Homeward Bound

So: This is it.

I'm sitting in the airport, waiting for our gate to be listed, and trying to find the words to sum up this experience. I will admit to having felt some apprehension before leaving about how well I would manage being away from home for so long a period. I do not generally tend towards homesickness, but I've never been so far away before. 

However, everyone is always saying that a study abroad is a life-changing and wonderful experience, and they are certainly not wrong. I do not regret for a moment my decision to come here, even if it does mean that I have had one less semester to spend at William & Mary. I loved living in Exeter almost as much as I have loved Williamsburg, and I am as sad to leave it behind as I will be come next spring and graduation.

I made so many new friends: students from the University of Exeter, other exchange students from around the world, and even some from back at William & Mary whom I might never have met otherwise. I saw new places, both in the British Isles and in continental Europe. Although I certainly hope that I will have more opportunities to travel in the future; I still have a very long list to get through, and quite a few continents that I haven't even begun to explore.

I think that being here has taught me so many things about myself that I never knew. 

I can survive on my own in an unfamiliar place, helpful knowledge, considering my looming graduation and entry into the real world. When traveling, and probably just in general, you will get lost and things will not work out the way you had planned, but if you just relax, things do work out. People are nicer than you expect. 

There's also the little lessons: learn some of the language (be it an entirely new language or just some changes in slang), don't overpack (you need less than you think), take advantage of the opportunities you are given, and above all, don't panic.

After this, I am no longer so worried about how my life will change after I graduate; I know I can handle what comes my way.

I am a bit sad to be leaving, but I also think that I am ready to go home. I plan to put my new life lessons to good use and to be much braver than I was before. Over the past few months I have realized how much there is to see back home, and how little of it I have seen.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I get another chance to travel abroad; but if it is, I will simply have to find some new adventures closer to home!

The Last of My Days in England

The day we traveled back to England from Ireland was the day that felt like it might never end.

We woke up at around 3:00 that morning and loaded the car up, before making the three-ish hour drive down to Dublin to meet our 8:30 ferry to Holyhead, Wales. We made good time and arrived with nearly an hour to spare before boarding, an hour we filled with caffeine and blank stares. The ferry itself was all right, if a bit rougher than ithe way over had been. Once again we had booked premium tickets, so I interspersed cups of tea with naps curled up in my little armchair.

Upon arrival in Holyhead, we made our way across Anglesey Isle and up the coast a little, to Conwy Castle. We parked on the far side of the city from the castle itself and walked most of the way on the old city walls. The castle was really interesting, although mostly an empty shell of stone at this point. The views of the sea from the towers were beautiful, plus I found some remaining stained glass in the chapel!

After leaving Conwy, we drove back down the coast a bit and made another stop at a castle. This one was Caernarfon Castle, and it looked to be in slightly better shape than Conwy, at least from the outside, and we did not actually end up going in. Instead, we took a few nice pictures of the outside, and of the surrounding town, before finding someplace to eat. We all know that, no matter how beautiful, historic buildings must be found wanting when compared to food (especially considering that we were all absolutely starving). We ate at the Black Boy Inn, just down the street from the castle; I'm not sure if the lamb shank (my second of the trip) was actually a delicious as I thought it was, or if I was just so hungry that anything would have tasted amazing.

After those two stops, we pretty much just drove continuously on our way down to Exeter (which our handy GPS estimated would take us at least another five and a half hours). On the way we did drive through both the Snowdonia National Park (Doesn't that just sound like thename of a made-up kingdom for Barbies?) the Brecon Beacons National Park, which were both beautiful. 

I was thrilled when we finally made it to Exeter. We parked the car, dumped our bags in my flat, and walked down to our hotel. Michael spent the night in my flat, as our hotel would only sleep two, while Mom and I spent the night at the Royal Clarence Hotel out on the Cathedral Yard (we had a view of the Cathedral from our window). That night was the best sleep I have had in ages, bar none.

The next day I introduced my mom to the wonders of the Exeter Cathedral, which I think is the most beautiful we visited (not that I'm biased or anything), before grabbing breakfast and heading out on our trip for the day.

We decided to head out, driving through Dartmoor on the way, to Tintagel, on the coast of Cornwall. Tintagel is the legendary birthplace of King Arthur and the town definitely banks on that connection. Everything that possibly could had a name that referenced some aspect of the Arthurian legends (in fact we had lunch at the King Arthur's Arms after we walked back from the castle).

