The Adventure Ends...in a long post!!!!

My home :)

The center!

 Sorry for not posting every day anymore. I kinda stayed up way to late enjoying my last few days. So I just realized that I have not told you anything about this week so we are starting with Tuesday...even though I have no pictures to represent that day. So, Tuesday, I went to Buckinham Palace! Which if you didn't know that is the home of the Queen in London. Since I was visiting she wasn't in London. So I wasn't able to take any pictures in the palace but it was so cool! We only went through the state rooms so I didn't actually see the Queen's living quarters but that is totally ok. There was a special exhibit this year because of the Diamond Jubilee. So the diamond scepter in the Tower of London (532 carats!) apparently was part of an even larger diamond! This diamond was cut into 7 diamonds that are all part of the royal jewelry. The other diamonds are not as huge but they are still gorgeous! It was amazing seeing the jewelry! It only consisted of diamonds because it was the diamond jubilee and it was just wonderful! After Buckingham I escorted two ladies in our group to the Making of Harry Potter. I did this because I wanted to shop some more. It was totally awesome. Then I went back to the house and studied for my finals.

Wednesday was a really boring day...all I did was study and pack. All day. That's it. I am not kidding. I only left the center to go and get lunch.

Thursday was D-day. We had to take our finals. I was so incredibly stressed but I did it! They are over!!!!!! After I finished the exams Kristina, Kim and I went for some shopping therapy. We went to Camden Market. I bought a new belt and a London hoodie. It was so fun. Then we returned to the center for our last group dinner. After dinner we went to see Julius Caesar. This production changed the setting and placed the Shakespearean play in Africa. It was actually a great set change. It placed this play into modern times in a situation that is not unusual. Especially since Julius Caesar is the story of differing political ideals. It was a wonderful production and I enjoyed it! After the show Megan, Jace, Aubrey and I walked around London. We headed toward Leicester Square. Our final destination was Piccadilly Circus. On the way we stopped by the M&M world where we took pictures with the London icons made M&M style. We also did a little bit of shopping for our touristy souvenirs. Then we headed home to get some sleep after the stressful finals day.

Julius Caesar: my last show in London

Elementary my dear Watson

 Friday was my last day in London. The first few hours that I was awake I was totally depressed. I didn't want this adventure to end, but I had to get over that so I could enjoy my day. Kristina and I headed to Oxford street to do some shopping. Our first stop? Primark the Forever 21 of England. Its a crazy place. Then we went to the Disney store so I could get a present and then headed back to the center. I went to lunch at Nandos with a large group of people and then headed off on my own to the British Museum. This is a place I definitely need to return to this museum I didn't even see half of it. Then I started one of the longest walks of my life. I rode the tube to Tower hill. I took one last walk around the Tower of London, crossed Tower Bridge and then I headed down the Thames. I walked for two and a half hours all the way to the Globe theater. It was a wonderful way for me to say goodbye to this city that had been my home. I also found 10 Wenlocks (Olympic mascot) around the city. Then I went on a walk with Jace, Emilee and Sarah. We walked through Kensington Gardens all the way to Hyde park as the sun set. It was beautiful. Then I went with Christina to meet Aubrey and Kristina outside Parliament. For the Olympics they were projecting a 15 minutes movie on the side of Parliament! So we stood across the river and just watched it happen. It was amazing. Then we walked to the bridge between Waterloo and Embankment. We ran into Lauren who started crying because we were at her favorite spot in London. Then we returned to the center to finish packing. I was up until 2 a.m. in the morning. We finally took a roommate picture at 2 am and then it was over...

Last meal at Nandos. Thanks Jace

Sun setting on the Serpentine

Christina, Aubrey and Kristina with Parliament in the background

Me, Megan, Sarah, Kim, Emilee and Kristina. My roommates!

Saturday I woke up at 6 am. I carried my things downstairs and said my goodbyes. Kim and Emilee were very sluggish because I woke them up enough just so they could hug me goodbye. Megan almost started crying and so she almost made me cry. Nothing was harder though then saying goodbye to Kristina. She was my best friend on this trip. We were both fine until we walked out the front door together. Then we both almost started crying but managed to not get to full fledged sobbing. Then I walked away... I hailed a taxi and drove to Paddington station. Then I got on the express train to the airport. There I got my last traditional English breakfast and I boarded a plane for the next ten hours. So ended my wonderful, amazing, stressful, exhausting, exhilarating adventure.

