So this past week I was able to explore more around
London, I watched classic Disney Halloween movies and I visited Blenheim
Palace! Monday started off with classes, and my copy of Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone, the illustrated version, arrived! It is huge! I did not
think that it would be as big as it is, but it is neat and really pretty! I love
the pictures in it, and just how the artist portrayed the scenes and
characters!
On Tuesday we had classes as well, but after classes,
we went as a group and saw Suffragette! It tells the story of the women in
Britain who fought for their rights, and was a really good story. I loved the
way it portrayed the events, and it made the Women’s Rights Movement more real
for me! After the movie, I went with a friend to Holland Park. It is a tiny
park, but very pretty! There were so many different colored leaves on the
trees, and it was just fun and beautiful to see all the colors!
On Wednesday we had our day trip to Blenheim Palace. We
made a stop on the way and visited Winston Churchill’s grave, and the church
nearby. The grave had flowers on it, and the church had a commemorative stained
glass window inside of it, to remember Churchill and his contributions. We then
went to Blenheim, where Churchill was born. It is huge! The house itself is
huge and contains a lot of history, and the gardens themselves are about 200
acres, I believe. We had a tour of the house which was really fascinating to
listen to, and learned about the palace’s history and Churchill’s family
history. There were also eyes on the ceiling, which was kind of creepy… And the
house inside had a Churchill exhibit, and it was fun to read about his early
years and how he proposed to his wife! Very cute! After we toured the house, a
friend and I took a train to the Pleasure Gardens! There was a butterfly house and
a maze! Such fun! The maze was actually pretty tricky, we had a hard time
getting out at the end! But we made it out, after channeling our inner Mission:
Impossible selves! Our next stops were the Cotswold’s, which are beautiful
little villages in the countryside back from Blenheim to London. They were so
beautiful. Very picturesque and a bit touristy, but they also had a lot of
history, and it was fun to be able to explore a few of them on our way back!
Thursday I had class, then went on the first half of a
walk. It was around the legal area of London, and I saw the hospital that
Benedict Cumberbatch jumped off of in Sherlock! A lot of people wrote on the
wall of the hospital under the spot where he was standing for the episode. It was
pretty neat! I also went to the National Portrait Gallery with some friends,
which was fun! That night, I Skyped home for my mom’s birthday! I enjoyed being
able to see them and talk with them!
Friday we went to Westminster Abbey! It is huge. It’s
very pretty, and while we were in there they had a morning prayer, which was a
neat experience to participate in. What I enjoyed most was going to Poet’s
Corner, where many famous British poets and authors are buried or have
memorials. It was such an interesting experience to pay homage to these authors
that I love or am beginning to love as I learn more about them and study more
of their works. It was just neat, and I felt that I was able to connect more
with these authors, and I felt more as I visited this area. Just neat! After the
Abbey, I went on half a walk with some friends and explored more of the theatre
area of London, and Covent Garden. It was fun to see everything! In the
evening, a friend and I went and saw the London Eye and Big Ben all lit up! It was
so beautiful, and I loved seeing it! When we got back, we walked into our room
to find a few of our roommates doing makeovers, and we joined them. It was
really fun! It was a great bonding experience, and we were up until late having
fun with it all!
Saturday I went on my final walk for my London walks
class. I love that I am done with them and that they helped me explore London! Afterwards,
I went to the British Museum, and got to see The Rosetta Stone! Ah it was just
really neat to see in person, and the different languages on it! We explored
Egyptian, Greek, and European statues and history, and it was fun! After the
museum, I was finally able to make some progress on an assignment, and then relaxed.
It was a good week overall, and it was great to have some new experiences! I cannot
believe that the program is over half over already! It is going by so fast!
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