Westminster Abbey

I don't have many pictures to post today because we weren't allowed to take pictures, but today we got a tour of Westminster Abbey. It was so cool. I really enjoyed it, there were just a lot of people. But it was really cool to see where the Queen and other monarchy are coronated, where Will and Kate got married and many memorials and tombs that are there. 

 Here is Hayli, Me, Alyssa, and Kathryn. 

It is so big on the inside. It is one of the tallest naves in all churches. There are many important people buried here and it was cool to see their tombs and memorials of other people. We saw Isaac Newton's grave, Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary I and many other important people. They have poets corner where they memorialize many authors such as C.S Lewis, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, The Bronte sisters, Dylan Thomas, Lord Byron and many other people. 

I think one of my favorite things was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is the only memorial that you are not allowed to walk on. It is the same story as the tomb in the States, but it is surrounded by poppies symbolizing WWI. We also saw the coronation chair, where the monarch sits during coronation. It was all really cool and I enjoyed it immensely. 

 Because I thought this was funny. I took a picture of this lady mowing the lawn to show my siblings that they aren't the only ones who don't have a push mower. 

Flying buttresses at Westminster Abbey

Cheers!

Hogwarts and War Horse

Wow! This will probably be the shortest post yet. But today was a great day. We had class and then after class I needed to go check one thing off of my bucket list. 

 We went to Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter at Kings Cross. I loved it and can't believe that I was actually there. It also made me miss my brother who loves Harry Potter. That's ok, I got him a postcard :) 

 Don't mind the silly faces, I'm only so excited to go to Hogwarts!!

 Annalise, sadly is a muggle and splatted against the wall haha But here is the group all together. 

 Then tonight as a group we went and saw the production War Horse. It was INCREDIBLE. I seriously loved it. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, so I wasn't expecting much but I was blown away. It was one of the best shows that I have ever seen. The horse is a life sized puppet and it was just phenomenal. I LOVED IT! Sorry, I just can't say it enough. 

Well time is running out to being here. I can't believe that it has already been 6 weeks in London. I still have 1.5 more and then some time traveling around but this summer has just flown by. I am so grateful to be here. It has been an incredible experience that I will never forget. 

Cheers

Isle of Wight

Today was a fabulous day! We were on a two hour bus ride to the ferry to get to the Isle of Wight. The water was absolutely beautiful! 

 Also I love this picture of Me and Sydney. 

 Then we went to Carisbrooke Castle. It was such a cool castle. Charles I was prisoned here and tried to escape so that was cool to see. It was so beautiful and I loved it. 

 Then we went to the Osborne House. This is where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert took their family to get away from the public. It was a beautiful house and the gardens were stunning too. I really liked it. It was just fun to see what life was like outside of the press and public. 

 Prince Albert constructed a Swiss Cottage where he had his 9 children learn how to be self reliant and had a cottage built for them. They learned how to garden, cook, clean, war strategy and many other things. It was really neat to see how he and Queen Victoria raised their children.  

 Each child had their own wheelbarrow and shovel for a plot of land to have a garden. 

 Lauren and I. 

 Then we walked down to the beach that they owned. It was beautiful and that water felt so nice. I wish I had my swimming suit so that I could have jumped in. 

 I have the worst chacos tan line, but I love it!

It was just so beautiful and I enjoyed every minute of it. I wish we could have stayed a little longer, but I am glad that we got to take the excursion out there. 

Cheers!

Last day at the National Gallery

Well today was the last day we had to go to the National Gallery. Honestly, I was kind of sad. We have gone to the National Gallery so many times and I really have come to love it there. We saw a lot of Monet paintings and Van Gogh, Manet and Pissaro. They are all just so beautiful. We also went to the British Museum and saw the Elgin Marbles. I have learned about these in a few classes so it was cool to see them. Lord Elgin purchased them from the Turks after the Parthenon was blown up. Seriously, they were probably some of my favorite things I've seen.

 I am tired of pictures so I have a silly smile

 And a weird smile, honestly I don't know that I got a normal picture here. 

 Wow, I really didn't have a normal face. But all of the statues were really cool. 

 Trafalgar Square. Fun Fact: I am writing a paper on Horatio Nelson and he is considered a British Naval hero. He beat the Spanish and French navies in the Battle of Trafalgar. Hence the name Trafalgar Square. And that is his statue.

Love the National Gallery!

Greenwich and Buckingham

Sorry I haven't blogged for a little bit. But yesterday we went to Greenwich. It was really cool, we learned a lot about the meridian line and navigation at sea. 

 First, we went to the Royal Naval College. This is where Thor 2 was filmed so naturally I had to get my Thor shot in. 

 The architecture was designed by Christopher Wren, the same who did St. Paul's Cathedral. Here is the inside of the painted hall. It was really impressive and the paintings were beautiful. 

 After the college, we headed over to the Queen's house. This was designed by Inigo Jones. They had a creepy exhibition on war but the rest of it was pretty cool. 

 We are getting a little tired of photos, so we took some pretty crazy ones. 

 Taylor Ann took a selfie and she still looks perfect.

 Another Mallory selfie :)

This is Greenwich. It is so pretty. It poured that day and it was the first time it poured while we were there and I didn't bring my jacket. Oh well, I did have a umbrella. 

 Here I am at 0 degrees! The Royal Observatory was really cool and we learned a lot. 

 Here is the telescope at the observatory

 And the planetarium 

 Greenwich again 

 Great map at the National Maritime Museum. Mallory is in the US and Sierra is in London. This is how far apart we are. 

 Pointing to home. 

 LONDON

 Then today, we went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I think it is only a one time thing. We got there early, stood the whole time, roasted in the sun and then got squished by every person trying to get a picture. But it was still cool to see. 

 Here are the awesome guards. 

 This is where the Prime Minister lives. 

 Then tonight, Sydney got her mission call to Lima North mission. It was her night and she choose Thai food. This was mine, a type of pad thai and it was so delicious. I loved it!!

Great night. Can't believe we only have a few more weeks. *Also I changed like 3 times today cause it was so hot!*

Cheers