, we took a look around the museum there showing pretty much the history of the first Star Charts, to the first clocks / chronometers. It has just been incredible to see so many different tidbits of the worlds history and Britian's culture. I am just so blessed to be in this incredible city and have the opporunity to experience so much! Tomorrow's a new week of classes which can only be filled with even more exciting opportunities and adventures!

Dover!

So last Saturday a large group of us took a trip to Dover. We left the flats at around 6:45 in the morning and headed to Victoria station. From there we caught a two hour train to Shepherd's well. Unfortunately the Dover train station was closed for renovation, so we had to take a rail replacement bus to Dover itself.

Dover was exactly what I needed. It was so nice to get out into the English countryside for a bit, breathe some fresh air, see the ocean, and just enjoy some green fields. Once at the city, we stopped at a small cafe and ate some lunch to prepare for the long journey up the hill to the Dover castle. One thing I don't think I'll ever get board from is the amazing sandwiches and the amazing cheeses in England. We found out that in the UK, nothing really is allowed to be mass produced when it comes to food. For example, its illegal to made chedder cheese, unless you're living in Chedder, England. And that just about applies to everything. But the upside of things being a bit more expensive, is they taste incredible. So after gettin a cup of tea and a sandwhich we headed off towards the castle.

Just an insert, I am now officially addicted to British tea. I've been having at least a couple cups a day. A morning tea, an afternoon tea, and an evening tea to say the least. Tea, milk, and a bit of sugar is all I need to get through the day.

I didn't really know what to expect when it came to Dover castle, but it was incredible. We got to the castle, after climbing more stairs then I think I have ever faced before and one crazy steep hill, and then just walked around for hours. I know this doesn't sound amazing, but some of the landscapes and buildings at Dover were breathtaking. We saw the oldest building in England, a first century Roman lighthouse, saw the keep of the Dover castle (the rest was going under renovations), the views from the cliffs across the ocean (supposedly you could see France, but it was a bit cloudy), and the green fields of green grass were just beautiful. Pictures can only describe the amazing views, which are at...http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jqueally. Yes that is my random plug for my pictures site.

Little did I know, under the Dover castle is an entire series of tunnels. They date back to the Napoleonic period, where men literally hand dug the tunnels by repelling down the cliffs with an axe and hacking at the stone. More recently, they were a main base for the British during World War II. An entire military base was operated from the cliffs. They called Dover hellfire corner during the war because of the amount of shells it took from the enemy. there was an entire hospital inside the cliffs for wounded soldiers! I had no clue it was all there. We took an entire tour of the tunnels, which was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

After the tour, we made our way back to central London. Let me just say that we were all completely dead on the way back. As soon as we boarded the train after taking the bus, I think every one of us was out like a light. At one of the train stops, supposedly a British man walked onto the train and exclaimed, "Why are there so many sleeping people?" Let's just say that we all arrived safely back at Victoria Station, later the flats, and then I passed out on my bed for a long rest.

So today was a great day. We had class in the morning, not so much fun for Friday. On the way home some friends and I stopped at a cupcake shop called Candy Cakes and got just about the best cupcake I think I've ever had. Then went back to the flats, had a bit more of a proper lunch then headed off for Harrods department store. Holy crap. Harrods is probably the most amazing ridiculous store I think I've ever been in. It is a WalMart for rich people. We first started in the food hall. I was actually shocked on how reasonable everything was there. I think we spent about two hours walking around and looking at all the incredible foods. They had everything. Sushi, cheeses, meats, deli meats, chocolates, tea, coffee, fresh vegetables, and just about everything else you can imagine.

The store had a main bank of elevators called the Egyptian Escalators. In this part there was absolutely beautiful music, which at first I thought was from a recording. Wrong. In this hall there were multiple balconies on each floor with manicans dressed looking over the shoppers. Except on one balcony there was a women, dressed from head to toe in clothes from Harrods, who was singing to the shoppers in the elevators. It was amazing. I think I could have just rode up and down the elevators all day with food I bought in the food hall and been happy.

