I'm sorry it's been awhile since I last posted anything! There is just SO much to write about, I decided to save it all for now! :)
LONDON!!!
So, the back story on our trip to London, is that Kristen and I only got max 2 hours
of sleep the night before. Mainly to do with laundry, (and our flatmates), but by 4:15, when the alarm went off, we weren't feeling to "bright". But we were on our way to LONDON! We ended up being on the bus with 9 other students from the BCA program who had decided to go to London that day as well. We walked to the center of town to catch the bus and from there we were off!
The bus ride took a little over two hours from Cheltenham to Victoria Station in London. But, when you're tired, it flies by!
When we arrived, it was around 8 in the morning and so we got to explore the morning light and life of the city. A group of us, some of our new friends, walked from the station to Big Ben. Meanwhile, thanks to Dad and the blackberry, I ordered tickets for all of us to get in to Buckingham Palace for a tour, because we learned that it closed on September 30. So, kudos to the blackberry. Our tickets were for the 12:15 and the changing of the guards was going to take place at 11:30. So, we had time to kill.
So, we took pictures...When we got to Westminster Abbey, a whole rush of deja vu hit me. Not even two years ago had I stood in the same place. I am a very lucky girl. Thank you parents. But, the weather was a lot nicer on this trip to London than the last.
We walked across the bridge to get a better look at Ben and the London Eye. It was really cool to be there with all of these friends, new and old. It's moments like this when you realize, "Oh yeah, I'm in England!" After we took a million and one photos, some of the group went to go look inside Westminster Abbey, and the rest of us walked the streets of London a bit more.
We met up at 11 to walk back to Buckingham Palace. And when we got there, it was packed! I was glad I had seen the changing before, because being short was not to my advantage this day. I used my camera to see what was happening. But, everyone was real excited to see this special event. The flag was also flying on top if the Palace, which we heard means
that Queen Liz is in. Cool.
After watching the guards, we walked to the side entrance and started out tour. Sadly, you aren't allowed to take pictures inside, so it's a mental picture memory. But, the palace is gorgeous, and HUGE! There are over 200 rooms and each is more beautiful and extravagant than the next. We took the state room tours, which are guided by individual headphones for each person. The tour lasted around 2 hours, and was a real nice treat to the day. But, it tired us out! When you exit the Palace, you are in the back at the gardens, where you then walk for awhile to get back to the streets. The gardens, (and these were the ones public can see, so who knows what the Queen's Gardens look like), are
GORGEOUS!
And it was a lovely day on top if everything, so it made it even more fantastic.
After the tour, Kristen, Khouri, and I decided to walk to Covent Gardens which is a nice little shopping area. Here, we ate a late lunch and then decided that it was time to walk back.
We met everyone at the station, and got on the bus, and made our way back. It was a long day, and so it felt glorious to be back "home". It's funny how the term 'home' becomes part of your vocabulary after only such a short time of being away from your "real home".
And that was our London trip... :)
So, this week we started to dive into the planning stages of where we would like to travel while we are here.
Kris and I got a hold of our friends Katy and Erin who are studying abroad in Northern Ireland this semester to plan some trips with them. They are going to come visit us near the end of October, and the first weekend on November, we all are going to meet in Dublin! We all can't wait to see each other! It'll be great to see familiar faces!
Kristen and I are also planning on another trip to London where a friend of mine, Kevin, lives. We will stay with him for the weekend and, to our luck, my cousin Mandy will be visiting at the same time. This will be the second time that I see Mandy in London. The last time, two years ago, I was traveling while she was studying abroad, and now the roles have switched. Funny how things work out, right?
Also, my parents told me this week that they booked their flight to come visit me in November! I can't wait to share this experience with them! (Dad's convinced he's going to rent a car and drive all over...we'll see) But, since neither of them have been here, it'll be really neat to show them around!
Classes have been getting more and more interesting, pending on the fact that I've only had 2 of each... but still, it feels good to be a student again! And today, my American Literature class was a lot of fun! Our homework for class for today was to read the Declaration of Independence,...interesting. And then today in class, our tutor was sick so she had a sort of substitute come in, who in fact, was American. We then discussed with her and the rest of the class, who are all British, besides two other girls and I, what it means to be an American. It was really interesting to hear what they had to say.
And on a good note...IT'S FRIDAY! :) Another week down. I can't believe we've been here for 3 weeks, and I left home 4 weeks ago. Time really does fly.
Tomorrow the BCA group is being taken to Bath. It'll be nice to see everyone again.
And then on Sunday, some of us are planning on going to Gloucester to see the Cathedral where some of the Harry Potter scenes were shot. (side note: Sonny, aka Slumdog, or kid across the hall, was an extra in the HP movies. nice! Also, he's in some wii commercials here! I'm living next to a star!) Gotta love England!
love.
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