Week Four: Hogwarts is my home!

Another week has passed, and it was slower than the week before, so that is good! On Monday we had classes, and then just had a more relaxing and slow afternoon. It was nice to just relax and catch up on things after the trip the week before, so that was nice. It was also raining! We have not had a lot of the ‘typical’ London weather so far, so the rain was kind of nice, actually!

Tuesday also brought classes, which were fine. They are all pretty interesting and enjoyable. I really like the subject matter for them! I stayed at the Centre for the majority of the day though to keep plugging away on all my homework and reading assignments, which are piling up quickly. And it just is harder to do homework while in London, because it still kind of feels like we are on vacation and not at school.

On Wednesday, we went on our day trip for the week to Winchester, Stourhead, and Stonehenge. It was all so cool! At Winchester we toured the Cathedral there, and saw Jane Austen’s grave! There were a few plaques to commemorate her life and works, as well as a stain glass window! It was really cool to see it all. We also were able to see the Winchester Bible, which is over a thousand years old. It is huge!  The Cathedral was beautiful and grand, and it was interesting to see. I really like how these really old structures are still used today. I think I adds to the building and the feeling there. We also went to the Great Hall in Winchester, and saw Arthur’s Round Table! Or at least the legend’s table… it was cool! I also ate a really large donut! Yummy! We then went to Stourhead, which is a National Trust here, and it is a place where the concept of landscape design in the sense of being unnaturally natural was pioneered. It was gorgeous!!! Everything was so pretty, with amazing views and I loved it! The pictures I took do not do it justice. Afterwards, we drove to Stonehenge! It rocks! It was amazing to see them in person, and wonder at how the structure was built, and how it still stands today. While there I was able to help someone take pictures, and speak in Spanish to them! It was really cool!

On Thursday I had more classes, but afterwards went to Harrods, which had a giant toy store! It was so fun to see everything and look at all the books and toys and different things! Unfortunately it is a pricey store, so I did not get anything. But it was still fun to look at.

Friday was the highlight of the week. I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour!!! It was absolutely amazing and magical!!! It took us a while to get there due to tube closures and traffic, but we made it! I loved it, and felt just like a little kid the entire time I was there! We got to see the Great Hall, the Gryffindor Common Room, the dormitory, Dumbledore’s office, various sets and props, the Hogwarts Express, 4 Privet Drive, a scale model of Hogwarts, and much more!! It was incredible, like I am still freaking out over how exciting the experience was!! It is so true, that Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home, because I went to one of my homes Friday night, and I loved it. I also tried butterbeer! It had a lot of butterscotch in it, and I think I liked the cream on top most. After our tour, we were able to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One at the Studio! That was incredible! Overall it was the most amazing, wonderful, and enjoyable experience, and I wish I had more words to describe everything.

On Saturday, I went and read in Kensington Gardens. It was such a nice day out, and it was good to have some peace. I also was able to relax and watch some t.v., and watched Hotel Transylvania with some friends! So it was a fun evening. Overall, my week was slower but really good! I had incredible experiences that I will remember forever!

Week Three: A trip to the north of England and Scotland!

Well this past week has been quite an adventure around the country and in Scotland! To start, I was sick all week, with a rather nasty cold. While this was irritating and exhausting, I did my best to not let it stop me, and continued exploring and seeing everything, which might not have been the best idea, but I am in England, I cannot let sickness stop me! It rained for maybe 4-5 hours in total during this trip, which was amazing because our directors kept saying it would rain, it was just a matter of when. But we had gorgeous sunny weather with us otherwise, though it did get a bit cold.

On Monday, we left in the morning and drove to Chester, where we stopped and explored the Roman wall that circles the city, and to just explore the area. It was very pretty, and right along the river. After Chester, we continued on to Liverpool, home of the Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum, the Beatles, and where the first LDS Missionaries landed in England to share the Gospel. So a very historic city! It is hard to describe in words the feeling that the museum brought, especially the International Slavery Exhibit. It was heart wrenching to see more fully the horrific nature of slavery, especially as it still occurs today in the world, though it is not necessarily called that. The museum made me want to act, to do something to help those that still live under tyranny. It had a very sobering effect. In particular, there was a video that I watched that showed a boy who lived with his parents working at a brick kiln in India to pay his father’s debt. The boy just wanted to play, and go to school, but his circumstances said otherwise. The boy was eventually able to get help and leave, but not until he had gone through horrific experiences and conditions. That’s all I will say on that, but it was very eye opening and sobering.

