Entry 3: July 19, 2010

This past weekend was incredible! We left for Oxford after class on Thursday, and we made in there in time to enjoy the city a bit. We were lucky enough to visit the Eagle and Child, a pub where Tolkien and Lewis used to meet with their contemporaries to discuss their writing! Aly and I enjoyed a classic English meal here with meat pie, mash, and veggies. We talked to the pub owner about Oxford, and he told us about some places to visit. Our hostel was rather interesting, but we only had to stay there one night.

Friday, we were able to visit Christ Church, where Harry Potter has been filmed and where Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) created Alice's Wonderland. We returned to the pub for lunch before heading on our five-hour journey towards Heckington.

I never imagined I’d have such a fantastic time this weekend, but Wendy and Stewart took us all over: Boston, Alford, Tattershall Castle, Eyam, Chatsworth, Mablethorpe, and more. They made us feel at home. Wendy was the best cook, and she made us some traditional English food. Stewart and Wendy had an allotment where they grew vegetables and kept chickens. Most of the fresh produce they prepared for us while we were visiting was from their allotment. My favorites were the four summer fruits jam with the croissants and the black currant pie. By Sunday afternoon, we were really sad to leave. We went up to a place that overlooked most of the countryside in the Peak District. Lauren and I fell in love. Wendy prepared a delicious meal for us before our departure. The train ride home was hard because it made us realize how little time we have left here. It is truly amazing. We saw Macbeth today at Regent's Park and then spent the afternoon in the park with some new friends, playing frisbee. I don't want to leave! I have tickets for War Horse on Friday and a tour of the National Theatre on Saturday. I can't wait. It's unbelievable to think that I'll be home nine days from today. It's been amazing.

Entry 2: July 13, 2010

I have been enjoying myself so much in London! There is so much to see and do here that it is for certain that I must come back very soon. I spent this past weekend in Paris on my first travel break. After class on Thursday, Alyson, Lauren, and I went to Holland Park to enjoy a picnic lunch, the Kyoto Garden, and journal updates.

Alyson and I left for Paris around 4:30. Our train ride wasn't bad at all, but Paris was definitely a culture shock for us. I love French, and I've been learning to speak it. It was still overwhelming. We wanted to get right back on the train and go back to London, but we got through it. Our hostel was really nice, and we had a really beautiful view of Eiffel Tower from the main road.

We spent most of Friday in Versailles. It is gorgeous. I cannot believe the work that must have gone into such a large palace complete with gardens and Marie Antoinette's own private estate. The Queen's Hamlet was my favorite part. Set back far away from the main palace of Versailles, a small village Louis had built for Marie to give her the perfect retreat from court life. Fully stocked with produce, livestock, and staff, Marie and her ladies were able to enjoy a quiet getaway from the busy chateau. We were able to go to the Eiffel Tower for a bit once we got back into Paris before exploring the Champs-Elysees. We got slightly misdirected on our way to Hard Rock in Montmartre, but a very expensive phone call home allowed us to find our way. Craving anything comforting, we enjoyed burgers at the Hard Rock. Our waiter was a really nice guy from New York that helped us understand the French culture a little more.
Saturday was a marathon day of visiting all of the Parisian sites. Between Saturday and Sunday, we visited the Eiffel Tower (and went all the way to the top...), the Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Sacre-Coeur, Luxembourg Palace and Gardens, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. My favorite part of Paris was watching the sunset from the steps of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. People from all over gathered to watch the city lights turn on as the sun set on the "City of Light." The breeze was blowing, and Paris was sitting there in all its glory. I didn't want to leave. As the sky became a deeper blue, fire dancers performed for the crowd to popular Michael Jackson songs, giving me a series of beautiful pictures.

While Paris was beautiful, I prefer London. When I arrived "home" on Sunday evening, I was more than happy to be back. This week has already been eventful! We were lucky enough to tour Parliament yesterday, and today, we went to the Globe. We had a tour before watching Henry VIII as groundlings. I was in awe of the costumes and the acting. It was an incredible experience, and, as a theatre student, I was thrilled to see one of the most influential playwright's work come to life before me. We have two weeks left here, and it makes me quite sad. I'm not ready to leave, but I do miss my family a bit. I'm looking forward to filling all that we have left with adventure!

Entry 1: 28 June 2010

So, I've arrived in London, and I'm in love.

Our flight left on time, and we got into Heathrow early. I sat next to a nice guy named Chris, and we chatted a bit throughout the flight. He was an engineer visiting a buddy that has been working in London for the past eight months. They were planning on visiting Nice, France, during their stay! Jealous!

We had a "lovely" meal of chicken with red pepper sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner. I'm not going to lie...the breakfast croissant was my favorite part of the flight. I didn't sleep much, but I got a little bit of REM which is healthier anyway. It's 4:51 at home right now, but it's 9:51 here. My first "Dorothy, we aren't in Kansas anymore" moment occurred when our plane took a turn, and I saw a major highway with cars going in the opposite direction of what I'm used to. Some of the land we flew over was a green I'd never seen before. It's just breathtaking.