The castle itself, mostly ruins, was on a rocky outcropping into the ocean and the views were spectacular. First we walked down to the beach and into Merlin's Cave. We chose wisely, because when we came back from our adventures on the higher ground of the castle, the tide had come in and the cave was inaccessible. But my favorite part was the rocky cliffs jutting out above the ocean. I was glad to get some gorgeous pictures in, but mostly I just enjoyed sitting there.

The uphill trek back into town was a little unpleasant; it was a fairly hot day and we were probably still a little tired from our long journey the day before. Once we got back in town, we found the first place that looked appealing and sat down to lunch. I had my last fish and chips of my study abroad.

We left Exeter the next morning; it was sad to say goodbye to the town that had been my home for e last five months, but luckily I had gotten the chance to say some last goodbyes already (I had run into Jen, Lucy and Simon the night before).

Our first stop of the day was Bath. It was just as beautiful the second time around, although we walked around a different part of  the city this time. We saw the Jane Austen Centre, the Circus (large town houses arranged in circular around a little park, and apparently inspired by the Colosseum), and some generally good examples of the beautiful architecture in Bath. Our one real stop was in the Fashion Museum, which Michael suffered through admirably. I loved looking at the clothes, but the best part was definitely trying them on. We were given the opportunity to try on a few different Victorian gowns and bonnets, as well as corsets and crinolines. I think I tried on all of the gowns that would possibly fit me, and the corset made my waist look amazing (although I will admit to some, by which I mean so so much, difficulty breathing while wearing it).

We continued our journey towards London and, on the way, visited Stonehenge (the second time for Michael and me) was still rather awe-inspiring, and once again the weather was perfect for the visit.

Although that was our last real stop, the day was certainly not over. Once we arrived at our hotel, a Jury's Inn near Heathrow, we unpacked the car and headed out to the rental lot to return it. I think we were all glad to be done driving on the opposite side of the road, and it was kind of relaxing taking the tube back to the hotel.

This morning we headed into the city, heading first to see the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Mom was especially excited to see the Tower Bridge because on her first (and only before now) trip to London there had been scaffolding covering it.

After that we headed over to St Paul's, which Michael was particularly interested in seeing. We walked around the church, enjoying the amazing mosaics and the neoclassical architecture for a while. We also climbed up the many stairs to the Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery, although we did not continue all the way up to the Golden Gallery, a decision my legs much appreciated. We had lunch at a nearby Pizza Express, before Michael left to grab his bags from the hotel and make his way to the airport for his flight back home.

Mom and I continued on to Westminster, where we saw the Houses of Parliament, as well as Westminster Abbey. The abbey was beautiful as well, although I will admit to a preference for St. Paul's versus the gothic architecture of Westminster (Mom had exactly the opposite preference, but to each their own). However it is still a close call, and I absolutely adore the stained glass windows, the detailing in the stonework, and the arches of Westminster.

The last thing on our agenda was to pay a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, although first we stopped into their cafe for afternoon tea (or coffee in my mom's case). The gallery was a wonderful as ever, and I could have spent at least twice the amount of time there than we were able to.

For dinner I introduced my mom to one of my favorite chains here, Wagamamas; then we headed back to the hotel, where I proceeded to pack frantically (this is always how I would characterize my packing, no matter how much time I spend at it, because I loathe it so very much) and then to write this very blog post. See: I can write posts in a timely manner. 

Tomorrow morning I will be leaving the UK and returning to the US, for the first time in more than five months. 

Heading North to Scotland

The morning of the 29th I headed out of the hostel and began my hour-long trek to Heathrow airport; it was made wonderfully simple (although still quite long) by the fact that the tube makes stops at each of the terminals.

I met Michael at around 9:40, and together we took a shuttle out to the car rental lot where Mom was waiting. After that, we were pretty much immediately on the move, and I was definitely impressed by how quickly Mom got used to driving on the wrong side of the road, as well as the incredible number of roundabouts. I mean, we survived, so all in all, she was amazing.

Our first stop was Bletchley Park, home to top-secret code-breaking endeavors during World War II. The military aspect wasn't all that interesting to me, but learning about the day-to-day lives of the people who worked there certainly was. Especially cool was the way the bunkers were laid out as if the workers had just stepped out for a break. In every room there were knick-knacks strewn about: a lipstick and compact on top of a filing cabinet, a jacket hung on the back of a chair, a chess set mid-game.