On Tuesday, we drove from Liverpool to the Preston Temple, and were able to walk around the temple grounds. It is a very pretty temple, and the grounds are filled with beautiful flowers. It was very peaceful. After, we went to Preston, and went on a church history walking tour of the town. It was really neat to see where the first converts to the Church in England were baptized in the River Ribble, and to see the monuments that people had placed to commemorate various moments in the Church’s history. It’s very beautiful and serene, and it was a lovely morning to walk around and look at things. That afternoon we got back on the coach and drove a few hours to the Lake District! It was beautiful there! Absolutely gorgeous! When we arrived, we hiked partway up a hill/mountain to get a better view of the lake, and it was so stunning! We explored the town, and found tons of sheep! This was also our first hostel experience of the trip… every other night we stayed in a hotel, but… for our time in the Lake District we were in a hostel. Let’s just say that I prefer hotels. Everything just felt kind of gross at the place, so it was a good thing we really only had to sleep there. It also rained a bit when we were first exploring, but otherwise the weather was rather clear!

Wednesday was our day focused on the great poet William Wordsworth. We were able to go to the Wordsworth Trust, and have a workshop with the Curator there. It was so neat! We learned more about Wordsworth and his life, and about the process of making books and we were even able to hold a first edition of Lyrical Ballads, written by Wordsworth and his friend Samuel Coleridge. It was so neat!! I love Wordsworth and his poetry, so this was an amazing experience. We then saw his grave, and I recited the poem that I had memorized for one of my classes, “Surprised by Joy,” written to the memory of the daughter that he (Wordsworth) lost. Her grave was also nearby. It felt really powerful and it was touching to me to have been able to recite it there. We walked among the daffodils, and then hiked to Rydal Mount, which is where the Wordsworth family moved when they grew too big for Dove Cottage. We toured both homes, and they were neat to see. I just loved being able to see the areas Wordsworth took his inspiration from for his poetry, and to be where he walked. I really think there is a power in visiting places of literary inspiration, as well as where authors lived, to get a better sense of who they were.

On Thursday, we left the Lake District, and headed to Scotland!! We arrived around noon in Edinburgh. Once we got there, we decided to go as a group to hike Arthur’s Seat, which is a mountain where you can see the whole city from the top. It was steep, and my cold was really bad at this point and prevented me from having the energy or air to make it all the way to the top, but I got most of the way there! And it was a beautiful sight! You could see all of Edinburgh, as well as the water and even farther beyond that! We had a list of places to visit for our classes, so after our hike we went to the Writer’s Museum, honoring Scott, Burns, and Stevenson, and then we went to The Elephant House, which is the café where J.K. Rowling first penned the Harry Potter series!!! It was so neat to be there! We also went to the churchyard where she had gotten some of the inspiration for character’s names, and we found Tom Riddle! We went to the Walter Scott Monument, which is huge, and to another monument as well. We also went to St. Giles Church, which is large and ornate. And in the evening, I went with a friend on a free ghost tour… it was unique. Interesting, but unique. So we kept pretty busy when we got there, and explored all around the city. It is a beautiful city!

Friday morning we went as a group to Edinburgh Castle, and toured it. It is huge! We saw the crown jewels, held a sword, saw war memorials, and learned more about Scotland’s history, which is pretty neat. Afterwards, we went back to The Elephant House, and took pictures and got souvenirs, as well as food. It was pretty good! We then went to the People’s Museum, which honors ordinary people, which is pretty cool! We did some shopping, and then we had to get back on the road. We drove for a while, and stopped at the England/Scotland border to take pictures and stretch our legs. We were in two places at once! Two countries! Our drive then continued to Hadrian’s Wall, which is just remains of a wall that once stretched 66 miles across the border, and was built by the Romans to keep the Celts out. Then it was back on the coach for several more hours, and we did not arrive at our hotel, the nicest one of the trip, until late.

