Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Thank you!
This post is to all of you who have so faithfully followed my blog, or to those of you who have cared enough to read any of it at all. This trip has made me realize, amongst SO many other things, just how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends and family. To quote from my new favorite musical, Wicked, "I do believe I have been changed for the better, because I knew you." I love you all!
I also owe a big thank you to my professors who have tirelessly worked to plan and execute all the incredible things we've done and seen. I cannot imagine a more daunting task than ensuring that 24 college students stayed safe, happy, and got to the right places at the right times. Thank you!
I also owe a big thank you to my professors who have tirelessly worked to plan and execute all the incredible things we've done and seen. I cannot imagine a more daunting task than ensuring that 24 college students stayed safe, happy, and got to the right places at the right times. Thank you!
London--Day 17: August 4
Buckingham Palace--this isn't a great picture, but unfortunately, the back is really the only place you can get a picture at all of it!
I saw these machines in the bathroom of Leicester Square--the thought of a pre-pasted, disposable toothbrush made me want to ralph a little...
The BEAUTIFUL box my Harrod's cheesecake was nicely packed up in.
My cheesecake
My cheesecake again--that little chocolate piece has "Harrod's" painted on it in GOLD!!! I really loved my cheesecake, as you can see!
Daily Details: August 4
In the morning, we were off to Buckingham Palace to tour the inside of the building. I have now seen my share of grand palaces and homes and didn’t think anything could top the grandeur of Chatsworth. I was wrong! Although the gardens don’t appear to be nearly as extensive, and certainly aren’t nearly as beautiful, the palace itself is the most lavish thing I have seen to date—even more so than Versailles. Many of the rooms were completed by an architect with the last name Nash—he is so incredibly talented, words do not adequately convey the quality of his work. Perhaps my favorite part of our tour though was the exhibit of the Queen and the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is a bunch of countries that have formed a friendship with the Queen. Throughout her reign, she has visited the countries that are a part of it and the costumes and ball gowns she has worn were displayed. They were SO exquisite! They had also displayed various works of art the people from those countries have presented her in her visits. It was all very fascinating and beautiful. Although the grandeur DID top that of Chatsworth, Chatsworth is still number one in my book.
The remainder of the day was spent shopping and packing. Laura and I popped into
Harrod’s to get a piece of cheesecake from their fabulous patisserie. It was worth every cent because it was SOOOO gorgeous and divine tasting! The way they boxed it up for you was worth it in and of itself too! As I write this, I can’t believe we leave tomorrow morning—this trip has flown by. Farewell, Europe! Thank you for showing me the time of my life!
The remainder of the day was spent shopping and packing. Laura and I popped into
Harrod’s to get a piece of cheesecake from their fabulous patisserie. It was worth every cent because it was SOOOO gorgeous and divine tasting! The way they boxed it up for you was worth it in and of itself too! As I write this, I can’t believe we leave tomorrow morning—this trip has flown by. Farewell, Europe! Thank you for showing me the time of my life!
London—Day 16: August 3
Another cheesy tourist photo, but then again, you really didn't expect me to go to London and NOT get a picture in the telephone booths, did you?
Big Ben--you've seen it already on my blog, but I like this photo even more and I was there again today, so it seemed appropriate to post it.
London Bridge--is NOT falling down, but is certainly beautiful!
Westminster Abbey
Inside the Apollo Victoria Theatre before Wicked began--isn't the set INCREDIBLE?!
Daily Details: August 3
Monday morning, Laura and I headed over to meet my best childhood friend, Ali Monjar who was coming to visit me for a day in London (she’s been doing a study abroad in Paris the same time I’ve been gone). It was SOOO joyful to see Ali! Laura and I served as tour guides, although not the greatest ones, I might add! We took Ali and her adorable roommate Brittany all around the London Bridge, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and the Globe Theatre. Since we were right by the Tate, we decided to pop in there. Of course, Laura and I had already seen it, but even we saw things that we had missed the first time around. It was cool to see some of my favorite artwork again too.
Our next stop was to the Crown and Sceptre Pub, where they filmed the pub scene in the adorable movie, “Penelope”. I was glad Ali thought about going to the “Penelope pub” because it just took about 30 seconds of research and we were able to find the most amazing darn little place ever! In addition to being charming on the outside, the inside was absolutely magical! It was EXTREMELY eclectic, with all of the sofas, armchairs, tables, and chairs being different. Each chandelier that sat above the different groupings was drastically different as well. Quirky little objects were hanging on the walls here and there and an overall feeling of coziness was present. We all loved it the second we walked in but loved it even more after we saw the prices—it was SO affordable! After standing around for a bit looking like fools (we didn’t know if we should seat ourselves or order at the counter, etc…) we were waited on. I ordered the fish and chips since I loved what I had at the Eagle so much, although there were many other things on the menu that tantalized my appetite. Our food came quickly to our delight since all of us were starving. Laura had ordered the chicken club and when it arrived, it was one of the most beautiful sandwiches I have ever seen. It was served on this beautiful, whole-grain and nutty looking bread that had been lightly grilled and the chicken inside of it, instead of being sliced, was whole pieces of marinated chicken breast. It looked to DIE for! My food was good—the chips were out of this world, but the fish was not as great as the Eagles. Nonetheless, I walked out of there VERY happy. The pub was located just out of the Soho district and in addition to the area being out of the way and absolutely charming, the people there were SO helpful and friendly. They offered to take pictures for us, and on the way there, were eager to help us find the streets we were looking for and gave great directions. I loved my experience in Fitzrovia.