Our trek continued up through the Peak District, which is beautiful, until we came upon Chatsworth House. It was breathtaking; you come up around a bend and suddenly the house just there across the river. I was pretty excited; not only are the house and grounds gorgeous, but they play Pemberley in several adaptations of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice (including my favorite, the 2005 edition starring Matthew Macfayden and Keira Knightley). It was a little rainy when we arrived, but that hardly detracted from the beauty. After that stop we continued our drive up to our hotel up near Leeds.

The next day we drove around Leeds for a bit, before making a stop at the Royal Armouries Museum. The best part of the museum was the case of swords from the Lord of the Rings movies, although the Japanese archery gear was pretty cool too.

The next stop was more my speed, another of those glamorous English manors, Harewood House. The first sight of it is not quite so impressive as Chatsworth, but the grounds more than made up for it. Most enjoyable were the Himalayan gardens, with a waterfall and river whose stepping-stone path you could cross (if confident enough in your sense of balance) and a variety of unfamilar flowers. They also had a bird garden, which featured snowy owls, a kookaburra, flamingos, and even penguins. On a side note, this house too played Pemberley.

We continued on to Durham, where we met up with Emily (whose family had also been stationed in Monterey, California when I was born). We saw the Cathedral and Castle, plus a bit of the university. Although Emily is attending university in England for the entirety of her degree, it was still interesting to get another person's perspective as an American studying in the UK.

 We spent the night up across the border of Scotland, in Hawick. To get there, we had to drive through the Northumberland National Park (the southern half of which is moorland and the northern half of which is a range of rolling hills known as the Cheviots) during twilight. The natural light lingered incredibly late, by which I mean it was still somewhat light out even at 11 pm.

That Saturday morning we spent some time in the nearby town of Jedburgh, where we enjoyed a full Scottish breakfast - no haggis, though - and saw the abbey with its absent roof and empty window frames.


After that we headed back through Northumberland and down to Hadrian's Wall. Our first stop was at the Chesters Roman Fort, which once housed cavalry. The ruins were interesting, particularly some of the fragmentary inscriptions housed in the indoor museum, as well as the remains of a Roman bath.

Next we headed over to Housesteads Fort, which afforded a much better view of the wall itself, although this did require a bit of a walk uphill to reach the fort itself, as the fort was strategically placed on high ground. We then headed back across the border, enjoying the Northumberland National Park for a third time, to spend another night in Hawick.

Check it out! I have a cupcake store!

 The next day we continued our drive north. Our only stop for the day was in Edinburgh, so we spent a significant amount of time walking around. However our first stop was at a Vodafone, so that Mom and Michael could get UK plans, mostly to take advantage of the data.


 In town we focused on the Royal Mile. We actually started somewhere in the middle, so we headed down to one end at Holyrood Palace, which is the official residence of the Queen in Scotland. By the palace is the Queen's Gallery, which is currently home to a painting by Sir Peter Lely of Frances Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and also the model for the idealized allegory of Britannia.

St. Giles Cathedral

He's pointing because we're awesome

We continued along the Royal Mile, making a quick stop at St. Giles Cathedral, which has a particularly distinctive crown steeple, before continuing onwards. At the other end of the mile is Edinburgh Castle, which was an impressive prospect at the top of the hill and which we had seen from several different angles as we walked around town.

After leaving Edinburgh, we continued our journey north to our flat just outside Blairgowrie. This flat was even nicer than the last, although still sadly lacking in a good Wifi connection. (But really, what can you expect when you're out in the middle of nowhere?) We ate dinner at the nearby Dalmore Inn, which had the most amazing lamb shank I had ever tasted.

Monday was our last full day in Scotland, and our last day heading north. We made our first stop up at Blair Castle. The best part was definitely the exterior of the castle itself, and the walled-in Hercules Garden. However the interior was certainly interesting as well, despite a design tendency towards covering the walls in deer skulls and antlers (creepy, right?). There were some great paintings (even a couple of Mary, of William & Mary fame) and lots of artifacts related to Queen Victoria, because shewas close friends with one of the duchesses who lived there.

We continued up to Inverness so that we could drive alongside Loch Ness. It was incredibly gorgeous, and we pulled off the road to take a couple of pictures. We even got to walk down to the edge of the loch. Our next stop, Urquhart Castle, was located on the banks of Loch Ness and was once one of the largest castles in Scotland, although it is now in ruins.

On our way back down towards Blairgowrie, we made a stop in Dunkeld to take a quick look at the cathedral there, part of which is in ruins, and part of which is still in use as the parish church.