Sunday and Monday

 

Sunday was a very long day. We drove all the way from Edinburgh to London in just one day. We only had two stops. The first stop was in Duram where we attending an Anglican service. It was basically Catholic except it wasn’t a Catholic church. I wish I could explain it more in depth to you but I really cannot. It was a traditional mass with the same Communion service so as far as I understand the biggest difference is that they are not affiliated with the Pope. Anyway, so we attended their lovely church service in the Cathedral. Our second stop was in Kibworth! This city has actually been the center of study in our history class! So that was pretty sweet to actually go there. We had a brief tour of some of the sites we read about and then we had a traditional English Sunday dinner of roast, potatoes and vegetables. It was delicious! That is honestly all that I did yesterday.

Today, I had class this morning. Last day of classes and then we have finals on Thursday. I can’t believe that my time here is almost up. After class Kristina and I went to 221B Baker Street and Speedy’s! For those who don’t know: Speedy’s is a café right next to the 221B Baker Street that exists in the new BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. Inside they have pictures with the actors and it was pretty sweet. At actual 221 B there is a Sherlock museum and gift shop. We didn’t actually go inside the museum but we did go and enjoy the gift shop. Unfortunately homework has been calling our name so we couldn’t spend hours there. Plus, we are a little museumed out so we would rather pay to enjoy it when we have the mental strength to really enjoy it! So obviously I just have to come back! Which I plan to do…probably 10 years from now. It was really nice to get out of the center and ride the tube again! I am just really glad that  I don’t have any more coach rides to do.

 

After Sherlock Holmes I went back to the center and worked on homework until 6:30 when I went to the Bayswater Tube Stop. There I found Victoria!!! She is a friend from Indiana and she is here on a totally different program but I am so glad we got to see each other in LONDON! Moments like this are really unreal because you don't really expect to meet people that you see back at home overseas. Even though we planned to meet here since we knew that both of us were going that did not matter. So I took her to Tazas and she had lamb for the first time. Then we walked to Kensington Gardens and the security guard actually escorted us through the Princess Diana Memorial Park (its for children only and you aren't supposed to be able to get inside without children unless you go from 9:30-10) so that was super cool! She hadn't been to Kensington yet so I showed her the palace and then we walked to Gelato Mio where I bought her an ice cream cone! No, I did not tell her that she could only have the small one. I just surprised her by buying it for her. I am so glad I found her! That is basically everything that I have done today. Have a wonderful night, I love you all! 

Edinburgh Festival and Royal Tattoo

 

Saturday was an unbelievable day in Edinburgh. We started off the day by taking a tour of the Edinburgh castle. Surprisingly, this castle was entirely different from every other castle I have been to on this trip. This castle is a series of buildings that gradually get higher and higher as you walk around the dormant volcano. Yes, it is built on a dormant volcano. So, if you were going to try and invade this castle you would have a lot more buildings to conquer before you can call it yours. This castle houses Scotland’s Crown Jewels which are, sadly, no longer worn. This is because England and Scotland share their monarch and so they use the fancier crown jewels in London. However, there is a piece of granite called the rock of destiny that does travel to London for every coronation. This is because it was stolen from the Scottish as a war prize and when James II, who was already king of Scotland, became the rightful king of England the stone was used for every monarch. It actually wasn’t until 1996 when the stone was allowed to return to Scotland. So that was pretty cool. The castle also houses Scotland’s shrine to its fallen soldiers. It still an active shrine so the name of every soldier who dies abroad is added to this shrine. It was quite humbling to walk through.

Edinburgh Castle

After we (Chelsea, Aubry, Kristina, Celeste and I) finished exploring the Castle we started shopping. Well, sort of. Our first stop was a woolen mill that was supposed to have an exhibition of how wool is made into clothe. Basically, it had the different machines set up but with not plaques or order to view them to get you deep into the shop so you will buy stuff. It was still fun anyway. We then slowly made our way down the Royal Mile. I say slowly because the street was packed with a million people and performers. It felt like a whole new city. We were actually making our way down the mile to head towards a free fringe show called Austentatious, but more about that in like 2 sentences. So, while we were heading there we stopped at a Tesco for some cheap lunch. Then we tried to find the venue where this show was showing. We got lost for a bit, but we found it!