Saturday we went to Bronte Country in Haworth, and the Haworth Parsonage where the Bronte sisters grew up. It was a neat little area, and it was fun to explore the moors and then the little town nearby. We then got back on the coach, and drove for several more hours until we arrived back in London around 7:30 that evening. It is good to be back! Overall it was an amazing trip, with gorgeous scenery, once in a lifetime opportunities, and good experiences. While my sickness was not fun, I still loved being able to travel and see new things, and learn and explore!

Week Two: The adventures continue!

So this past week was busy and fun! On Monday we started classes, so we really just had the standard first day of class activities. I think the classes will be pretty fun overall! After class, I went with a couple of friends on one of our London walks. This one was of Whitehall and Seats of Power, so we came out of the tube by Big Ben, and walked along the riverfront and then diverged into the city. On the walk we saw many war memorials, all honoring the fallen from different wars, though many were for WW1 AND WW2. These were really cool to see, as they honored the brave service given by the soldiers throughout the wars. There were other memorials as well, but I think most were for more recent wars. The walk was really pretty, and we ended it by walking past Buckingham Palace! It was really cool to see!

On Tuesday we had our other classes, which I think will also be fun. I am excited overall for the semester, and to be able to see and explore more in the city for my classes. I went with a friend to lunch, and then we wandered around the area and explored the nearby mall. We got gelato, and then came back to the Centre. I had homework to start on, and then kitchen duty. This week was my room’s week to help set up, prepare, and clean up dinner, so that was good overall. It takes about one hour before and after dinner, but it is fun and worth it. Tuesday’s took longer though, because we had to make sack lunches for our day trip Wednesday.

So Wednesday, we went to Runnymede, Windsor Castle, and Stoke Poges churchyard. They were all so cool! Runnymede is where the Magna Carta was stamped 800 years ago. It is an open field that has been preserved as such, which I think is really cool. A lot of the history in London is still there, but a lot has been changed, and to have this area of great significance in the course of human rights remain unchanged is wonderful. They have a memorial there for JFK that sits on American soil (so I was in America and England!) and is very touching, as well as a memorial for the Magna Carta donated by the American Bar Association. All are cool! We then went to Windsor Castle. It was gorgeous! It is a very grand and ornate building, and just beautiful. I loved exploring the grounds, chapel, and the inside! There was also an exhibit there commemorating Queen Elizabeth II as Britain’s longest reigning monarch, which became official on that day, the day we were there! Very cool! Afterwards we went to Stoke Poges, which is where the author Thomas Gray is buried. A good day overall!

Thursday we had more classes, though they were shortened so we could go to Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch! It was incredible! I have never read the play, but I do not think anything could outdo that performance, because it was amazing! Between the acting, the set, the direction, etc., it was amazing! And we were sitting like 20 feet away from the stage, and Benedict Cumberbatch. No, I did not get his autograph, but he was amazing! And that morning, I went with someone and we read a poem by Wordsworth on Westminster Bridge as the sun came up. It was really powerful, and beautiful as well. It was also cool to see how time has changed the city.

On Friday we had a tour in London of the Inns of Court, which is the legal sector of the area. It was cool to see and explore those areas, and we got to see a church associated with the Free Masons. National Treasure, anyone? ;) After the tour, we walked back to Boroughs Market where we went last week and got lunch, then went back to the Centre. We also stopped in an area with some cute shops, and I got a gift for my future little niece! That evening I was able to get more homework done and just relax a bit, which was nice.

On Saturday, we went to Buckingham Palace! It is absolutely gorgeous! I wish I could describe all these better than using just the same words, but it truly is a stunning place. Everything is so ornate and gorgeous, and it was fun to explore and look around! That afternoon I went and saw the Scorch Trials, the second Maze Runner movie. It was good, and good to have some alone time! It gets a bit crowded at the Centre.

Today we went to our assigned wards for church, and I love mine already! They all seem so nice, and I get to help out with the kids! It should be fun. It takes about an hour to get there by tube and bus, so that adds to the day, but it will be good! And this next week we are going to Liverpool, the Lake District, Bronte country, and Scotland! I am so excited!! This adventure continues to be fun and exciting, and I am looking forward to more as the semester continues!