That was our last evening in Scotland, and our last in Britain for a while. The next morning we would be driving down to Cairnryan to take the ferry into Northern Ireland.

Weekend in London

This entry is coming a bit late, and a couple more will follow, but it's been a busy couple of weeks so cut me some slack, kay?

Way back, on the 26th of May, I finally got around to packing up my room at the Printworks. I had been putting it off for as long as possible, meaning that I finally did pack on the day before I would be leaving for London. So basically I put it off for as long as I could possibly get away with. As anyone who knows me knows, I can't stand packing (or unpacking really).

It was weird going through all of the odds and ends I had collected over the course of the last five months, and deciding whether any of it was worth taking home, things like: museum tickets, magazines, and the incredible number of brochures and visitor guides I had brought back from my travels. I settled for keeping as few of these things as possible, but took pictures of the rest.

That evening, I had a goodbye roast with Jen, Lucy, Welmoed, Laura, Lina and Liv (Simon dropped by during the prep work, but didn't stay for the actual meal...although he did tolerate a hug goodbye). The roast itself was delicious and it was really great that we were able to get together again before I had to leave. I was a bit worried that I might not get the chance to see anyone when I come back through Exeter to actually check out of the Printworks (especially since I won't be sleeping there). It's been a really wonderful term with everyone, and it was sad to say goodbye, but I'm sure we'll keep in touch.

The next morning I left Exter at around 8:30, I slept very little the night before and didn't do much better on the actual trip to London. Worse, when I arrived it was absolutely pouring. By the time I picked up an Oyster card, took the tube to London Bridge, and walked to my hostel from there, I looked a bit like a wet cat. The hostel itself, Destinations at the Rose & Crown (based above the Rose & Crown pub), was lovely. I spent some time drying off in the comfort of my room, before heading out for the evening.

I walked down towards the Thames and dropped by the Globe Theatre to pick up my tickets for the show, before heading to the Tate Modern. Some of the paintings and sculptures were beautiful, particular the Monet (who remains my uncontested favorite artist), but some of them were just weird. There was one in particular that was literally just a mirror (although the philsophical reasoning behind this decision, as noted in the sign's blurb, made it sound like less of a cop-out than it actually was).

I decided to eat at the Swan at the Globe for dinner so that I wouldn't have to worry about running late, it turned out to be a good choice because it was already getting crowded when I eventually made my way into the theatre.

The play was absolutely amazing.

By the time it actually started it was pouring again, to the dismay of those who had purchased standing tickets, but the actors seemed hardly to notice (there were a couple of close calls and slips on the wet edges of the stage, but the actors were pretty well able to disguise these and keep the show on
track). The atmosphere of the Globe certainly seemed more casual, but also more energetic, than the typical thatre. In part, I think, to the fact that it is outdoors/open to the air. During the play people entered and exited as need be, had discussions about the play (and about their own lives), and every now and then the actors interacted with the audience (the actress playing Cleopatra actually kissed one of the audience members on the cheek). The costumes were well-rendered and interesting (particularly, and unsurprising so, Cleopatra's) and were able to clearing distinguish the sensual, passionate world of Egypt, with the more rigid world of Rome.

Cleopatra was certainly the most interesting character, mercurial by nature (plying an unfortunate messenger with promises of gold only to threaten his life moments later, and on their next meeting proclaiming him to be an excellent judge of character) and yet still a beloved and charismatic ruler. Antony and Caesar were also both interesting, and each lacking in different ways. Antony, while a strong leader, seemed unwise and more easily led by Cleopatra than he ought to be and Caesar, while he ultimately triumphs, is ruthless and unbending.

The atmosphere added to my enjoyment of the play. The scent of incense as the play opened lent a sense of the exotic and of authenticity almost, the glitter thrown at the close of the first act seemed to hang suspended in the air, and the music was absolutely perfect. As Antony lay dying the musicians played with so light a touch that I almost didn't notice the sound until it suddenly died, with Antony, and the building tensions dropped away with no warning.

When the play ended, at around 11:30, I made my way back to the hostel. The play was an amazing experience. I've always loved Shakespeare, we used to attend the Shakespeare Festival in Williamsburg in the summers when I was younger, and it was incredible to see a Shakespeare play as it would have been performed when he was alive (in the replica of the theatre in which Antony & Cleopatra is supposed to have opened no less).