So what is Austentatious? Well, it is an improv comedy troupe that specializes in Jane Austen. This means that they asked the audience members to make up names of Austen books and place then in a basket. I made up the name “Eccentric and Egotistical”.  So the show started off with a single actor picking out a couple names out of the basket and explaining to us what the plot of the book was about. Then, she picked a final one for all of them to perform for us. It was basically called “What your momma gave you”, it had a slightly longer title that I no longer remember. It was absolutely hilarious! It was a great show, entirely clean and kid friendly. We laughed so hard at all of the jokes and the situations. I loved it. As we left the show a guy was handing out fliers for a stand up show featuring one of the girls from Austentatious. So we went to Paris and Dowler know what they are doing. It was good, but not nearly as funny. That’s mostly because we aren’t British. Her partner did impressions and the only one I knew was Alan Rickman who sang Adele. Which was pretty amusing. Thankfully though it was dirty comedy, it stayed pretty clean. Then I went and bought my kilt!!!!! I am so excited for this piece of clothing you have no idea!

The cast of Austentatious sans two characters

Then I went on a wild goose chase to try and find a Disney store. I totally found where a Disney store used to be but it has now moved to a new location that was about 2 hours to walk to, so no Edinburgh Disney mug for me, but that is ok. I HAVE A KILT!!! After my goose chase we dropped off our purchased items at the hostel and set out to the Mosque Kitchen to get some dinner. While we were headed there we were given a flier for a free magic show that started at 8:30. So we totally planned on going. The food at Mosque kitchen was really good and cheap which is my favorite. Then we headed off to a bar to see the magic show. This was the first time I have ever been carded in Europe. So they carded us all to let us in the bar. The magic show was called “Totally Ninja” and it was so great! It was done by a ginger and he blew my mind. At one point he was doing a card trick and Jace was holding the card. It was one card when he put it up to his chest and entirely different card when he took it away to look at it again! About halfway through the show he wrote something on a pad of paper and threw it into the audience. It got passed around for a bit and mostly forgotten. Then towards the end he asked 4 people to write down a ten digit number and had then add it up. It was the exact number he had written on the piece of paper 20 minutes earlier! Not only that but it was his cell phone number! It was just so cool.  We actually pooled together 10 pounds to give to this guy.

Then we headed off to the Royal Tattoo and it was as amazing as my mother said It would be. IT was a bunch of different military bands from Scotland, England, Canada, Australia, US, and Norway. It was so cool! They would march in formations, and the music they played was beautiful. They had Scottish dancers and used an incredibly powerful projectors on the Edinburgh Castle. It was phenomenal. I cannot accurately describe with words what made it so amazing but trust me, it was amazing. Our military band performed super hero music; Batman, Spiderman, Superman and they even played Popeye the sailor man. I know he isn’t a super hero but it was so funny. The Scottish band actually played music from Brave and the composer was in the audience!!!! I can’t wait to see that movie! It was a wonderful close to such a great trip! I love you all and I hope you have had a wonderful weekend! Cheers!

Pictures from people in the Royal Tattoo! (Me and Christina)

Edinburgh Castle turned into Gotham City for the U.S. band

Went to the Olympics...No big deal

 So today, I have done the hardest hike of this entire trip. We climbed to Arthur's seat which is entirely uphill. It is one of the 7 hills around Edinburgh and it was a super cool view but my body was not happy. I figured that each hike we had done before would prepare me...I was wrong. I started in the first 5 people climbing the hill and ended in the last 5 but I made it! The view was spectacular. I loved it and I recited part III of the "Lady of Shallot" which was super cool. Then we headed back down to the coach so we could head out to Glasgow and the Olympics!

The view from Arthur's seat. Me and Lauren :)

So we showed up a little late. Traffic was horrendous because of the Edinburgh Festival but we only missed like 10 minutes of the game. It was so much fun! Most of the audience were actually younger kids. We cheered for Sweden and the entire audience sent the wave around the stadium like 5 times. It was really exciting and I am so glad that I actually got to see an Olympic event in the flesh! Thank you Michael for finding the tickets! It was a marvelous opportunity that I will never forget. Even though Sweden lost. It is ok because it was a really good game. After the game ended we got close to the field to take some pictures. Then we headed back to Edinburgh for the festival.

Right outside the stadium where an OLYMPIC soccer match was going on

France = blue, Sweden = Yellow

Me and the whole Christianson clan!

 Back in Edinburgh we headed to St. Giles church. It is very pretty but we were itching to go out to find a show during the festival for the evening. Plus, I was starving because I had not eaten anything substantial since breakfast. So Taylor, Chelsea, Michael, Matthew and I headed out to look for some food. We ended up in a cute cafe where I got some yummy lentil soup. Then we headed to go see Knee Deep which is an Australian circus act. It was sooo good! The acrobats had a 12x12 stage to work from and it was 3 boys and 1 girl. The girl was a beast! They used every part of their body to balance. They used the back of their knees to launch each other into flips over their heads or to get them up on their shoulders. The girl started the show by walking on 6 eggs in their carton without breaking them. They balanced 3 people on their shoulders without a net or cushion below them. They even balanced three people with the top person perched on the head of the other person. Yes, I said head. Then they even had silks, trapeze and the bars contortionists use. It was so cool. I loved it! It was a great way to spend the night!

