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