We all parted from each other for a few hours before we once again reunited at the Apollo Victoria theatre to see Wicked. Everyone has always been obsessed with that musical, and frankly, I didn’t get it. I decided to go after some of my roommates who have seen lots of Broadway shows said that Wicked was still their favorite. I also wanted to see it because my dear friend Megan made me a little card with the lyrics from one of the songs on it and the lyrics were absolutely beautiful. It worked out well because that is what Ali, Brittany and Laura all wanted to see the most too. As soon as I entered the theatre, I was pleasantly surprised at how great our seats were! We had gotten half-priced seats because they are considered restricted view. The only thing restricted about them was that we had to sit up straight to see over a low balcony wall. We were close to center and our seats were comfortable. Already I was loving my second Broadway experience more than the first. I looked at the set and was COMPLETELY blown away—heck, the show hadn’t even started yet! When the song “For Good” was sung, I started tearing up thinking of my two best friends. Seeing how this song fits into the musical brought a whole new perspective to the lyrics. I don’t want to babble for too long, but just know that the musical was the most fascinating and wonderful thing I’ve just about ever seen. The writing in it was ingenious, the music fantastic, and the costumes brilliant. It had a wonderfully happy ending and I walked away floating on air! What a great thing to do at the end of my trip!
We said goodbye to Ali and Brittany at the tube station--I was so overjoyed to have been able to see Ali and make a new friend in Brittany. I came home to my flat and found that my sweet roommate, Whitney, had made all of our beds in preparation for our other two roommates coming home from Scotland. Whitney and I chatted for a bit and I had a great time talking to her. That night when Beccah and Malory came home, I listened to their Scottish adventures as I fell asleep.
Our next stop was to the Crown and Sceptre Pub, where they filmed the pub scene in the adorable movie, “Penelope”. I was glad Ali thought about going to the “Penelope pub” because it just took about 30 seconds of research and we were able to find the most amazing darn little place ever! In addition to being charming on the outside, the inside was absolutely magical! It was EXTREMELY eclectic, with all of the sofas, armchairs, tables, and chairs being different. Each chandelier that sat above the different groupings was drastically different as well. Quirky little objects were hanging on the walls here and there and an overall feeling of coziness was present. We all loved it the second we walked in but loved it even more after we saw the prices—it was SO affordable! After standing around for a bit looking like fools (we didn’t know if we should seat ourselves or order at the counter, etc…) we were waited on. I ordered the fish and chips since I loved what I had at the Eagle so much, although there were many other things on the menu that tantalized my appetite. Our food came quickly to our delight since all of us were starving. Laura had ordered the chicken club and when it arrived, it was one of the most beautiful sandwiches I have ever seen. It was served on this beautiful, whole-grain and nutty looking bread that had been lightly grilled and the chicken inside of it, instead of being sliced, was whole pieces of marinated chicken breast. It looked to DIE for! My food was good—the chips were out of this world, but the fish was not as great as the Eagles. Nonetheless, I walked out of there VERY happy. The pub was located just out of the Soho district and in addition to the area being out of the way and absolutely charming, the people there were SO helpful and friendly. They offered to take pictures for us, and on the way there, were eager to help us find the streets we were looking for and gave great directions. I loved my experience in Fitzrovia.
We all parted from each other for a few hours before we once again reunited at the Apollo Victoria theatre to see Wicked. Everyone has always been obsessed with that musical, and frankly, I didn’t get it. I decided to go after some of my roommates who have seen lots of Broadway shows said that Wicked was still their favorite. I also wanted to see it because my dear friend Megan made me a little card with the lyrics from one of the songs on it and the lyrics were absolutely beautiful. It worked out well because that is what Ali, Brittany and Laura all wanted to see the most too. As soon as I entered the theatre, I was pleasantly surprised at how great our seats were! We had gotten half-priced seats because they are considered restricted view. The only thing restricted about them was that we had to sit up straight to see over a low balcony wall. We were close to center and our seats were comfortable. Already I was loving my second Broadway experience more than the first. I looked at the set and was COMPLETELY blown away—heck, the show hadn’t even started yet! When the song “For Good” was sung, I started tearing up thinking of my two best friends. Seeing how this song fits into the musical brought a whole new perspective to the lyrics. I don’t want to babble for too long, but just know that the musical was the most fascinating and wonderful thing I’ve just about ever seen. The writing in it was ingenious, the music fantastic, and the costumes brilliant. It had a wonderfully happy ending and I walked away floating on air! What a great thing to do at the end of my trip!
We said goodbye to Ali and Brittany at the tube station--I was so overjoyed to have been able to see Ali and make a new friend in Brittany. I came home to my flat and found that my sweet roommate, Whitney, had made all of our beds in preparation for our other two roommates coming home from Scotland. Whitney and I chatted for a bit and I had a great time talking to her. That night when Beccah and Malory came home, I listened to their Scottish adventures as I fell asleep.
London—Day 15: August 2
The next few photos are taken in Hyde Park
This is the INCREDIBLE tree whose branches grow downward, creating a canopy you can walk under. This guy shimmied up the trunk of the tree and you can see him perched on the top. Crazy!
Me, wading in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. People are big in Europe about creating fountains you can wade in--I LOVE it!
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