St. Giles

Holy Cow...I am in Scotland!!!!!!!

 

Can I just say I am so glad bars have free wifi! It makes it so much easier to keep track of everyone and just let them know how much fun I am having! I am still so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be here and I am loving every moment.

So, today we have left York and we are heading ever closer to Scotland. Our first stop was Fountain Abbey. This ruin of an abbey is HUGE and still very beautiful! I always stand in awe of the fallen grandeur. It is about three times the size of Tintern Abbey which I visited on the west trip. However, both of these abbeys housed the same group of Monks! That is pretty cool. There was a little museum that talked about the abbey and had a reconstruction of what it would look like if the roof was still on. It also had COSTUMES! So, I got to be a monk for about 5 minutes and it was awesome! I love when places allow me to dress in the fashion of the times. 

Maddy and I as Monks!

Fountain Abbey

We then headed out to Hadrians Wall…where we all acted like 5 year olds! So Hadrians wall is a really long wall. We started at a ruined Roman fort and climbed all over the thing. At first we climbed because we had to, a few of us were trying to get to the fort to realize that there wasn’t a gap in the wall any where close by. So we climbed over the wall to get in.Then we were climbing all over it because we could. People were showing off their gymnastic skills, Paul showed off his amazing capability to balance and leap from rock to rock. I just climbed to view the layout of the fort. I honestly did not learn a single thing but I loved every moment we were on that fort! Then we took one of our first group photos!!!! Almost everyone from the study abroad is in the photo. Frank and his wife Stacey (wonderful people who I love dearly!) have been taking kissing photos all over the UK. So we decided to give them some love as we stood on the wall of the granary. Michael bought an American flag shortly after the Olympics started so in case we forgot what country its from we added it to the picture!

Almost all of us as we cheer on the Christiansons! They are some of my favorite people!

After this lovely photo we started a hike along the wall! It was super fun. I think I am getting better at this hiking thing. We were about 30 miles away from Scotland and we hiked about 3 miles I think. Parts of the hike were actually on top of Hadrians wall. I am still in awe of the beauty of the countryside. At one point we stopped to let people catch up because we weren't sure which direction we should go. Wade said to follow the wall...so we did. It took us about 200 feet to realize we were on the wrong side of the wall and in some poor sheep herders field. Instead of going back we managed to climb under the barbed wire and over the stone fence. It was a little tricky but we got it! A little later I was falling behind the front runners. We made it to a rather flat part so I decided to run and catch up. Then they started running. I did eventually catch up and Kim told me my run was dainty. We finished the hike and then headed toward Scotland!

The last of the Celtic nations that I needed to visit!!!

We made it! We are staying in a super nice hostel (I didn't know there was such a thing). We have our own bathroom and shower! HURRAY!!! Then we went on a tour of the city given by Brian who is a PHD student here and has worked with Frank. So we saw the castle and the royal mile. Then he took us to the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter! THEN, he showed us the real grave of Tom Riddle AND the school that inspired Hogwarts! It was a great tour! I am excited to be in Scotland!

The Beauty of the Lake District

 Today has been a fantastic day! We started out our morning with a traditional English breakfast. I have to say that I am going to miss having baked beans for breakfast. However, I enjoy my eggs pre-seasoned. After breakfast we were still split into two groups. My group went back to Dove Cottage to do a seminar with actual Wordsworth manuscripts. So I actually handled the original manuscripts that are almost two hundred years old! We had a wonderful discussion about what you can tell from the handwriting. Some of the letters were impossible to figure out how you were supposed to read them. It was sectioned off into little sections going all directions. Then, to top it all off part of it over lapped! We then gave them ideas of how we would love to improve the Dove Cottage/Wordsworth experience. It was really awesome to realize that he really wanted to know our opinions. We even did a group project about how we would take an artifact and use it in the museum. It was really really fun.

Then we went back to town and had a two hour break to do what ever we pleased. Kristina and I wandered through a few shops. I am looking for a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. I didn't find one but it was nice to just wander and enjoy a town while everything is open. Kristina and I got lunch at the Apple Cafe. I ordered a Chicken Tikka sandwich and Cadbury hot chocolate. It was so satisfying. We were joined by Ashley, Nicala and Kendall. We went to this really neat toy store where we got to play with some customers cute dogs. Then we rejoined our group in front of the church.