The next morning I was up and out of the hostel by nine. I headed directly to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was absolutely wonderful, and absolutely enormous. It didn't help that you couldn't get a map of the museum without paying for one, so I got turned around several times.


My favorite exhibit was probably the one on fashion, you know how I am about my clothes, followed closely by the scupltures. However, despite these exhibits being my favorites, most breathtaking was the room full of plaster casts of architectural and sculptural wonders. When I walked into the room and saw the plaster cast of the Column of Trajan, I was absolutely awestruck.

Along with these, there were also beautiful paintings, ceramics, jewelry, a couple of ornate harpsichords, and exhibit on architecture (which was particularly interesting when viewed in comparison to the Islamic architectural drawings I had seen in an earlier room). I think I managed to see most of the museum, although i went more quickly than I might have otherwise, and certainly skipped some rooms entirely. Despite my fast pace, I still spent about three hours in the museum.

After I finally left, I found a tapas restaurant in which to have lunch, before walking around the area for a bit. I found a bookstore around the corner and, not so shockingly, spent longer inside than I had intended. About forty minutes later, I finally headed to my next destination, the British Museum.

I was way less systematic than I had been in the Victoria & Albert Museum, and consequently probably saw much less, I think by this point I might have spent a little too much time in museums (they can be really exhausting after a point). However, I still managed to spend about two hours there.

The best part was definitely the pieces of the Parthenon, since I still haven't managed a trip to Greece, despite their suspect ownership (one of the relief plaques noted that the heads of those particularly figures were still intact, but were also still in Greece, so they could be complete if the sections were reunited!). There were also some amazing sculptures, I adore Greco-Roman sculpture in general and it was particularly interesting to see some of the busts that I had studied in class. Another flashback to my art history classes of freshman and sophomore year was the exhibit on Chinese watercolors (a topic on which I remember writing an essay).

Interestingly, I saw very little of the actual British stuff in the British Museums, but the Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Egyptian (hello Rosetta Stone) artifacts were so interesting!

After this I stopped into a Starbucks to take advantage both of their free Wifi and the outlets, for my much exhausted camera, before taking the tube over to the Roundhouse for the Paloma Faith concert.

The concert was also absolutely amazing, so clearly I did really well with my choices for my two day London adventure. King Holiday, who opened the show, was pretty good. The lead singer was an energetic Michael Jackson-esque sort of dancer, and the band in general was a lot of fun. Obviously, however, Paloma Faith was the best part of the show. Not only is she one of the those singers who is equally good, if not better, live than she is on her tracks, but she's pretty funny too.

She opened the show with a few quips at the Evening Standard's expense. Apparently they had quoted her joking comment she had made at the previous evening's show that "all her best songs weren't written by her," but they had taken it seriously. So for this show she instead said,"I am probably the songwriter of my generation," before following the laughter with, "I'm just kind of hoping they'll print it, I'm also the Annie Lennox of our time...that was for the Evening Standard, for everyone else, I'm deeply insecure."


In between songs she talked a bit about her inspirations for the new album, her life, and even about how awesome the rest of her band is and that the only reason she's famous is that she's pushier than they are (so the takeaway is, be pushy?).

She sang some of my favorite songs, both from her old album and the new one, as well as a pretty large number of covers. She prefaced one of these covers with, "I'm good at finding old music that noone's every heard of...I didn't write this one either."

She closed the show with Can't Rely On You, and the energy in the Roundhouse was amazing. It was certainly the best concert I have ever attended, even if I did have to remain standing for the entire four hours I was there, but I am so glad I decided to go.

I finally made my way back to the hostel for my last night in London, the next morning I could look forward the start of my two-week, last hurrah, road trip around the British Isles with my mom and Michael, so there's certainly more excitement to come.

Finals and Final Weeks

Sorry I haven't written in so long. I didn't want to have a blog post that basically amounted to, "I slept and studied...oh and I had some food in between that," which, up until last week after my last final exam, was pretty much my life.

After I got back from all my travels, I had a lot of work to be done. First I had a final essay for my Business and Tourism class. I turned in the essay a couple of days early, unfortunately I chose the wrong day to print my paper at the student guild. Apparently it was also the day before everyone's dissertations were due, so I spent more than an hour waiting for an eight page paper to print.

