Oh, ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye.--Day 28

I can't believe it's day 28 already! That means that tomorrow, I will have been here for four weeks! It seems like such a short time but also like a really long time at the same time. I know it sounds weird, but that's how I feel.

Today was our presentation and exam in history class. I think my exam went really well. We went over some of the answers in class, and I think I only got three wrong. Plus, the test is curved, so I'm hoping no one got a perfect score. Our presentation also went pretty well. I know there were a couple of things I forgot to mention, but our professor didn't really correct us on much, so I'm guessing we did a pretty good job. My friend Sarah and my classmate Annie both assured me and my friend Amanda that we did well, especially considering we were the first ones to present AND we never got any guidelines from our professor. He let the rest of the class work on their presentations and ask him questions about it for about 15 minutest at the end of class. so Amanda and I just walked home together.

Tomorrow we set off bright and early for Scotland! I don't have much to say for today other than I got some last-minute things taken care of (packing, getting more cash) before tomorrow, so I'm all set. I walked to an ATM on the King's Road this morning because I needed to get out into the beautiful sunshine and fresh air. It was quite a nice walk, and on the way back, I had to stop and take these pictures because I just found them so adorable! They were in the window of a bookshop called The Scribbler.

Well, it's true. : )

This is me, like, every day of my life.

Oh, and I thought I'd give you an idea of what the King's Road actually looks like since I talk about it so much. This is the best picture I could get. It's so busy at any time of the day, even 11:30 on a Wednesday!

I wonder what King Charles II would think of his road now?

 I feel bad that I can't narrate my Scottish adventures as they happen. I'll have so much to share when I come back! I wish the hotel had free WiFi. But, maybe this is better. I need a few days away from technology and the corrupting influence of the internet (I always seem to get stuck on Facebook...). I'm a nature girl at heart, so I'm looking forward to getting a bit of a break from the bustling big city. On a similar note, I hope my camera has enough space for all the pictures I'll be taking. I'm used to being able to upload my pictures to my computer each night and thereby clearing the memory so that my camera is ready to take more pictures the next day. I think I'll just have to be selective when it comes to my photography and only get snapshots of the best things I see. Anyway, good night, and when you next hear from me, I will be back from Scotland and full of great stories!

Babaganoush--Day 27

I just like that word. And we had some tonight at the Iraqi meal! It was quite wonderful. Our appetizers were pita bread with hummus and eggplant dip, a nice Iraqi salad, and some delicious cheese. My main course was a thick, flavorful eggplant stew chock full of onions and peppers. I got a large portion of saffron long-grain rice with it, too. Dessert was a wonderful selection of baklava and other filo dough delicacies followed by a small but strong cup of tea. I'm feeling a bit under the weather right now (just a touch of a British cold, quite inevitable), so the tea made me feel a little better.

What I loved most about going to dinner tonight was walking through Hyde Park on the way to get there. It was a stunningly sunny evening, and everything looked beautiful. This is the only snapshot I managed to take. There are many, many more acres to Hyde Park than are shown here. I really want to go back to I can see the statue of Peter Pan and wander through Kensington Gardens. My friends and I also want to picnic here on a nice sunny fall day when all the trees are aglow in their reds, golds, oranges, and browns. The area around the north end of Hyde Park is full of interesting monuments and statues, such as Marble Arch, a horse head, and the Jelly Babies (which is actually a kind of candy, but I don't think these statues are supposed to represent candy).

Beautiful Hyde Park on a sunny evening! What a treat to take the scenic route to the restaurant.

A horse-head statue.

The Jelly Babies!

Marble Arch.

Anyway, I got a lot more information about Scotland today. We leave at 6:30 AM on Thursday (OUCH!), and it will take us most of the day to get to Glasgow. However, we will be making a few stops that will add time, including a morning and afternoon break, lunch break, and a short visit to the Lake District. My art history professor tells us that the drive up will be absolutely beautiful if we have decent weather. Thursday is just traveling, so when we get to Glasgow, we will go straight to our hotel (the Premier Inn on Argyle Street) for dinner and call it a night. On Friday, we will be touring Glasgow by coach in the morning and then visiting the Hunterian Museum at the University of Glasgow in the afternoon to hear Margaret McDonald speak to us. She is one of the premier art history scholars in the world. Later in the fall, there will be a symposium at the Smithsonian Institute in DC strictly in her honor. She will show us original illuminated manuscripts and Whistler scrapbook samples, something even graduate students in the arts rarely see. Friday evening will be free to explore Glasgow on our own. Saturday is our tour of Edinburgh with a walk to Edinburgh Castle. After lunch on Saturday will be a walking tour of the Royal Mile, a famous strip of shops and restaurants where J.K. Rowling penned the first few lines of the Harry Potter series. Sunday is a trip to Loch Lomond (does Brigadoon ring a bell?) and then the Glasgow School of Art. Sunday evening is another block of free time. And Monday is another travel day where I will be up early, so that's going to be fun.