Kaitlyn, Kristina and Nicala at the beginning of our hike.

Then we started a three hour hike. It was absolutely gorgeous. The beginning was all up hill for about 15 minutes but then it became pretty easy. We had wonderful weather. It was over cast but not raining on us until the very end. I enjoyed talking to everyone and I worked on memorizing a poem I have to recite for Frank. It was great to commune with nature. On our hike we found a cave! We made so many references. I told Wade we could walk through Moria to get back to town. Jace whistled the theme for the Hunger Games. There were some others but I just cannot recall. Basically, it was an absolutely wonderful hike and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Erin, Kaitlyn, Janie, Sarah, Jace, Me, Ali and Chelsea still on the hike

Kaitlyn, Sarah and Jace: just enjoying the gorgeous countryside

Jace and Paul in the Cave of Wonders.

When we returned to the town we separated for dinner with the intention of meeting back up to go hike to a waterfall. Paul, Jace, Kristina, Nicala, Ashley, and I went to have dinner at the White Lion Pub. We were really happy to just sit and warm up since the rain had started about ten minutes before we went in doors. The food was pretty good. Then we went outside to wait for Wade and he just never came. So we went across the street and Paul kept an eye out for him. Jace and I purchased a Dr. Who magazine. I get to keep the magazine and trading cards and Jace kept the playing cards. So we waited about 30 minutes and then just went back to the hostel. Paul, Jace, Kristina, Nicala and I actually stopped in an open book store and looked around a bit. Then we just went back to the hostel and played card games. It was really nice to do something so normal with each other. Its actually the first time we have played cards this whole time. Then I blogged. Have a wonderful night. I love you all!

Cambridge and Dove Cottage.

 Today was the first day of the North trip! I cannot believe that it is already here. It means the program is ending which just makes me sad, but that is something to dwell on later. We started our journey by heading to Cambridge. There we were met by an LDS professor and some students on the Cambridge program. We sat in a chapel in one of the colleges and discussed the history of the college. It is eight hundred years old and was formed by disgruntled Oxford professors. They have one of one attention and just an entirely different system of learning. It was cool to learn about. Then we split into groups and the Cambridge students took us out punting. Some of the other kids did other things but most of us went punting.

So what is punting? It is riding in a flat bed canoe that uses a pole to push yourself along the river. Realistically it was more like bumper boats. It was so funny. In my boat was Scotty, Ali, Chelsea, Taylor and Cory (female). She was our Cambridge student who kinda gave us a tour of the buildings we managed to float by. We really didn’t manage to punt so far but it was just so much fun. Chelsea tried to punt and we ended up zigzagging the river and hitting the wall on both sides. It was so funny. Ali was freaking out and kept yelling “Taylor, take over, Taylor!” He just laughed and didn’t move. When we turned around I went to the front of the canoe and totally got another Pocahontas picture! Its funny how it is so easy to take pictures as her. It was so much fun but we were so late. We got back to the coach 20 minutes late, but it was so worth it. We then went to a wonderful memorial to American troops from WWII. It was really touching and really cool to see our troops honored here.

Scotty punting us with Taylor and Chelsea.

Part of the WWII tribute to American Troups

After Cambridge we drove to Grasmere where we split into two groups. My group went to Dove Cottage, which was the home of Wordsworth. We actually had dinner in this cottage out of the cookbook they would have used. It was really yummy. We then recited poetry and just enjoyed the atmosphere of the Lake District. I cannot describe to you how beautiful it is here. I am enjoying so much just basking in the beauty of this countryside. We are staying in a hostel in Ambleside which is right next to Grasmere or maybe even part of the town. I don’t really know, but it is probably 15 minutes from the cottage. After checking into our hostel Paul, Kristina, Kaitlyn, Jace and I walked through the town.

Dove Cottage

Paul reading poetry where Wordworth stood.

We walked until we found a church and we went through the graveyard. It was really neat to just walk through it as the sun was setting. Oh, before that, our hostel is located on the lake so we took tons of pictures. We even went out onto a pier and I got a great picture of Kristina and Paul gazing into the beauty. Paul decided that they needed dramatic dialogue and this is what I heard: “Oh, Tina…why did you eat the last cookie?” “Paul, I just don’t know. I could not control myself”. I was laughing really hard. Apparently he said her full name I just didn’t hear it. It was so funny. It is very gorgeous here. I am excited to spending tomorrow here.

