Come for the stones, Stay for the scones!

Can't get enough of that 39 P!

Well, last night we capped off Nate's birthday celebration with surprise cupcakes (yum, Patisserie Valerie!) and fun was had by all. The singing was covered on the bus earlier that day.


Today we visited the Stonehenge and the quaint, historic town of Salisbury. Lil lost her glasses but maybe she needs to loosen up a little bit anyway.

On the bus ride out we got to see the beautiful rolling hills of the English countryside. I have loved English films and novels since I was a child and it was wonderful to see the countryside firsthand. Poppies grow easily in this climate and spring forth from disturbed soil especially after agricultural fields are plowed. The wildflowers here are absolutely beautiful. In the distance we could see the ancestral estates of the Earl of Pembroke. These estates have been held by the same family line continually since the 1100's. Back in the US we are astounded if a building is more than 100 years old.

Stonehenge is surrounded by sheep-filled pastures and undulating hills. We strolled around the ancient monument and snapped some great photos. Here are my flatmates and me.



After our tour of the site Michele, Nate and I decided to grab a snack at the Stonehenge Cafe. After perusing our options, which included Stonehenge rockcakes, we decided on a cheddar scone, shortbread, and a chocolate chip cookie to share. All three of us are baked good junkies and have sampled most, if not close to all, London has to offer. Well believe it or not the Stonehenge Cafe has the best baked goods around!

We also had an interesting exchange with the counter girl about a condiment called "brown sauce". Apparently, it must be consumed along with some kind of mysterious food product called a "bacon sandwich." The girl declined to answer any further questions and so this foreign delicacy will remain forever shrouded in mystery. Actually, Hugh (our knowledgeable tour guide) cleared it up about 10 minutes later. Thanks Hugh! It was our last day with him unfortunately. Who will eloquently answer all of our stupid questions about British culture now that he's gone?

Next it was off to Salisbury to visit Salisbury Cathedral and have a look around the quaint little town. The Cathedral began construction in 1197 and is absolutely beautiful. It also houses the finest example of only four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta penned in 1215. I am overwhelmed by the expanse of history here in the UK. Luckily, we were allowed to take pictures inside.


Another great day. Next up, the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square!

London Calling

What's that peeking through the trees? It's BIG BEN! Got my first real taste of this and other well known London monuments today including Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and the London Eye.



After a crazy lunch (don't try the Escalope chicken, don't politely hesitate while placing your order, and how dare you touch the food that was set in front of you!) a group of us set out for a little walk. Up a narrow street we found Benjamin Franklin's house and low and behold a tour was about to start. Michele and I jumped at the chance (she's from Philly, dontcha know). The house dates back to the early 1700's and still has all the original floors and most of the original wooden paneling and fireplaces. It was a truly unique and interesting experience to stand where Mr. Franklin himself used to work and play. Here are a few pictures.














Later we took a wonderful tour of Westminster Abbey with our tour guide Hugh. He knows so much about British history and the tour was incredibly interesting. We saw where many of the British royal family are entombed, included Elizabeth I. How cool. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the Abbey but I did get a few nice shots of the outside. I also lit a couple of candles for my mother and grandmother. Well, on their behalf anyway. Figured they'd appreciate it. Still not totally sure what you light candles for though. Sorry Mom. Email me to clarify, OK?!





Next it was off to take more pictures of Big Ben then ride the London Eye. All 20 of us managed to get into the same pod. The Eye offered great views of London. I'm starting to really fall in love with this place!



Well, if all that amazing sight-seeing wasn't enough. Two very out of the ordinary things happened today. While we were leaving Westminster Abbey, we noticed three Maasai tribesmen were having their pictures taken in front of a black cab. They were all decked out in their traditional garb. Certainly an unusual sight in the middle of metropolitan London. Apparently, these guys performed at Obama's inauguration back in January.

Then later, after riding the London Eye, the group split up. Most of the group was heading to see the play Wicked, I however opted to head home. I decided to walk instead of taking the tube to take in more of the city and do a little shopping. I turned down the road leading to Leicester Square and ran smack into a movie premier in progress! It was for Johnny Depp's new movie "Public Enemies". I looked over the heads of the people in front of me and there he was...... Mr. Johnny Depp live and in the flesh!!! I bet everyone is going to die when I tell them. Unfortunately my camera died about 3 minutes before I got to Leicester Square, so I couldn't get any pictures. That's what I get for taking 120 pictures and 2 videos in one day! Regardless, I'm beginning to learn to expect the unexpected in this amazing city.

I'm waiting for everyone to return now. It's Nate's birthday today and I have a little surprise in store.

Check back to see what happens next!

British Museum

After a quick lunch at yet another adorable English pub (can you say croque monsieur!) with Megan, Merle and Michele, Michele and I headed to the amazing British Museum. The museum is only a few steps from the Study Center where we are staying. I explored for about 3 hours and was STILL unable to see everything this huge, impressive collection has to offer. I have been fortunate enough to visit Egypt, Turkey, and Greece in the past and the British Museum has extensive collections from these countries including portions of the Parthenon and treasures from Egypt that I was unable to see in those countries because the artifacts are part of the British Museum's permanent collection. I was thrilled to get a chance to see them.


