Another week has gone by, and I now have less than a
month here in London, which is absolutely insane! It’s really flying by, and
this month is pretty busy with assignments, traveling as a group, free travel
days, and then classes ending. There is just so much more that I want to see
and do, and I hope to be able to do most of what I want to before I leave! With
November in England also comes Christmas decorations! There is no Thanksgiving
between Halloween and Christmas, so decorations come out right after Halloween,
as well as Christmas music!
On Monday, I went and saw Spectre after classes, and
it was amazing! I loved seeing it, and it was so neat to see them walking and
running in places that I have walked around, and to see buildings used in the
film, like we drove past their headquarters, that got blown up in the movie, a
few weeks ago, and it was so fun! They also end the movie on Westminster Bridge
right outside of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and I have walked across
that bridge and seen it all! So neat!!
Tuesday I did some souvenir shopping in the afternoon,
and homework, then went to the John Soane Museum in the evening. It was a special
candlelit night, and it was just so neat. He collected a ton of different
things, and had them displayed in his house. It was just so fun to see all
these different statues and paintings and artifacts! Afterwards, I went with
some friends to see the lights on Oxford Street, which are gorgeous! They are
so fun to see all lit up, and they go all down the street!
On Wednesday we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, designed
by Christopher Wren. It is stunning! It is a masterpiece, and gorgeous. I loved
the architecture, and being able to see the crypts and climb up to the base of
the dome, with the Whispering Gallery and a viewing area. The Whispering
Gallery is where you can be on one side of the room and whisper something to
someone on the other side, and they’ll clearly hear it. The very top viewing area
was closed due to shortage of staff, but we could go to the lower one, and the
view of London was amazing! You could see all around, and it was so neat!! You could
even see the curve of the river, which is hard to see while walking near it. After
St. Paul’s, a friend and I went to Charles Dickens’ house, which has been
turned into a museum. It was fun to learn more about him, and I have a greater
respect for him and his works now than I did before, which I am glad about!
Thursday was Guy Fawkes Day here, and I was able to
see some fireworks, and it was a really productive day for me, I was able to
get a lot of homework done!
Friday, we left early in the morning and drove to
Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of Lord Byron. Seeing his home was
fascinating, especially seeing how extravagantly he lived, and learning about
his quirks. We even got to see a replica of the wine cup he had made out of a
monk’s scull. Yes, Bryon was weird. After our tour of the house, we were able
to tour the grounds, which were so beautiful. It was wet and rainy, typical
England weather finally, but the fall colors and the trees and everything was
gorgeous! I loved wandering around by myself for the most part, though I did
walk with a professor and his family for a bit too. It was just fun to see and
explore, and we even saw Byron’s dog’s grave. It is huge. After Newstead Abbey,
we drove to the National Holocaust Museum. We heard a survivor of the Holocaust
speak, having gotten out of Germany as part of a Kindertransport. Her name is
Ruth, and I loved listening to her, her experiences just made everything more
real. I found out that she lived in Ames, Iowa, for many years!! and that was
exciting to learn about, as well as her life and experiences. The museum was
very sobering, and it really made me think about how much lives matter. The museum’s
goal is not to gross anyone out or scare people, but educate them on what
happened, and to feel love, hope, humanity, and compassion for others, and to
teach that all lives matter. It was an incredible experience, and I would love
to be able to go back and learn more.
On Saturday, we drove to Chatsworth and were able to
look at the grounds. Chatsworth is the basis for Jane Austen’s Pemberley, and
it is absolutely gorgeous!! After Chatsworth, we went to Bletchley Park.
Bletchley Park was a military installation, used to break codes during the war.
In World War 2, this is where they worked on breaking the German Enigma
machine. The Imitation Game is a movie made based on the experiences of those
working at Bletchley Park during the war, specifically Alan Turing and his team’s
role and experiences. It was so fun to be here! I loved learning about the
codes, and of women’s roles during the war, because they played a huge role at
Bletchley Park. It was all so fascinating, and I enjoyed it a lot! There was
even an exhibit for the movie, and interactive games to learn about coding! It was
a good day, and a fun trip overall! This upcoming week will be busy with
schoolwork and activities, and I am looking forward to it!
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