Last Sunday in the Wandsworth Ward

The group I went to church with every Sunday: Kaitlyn, Emily, Me, Rob, Nicala and Becca

Today was our final Sunday in our wards. I am actually really sad because I was really excited to teach the youth. I only taught them one lesson and they remembered stuff! I asked them today and they could actually tell me things I taught them! I was so excited. In Sacrament (I pretty much ended up being Ward chorister as Kaitlyn played piano) we were surprised to find out that we were all bearing our testimony again. It was actually really sweet. After, they had a munch and mingle with fantastic food! It was a really good send off. We loved it, we felt loved and we can only hope that they felt that we loved them too. It was a great experience. I started out this trip with a horrible attitude about having a calling here but it was a fantastic experience. Sister Mills said it was like we were mini-missionaries and we really were. I was so glad.

Sister Mills and Me

After church, I napped. We had pesto for dinner and it was wonderful and I have blogged. That is seriously all that I have done today. We are about to watch Master and Commander. Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday. I love you!

Matilda!

Saturday was an adventure. So Sarah, Emily, Paul, Jace, Karley and I woke up early to try to get tickets for Matilda. This show has 8 tickets per show for 5 pounds. That is a ridiculously awesome price. However, it is really hard to get. The only restriction on the tickets is you have to be between 16-25. So we left the house at 7:30 and arrived at the theater at 8. Ticket sales start at 10. So we queued up and waited. We counted the people in line and total we made 14. However, that was because 3 of them had left to get coffee and breakfast. So there are 16 tickets available and counting all of us makes 17. So we are one too many people, but we figure that maybe someone will get disqualified or there is a not as expensive ticket so we decided to wait. About 15 minutes after we arrived a group of four walk up and just hang out close to the theater doors but they don't join the queue. So we just thought maybe they were just on a stroll and just stopped there or something. At like 9:15 we fix the queue (some of the groups were out of order and we weren't lined up in front of the main door). The group of four edges closer and someone says "Do you want to join the queue?" they responded with a "No, we are fine." 15 minutes before the doors open they forced their way into the queue behind the 1st group. We were so angry. Adding four people to the queue kicked out our entire group except 1 person. There were 2 girls in front of us who we had chatted with and they were just as incensed as we were. We sent Paul to go talk to these people because they were cutting in the queue and they were the rudest people I have ever experience. They were all up in everyone's face yelling, pointing fingers and telling us not to yell at them. They made EVERYONE in that line angry and they just did not care. At all. When the guy came to open the gate everyone started talking. The rude guy was like "I need to have a private conversation with you" and everyone was just incensed. Karley finally piped up and said "NO! They have been rude and aggressive this whole time. They need to leave!" Thankfully, the guy made the right decision. All of us agreed on the group who had been there since 6:40 so he let them in. As each group was allowed in he asked them who was behind them. Finally the two girls in front of us got in and they were very adamant that the group of 6 Americans were right behind them. So the six of us got in before the rude people! However, there were only 5 tickets left which is what we were expecting. Immediately Sarah said, "I could just not go, its ok, I'll come back another day". All of us were just not having that. There was a 60 pound ticket available and we all chipped in 10 pounds so she could go. So Matilda cost 15 pounds and it was such a moment of triumph. The rude people did not get tickets at all!

After getting the tickets Karley and I went to the London Museum to get a site visit done (homework). It is a great museum and had this funny section called the "Pleasure Garden" during the Victorian Era. Basically they had the outfits that were appropriate for wear in an garden with a movie projected on the walls. This movie showed how people interacted and used the garden in a social setting. It also had an exhibit of the Great Fire which had a lot of good info. Which is a silly statement because it is a museum. Then we headed back to the house to eat some lunch before the Matinee of Matilda. After lunch I did a quick run through Portobello Market looking to see if I could find a 1st edition Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone. I didn't find one but the Market is super cool...even though I flew through it. It is a great place for clothes, jewelry, silverware, and nicknacks but that just isn't what I was looking for. Then I went to see Matilda.

This show was soo cute! While it had the same storyline as the movie it felt like an entirely different production. Ms. Trunchbull is played by a guy but it works so perfectly. They don't make Matilda move as many objects with her eyes as they do in the movie but it doesn't really matter. They actually focus more on Matilda's "telepathic" abilities and she tells a story to the nice librarian. However, the story turns out to be a true story: Miss Jenny's story. This extra element is absolutely fantastic and it was just so much fun. It was totally worth the battle of trying to get the tickets. After the show Karley and I went to the Forbidden Planet where I bought a Tardis piggy bank and Sting as a letter opener! I am soo excited for them! The Tardis is currently sitting next to me with all of the left over Euro coins inside. It just makes me happy.

The stage for Matilda!

Sting!