Our flight landed early. We got through border control and customs without any issues. Some of the girls had a little trouble hauling their luggage, which made me thankful that I had chosen to bring a backpack. We took the Heathrow Express to the Paddington Station and then transferred to the Circle Line to High Kensington. When we arrived at the college, they had cupcakes and tea waiting for us. It was delicious! Everyone at Heythrop is delightful. Aly and I are one room away from each other. I'm so thankful for that. The train runs right by my room, but it's a comforting noise. I have a beautiful view of a garden.

This place is incredible. I cannot believe that I have been so blessed with the opportunity to spend a month here. Lunch is at "half eleven," which I’ve learned means 11:30. Until then, I'll upload my first round of pictures and get my stuff unpacked. My room is charming and so big! I have a lot of space to put my things away and stay organized. I really want to wash my face and change clothes, though, after such a long plane ride. I think it'll make the jet lag and exhaustion more bearable.

It's Aly's 20th birthday today, so we are going to take her out to dinner. It's going to be early bedtime tonight!

Entry 2: 29 June 2010

London is beautiful. I feel like I just keep saying that, but really, it is. It's about 6:40 here. I woke up around 6:15 to a cool breeze blowing through my window and the train bustling past bringing those 9-5ers to their jobs. It seems louder this morning than it was last night. I must be more alert.

Anyhow, yesterday was incredible. We took a bus tour around London that basically allowed us to see everything. I took way too many pictures, as usual, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. I'm in London. Why not?

After we finished our bus tour, Amber, Aly, Lauren, and I decided to try to find a place to eat for Aly's birthday. After getting off the river part of our bus tour, we headed towards Westminster, past Big Ben. The tall ticking tower is just as dreamy in real life as it is in Peter Pan. I'm sure I'll have a billion pictures of it before I leave. We decided not to eat in Westminster, so we hopped on the Circle Line to High Kensington to see what we could find in the neighborhood. It was rush hour, and it was HOT! The English don't use air conditioning during the summer because it usually stays pretty cool. The tube, however, can get pretty steamy. We got back with no problems and ate at Cafe Rouge on Kensington Church Street. I had Cidre Breton with a baguette poulet that had a delicious honey dijon mayonnaise and cilantro/arugula salad with a tangy vinaigrette. And, of course, they served us French fries. They don't really split checks here, so we all gave Lauren cash to pay for dinner, and she used her card.

We went to the three story Whole Foods after that to get Aly a birthday treat. She chose a giant meringue, and I grabbed a triple chocolate muffin (chocolate with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting) to go with it. I showered before talking to my family on Skype!

Classes start at 8:30 today! I cannot wait!

Entry 3: 30 June 2010

I wish I was able to record every second of my adventures here, but I'm quickly realizing how limited my time is. I'm feeling pulled in a hundred directions at once, and yet I'm in love with the fast pace of life here because it fits my lifestyle from back home.

After classes and lunch, we set out for the day. We went to the High Street Ken tube station to take the Circle Line via Victoria to get off at the Westminster stop. One of the girls had accidentally left her wallet in her room, so we rested our feet while waiting for her to fetch it from her room. Aly, Lauren, and Kitty ended up getting separated from Amber and me after some confusion about the line we were supposed to take, but we ended up all meeting eventually.

Our first stop was the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, across the street from the picturesque St. James's Park. I learned a lot about the British government simply by being at the War Rooms and Museum today. The Cabinet is assembled by each Prime Minister. Winston Churchill succeeded Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister and created the subcommittees of Defence Committee and Lord Resident's Committee after taking over. The rooms were left just as is in 1945 when everyone walked away from them. The rooms that had been disassembled were restored to their original state using pictures and other materials that lended themselves to identifying specifics of the set-up. Over 100 meetings were held in the first room that we saw. While reading my Let's Go London, Oxford, Cambridge, & Edinburgh guidebook, I learned that the space that became the Cabinet War Rooms was "previously a government coal storage basement [that was] transformed into the bomb-proof nerve center of a nation at war." The docks underneath the space were used for the people working in the War Rooms that held jobs outside of Cabinet. It was a sub-basement full of rats, insects, bright lights, and shallow spaces that was typically avoided. People would risk the Blitz and the blackout to return home, so they didn't have to sleep in the docks. Room 63 had a lock similar to that which appears on the toilets. Many thought it was the Prime Minister's secret room that contained the only flushing toilet in the War Rooms, but it was really the first Transatlantic telephone line that Churchill used to phone the United States to speak with FDR or President Truman. The line was first used in 1943. A scrambler, named Sigsaly, was established in 1943 as well. Housed in a subbasement of Selfridges on Oxford Street, Sigsaly helped make Churchill's calls to the USA safe and confidential.

The War Rooms were opened on 27 August 1939. War broke out one week later.

