A Weekend Recap and a New Week

We've been as busy as ever here in London, but alas, many of the places and things we have seen have regrettably not allowed photography, so I have fewer pictures to share, but still just as many fond memories.

This evening, we went to the Royal Opera House to see "Faust." The theater was beautiful, and the opera was... well, "interesting" is probably the best word for it. Those who have seen Faust or know the story will understand.

Saw this cute sign in a bakery window and just couldn't resist a picture. :)

On Saturday, we took a tour of Westminster Palace, which is home to Britain's government and Parliament. I learned so much about the British government system and how it differs from our system in the U.S. For example, after the meeting room of the House of Commons was destroyed during WWII, Winston Churchill had it rebuilt, but he only included enough benches to seat 400-ish people, and there are 600+ MPs. He designed it that way because he wanted it to feel "up close and personal," so to speak. So, when the House of Commons meets, people have to sit on the floor, stand, etc. Crazy, but kind of funny, too.

Just an example of the cool buildings that we walk past on our way through the streets of London everyday.

Today we also went through the National History Museum, which is housed in this gorgeous building.

A glimpse inside the museum.

The other highlight of the last few days was visiting the British Library and seeing original manuscripts of the Tyndale New Testament, the King James Bible, a letter from Jane Austen, the original "Kubla Khan" text by Coleridge, several medieval texts, hand-written scores by Mozart and Beethoven, and more. I was geeking out over all of it just like a true English major should. It was awesome.

Sending love to you all from across the pond!

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Edinburgh

We're in Edinburgh! Here is the Scott monument, honoring Scottish author Walter Scott. It is the largest monument to a writer in the world. Edinburgh castle! How Scottish... I love it! :) We went to an adorable little tea shop and had fruit tea, scones, and clotted cream! It was so yummy! This is the tea shop. Today we hiked King Arthur's seat, which is a big hill/ridge just outside of the city. A view of the city from the top of King Arthur's Seat. This is the "birthplace" of Harry Potter because it is the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. Look at this awesome Scottish hat!!!!! Love to you all!

Hello, London!

The British Museum of Natural History I made it to London!!!!! It is so charming here - that’s the best word I can think of to describe it. The accents, the buildings, and landscape - everything just makes me want to smile. All of the buildings and houses are either made of brick or are white, and the part of London that we are in is full of international embassies and beautiful museums. A beautiful little church I stumbled upon just a few blocks from my flat. I made it from the airport to my flat by myself by taking the tube, which was fun. I felt so resourceful. :) Once I made it to the flat, we met up with our group and took a quick walking tour of the area of London we are in. We took a quick walk through Hyde park, which was beautiful. There were walking paths and bikers and lots of people out for an afternoon stroll. However, it was blustery and very windy, so everyone was wiping pollen and dust from their eyes the whole time. The other thing I lo...

Last Day in London

Yesterday we got to go on a tour of St. Paul's cathedral, which was amazing! It's a stunning building, and even more impressive is the fact that it survived the Blitz during WWII and is still standing. During the tour, I learned that they had a full-time volunteer crew during the war that stayed and put out fires on the roof all night during the bombings. The cathedral survived largely thanks to their efforts. I got to climb 528 stairs up to the top of the dome to see the view of the city. Totally worth it! This is the more modern side of the city. From this view you can see the Thames, the Millennium Bridge, and the Globe Theater. Another view from the top. After climbing all that way, I had to get a picture. :) After St. Paul's, we went a little ways outside the city to visit the London Cemetery, where many important figures are buried. This is a view looking back at London from a hill near the cemetery. Finally, some green! I love...

Abigail Across the Pond

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