London, you're the best, we'll be seeing you...

These past few days have been such a whirlwind. Friday morning we had our big presentations, which went wonderfully and after finishing we headed out to KEW GARDENS which was absolutely, 100%, gorgeous. Kew Gardens in the Royal Botanical Gardens and they have flowers in full bloom from all over the world. We had such a wonderful time taking pictures of the flowers and walking

around the gardens!

After a day full of flowers, Carrie and I were beat after staying up till 3 AM to finish our presentations, so we spent the evening watching London movies, visiting the infamous Abbey Road, and relaxing.

This morning, after being woken up by the second fire alarm in two days, Carrie and I made plans for our last day in London and kicked it into overdrive so that we could finish everything on our ‘Things to Do List.’. We spent our morning observing the Changing of the Guard, which was pretty drawn out but essential to our days in London. Honestly, we probably wouldn’t go again. After witnessing the famous Changing of the Guard we ate lunch in the first ever Hard Rock Café. It was so fabulous with original guitars from Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Michael Jackson’s red jacket, and other Rock n’ Roll memorabilia.

After grabbing lunch we spent a while in Tate Britain, a famous art gallery, where we saw famous British art on display.

Finally, we concluded our day with dinner overlooking all of London, and a walk around our favorite location Big Ben. I’m not sure if you can call a clock beautiful, but this one definitely wins the prize! We adore London, and we are sad to say goodbye, but our trip has been absolutely phenomenal, and I can’t wait to share all of our stories back home! : ) Goodnight and love to all, pray that we arrive back in the States safely!

Project Day Calls for Late Blogging

Our group presentations were this morning at 8, so needless to say blogging was not possible last night. Samantha and I didn't wake up until 7:40 today, but luckily everything turned out great!

Yesterday we started out our morning at Waffle House! We don't think that it's the same one we have in America, but the waffles were absolutely delicious, and it was great to have something besides toast and bacon!

After breakfast we headed to St. Paul's Cathedral! It was absolutely beautiful! It is much more filled with light than Westminster, and the murals on the ceiling are incredible! Even the pictures from Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding don't do it justice! Samantha, Claire, and I walked all the way to the very top! That's 528 steps up many very steep, winding staircases, but the view from the top was more than worth the climb! We could see so much! Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The London Eye, The Gherkin, Millennium Bridge, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge... It was amazing!

After leaving St. Paul's we headed to Brick Lane for

the very last time! We were so excited! We finished up our last 5 talks and didn't even have to eat any more curry get people to answer our questions!

Since I've been here, I've somehow managed to lose my camera and my cell phone, so we tried to retrace our steps from Wednesday in hopes of finding my phone, but sadly we had no luck. Samantha and I did enjoy a good lunch at a place that we had tried to find last week, but the location had moved, so our search after the Cathedral wasn't completely in vain!

After lunch we headed back to our room to work on our Power Point before supper and Billy Elliot. We were both craving chicken shawarma, so we went to a Lebanese restaurant right across from the Victoria Palace theatre. As for the show... Samantha can probably fill you in on that better than I can. The first act was a little slow, and I fell sound asleep during the second act. I was disappointed because I had really been looking forward to seeing it, but I guess going nonstop finally caught up with me!

Lovely London

"The air of London is sweeter for my presence." Sherlock Holmes

Today was a wonderful day in London! The sun finally came back out, and the weather was

perfect all day long! Our group started the morning with a tour of Westminster Abbey. Samantha and I went there our first Sunday here for a service, but today we got to tour the whole thing. It is so incredible to be in there! Since we've started studying architecture in our class, we've come to realize details about how the building was built so that your gaze is always drawn up in the building. Everything points up so that people in the church are constantly looking to Heaven. Everything about the building takes your breath away. Aside from the sheer beauty of the building, it's so cool to see the graves and monuments of the 3000 plus people buried there! It seems like every one who's been anyone in the history of England is in that church... William & Mary, Elizabeth I, Rudyard Kipling, Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin... the list goes on and on and on.

As we walked out of the church, Big Ben was striking 12! It was so exciting to hear and to see the hands of the clock

straight up especially since it's our favorite building in all of London! For lunch our group ate at the crypt beneath St. Martin in the Field. It was weird to be sitting underneath a church that is hundreds of years old enjoying lunch, but we had a nice time talking to and laughing with Hao and Dr. Desmond.

After lunch we had our very last class assignment! We went to the National Gallery and sketched some of the

architecture in the new wing. After we finished with our sketching, the two of us and our friend Claire looked around the galleries some more and saw some of the

most famous paintings in the world.

