Retroactive Blogging is Hard - Guy Fawkes Day and London Field Trip

Once again I'm going to start this post off with I SUCK AT BLOGGING! But now that I'm back in the States I'll probably keep it up a little bit better while I'm procrastinating my dumb LTU work.

November 5th is Guy Fawkes Night in Britain - if you don't know what it is, look here. Anyway, you burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes and read the poem and all that jazz. Our bonfire was the night before. I don't know why.

That's JR with our massive bonfire and Sara's beautiful Guy Fawkes effigy. Anyway, it was miserable outside, raining and being just generally crappy. After braving the elements for about an hour, most people just migrated to the Bistro. I had a lot to drink that night - I think we counted seven Newcastles. Heather walked me back to my room. Good form, right?

That Friday, we had a British Studies field trip to London. We were supposed to go to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and St. Paul's Cathedral. We were split into two big groups by alphabet, and my group went to the galleries first and then St. Paul's. We spent about 20 minutes in the Portrait Gallery before we decided to hit the National Gallery. Sam had to go to the bathroom but Chris and I thought that everyone was behind us -- anyway we got separated and Chris and I were by ourselves, which was kind of cool because we actually looked at paintings. There was this group of school kids who were getting a tour so we followed them around so we could learn stuff, and this little 8 year old girl told the history of the Tudors from Henry VII until Elizabeth!! We were wishing we could bring her home with us so she could take our British Studies test. She knew way more than we did. We felt stupid.

So after we learned about 'The Ambassadors' and all that fun stuff, we ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Trafalgar Square and photobombed some Asians. Then of course we realized that we had a half hour to walk the Strand and Fleet Street before our tours. So we pretty much ran to St. Paul's -- remember the scene in Home Alone in the airport, when they're playing 'Run Run Rudolph?' That was Chris and I. He was way faster than me, I was in a dress and boots. We made it just as the bells of St. Paul's struck 2pm.

I went with DG's group because there was no way in hell I was going with Kingsley. The first thing he said when I got there was, 'Now, we are group A. I'm sure you alllllll got A's on your British Studies exam.' So I did the little sneaky slidey move I'm so good at and slid over to group C. We wandered around St. Paul's and learned stuff. It was interesting, it's a church but it's all military-oriented. Then we climbed up to the top, walked around the dome and got a great view of London. I've climbed so many stairs in Europe - my butt is definitely in its best shape ever.

After that Jessica and I had to walk back to Trafalgar Square to meet up with Kelsey, Anne and Alex, but it started raining. So, yes, I walked from St. Paul's to Trafalgar Square in the rain. It sucked. A lot. And my feet were soggy. But whatever. We met up with them, went to dinner at which Kelsey got drunk off of ONE glass of wine (it was awesome!) and then we split up. Kelsey and Jessica went to see We Will Rock You, and Anne and Alex and I went to see Dirty Dancing.

It was the best/worst thing I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, but the music and the end scene totally made up for it! My mom would have been crying. I tried to call her but she wouldn't answer - bishophead.

After the show we went and caught the 11:30 coach back to Harlaxton. We didn't get back till about 2am, but it was a pretty kickass field trip all in all.

Londinium, Day 2, and Day 3 at Hampton Court Palace

Day 2

SO!  On to Day 2 of my London adventure.  Though Alex and I were beyond exhausted, we knew we only had a limited amount of time so we were out of our hotel by 9:30 to see the sights.  Our first stop was the British Museum, which has some really awesome stuff.  However, it gets a bit redundant after awhile, looking at a bunch of old rocks.  The Reading Room and Main Atrium, though, was a sight in itself!  Absolutely stunning.  

We left there and stopped at a souvenir shop and bought a few things.  Then it was off to the Tower of London!  We bought an all-day pass for the Underground which was an AMAZING decision, it saved us so much time, money and walking!

I think the Tower of London is my favorite place in London.  Just looking at it and thinking of all the history, the torture, royalty that lived there, mystery, and the fact that it's still in use today -- the first part of it was built in 1078!  The Crown Jewels were utterly breathtaking.  You would not believe them unless you see them, which you have to -- you're not allowed to take pictures!  And the story about Edward IV's sons being imprisoned in the Tower and then just disappearing, only later they found the bones of a 12- and 10-yr old boy under the stairs of the White Tower!  Just because they were a threat to Richard III's claim on the throne.  Anne Boleyn was beheaded there, and Queen Elizabeth I was even imprisoned there for a while.  Funny enough, some important prisoners had entire apartments where they lived in luxury with their wives, children and servants.  Others just rotted in cells.  NICE!

After that it was back on the Tube to Waterloo for the London Eye.  That was insane!  It's basically a huge Ferris wheel and you get FANTASTIC views of the entire city.  If you've been to London before it's not a must-see, but if it's your first time I would definitely recommend it because you get a scope of how huge the city is.

Our next adventure was to Kensington Gardens, which I insisted on due to my lifelong infatuation with Peter Pan. For those that don't know, in the book, Peter's mother took him to Kensington Gardens when he was a baby.  His pram rolled away down the hill and he was lost, so the fairies took him to Neverland.  There's a statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens that  I needed to take a picture with.  It was awesome.