My first exam, for my economics class on behavior and decision making in the marketplace, was on May 7th. The exam setup here is incredibly different from my exams back at William & Mary. It was a bit like having another round of SATs or AP testing. Everyone is seated alphabetically, at individual desks, and they aren't allowed to have anything on (or by) their desks except a clear pencil case, their student ID, and a calculator if necessary. Even more intense, if you leave to go to the restroom during the exam (which you can't in the first or last half an hour), they check your pockets...and your forearms. My accounting exam was unfortunately on that Saturday (Why would anyone schedule exams on a Saturday? It's cruel and unusual punishment). The format of this exam, like my earlier one, was solely essay questions. Which was a little weird, considering it was accounting.

In between my second exam and my last (Strategic Operations, also on a Saturday), I had a final dinner with my fellow study-abroaders from William & Mary. It was only three of us this time (Maddy, Liv and I), because everyone else was taking advantage of their further free time to do more traveling. We went to Nandos and caught up on what everyone had been up to over spring break, and what other awesome things everyone had planned for the summer. Maddy actually left for home first, the day after outr last exam. It was sad to see her go, but I will definitely be seeing her back at William & Mary (especially considering that once again we will have nearly identical schedules, unsurprising considering our shared major).

The week following my last exam had been amazing however. That period between school ending and summer employment beginning is always wonderful, when you finally have absolutely no responsibilities remaining. The Sunday immediately after my last exam, after Mass was over, I walked into home with some of the other girls from the Chaplaincy. Audrey, Malorie and I headed down the high street before making a stop at the John Lewis. The view of Exeter from the roof top cafe was gorgeous, though I got a little too much sun (still worth it), and had a fun time chatting about everything from heart transplants to shopping (so a very wide range clearly).

Tuesday night I had my first night out in quite a while. I went out to Arena with a bunch of the girls (Lucy, Jen, Welmoed, Laura, and Lina), we had an awesome time dancing in the club. During the course of the evening I ran into several people, since Arena was crowded with everyone who had finally finished their exams, including Emily from Take Note. To commemorate the night, Lucy and I got our pictures taken in the photobooth. By the time it was over, I was kind of sweaty and disgusting, but I had so much fun that it didn't matter. I pretty much collapsed into bed and immediated fell asleep.

Wednesday was also a busy day. First, I had my final practice for Take Note, it was a bit sad thinking about how it was in fact my final practice. I'll definitely miss everyone from Take Note, it was one of the best parts of my term at Exeter and I made a lot of friends. Later in the day I headed over to the Chaplaincy for a barbeque. I had a lot of fun, although I had to make a few more goodbyes.

Friday night Jen came home from work and spontaneously decided we were going out to Arena. After throwing on some non-pajama clothing, the downside was the discovery that the line to get in was incredibly long (which I should have known because on the nights that Arena's crowded, I often get waved to by the somewhat drunk strangers queuing past my window). Lucy and I ultimately decided to head back inside, thanfully avoided what turned out to be an hour long wait for Jen and the others.

Today was my last trip out to the Chaplaincy, and my final goodbye to the people there. During lunch Malorie and I spent quite awhile talking (shout out to her, and good luck with her dissertation on how skeletons with fused ankles are more likely to have had arthritis in their hips...I think). Not long after I finally got back, at nearly 4 in the afternoon, I headed out to the Firehouse with my group from Arena (plus their friend Catheleine). Miraculously we found a table outside, where we had amazingly delicious pizza and strawberry cider. Yum.

Tomorrow is my last day in Exeter, with the exception of a quick stop back on June 11th to pick up the rest of my stuff and check out of my room at the Printworks, and I still haven't done any pack. Better get to that.

London Calling

Okay, fair warning, this post is going to be a long one. It's an entire week of London, so it's quite busy.

I met my family (my dad, stepmom, older brother Michael, and younger stepsister Abby) in Exeter on April 12th and after a short tour of Exeter (the cathedral, the Printworks, the university), we headed to London.

Sunday morning we headed out to the Spitalsfield market where we saw lots of cool things: cute dresses, pocket watches, Lego cuff links, and posters with entire books on one page. I bought myself a fascinator, which I shall have to find some occasion to wear.

Afterwards we headed to Westminster, and past the Houses of Parliament, and walked across the bridge to the London Eye. The view afforded to us was wonderful, including: St. Paul's Cathedral, the Shard, the Houses of Parliament, and the many bridges across the Thames.

We crossed to Jubilee Bridge and walked to Trafalgar Square where we took the obligatory tourist photos with the Lion statues there.

