Listen Intently

British Museum

Back to London today, a special treat awaited us.  The local Member of Parliament (MP), Jeremy Hunt, was able to secure for us an inside tour of the Houses of Parliament.  Our tour started in the Westminster Hall, the oldest remaining part of the Palace.  Dating to the 11th Century, there are plaques on the floor noting the important people who have lied in state in the hall, as well as a few who had been executed in the hall (including William Wallace). We then toured the House of Commons and learned about the procedures and traditions of the British Parliament.  Unfortunately, the Lords were sitting in session so we could not enter the House of Lords.

Then it was off to the British Museum, home of 6,000,000 or so items of history.  From the Elgin Marbles to the Rosetta Stone, to thousands of vases, masks and sculptures from all eras of history.  The Great Hall of the Museum is visually stunning, and the artifacts inspiring.

Get out the credit cards, Covent Garden was our last stop of the day.  Filled with street performers, markets and all the trendy shops, everyone enjoyed seeking out treasures to take home.

The evening ended with the annual student vs. staff soccer game, which the students pulled off the win 5-4 in penalty kicks.  A great time was had by all!

Tomorrow it is back to London, where each group will have it’s own afternoon.  We’ll meet up in the evening to attend the musical Billy Elliot.

Tags: london british museum

Thumbs up for Blenheim Palace

Another long coach ride yesterday, this time towards Blenheim Palace.  A gift of Queen Anne to the first Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace is situated on 2100 acres of land, breathtakingly beautiful and massive.  The birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, the palace’s ceilings are decorated in 24 karat gold leaf and the walls in famous tapestries and paintings.  Incredible grandeur and amazing opulence, nothing was spared in the building of this monster of an estate.

Keble College Dining Hall

Back to Earth, a little, we journeyed a few miles to Oxford, home of the 38 colleges that make up Oxford University.  Our tour guide mixed jokes and one-liners into a fun walking tour that took us inside Keble (pronounced KEE-bul) College–seeing the quadrangle, the dining hall and the chapel.  We ventured to the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera, then spent some timing shopping for our Oxford sweatshirts.

A fun day, but after two days of 2-hour coach rides and long walking tours, we’re ready for an on-campus day today.  Wednesday and Thursday it’s off to London for the final times.

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Yep.  I shouldn’t have said anything about traffic.  We paid for it today, apparently everyone was coming home from holiday and decided to jam up the M25.  The electronic road signs noted, “M25 Congestion, Junctions 2 though 30.”  Bascially the entire thing.

Anyway, I wish that I could say that today was a thrilling adventure.  It was a good day, the weather beautiful and the sights interesting.  But we spent a long time on the coach, then a short walk through Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon (along with hordes of other people), a little shopping around town, then back on the coach to Warwick Castle. Warwick is a real castle, but it’s been taken over by an entertainment company, and things are now a bit contrived (a bit?  Nah, a lot).  Straight from modern tourism–pay to park, pay to get in, and pay more for the “interesting” exhibits.  No thanks.  I even got asked today, “Why do we come here?”

The show at Warwick Castle

Don’t get the wrong impression, we had a good day–the students enjoyed the touring and the town, but it was a lot of coach ride and waiting in the queue for not a lot of return.

Tags: Castle, Shakespeare, stratford, warwick

I’m going to jinx ourselves with this comment, but we’ve had amazing luck with traffic on this trip — today going into London was no different.  Everyone must be on holiday around here.

Atop St. Paul's Cathedral

Our day started at the Museum of London, with displays on London from 3000 BC until today.  The museum has redecorated the entire post Great Fire (1666) displays, which is nice.  Our crew enjoyed the early times displays (50 AD and earlier).

A short walk later found us at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, which was finished in 1711.  While Canterbury yesterday was stunning, St. Paul’s screams grandeur–rounded ceilings, gold plating, ample light.  We journeyed up the multitude of steps to the top of the tower for the amazing views of London.

In front of Tower Bridge

Our day’s adventures concluded at the Tower of London, near Tower Bridge.  Awed by the Crown Jewels and King Henry VIII’s massive suit of armor, a full day and a nice nap on the coach ride home.

Two weeks down, one to go!  We’re looking forward to an on-campus day tomorrow (so no blog post), and then an awesome last week discovering England.

Tags: London, St Pauls, Tower of London

In the gardens of Leeds Castle

Our adventures took us to Leeds Castle and Canterbury in the southeast.  Leeds Castle has evolved over 900 years and is situated on the water in a the beautiful countryside.  After touring the castle interior, we found the maze and tried to find the way to the center.  Eventually, all were successful.  The exit of the maze is through the grotto, a colorful and eerie tunnel underneath the maze.

Canterbury Cathedral

Then it was off to Canterbury and the Canterbury Cathedral, the home of the Church of England and the site of Archbishop Thomas Beckett’s vicious murder in 1170.  Since, the Cathedral has attracted thousands of pilgrims–several stories of which were told in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The Cathedral is breathtaking, with huge vaulted ceilings throughout and impeccable stained glass windows, some dating back to the 12th century.

Tags: canterbury, leeds castle