At this point we were exhausted and hungry, so we went back to the hotel and ate at this really cool buffet place in the hotel lobby, then proceeded to go back to London Pub because it was just a really fun place!  While we were there, on our third Carlsberg, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" video came on with footage of 8 Mile and the Ambassador Bridge, and Alex and I were both indescribably happy.  I've never been so excited to see 8 Mile!  

Day 3

Day 3 took us to Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII's "summer home" and later the retreat of William III and Mary II.  This place was un-freaking-believable.  You never really think about how people lived back then beyond the fancy "costumes" and court jesters, but just touring the kitchens made my mind go insane.  Alex took a picture of me standing in a fireplace that was bigger than my bedroom -- no lie.  We did an audio tour which was awesome, so we learned all these cool facts about the people that lived there, and there were play-actors around dressed as Henry VIII, Kateryn Parr, and members of court (it was "Henry and Kateryn's Wedding Day", and we had to bow when we saw him, and Alex and I had to hold a door open for him and we freaked out and thought we were going to be beheaded . . . haha).

All in all it was a FANTASTIC trip.  I can't wait to go back!  We are heading down there in November to see Phantom of the Opera in London's West End and do some souvenir shopping and hit up the Hookah Lounge again.  This weekend it's a trip to Lincoln and Cambridge so . . . stay tuned!

London Calling, Day 1

London. I never really thought I would go there. I mean, I always wanted to, I always said that I wanted to go to London before I died, but until I decided to go to England about 9 months ago I truly did not think I would ever go.

Well, I WENT!

It was nothing short of amazing. My legs are aching, my feet hate me, and I'm so tired I could collapse right here and sleep for 4 days, but it was so worth it!

Day 1

We woke up bright and early and left Harlaxton at 8:30am. The bus ride was LONG, about 3 and a half hours, but it was okay because we were just so excited! We went on a short bus tour of the city just to get us oriented with our surroundings. The bus driver dropped us off at our hotel, which left a little to be desired, but it was fine for sleeping -- which was all I needed!

Alex and I set off right away for the walking tour our school recommended. London is a great town to walk in. There is ALWAYS something to look at, and maps are fairly easy to decipher. Anyway, we headed through Russell Square to Piccadilly Circus, which is basically like the Times Square of London. It's crazy--we didn't stop there or anything, just looked around and snapped pictures. Then we headed to Leicester Square, which is a touristy place with a lot of clubs and stuff. Again, we just looked around and marveled. Trafalgar Square was next, with the National Gallery and Nelson's Column. We took a picture with someone painted to look like a statue! Alex gave him 50p :)

Then it was off toward the Big Kahunas, Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. When I saw Big Ben from the street, I got chills! I just kept thinking of Peter Pan, when they land on the clock as they are flying by.

Parliament is insanely intimidating, but awesome! Just seeing it up close, you marvel at the intricacy. I can't even believe it's a building, let alone that people work there.

Westminster Abbey is awesome. I wish we would have gone inside, but there wouldn't have been enough time. I'm just a bit disappointed that I didn't see all the famous dead people there. You all know I'm not much a church person, but I really wanted to see Isaac Newton and kings and queens! I love celebrities, even dead ones!

We walked down Birdcage Walk past St. James Park, which is gorgeous. This took us right up to Buckingham Palace! Alex and I were trying to figure out what the queen was probably doing. We decided that she was either napping, brushing her hair or taking a dump. The guards are cool, but you can't get near them, which is really depressing. Oh, and they move. It's a total myth that they are perfectly still! Then we ate dinner at this really cool, really old pub called the Red Lion or something, it was near the War Building.

After that, we decided it was time to go in search of hookah, which lead us on the most adventurous and crazy leg of our trip. The closest hookah bar we could find to our hotel was near Liverpool Street, so we hopped on the Underground and got off at that stop. We found ourselves in the financial district of London, where everyone looked super important with their suits and briefcases and Blackberries. Using Alex's iPhone, we managed to walk through a NOT VERY GOOD area of London, in which we saw maybe 2 people and were walking down roads that had no buildings on them. We turned down a street and saw that it was just brick walls covered with graffiti, and there were people spray-painting them! We could not stop laughing at ourselves. By this point we had walked at least a mile. Then, suddenly, we emerged on a trendy, young, hip street called Brick Lane, where we found the Hookah Lounge. This place was hilarious. You can't smoke inside in London, so they had tables set up outside basically right on the street, and the guy brings out this hookah with tissue stuffed into the part where the ball usually goes. Alex laughed so hard she was crying. Then this guy sits down next to me and lights up a joint. I mean, right next to me - - I was on a bench thing. More laughter ensued. This guy did not speak one word the entire time he was sitting there. THEN, some guy asks me and Alex if we know where a specific bar is! We got mistaken for locals!

By the time our bowl was finished, we were exhausted. It was still light outside, so we walked back to Liverpool Street and hailed a taxi. When we got back to the hotel, we got ready and went to this little pub, where we drank Carlsberg sitting by a fireplace while cricket was on TV.

All in all it was a great first day in London! Days 2 and 3 will be documented shortly.