Then we took the double decker red bus around the city (on the way we saw St James Palace and Clarence House, two of the Royal residences in London), before getting off at Hyde Park and walking to Speakers Corner. It was basically a bunch of people yelling at each other, but the concept is a great example of democracy and free speech, and I imagine it can be amazing (depending upon who is speaking of course).

The next morning we took the tube to Leicester Square to get theatre tickets; while the "adults" waited in line, Abby, Michael and I watched the water show at the Shakespeare Fountain and took advantage of the wifi at the nearby Odeon (the cinema at which UK film premieres occur).

We then did a walking tour alone the Strand and the Thames, seeing sights such as: St Clement Danes (one of the many London churches by Sir Christopher Wren of Wren Building Fame back at William & Mary),  Somerset House, Banqueting House (the only remaining part of Whitehall Palace), the Royal Courts of Justice, the Twinning's Tea Shop, the Temple Church commemorating the Templar knights, St Dustan the West (marking the end of the Great Fire), a statue of Elizabeth I, and St Brides (another Wren church).

We finally made it to St. Paul's which was spectacular. We climbed up to the Whispering Gallery (the acoustics of which allow you to whisper at one end and be heard at the other), the Stone Gallery (the bottom outer rim of the outside dome), and the Golden Gallery (at the top of the outer dome). The view was definitely worth the number of steps we climbed to reach it.

That evening we attended Stomp at the Ambassadors Theatre. I had already heard the concept of the show, percussion with found objects, but I never expected it to be as funny as it was. The actors made faces at each other and at the audience, creating a story without ever saying a word.

The next morning we headed to the Tower of London, thankfully as guests not as prisoners (the latter of which hardly ever seem to come out again, with their heads attached at least). The Crown Jewels were amazing. My favorite was Queen Victoria's smaller crown created to go with her widow's mourning veil, it seemed much more tasteful than the other "everyday" crowns.

The Beefeater tour was also cool, our guide was funny if a bit sexist, and we learned interesting facts about the Yeomen Warders (such as the fact that they, and their families are locked into the Tower grounds each night at ten).

We also saw one of the Queen's Guard, he must have been fairly new because his blank face broke a little bit and he cracked a slight smile when a woman in the crowd shouted that she loved him.

After we exited the Tower, we headed to Tower Bridge (which many mistake for London Bridge), where we got some more amazing views of the city (along with pictures of the bridge's construction, other ideas that were considered, and other amazing bridges worldwide).

We took the tube to Kings Cross, where we got our dorky Platform 9 3/4 photos and pretended to be wizards, or witches to be more precise (totally never done that before right?)

On Wednesday we had a package tour to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. On the way out of the city our tour guide told us interesting facts about the areas through which we were driving (like the window tax during the War of Independence which led to many people bricking up their windows to avoid paying it).

Windsor Castle was beautiful, particularly the State Apartments. My favorite rooms were the Garter Throne Room (home to the current Queen's coronation portrait) and the Queen's Drawing Room. I was also excited to see the famous portrait of Elizabeth I as a princess. St. George's Chapel was also cool, with its Gothic vaulted archways and stained glass windows.

Unsurprisingly Stonehenge was also beautiful, as was the surrounding land (all of which is owned by the Ministry of Defense leading to some interesting signage about tank crossings, which of course always get the right of way). We also walked over to one of the nearby Barrows, or burial mounds, which apparently would have originally gleamed white with a layer of chalk.

Bath is well known for its beauty and the reputation is well deserved; I was admittedly excited in part because it is the city in which Jane Austen lived when she wrote Pride & Prejudice and Mansfield Park. The Roman Baths were an interesting glimpse into history, but I preferred the Bath Abbey, which was apparently inspired by a weird dream.

On the way back into London we drove through the Cotswolds, which is an area known for its natural beauty, and Pennsylvania, England (the only city in the UK named after a city in the US rather than vice versa).

The next morning we arrived two hours early for the Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard, so we got a good spot near the gates. It was especially interesting once the band arrived, but I can't believe that they actually go through with this ceremony every day.

Then we headed to Westminster Abbey, where we saw Poets Corner (which is home mainly to memorials rather than actual burial sites) and the tomb of Elizabeth I.

Then we walked to the Churchill War rooms. The underground bunker was pretty cool, although I have minimal interest in military history I definitely have an interest in him as a politician.

On our way to the underground station we walked through the Horse Guards building, where we saw one of the Queen's Life Guards (the cavalry version of the Queen's Guard).