We then decided to walk back from Harrods to the flats, which are both on complete opposite sides of town. The beauty with walking here though, is you see so much you would miss on a bus or tube wherever you go. We decided to go by Buckingham palace. It was incredible to see this regal building at night. We defeinitely played tourist because we were so engulfed with the beauty of this building and the view of Big Ben when you're looking away from the main gate. It was simply incredible.

Okay, I have to cut this short cause I'm about to leave for Victoria Station to catch a train to Dover. I'm off to see the castle there and the cliffs with some friends.

On the South Side of the Thames

Today classes started for the London Program. Luckily for me, I don't have class on Monday. So today a friend and I took our first unplanned exploration of London! First we ate a breakfast of eggs and croissants. I swear the eggs here are just a bit thicker than the eggs in America, and they taste so much better. I don't know if I'm hallucinating, but I swear they do. Then we caught the Circle Line out to Westminster to begin our journey.

We got off the Tube, and what were we so lucky to see as soon as we arose from the Tube station, Parliament and Big Ben. I love this city. It was spectacular. So we decided to play tourist for a bit and take pictures with Big Ben and the London Eye (right across the Thames). We then began our journey along the south bank of the Thames. For the most part the day was just filled with exploring markets off the Thames, looking at the amazing architecture of the buildings, and just taking in our new home.

We went to the Tate Modern museum. I'm not going to lie, I don't know how much of a fan I am of modern art. Some of it was a bit out there. But the museum itself was incredible. They literally took an old factory on the Thames, gutted the inside, and built a museum. It was incredible. The highlight of the museum was definitely seeing two Picasso and a Monet painting.

We then traveled and saw Millennium bridge and the Globe theatre. I honestly never knew that the Globe was right on the Thames. Such a huge piece of history. It amazes me, that as we walk around, we are seeing buildings that are a few centuries old. We went into a Scottish Cathedral, which was probably built in the 1200s. The seating of the church was literally on top of graves of people. The architecture was spectacular, and this building had so much history.

From there on we walked through the Bourough market. Most of the shops were closed, but I am definitely going to be going there once the entire place is open. There was so much fresh fruit and vegetables, bakeries, and cafes all around. I know I'm definitely going to go back once the entire market is open. From there we went and had lunch in a small cafe and had some paninis. They were spectacular and huge, we only ate a third of it and took the rest back to our flats. Luckily the only rain for the day fell during our lunch, so we missed it entirely.

After lunch we continued our Journey down the Thames. We ended up at the Tower bridge and the Tower of London. I felt as if I saw so many London landmarks that everyone should see on their visit. I definitely took my fare share of touristy pictures today in front of every major landmark we passed. So much was accomplished today and we honestly didn't plan any of it. We just took a walk down the river and found so much history and beauty.

After that we returned to the flats, did a bit of work. Sainsbury's a local supermarket finally opened up. They were closed for renovation and happen to be the largest supermarket in the area. Our flat is finally stocked with some staples every household needs, such as salt and pepper. After the shopping we cooked a large dinner then went out for a pint. Life is just wonderful here. Now I'm off to do a bit of homework before my first class starts tomorrow at 10:45.

Hamsted, such an amazing day!

Today was probably my favorite day so far in the city, absolutely spectacular! We started off the morning attending mass at Westminster Cathedral. Unfortunately the Cathedral was partly under renovation, but it was still absolutely beautiful. The mass was extremely interesting. Some parts of the mass were extremely familiar, but others were a bit different. First there was this incredible singing, while small boys filled all of the higher register voices. They were spectacular. Parts of the mass were in latin, while others were in English. At the beginning of the mass, the first thing the Priest started praying for was the inauguration on Tuesday and President-Elect Obama. This election is having such a huge impact on the world. I've even seen Obama stickers on cars throughout the city. People here are so concerned with the US.

I feel that today was truly a survival educational day. I took the bus and the tube and feel so much more comfortable on each. After mass we took the bus to the Knights Templar Pub, which was spectacular. The building was amazing, black and gold crown molding, paintings, neat chairs, and plenty of dark wood. And the food was great. By that point I was ready to eat anything that was put in front of me.