Doctor! It's bigger on the inside!

Then upon our return we went and got Tazas for dinner. It was Karley's first time having the Shawarma that is so delicious!  We brought it back to the center and watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was a great relaxing way to end the evening! Love you all!

Olympic Ceremony!!!

 Friday was a fantastic day! We started out our morning with a boat ride down the Thames. I have never been on the actual river before. So it was pretty sweet. We got a great picture with the Tower Bridge as you can see! As we were going down the river we had seen one battleship from WWII. So when we happened upon a second one we were all like "Cool, another WWII ship". Wrong! It is a fully working, fully armed, ready for anything war ship. Just in case things go wrong...I felt pretty safe. 

Picture from a boat on the Thames! Lauren, Kristina and Nicala

A battleship on the Thames...fully working

 After our boat tour we went to the Maritine Museum. Filled with boats and this fantastic kid section! They had hats, a working telegraph with morse code beside it. The museum itself was interesting, it had many different exhibits but that was yesterday...so I don't remember anything specific that I learned. The kids floor was super fun though. We goofed off. It was great. We were also super close to the Prime Meridian but we could not get to the observatory because of the Olympics. Then I went to Nandos with a group of friends and had a fantastic meal!

Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho a pirates life for us?

The next thing I did was go to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Why? Well, if you are a fan of BBC's Sherlock Holmes series you will know why! Past that I cannot really tell you except that it played a huge role in the season finale. I even did my first bit of graffiti writing "I believe in Sherlock Holmes" on the wall. I am actually pretty proud. I did not however, sign my name cause that would be stupid. Then I made a mad dash to the John Lewis store an hour before dinner. It was kinda a stupid idea. Yet, somehow I managed to get my mug in an hour. I was only 30 minutes late to dinner! Then we headed out to Hyde Park for what we thought was a free place to watch the opening ceremonies...boy we were misled.

My first piece of graffiti. Probably the last.

So Hyde Park was having a concert with Snow Patrol, Duran Duran, and a Welsh Band. It cost 60 quid to get in. I did not pay to go in. The only other free venue was Victoria Park, 40 minutes away and already at capacity. So it was time for plan B. After discovering this information we started heading back when Kaitlyn, who was wearing her Canada shirt, was stopped by a news reporter for an impromptu interview. We crowded around her and answered questions. They might have aired it too but a homeless man came in front of the camera and flipped it off and started going off. So we don't know what station it was or if they aired it but I may have been on British TV. Woohoo!

So Kim and I decided we needed a picture like we were actually able to get into the park. Out of no where this guy walks up and says "I have 1 free ticket. Would you like it?" Kim and I look at each other and Kim told me I should take it. I declined because I didn't know the bands and I knew I would have more fun with a bunch of people I knew. Plus, I was super tired. So Kim got in for free! I was so excited for her and a little bit nervous. As we were walking back to the house to watch the games six jets flew over head with red, white and blue behind it. It was soooo cool! Then we went to Tesco and got some candy. Then we got in the kitchen and set it up for awesomeness.

Kim and I outside Hyde Park Olympic viewing event!

Red, White, and Blue behind jet planes it was pretty cool!

The opening ceremonies were fantastic! It perfectly represents everything I have been doing in London for the last 5 weeks. It started with a small provincial English town per-industrial revolution! Rob sees it and goes "Hey look, Kibworth". We started laughing so hard. Kibworth (since explanation is necessary) is the town that we have been studying while here. We have studied it from the Roman times to present day. So the beginning of the ceremonies the provincial town to industrial revolution and just how society has advanced. Also, I have been to every land mark that they showed in the Ceremony. I dearly loved the fact that Mr. Bean was in the show playing Chariots of Fire! We cheered so loudly for him. Voldemort, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, just all of the wonderful references they made in the ceremonies was so fun! I still cannot believe that they would even insinuate that James Bond escorted the Queen or that she jumped from an airplane. It was ridiculously awesome! I really enjoyed that they made the Olympic rings out of iron from the industrial revolution as well. Just a fantastic ceremony. It was so much fun to watch! I hope you all enjoyed it and that you watched it! I love you but I am off to bed so a blog post about today will have to wait but it is an adventure!

I SAW THE OLYMPIC TORCH!!!

My free Union Jack that I am using as a sun shade. Looks more like a Pioneer bonnet though.

 What? A blog post on the actual day?!? Plus it is only 7:45 at night for you Valerie. What is wrong with you?!?! Well, I have an essay due tomorrow. So basically blogging is my excuse for not currently working on it. Hurray! The essay is actually half way done, but you know how procrastinators are. Anyway, as you can tell by my title I saw the Olympic Torch! With my own eyes! It was literally 3 feet away from me and it was totally awesome! The sad thing is...that is pretty much my entire day.