I'm telling you all this because I don't think I will have my computer with me. It's one less thing I need to lug around with me. I will write a lot about each day when I return, so don't worry! And I will take many pictures so you can enjoy Scotland, too! I am so very excited for this trip! I'm ready for the rugged Scottish way of life and the warmth of the Scottish people. Tomorrow is my history presentation and exam, so please wish me luck on that.

All Tudored Out--Day 26

Today was a very productive day! In the morning, I did my laundry, so I have lots of clean clothes to pack for Scotland on Thursday. I also worked on some homework that I was hoping to get done before I leave on Thursday. After lunch, I worked on my history presentation and then went out to buy some items we needed in our kitchen and our bedroom at Waitrose and to carry out a secret mission that I can't tell you about right now. Don't worry, though. You'll find out soon enough what it is. ;) Both my art history presentation and my regular history presentation are about Hampton Court Palace, so I'm going to be talking a lot about the Tudors these next couple of days. Needless to say, I am getting a little overloaded on King Henry VIII and his wives!

I got a very general e-mail about Scotland today, informing us that we will in fact be staying in a hotel. Thursday night we are having a welcome dinner, so we had to choose our main course and dessert electronically. I guess we are leaving very early on Thursday, either 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning, so that will be lots of fun. The e-mail further encouraged us with the news that more specific information (like the itinerary) will be coming in a second e-mail tomorrow, so I'll have more to share with you then.

In other news, I am really getting comfortable here. I was skeptical about this when our professor mentioned how London would start to feel like home after a few weeks. I didn't think it could happen because I expected everything to be so new and different as to prevent effectual acclimatization in such a short amount of time. However, to my delight and surprise, I am adjusting quite well, and like I said in a previous post, London really agrees with me. I came to this realization this afternoon as I was walking casually back from the grocery store with my purchase in my hand and my bag slung around my shoulder. I think this sentiment extends to the Tube as well. I never thought I would figure out the subway system as quickly as I have. When I heard about the Tube in our seminar sessions, it sounded complicated and intimidating, but really, all it took was a few rides before I felt confident in my ability to successfully navigate my way around London below street level.

Strangely enough, being in London makes me want to travel to more parts of my own country. Many Londoners express surprise that an American would ever need to travel outside of the country because we have so many different types of landscapes and places that it would probably take a whole lifetime to see everything. When I hear people say things like this, I realize how little of the United States I have actually seen. I've never been to the West Coast, and my knowledge of the East, South, and Southwest is marginal at best. Someday, I hope to drive across the country from Minnesota to California (or Washington or Oregon) with my family so we can see the landscape change. I also want to visit my cousin in Boston because I have never been! (No, I've never been to Boston in the fall! Props to you if you get that reference. It means you're just as silly as I am.) In the meantime, I will appreciate everything that I can see here.

One more little tangent before I call it a night: as you may know, the British have a lot of weird spelling rules. For instance, instead of using "z" in all those "-ize" words, they use "s," so "apologize" would be spelled "apologise." Also, in some words that use a "k" after an "s," the Brits use a "c," so "skeptical" becomes "sceptical." I think this is deceiving because we in the US have been taught that "sc" makes a soft "c" sound whereas "sk" makes a hard "c." So every time I see "sceptical," I want to say, "septical," which is obviously not correct.

Tomorrow is a really busy day. I have class from 9:30 to 12:30 and then a break and then another class from 2:00 to 5:00 before our Iraqi dinner at 5:30. Not to mention that I have to study for my history test, finish preparing for my history presentation, and meet with some of my classmates to work on the essay portion of the test. Whew! I think I'm going to be glad to get away to Scotland for the weekend!

