On Tuesday, we only had one class due to the schedule being rearranged, and then I went to the Tower of London with some friends. It was really cool! It is a lot smaller than it actually looks like from the outside, but the structure still contains a lot of different buildings, and more than makes up for its size in the amount of history it contains. We opted to do a guided tour of the Tower by a Beefeater that works there, who is someone who has worked in the service of the Queen for many years and has been distinguished for their faithful service. The tour was very neat and informative. We learned a lot about the history of the buildings, the executions, and just the various events that occurred there, which was cool. It definitely helped make the history come alive to me. We even got to see the Crown Jewels! They are displayed a bit differently then they show you in the Minions movie, in case you wondered. That evening, I went with a group to see Les Mis. It was amazing! I loved the way that they portrayed the scenes, and it was neat how they did the settings on a turntable. It added depth to the scenes, and I loved the play!
Wednesday was my 21st Birthday! My celebrations included wandering around the area to find a chocolate cake, hanging out with friends, Skyping with my family, and seeing Matilda: The Musical with a friend! Matilda was absolutely amazing, I loved it! It really was the perfect play to see on my birthday! I felt like a little kid again, as I used to watch the movie Matilda almost daily. It is just such a fun story! The play was truly magical, and it felt to me like it was bringing things in my life full circle in a way, going back to my childhood! It was an amazing experience and I am really glad I saw it on my birthday, I cannot think of a better way to have spent my birthday here in London. I had a wonderful day and birthday, and felt so loved!
Thursday we got on a coach in the morning and made our way out of London to Canterbury Cathedral. It was really neat! The Cathedral is grand and ornate, and has been a site of Christian worship for over a thousand years, which is incredible! It was neat to see the art and memorials throughout the church, and just that it is still used today. We even met the Cathedral cat! After, we drove to Dover Castle, and were able to explore this first line of defense from the channel and France through several wars. We could even see an outline of France! While there, we toured the secret war tunnels that were used anciently, and more recently during World War II. The history of the tunnels was fascinating as well! After Dover Castle, we drove to Battle Abbey and the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the site of the last successful invasion of the British Isles. Unfortunately, the open hours of the site changed that day to close an hour earlier than it had during the summer, so we were unable to do more than run to the field of battle, run to the Abbey, and then see the spot that is marked as where King Harold died after being shot in the eye with an arrow. Though a short visit, it was still neat to see. We then went to Eastbourne, which was right along the ocean, and where we spent the night. We went on an evening stroll along the pebbled beach, and it was a stunning site.
Friday morning, I went with some friends on a morning stroll on the beach, which was also gorgeous to see the sun rising over the ocean. We drove to Beachy Head, where we could get a better view of the White Cliffs of Dover. It was absolutely gorgeous! We could even see the curvature of the earth, to an extent along the channel. The cliffs were amazing! We even went closer so we could walk along the shingled beach and see the cliffs more closely. It was really an incredible experience, and to even hear the difference between the larger shingle-like pebbles than the smaller pebbles and the waves hitting them. It was truly a remarkable sight to see! Words just do not do it justice! Afterwards, we went to Chartwell, the home of Winston Churchill. It was so pretty! The house itself was huge, and filled with books! We were able to tour the house and learn about Churchill's role in the War, and then tour the gardens, which were very beautiful as well. It is amazing how beautiful the gardens are here in England, and how much care people took in creating and maintaining their gardens. After Chartwell, we went to Hever Castle, the home of Anne Boleyn. It was super cute! It was cool to see and learn more about the Stewart's and the Tudor's, and to continue to learn more about what we have been discussing in our classes. I explored the grounds with a friend, and they were super pretty and fun, we even found the "Goblet of Fire" in the center of a maze! It was a pretty fun and gorgeous afternoon! We then drove to the London Temple, and were able to walk along the grounds and have a few minutes to ourselves, which was really nice. We got back to the Centre, and we were able to relax the rest of the night.
Saturday morning I went with friends and we did about half of one of our walks for class. We saw a giant M&Ms store, Piccadilly Circus (which is London's Time Square), Shaftsbury Avenue where they filmed a scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, and some cool bookstores! It was a fun walk! Then I went to see Hotel Transylvania 2 with a friend. I absolutely loved it!!! It was such a cute and fun movie to see!! Adorable! Then in the evening we watched the first two sessions of General Conference for church. They were really good! I love that we can watch and hear the messages given, even when we are on different continents! I love the Gospel, and I am looking forward to the next two sessions of conference today!
This week was a good week, filled with many adventures and changes, and I look forward to the upcoming week!
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