The we started the walking tour. I choose the tour that went up into Hampsted, which was themost incredible town I think I've ever been too. On the way to the tube station though, we passed by The Old Curiosity Shop, made famous by Charles Dickens. It was quite the surprise to see the real life building of the small model I have seen every year in our families Christmas Village. We then boarded the Tube at Holborn and headed to Hampsted.

If you would have asked me what the perfect place to live and raise a family would be an hour before we got on the Tube, I would have probably painted a description close to what we experienced in Hampsted. It was simply spectacular! There was this small town feel coming from buildings that had been built in the 18th Century. Winding roads, plenty of moss and ivy, town homes, and small shops. We started heading toward the home of John Keats. Walking through this town was simply harmony. Everything was existing peacefully together.

When we arrived at the home of John Keats, Professor Kucich, the Director of the London Program, was so excited. I don't think I've ever been in a program where a director has been so involved, uplifting, energetic, and happy. He started giving us some background on John Keats and telling us stories about his poetry and life. He was so enthusiastic, and it was just incredible to be standing right outside the house where John Keats wrote so many famous poems. Before we left Prof Kucich whipped out a copy of Keat's "Ode to a Nightingale" which Keats wrote right outside of his house. He started reading it to us and explaining some of the poem. It was absolutely spectacular. That was probably one of my favorite moments of the day.

Ode to a Nightingale
by John Keats

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
’Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provencal song, and sunburnt mirth!
O for a beaker full of the warm South,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:

Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget
What thou among the leaves hast never known,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
And leaden-eyed despairs,
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.

Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:
Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;
But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet
Wherewith the seasonable month endows
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.

Darkling I listen; and, for many a time
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Call’d him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad
In such an ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—
To thy high requiem become a sod.

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?

Then we started the walk to Parliament Hill Park. It's called Parliament Hill Park because it was where Guy Fawkes and his gang went to watch Parliament explode after they loaded the basement's with gunpowder. Luckily for us, he failed and was later caught and hanged. Hampsted itself is on top of large hills, so the park overlooks central London. It was absolutely beautiful. The park was full of green grass, dogs running all over the place, children with their parents playing, kites in the air, all overlooking London. It was the perfect place.

On the way back from the park some friends and I stopped at a bakery and picked up some amazing croissants and desserts. From there we went back to the tube station. I'm continually amazed at the many cultures here in Paris. While waiting for our train, standing across from us was a family from Spain, while the right of us was a couple from France. So many cultures are represented in this wonderful city. I am so happy and in love with this amazing city!

A Bit of a Riot

My time in London has already been so incredible. We've only been here for three days, but it already seems like we've been here for a week. There is so much to see, enjoy, and experience in such a short amount of time. London has so much to offer.

Today some friends and I were talking on our way back from the London Centre and were talking about all the people who don't view London as a international experience, just an extension of the Notre Dame bubble. Well quite honestly, that is completely false. There are so many cultures represented here in the city. You can walk in Trafalger square and here people speaking different languages and on our walk to school we pass Thai and Sushi restaurants with buildings decked out in multiple languages.

Today we were walking to the London Centre and there were multiple vans of policemen parked outside the building. Their riot shields were hanging on the fence of the building. We later found out that there was a demnostration going on in Trafalger Square protesting Israel's invasion of Gaza and America's support of Israel. Things were pretty mild at first when we walked by, with speakers, and people walking with signs. We went to catch a late lunch at a local pub and do some shopping for a few hours. Later we were walking back to the London Centre and police were blocking streets and in a single line with riot shields. There were police dogs, mounted police, and plenty of vans. There was nothing happening that we saw and the police were extremley nice. We walked a bit further and saw a Starbucks that had cracked windows, broken mugs everywhere, and the inside looked like a tornado went through it. Protestors must of had all come into the shop, turned tables, broke chairs, threw mugs, and smashed the windows. We were in no danger, but it was incredibly eye opening to see this aftermath of this event. On the walk back we thought that it had to be because Starbucks is a representation of America in some ways. I just have never seen a demonstration like the one that took place and the craziness it created.

So far this has been an incredible experience and I am so blessed and lucky to be here.