Tea and Krumpets--Day 25

I had another successful grocery trip this morning. Not only did I come in under 20 pounds again, but I bought a few things I really didn't need and was still within my budget. I thought it might be nice to buy myself some treats, so I purchased a tin of quadruple chocolate cookies (I don't do things halfway), raspberry jam, and Nutella. Now, I am of the opinion that Nutella is one of the most delicious things on the planet, and I have been craving it lately because all of my friends seem to have a jar. I also bought a package of krumpets, just to see what they taste like. My roommate thinks they are disgusting, but I think with a little bit of raspberry jam, they are actually pretty good. I love the spongy texture. Curiously enough, "krumpet" is also a slang term for an attractive member of the opposite gender. For example, a man would say, "That's a nice piece of krumpet" if he saw a pretty woman, and a woman would say, "He's krumpet" if she saw a handsome man. I just think that's kind of silly. Anyway, I suppose I was able to afford these little luxuries because overall I bought less groceries this week because we are leaving for Scotland on Thursday morning (as far as I know). This means that any food I buy now basically has to be used up by early Thursday because I probably won't be back until Monday evening. I'm assuming we are staying in a hotel while we are there, so I don't think I'll be able to do my own cooking. I'm not very pleased about this because going out for lunch and dinner (I'm sure I could manage breakfast in my room, or maybe the hotel has a continental breakfast?) gets to be really expensive after three or four days. However, I think I have managed my finances extremely well on this trip so far, so I will be able to afford this trip to Scotland at least a little better than most of my friends. I'll keep you posted as far as details for the Scotland trip once I know them, though.

My friend with the injured ankle is doing well. She is still in pain, but she is able to move her ankle around quite a bit and can flatten her foot and put a small amount of weight on it with the help of her crutches. It looks as though she will not need to return to the doctor on Tuesday, which is really good. She needs to take a cab to class tomorrow, but she should be okay. Everyone here (the Augie students, our program leaders, the residence hall staff, other students staying in the residence hall) is very concerned about her welfare and are doing everything they can to make sure she is comfortable (which she doesn't necessarily like; she says, "I can take care of myself!"). Gotta love spirit like that.

Being Sunday, I did my fair share of homework and also of Skyping my parents. Again, I really enjoyed talking to them and making them laugh. It is good to know that for the most part, everyone is doing well. Tomorrow will probably be another slow day. I don't have class, so I'll probably just do some laundry before things get really busy on Tuesday and Wednesday so that I have clean clothes to pack for Scotland. I'm also probably going to study for my history test and prepare for my history presentation on Wednesday.

And since today was pretty dry on the photography front, I thought I'd share a picture of me and my friends in front of St. Paul's Cathedral from the very first Saturday we were here (aren't we so cute and inexperienced?).

From left: me, Haley, Amanda, and Lauren (my roommate).

King William's Labyrinth--Day 24

Today we took our daytrip to Hampton Court Palace for class, a journey which required the use of the Southwest train system. It sounds a lot more glorious than it actually was because the trains are usually nothing more than overground tubes. Our journey from the student residence to Hampton Court took us about an hour and a half, with only half an hour to 45 minutes of that dedicated to the train ride. Fortunately, the palace was only a few minutes' walk from the train station. We bought our tickets and headed inside to the Base Court, from which many of the palace's best areas can be accessed. Hampton Court Palace (HCP) began as the agricultural estate of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem sometime in the mid-1200s. It slowly began to be used as a residence for royal visitors and then began to take full-time tenants when its use as a hotel of sorts for foreign dignitaries diminished following the demolition of the royal palace at Byfleet. Eventually, the Archbishop of York (Cardinal Thomas Wolsey) was given a 99-year lease on the palace. He added many sumptuous apartments to the palace, and he ended up giving the palace to King Henry VIII when his reputation as an extravagant man put him in the public's disfavor, and he needed a sort of peace offering to King Henry VIII to prevent the King from taking any dire actions against him. The rest of the palace's history is comprised of rebuilding and expansion at the hands of various monarchs. It was eventually opened to the public at the behest of Queen Victoria, and it has been a popular destination for visitors to London ever since.

I'm not really sure what this is supposed to be, but it looks really cool (those are not real people at its base). The surrounding architecture is a nice example of Tudor brick and is found in Base Court.

 Our first stop was the gallery holding Andrea Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar, a series of six or seven panels depicting various details of Roman life and triumph in battle. The paintings were acquired by Charles I from the financially unstable Gonzaga family of Mantua. Ever since then, they have been a staple of HCP, most notably as the representation of King Henry VIII's ambitions on the battlefield. I really loved the high level of detail of the panels and also the pops of color (reds, greens, and blues) amidst the duller browns, creams, grays, and blacks.