So the day started with class this morning. Most people were zombies today. Everyone has been super stressed over this midterm essay because we just don't have a lot of time this week. We have had a ton of required things that we have been doing. Last night, I was the first person in bed and I went to bed at 12:30. Most of the people stayed up till 1 am or 2 because on top of the paper we had 50 pages of reading for the same class and then an entire book for our other class. I took a nap between Wade's and Frank's class and I felt so much better! Lunch consisted of finger foods left over from the Professor Black reception. Then I went into the library and started my paper. I wrote from 1-3:30 and then I went to line up on the street for the Olympic torch relay!

It was actually almost a mini parade. The first van driving up had multiple torches and some athletes. I am assuming that they were the athletes for different legs of the relay and they each had their own torch. Then we saw a Coke Van and some other vans with music, cheerleaders, athletes and just the excitement of the crowd. It was so much fun! I couldn't believe how close we were to the torch. The athlete had bouncers around him to keep us from getting too close but it was just an awesome experience! My very first live Olympic experience. I am feeling pretty blessed.

The Olympic torch!!! AHHHHHH I am so lucky!

A picture with the actual flame. It was so cool to see it live!

After seeing the torch Megan, Sarah, Janie, Abbey and I went to Gelato Mio to get some gelato. It was delicious! I got Cioccolatte which is milk chocolate and Biscotto which is cookies and cream. It was so refreshing to have something cold and just not go back to the looming essay. We laughed and enjoyed each others company. We talked about how cool it was to see the torch run right down the street from our home and just relaxed.

Now, I am going to finish my essay! I hope you have a wonderful afternoon. I love you! Wish all of us luck!

P.S. I just made some changes to my blog layout. What do you think? Opinions are greatly appreciated.

Unexpected

Happy Wednesday! I hope you did something fun. I learned a lot but as far as adventures in London’s go, it was a slow day. We started out with class. One of our professors handed back an assignment and is making all of us redo it. On top of a midterm paper, site assignments, planned activities, class times, reading assignments, London walks assignments and anything else that we have to do. Needless to say, after class there were some very heated remarks. Especially since the things he disliked in our papers were things that he had not even defined prior to our turning in the assignment. It was a bit frustrating. The other class is going very well and I enjoy every moment of it.

After class, I grabbed a quick lunch of left overs and then headed out to do a London walk. My walk began at the St. Paul’s Cathedral tube stop, walked down to Bank and continued on until the Monument. It was a decently long walk and helped me to relieve some steam while still being productive toward my school work. I actually did enjoy it. I stopped in this little church and learned about the architect who also designed St. Pauls. It was very beautiful with open space that was filled with light. It had a dome that raised the ceiling. This church was also the place where the Samaritan program (like a suicide hotline) began here in London. It was just a very nice stop. It was also just nice to take an hour and a half to myself.

Upon my return to the center I attended a lecture by Professor Black. This man is incredibly intelligent and knows a ton about history and politics. The lecture was incredible but I cannot even tell you what it was about. Most of it went over my head because I had no background knowledge to attach it to. All of the students who studied political science asked spectacular questions. I just sat in awe.

After the lecture I went to Wagamamma with Abbey, Kim, Kristina, Megan and Sarah. It was yummy. Not my favorite thing I have had in London but it was good. We enjoyed each other’s company and then had to go to the Hyde Park Chapel for another lecture by Professor Black. Once again I was blown away and enjoyed myself. Upon exiting the chapel I was faced with a situation I had never actually faced before. There was a protestor outside the chapel. He saw me and looked me in the eye and told me I was a part of a cult and that I was not a Christian. I turned around and walked back into the building. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed a pass-a-long card with Christ on it and the 13 articles of faith on the back. I walked up to the man, handed it to him. I stated “Thank you for your concern for my soul” and just left and walked  toward Kensington Gardens. I thought I handled the situation well, however, when I told some of my classmates what I had done they were disappointed. Apparently, I just should not have done anything, or given him any sort of attention at all. I am not sure if I made an intelligent decision about the situation but I leave the decision up to you.

I then spent the rest of my night doing homework until midnight. Except for the 5 minutes when I broke the rules by going out onto the fire escape. Karley and I walked to the very top of the building. I stopped at each of the girls floors and poked my head through their windows and whispered “Peek-a-boo”. I keep me in your mind as I have a ton of homework to get done today (Thursday). I love you!