The first thing we saw when we entered the museum was the fabulous Rosetta Stone. How amazing!

Then I moved on the Parthenon Gallery. The sculptures were so beautiful.


I plan to revisit the Museum sometime later this week when it isn't as crowded. The collection is so big I would definitely benefit from an audio tour.

Later I went walking around the West End and Soho area once again. Had some Mediterranean food and pastries for dinner and window shopped for hours. London is a great city for walking. There is always something interesting around every turn.

Tomorrow is the official start of classes and we are all headed to the London Eye and Westminster Abbey!

MJ

As we all have heard by now The King of Pop passed away a few days ago. London is mourning his loss along with the rest of the world. The media coverage of his death by the UK press has been extensive to say the least. We caught wind of a Michael Jackson tribute party at Club Koko in the hipster laden London neighborhood of Camden. We hopped on the Tube at the Tottenham stop and zoomed to the Mornington Cresent stop. This was my first Tube excursion and I loved it. Something about the curve of the walls and the trains themselves, the mosaics and the cool breeze created by the trains had a calming effect on me. We hopped off the tube and frantically darted across the still imposing London traffic we came to a stop in front of Club Koko. There were a few people milling about outside all of which were smartly dressed. We looked around and then at each other and noted that all of us Americans were horribly under dressed. Nate approached a bouncer and ascertained that indeed we were in the right place however there was a cover charge of over 16 GBP! None of us were interested in paying for entrance so we found another pub down the street and had a couple of rounds of drinks. It was a great time.

The next day Michele, Nate, and I stumbled across this shrine to Michael Jackson in front of one of the West End theaters that's running a live production of Thriller.

I'm perplexed

Crossing the street has proven to be more difficult than I expected. Everyone knows that Brits drive on the opposite side of the street so you think, fine, I'll just look both directions like I always do and it will be easy. They have even painted "Look Right" and "Look Left" on the pavement to make it easier for everyone. Well, that's all well and good but I swear these tiny cars and buses come at you from all directions! We nearly got hit by a bus last night and we were being very careful to mind the traffic. Note to self: Be vigilant!

We also visited this really neat cupcake shop called Candy Cakes. Everything looked so good. Even Lil got in on the fun.

I have arrived!

Here I am in jolly ol' London! My flatmates and I went exploring and discovered that both the British Museum and the National Gallery are only a few minutes walk away. I'm amazed how central our flats are to the major sightseeing destinations of beautiful London. We even stumbled upon an amazing view of Big Ben across Trafalgar Square! After walking around for awhile we found a great traditional English Pub, called The Tottingham, and sat down to a wonderful English meal. Most everyone had the fish and chips, but anyone who knows me knows that I skipped over that on the menu. I opted for the steak and stout pie and it was great! The portions were huge. I got to try "mushy peas" which were delicious. Sort of like a thick version of split pea soup (one of my faves stateside). Best of all the things we tried was the traditional English drink called Pimm's. It's a gin-based liquor that's mixed with lemonade (which tastes more like sprite than lemonade) and has strawberries and cucumbers in it. I have seen the light! We are all planning to have Pimm's at least once a day while we're here.



I'm sharing my two bedroom/two bathroom flat with 3 roommates (Michele, Merle, and Meagan - I'm already calling them the 3M's). Here is a picture of Michele and I's room. Of course this picture was taken before we destroyed it by spreading our belongings and gadgets all over every surface we could, including the extra bed. We don't have air conditioning (as is common in most of Europe) but the weather has been so beautiful we haven't needed it. It's been gorgeous so far. 75 degrees and blue skies. A far cry from the sweltering heat of Florida to be sure.



The light here is really different from Florida is making for some amazing pictures. Looking forward to discover more of this interesting city.

72 Hours and counting....

Well, I hope you remembered to do a little research before the trip. Don't forget your passport!

What a mess!

Guess what I'm not bringing with me.

Countdown to Europe

Well, just 12 days left until I leave for London! Believe it or not I started packing about a month ago. I'm one of those people who have to plan everything to the hilt. Originally, I planned to only bring a backpack on this trip and adhere to "Pack Light" philosophies. The backpack I purchased is the same size as a large carry-on suitcase so it is larger than most backpacks. The problem is that I'm bringing a ton of gadgets that have chargers and pieces and accessories. Needless to say the pack is getting heavy and I'm running out of room for clothes! There is no way I'll have room for souvenirs -- which i plan to purchase by the thousands. I might bring a second small bag and ship some things back to the states toward the middle of the trip. Decisions, Decisions.

I'm really excited to meet everyone in London. I've been looking forward to this trip for the past 6 months and it will be awesome to finally get started on this adventure.