Listen Intently

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.

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.

Palace of Westminster

We happened to be standing next to Westminster Palace (the Houses of Parliament) at 11:00, so we got to hear Big Ben chime 11 times (Big Ben is not the name of tower, as many people think, it’s just the nickname for the bell).  Today was a day full of walking–a guided tour along the Thames from the London Eye, around Westminster Palace, into Westminster Abbey, then to St. James Park for our sack lunch.

With Zain in Churchill's War Rooms

A surprise for the gang, fellow student Zain joined us at the park for the remainder of the afternoon.  We all went into the Churchill War Rooms, where we got to see the underground bunker and working area from World War II.  A great interactive table displays dates and events from throughout history, if you find the right dates, the table reacts (like bombs falling or poppies appearing).

The walking continued up to Trafalgar Square (dedicated in honour of Admiral Nelson), Leicester Square (where many major motion pictures have their London premieres), and into Piccadilly Circus (a smaller Times Square).  Some shopping was enjoyed before we reboarded the coaches to return to Charterhouse.

Tomorrow is an on-campus day and then it’s off to on Thursday to Leeds Castle and Canterbury.

Roman Baths and Bath Abbey

All this water, and not a drop to drink.  It’s a bit green, anyway.  And old.  Today our visit was to the city of Bath, stopping first at the Roman Baths built at the site of the hot spring discovered over 2000 years ago.

Main Bath

One-hundred-fifteen degree water, and the incredible engineering of the Romans impress, but once through the tour, everyone enjoyed the shops, pasties, and street performers just as much. The sun was shining and the streets were hopping.

“One of the most impressive things I’ve seen on the trip,” said Ben.

Across the Salisbury Plains to the ancient Stonehenge, our day concluded with an audio guided tour around the rocks.  We sure wish we could have touched them, but they keep you on the paths far away these days.

Stonehenge

Still, something to say that you’ve seen it, and been there.  The plains of Salisbury are quite beautiful, and the weather was about perfect.

Did I mention the pasties?  Yum.

Tomorrow, a very busy day.  A guided tour of Westminster, including Westminster Abbey, then it’s Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.  Plus a surprise.  We’re gonna make it a great day.

At the Globe

Shakespeare, a dabbling of modern art, and a trip the Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace filled the day on Saturday.  We ventured into the square mile that is the City of London, near St. Paul’s Cathedral, to walk across the Millennium Bridge (you know, the bridge they blew up in the Harry Potter movie) and tour Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.  A nice guided tour and an opportunity to see what the view from the perspective of the groundling as well as from the first and second tier of seats.  We didn’t have to stand through a play this time, thankfully.

The weather has taken a turn for the better, and it was pleasant to sit outside the Tate Modern and have lunch on the grass.  A quick trip into the Tate Modern to see the great entry hall (the building is an old power station, and the enormous turbine room is the grand entrance into the modern art museum) as well as a some modern art.

The entire ISCA group at Hampton Court

Then something new for me, we ventured to King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace, where the students had significant free time to explore such things as the King’s apartment, Queen Mary II’s apartment, the kitchens, and then the glorious gardens, including a maze.  The palace is home to “the vine”–a grape vine planted in 1768.

Today was an on-campus day, where the students learned about cricket, fives and squash, among other things.  Tomorrow it’s off to Bath and Stonehenge.