Since we were right next door, the three of us went to the National Portrait Gallery next. As we moved from room to room, we got to live out most of England's history and see portraits of many of the people whose graves we had seen this morning. My favorite though was the Andy Warhol of Queen Elizabeth II. On the way to the underground for our next stop, Samantha and I decided to stick our sore, blistered feet into the fountain at Trafalgar Square.

We usually soak our feet in the bathtub at night because we walk so much during the day, but the cool water in the fountain did the trick, too!

Our next stop was the Sherlock Holmes Museum housed at 221b Baker Street, legendary home of Sherlock Holmes! It was set up just like it is described in all of the books. Samantha and I even got to try on his deerstalker hat as well as Watson's bowler hat! We had so much fun looking around the museum and are both in the mood for some summer reading now!

After a refresher at the hotel and a little work on our cultural anthropology project, Samantha and I headed out in search of sushi. We went to Yo!

Sushi which is one of those places that

sounds very cool in theory, but in actuality isn't that great. We sat down at a huge bar with conveyor belts going all around with different colored plates with sushi on them. You simply just grab what you want. Each colored plate represents a different price, and at the end they just count up the plates. It was a fun place to go, but the sushi wasn't wonderful.

Our goal for the night, though, had not been to find great sushi, but rather to end with the molten lava cake we had discovered at an Italian restaurant a few nights ago. Our night ended on an excellent note with tea, coffee, and chocolate cake! In Britain their smallest bill is a £5, and they have £1 and £2 coins. Over the trip we have accumulated quite a collection of these coins. Needless to say, wallets can get quite heavy!

Only a few days left before we cross back over the pond and say goodbye to this town we've come to love!

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Some Other Day

Today was yet again another rainy day in foggy London town. Carrie, Evan (Carrie’s younger brother), and I began our morning extremely early on an adventure to find delicious AMERICAN breakfast. For those of you who do not know an English breakfast includes: baked beans, mushrooms, boiled tomatoes, eggs, ham/bacon, and fried toast. Its not horrible, but we have had it for ten mornings straight so this morning we decided to set out and explore the breakfast cafes around the hotel. On our way, we gave Evan a mini-tour of Hyde Park, where we took the typical London telephone pictures!

After saying goodbye to Evan, Carrie and I met up with our group and headed to the Museum of London to learn about the past and present of our new favorite place, London. The museum included everything about London’s history from the time of the Romans to the present globalization of London society. The museum recently opened two days ago after being closed for three years, so being able to view it was very fortunate. It was definitely one of my favorite museums in London!

Architecture class began after touring the museum, and during our class we learned about and

discussed the different components and structures of ‘The City of London’, London’s financial district. Here we also ate lunch at a local street market in Barbican, where we hid away in a pub to avoid the rain. Following lunch, the architecture continued, and we viewed several churches and cathedrals in the area, where we sketched and admired the beauty of each church. Every church in London that we have seen really has been fantastic!

Class dismissed and a few of us headed to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the biggest cathedral in London and site of Princess Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles. After some pictures and a look around, Carrie and I parted ways. Carrie spent the evening with Evan, and I went with Claire, a member of our group, to Tate Modern.

This trip has really developed my love for art. Seriously. The Tate Modern was spectacular! All art in the gallery is of course modern, including works by famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet. The exhibits, although some were a bit strange, were so interesting and unique, that it made the trip in the rain worth it!

This rainy, London day concluded for Carrie with a farewell dinner with Evan, as he heads off tomorrow for Paris, and as for myself I finished the evening with our group at a Moroccan dinner, which was actually quite delicious! Tomorrow is going to be busy seeing that we only have 4 DAYS left in London! West Minster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery and Portrait Gallery, and Billy Elliot the Musical are all on our agenda so goodnight and love to all from London!

Sam

Castles, Cows, and Cobblestones

So apparently here in England, three times a year the nation goes on 'Bank Holiday'. During Bank Holiday all of the offices and of course banks in England close and the people of England go on trips and spend the day relaxing. Carrie and I decided we would take part in this vacationing and therefore we went on a tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath.

Windsor Castle, weekend home of Queen Elizabeth II, was extravagant. There are portraits of royalty EVERYWHERE! While in Windsor Castle we toured the state rooms and St. George's chapel where several kings and queens, including the Queen Mum, are buried. And as were leaving the castle the changing of the guard occurred, most definitely on of my least favorite things about England.

After leaving the castle, we ate a mediocre lunch at a pub in Anover, England. Never heard of it? Well join the crowd. The pub was on the way to Stonehenge, which is in the middle of a field in the middle of NOWHERE!