Then we took the tube to Harrods, which is super intense and a bit labyrinthine (I certainly kept getting turned around). We saw a toddler's dress which cost £3500 and a working child's car which cost as much as a real one. My favorites were the Folio Society copies of classic books and the Alexander McQueen dresses.

On Friday we spent another morning in Leicester Square, getting so for a show that night as well as a single ticket for a show in Saturday night.

Then we headed to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, a 1997 recreation. The tour if the building was silent, but for good reason, we saw some of the rehearsal for their performance of Titus Andronicus.

After lunch we headed into the Globe's exhibition where my favorites were the costumes (including an Elizabeth I costume made for their grand opening) and the recordings of famous renditions of Shakespeare speeches (Kenneth Brannagh in Hamlet, Judi Dench in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Peter O'Toole, Laurence Olivier).

We walked along the water to see the HMS Belfast which Michael was pretty excited about. I was less interested, as I said before I'm not much for military history, and one military ship seems much like any other to me.

Later in the evening we saw Relative Values at the Harold Pinter Theatre. The play involved an English aristocrat (Nigel) whose mother (Felicity) and domestic staff (Crestwell and Moxie) disapprove of his engagement to English-born Hollywood actress (Miranda), for both social (such as class distinctions) and personal reasons. The play was hilarious, as well as discussing the tension caused by the drive towards social equality.

Miranda's "American" accent is particularly funny, primarily because it is so bad. It certainly adds to her character as an insincere and unconvincing actress, whether it was intentional or not. I also enjoyed Crestwell, the butler, and his full-of-himself sarcasm.

Saturday morning was my family's last in London, so we headed out to Covent Garden (a market, not actual gardens) and then to Trafalgar Square for a second time, before heading back to the hotel and saying our goodbyes. 

After that I headed over to my new hotel and, after checking in, went out to the National Portrait Gallery. I spent almost two hours there, and could certainly have spent longer. Seeing such sights as: the coronation portrait of Elizabeth I, a bust of Queen Victoria, a political cartoon of Lord Chamberlain, the iconic miniature of Jane Austen painted by her sister, and a portrait of Princess Diana.

Then I headed around the corner to the National Gallery, where my favorites were: the Virgin in Prayer by Sassoferrato, Venice the Grand Canal by Canaletto, Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus by Joseph Mallord William Turner, and of course the Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet.

Then I had my last show in the West End, Jeeves and Wooster in  Perfect Nonsense at the Duke of York's Theatre. It was a play within a play put on by Wooster (a silly, shallow, not too bright aristocrat) with the not inconsiderable help of his unflappable butler Jeeves and his Aunt's elderly butler Seppings. Jeeves and Seppings play all of the other roles as well and run into entertaining difficulties when there are more than three characters in a scene. Wooster is frequently sidetracked by the steadily improving scenery and comments on the set pieces or begins some unrelated story, by the end he comments on his success and how easy it all was, despite doing very little of the actual work.

Easter morning was my first actual rainy/foggy day in London, so I guess that means I got e full experience. I headed out about 8:00 and waited in line outside Westminster Abbey until 9:45 to attend the Easter Sung Eucharist. The wait was worth it, I was seated only a few feet from the alter and I could see and hear everything. The Abbey was even more beautiful when it was filled with music, and the choir sounded practically angelic.

The service ended around noon so I headed out to Waterloo Station to bug a train ticket back to Exeter after my tour ends next Sunday and the  took the tube to Trafalgar Square where I visited the National Gallery for a second time.

I spent about a half an hour waiting in line to go see Van Gogh's Sunflowers, which are only on display through April 27th so it was now or never. They had both the Amsterdam and London versions on display, and eh were certainly beautiful. It is by far my favorite Van Gogh (even above Starry Night), but Monet is still my very favorite. So I went back into the main gallery after leaving the Sunflowers room and spent a little while sitting in front of the Water Lily Pond.

Then it was time for the Evensong service at St. Paul's, I wanted to make sure that I experienced a bit of both of the great churches in London. It was basically the same as the full service I attended in the morning, just without communion. The choir was spectacular. I would argue at they were superior to that of Westminster, but they were assisted I think by the superior acoustics of their environment. The entire cathedral was filled with sound because of the high roofs and the vast amount of available space. The sermon was also superior. The deacon was pretty funny as he discussed the importance of gratitude and joy in God rather than fear of God.

Overall it was an enjoyable Easter Day, and definitely an enjoyable week in London. I can't wait to come back!

But, I also look forward to my next week traveling around Europe. Next up: Amsterdam!