Winston Churchill was a workaholic. His day typically lasted from 8 in the morning until 3 in the morning, and he expected others to follow. He napped around 3 in the afternoon to keep his energy levels high. While Churchill was rather humorous, he was also known to be ill-tempered and rude due to the strain of the war. Elizabeth Layton was Winston Churchill's personal secretary, and she said, "He did not mean to be unkind. He was just heart and soul engaged in winning the war."

The War Rooms had a six foot slab of steel reinforced concrete between above ground and the rooms. It could take pressure from a 250 kilo (500 lb) bomb. That is crazy! The Chiefs of Staff Conference Room was where the Cabinet met when bombs were dropping. The map in the room dated back to when Churchill was working in the Map Room. The Conference Room is located at the end of the hallway, by the kitchen and private bedrooms. Churchill's favorite meal was apparently Beef Wellington.

At this point, Amber and I stopped for a quick drink and the chance to rest our feet in the Switchroom Cafe. I ordered a coffee with milk, and Amber got a Fanta. It was delicious and very nice to relax.

The location of the War Rooms was chosen because of its close proximity to Parliament and Number 10 Downing Street. Churchill would write speeches for BBC and deliver them on air to raise the morale of the nation. The BBC had several rooms in the War Rooms, so they could be fully operational during air raids. The Beauty Chorus was a series of phones used to contact the Army, Navy, Air Force and Home security.

The Churchill Museum was an entertaining, interactive way to pay perfect tribute to arguably the best Prime Minister Britain has seen. I enjoyed the quirky details about Churchill: he smoked eight cigars a day, hated paper clips, wore a signature spotted bow tie, was dressed by his valet whose name was Sawyers, and publicly proclaimed that life would not be worth living without alcohol. (Fun fashion side note: Winston Churchill is possibly the originator of the romper. Churchill wore zippered jumpsuits, which his family nicknamed "rompers.")

Churchill created the post of Minister of Defence for himself. He was the only Prime Minister to wear a military uniform while in office. He knew that Britain would not be able to win the war without allies. He first met with FDR on 9 August 1941 in Newfoundland and signed the Atlantic Charter. It was the beginning of a beautiful, lasting friendship for the two men. They had an indescribable bond. Churchill can be quoted as saying, "if we fail, all fails, and if we fall, all will fall together," showing how much of a "team player" he was.

Churchill was not fond of communism, however. He said, "Trying to maintain good relations with a communist is like wooing a crocodile. You do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it over the head." He developed a working relationship with the rather rude Stalin despite is disapproval of communism. "Churchill was certain that the only way to stop Hitler was to meet him with equal force," as quoted by a colleague of Churchill's in the museum exhibit. Churchill came from a rather well-off family with status and looked up to his father. He fell in love with Clementine Churchill and said, "I got married and lived happily ever afterwards," exemplifying how he loved his family, his work, and his life. As stated in my Frommer's London 2010 guidebook, "the museum introduces visitors to the private man but also traces his development as a world leader."

My favorite Churchill quote I saw today is, "We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glow-worm," because it showed the different facets of Churchill's personality and made him a man I wanted to believe in.

I purchased two small gifts: one for my mom and one for Bee, before exiting the museum to reflect on my time spent there. It was incredible to be in a place where so many important people made decisions that changed the course of history. If it had not been for Churchill's endless determination and willpower, the driving force behind the Cabinet during the Second World War, Great Britain would not be as it is today.

We were planning on going to Westminster Abbey upon finishing the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, but we decided that a little less than two hours would not be a sufficient amount of time to bask in the Abbey's grandeur. Instead, I decided to take a stroll through St. James's Park. I had read in my guidebooks about how beautiful it was, and I knew it would lead us to Buckingham Palace. As soon as I was in the park, I was shooting photos and enjoying the weather and company of some other girls on the trip. We fell in love with the views from the Blue Bridge and took several pictures in both directions. We really found an appreciation for all of the flowers in the park and rested on one of the benches for a bit. Buckingham Palace was beautiful, as was the area around it. I am hoping to return to take more pictures and walk through the gardens. The flag was flying, so the Queen was home! We took the Circle line back to High Street Kensington from the St. James's stop.

After classes tomorrow, we are heading back to the Victoria and Albert Museum to complete our tour. Around 4, we are going to head toward Covent Garden to walk around the area, have a picnic, and see our first show in London, Romeo and Juliet.

Friday is Wimbledon, King's Cross, and shopping day, followed by a Saturday filled to the brim with a trip to Kensington Gardens to see the Peter Pan park, a journey to Portabello Road, the Pride Parade, and hopefully a showing of Billy Elliot. On Sunday, we are attending church service at St. Paul's, and we're required to go to Hyde Park Corner at some point throughout the day.

I am absolutely loving my time here thus far. The city is beautiful, the fashion is beyond interesting, and I'm enjoying my classes. I cannot wait to see what else London has in store for me.