But, despite its location it is extremely cool and mysterious. Around 5,000 years ago ancient peoples moved these giant stones over 200 miles to its present site. Without computers, engineering, construction equipment, etc., they managed to use manpower to place these stones in a specific arrangement. The craziest part about Stonehenge is that no one really understands its purpose or meaning.

Finally, our tour concluded with a visit to the ancient city of Bath. The Romans upon entering the ancient Britannia built a temple for their goddess Minerva amongst the natural hot springs. The ruins of these ancient buildings are still in tact, so we were able to experience and view the ancient Roman baths. Also in the city of Bath we discovered Jane Austen’s old house. She’s my favorite author so that was fantastic to see.

Our Bank Holiday was brilliant. Although Carrie and I did discover that the tour scene probably isn’t for us considering we’re not slow-moving or over the age of 65 (no offense!) . But I have decided that I love holidays in England, and the countryside here is absolutely magnificent! Goodnight world, love to all!

Sam

Hillsong and Dinosaurs

It's so hard to believe that we've really been here for over a week! London is still fabulous, and this weekend has been a lovely time to explore the town on our own.

This morning we got to go to Hillsong London! Here there are churches everywhere, but most people are very apathetic when it comes to faith. It was so wonderful to worship with so many believers this morning! It was a great reminder of how BIG God is and that He is the same God no matter where we are. Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston of Hillsong Australia were in town today, so we got to hear Bobbie. It really was an awesome experience.

After lunch (Mexican!) we headed over to Brick Lane for the market. There were tons of University students, but we couldn't find any Bangladeshis which had been the whole point of our going, so that was disappointing, but we did gather a little information. We then headed to the Natural History Museum.

Although the museum is a little dated, the exhibits had some neat things in them like all of

the stuffed birds, the dinosaurs, and the human body exhibit. I think every family with small children in London was in line to see the moving T-Rex, but we waited and waited and finally got our turn to see him. One of the exhibits had all of the different carnival mirrors!

My little brother Evan is taking a mini-tour of Europe with his high school, and so for the next couple of days he is here in London! Samantha and I took the overground out to his hotel. It was quite a journey... His tube stop isn't even on either of our maps! We got to his hotel before he did, but we were able to stay entertained by the Anime Convention that is going on nearby. All of the people staying at the hotel

were in full costume! It was absolutely hilarious and very strange! We were having a hard time hiding our laughter. I wish I had pictures to show!

Once Evan's tour group got there, he got to come into the city and eat supper with us! The tube was shut down out in Egypt by his hotel, so it was a little difficult to get back but definitely worth it to see him. Our first stop was at Westminster so Evan could see Big Ben. He was just as blown away with the sight of it as Sam and I were the first time we saw it. Even though I've seen it a several times now, the beauty of it has not started to wear off.

By this time we were starving as it was past 8, so we headed back to our favorite French restaurant. We had a great meal and fabulous dessert to end our night!

Tomorrow we see one of the seven wonders of the world!

Watching All the Black Umbrellas Pass Me By...

This Saturday we woke up to a true London day, overcast and rainy. However, we pressed on despite the temptation to sleep the day away inside and we headed out to Portobello Road Market. Anyone ever seen Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts?

Well, if so, Portobello Road Market is in the movie and Carrie and I shopped there for over four hours today in the rain. It was wonderful, we found good deals and met designers who have had their jewelry and accessories featured in magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Notting Hill is my favorite area of London, and spending the morning there was absolutely ideal!

After shopping, Carrie and I headed back to the hotel to get dressed for high afternoon tea at the Orangery. The Orangery used to be a greenhouse for Kensington Palace and now serves as a restaurant, famous for their afternoon tea. We ordered the Enchanted Palace Tea which included: chocolate tea, assorted finger

sandwiches, an orange scone with butter and jam, a clotted cream and raspberry heart-shaped pastry, and my favorite chocolate ganache cake. The whole tea was so elegant and delightful that we might just have to go back next Saturday!

Following the luxurious afternoon tea, we spent the afternoon visiting the true Enchanted Palace, Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace was home to Queen Victoria and Princess Diana. The exhibit told of secrets and stories of the palace's inhabitants, and the rooms and interior are splendid. While there Carrie and

I got to sit on a real throne, while one of the workers kindly offered to bow for us, Queen Carrie and Queen Samantha!

Finally, our day concluded with a lovely dinner with the group celebrating our wonderful professor, Dr. Sutherland’s birthday! He is quite the character and we really enjoy having him around!

Today, was by far our favorite day in London. We really were able to truly experience it: the rain, the markets, tea, and of course royalty! Today, was our first true free day to explore and it was fantastic. So from London, goodnight to all, tomorrow we’re going to HILLSONG LONDON for church and I can’t wait!

Cheers!

Sam