Our next stop was King Henry VIII's kitchens, which were really cool because the palace has tried to re-create what the culinary operations of the Tudor time would have looked, sounded, and smelled like. A real fire burns in the fireplace in the main hall, and pre-recorded sounds like the chopping of meat and and cooking of soup can be heard from speakers placed throughout the rooms. The palace even brings in fresh vegetables to display in baskets as if the kitchen's operations have not stopped in the past 350 years. Another cool aspect of the kitchens was the wine cellar, which I think Mom and Dad would have enjoyed. There is even a little gift shop adjoining the cellar if visitors want to pick up any Tudor cookware for their own use. My roommate found a book of pudding recipes, so hopefully we will get to try those out soon!

A cute little old cart in the courtyard outside King Henry's kitchens.

Peacocks seem to be a common theme in this palace.

King Henry's Wine Cellar.

After we left the kitchens, we found ourselves in a charming little courtyard with a fountain in the middle. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a photo. At the other end of the courtyard was the entrance to King William III's apartments. The ceiling at the base of the stairs leading to the apartments was richly painting with Greco-Roman-style cherubs and gods and goddesses, which I thought were really pretty. The first room of the apartments was the Guard Room, where a Yeoman Warder watched over the King's rooms. The walls of the Guard Room were decorated with all sorts of weapons (muskets, handguns, spears, daggers, and swords) arranged in beautiful patterns. Again, I think my dad would have enjoyed it (and also David, too). As you might expect, the rest of the apartments were beautifully decorated and sumptuous. King William's closet was bigger than my room last year at Augustana. He even had a desk to write on.

The fountain in...Fountain Court. Aren't the Brits creative?

Just for the art of it.

The ceiling above the staircase that leads to King William's apartments.

King William's Guard Room. Just look at those guns!

Then came my absolute favorite part of the whole day! We found the gardens! The Formal Gardens are very large and composed of broad avenues lined by large manicured trees. A large fountain forms the center of these gardens. A little to the side of the Formal Gardens are the Privy Gardens, a little smaller and more private. Along the wall of the Privy Gardens are dozens of varieties of flowers of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I just loved the whimsical topiary and the interesting shapes the gardener achieved with the grass and plant beds in the Privy Garden. There is another fountain at the center of these gardens. Even more secluded are the Pond Gardens, for which my pictures speak better than I ever could. Tucked at the corner of these gardens is the worlds largest grapevine, which is capable of producing between 500-700 pounds of eating grapes each year (sold in the palace shops in early September). This sounds impressive, but in its heyday, the vine produced almost 2500 pounds of grapes a year. Again, I think my parents would have found the Great Vine very interesting. After investigating these fascinating gardens, we went to find the famous maze commissioned by King William III. It is a rather deceptive maze because there are very few forks in the paths, so you think you must be getting close to the end when another fork appears. We found the center of the maze (there is a plaque and a little open area where you can sit and rest if you want), and obviously we got out, but not in the traditional way. We ended up finding our way back to the entrance instead of the exit! So I think you could say that the maze beat us because we did not find the proper way out. Maybe I'll get the chance to try it again someday and actually figure out how to find the exit...

Some of the flowers alongside the Privy Gardens.

More flowers.

Awww...it looks like a Hershey's Kiss!

The Privy Gardens.

Hampton Court Palace as seen from the Privy Gardens.

The fountain in the Privy Gardens.

One of the Pond Gardens.

Another Pond Garden. Notice that the pink flowers make the shape of a crown.

World's largest grapevine--The Great Vine.

Me enjoying the seclusion of the Pond Gardens.

We concluded our day at Hampton Court with a little tour in which actors portraying King Henry VIII, Catherine Parr, and others played out some interesting royal drama. Catherine Parr was accused of harboring heretical thoughts and of consorting with heretics. She was even issued a warrant for her arrest, but she was able to convince her husband that her religious views coincided with her own, so nothing came of it. The mini-play was really interesting and funny, proof that history doesn't have to be boring. The performance took place in the adorable Tudor Garden, which has roses, little metal ships, and heraldic animals that must mean something to the royal family (okay, I get the lion and the dragon but the other ones I'm not so sure of).

A ship in the Tudor Garden.

I think it's some kind of goat.

The fearsome dragon!

The even more fearsome and ferocious lion. Actually, I am a little frightened. In case you were curious, the other five animals were a deer, a dog, a polka-dot wildcat (again, I have no idea), a bull, and an eagle.

Tomorrow shouldn't be too busy. Of course, I'll do my weekly grocery shopping and Skyping with my family, but I also have some work to do on a presentation for art history. I will be nice to have a rest day of sorts after today, which kept me moving all day and really tired me out. I do hope to have something interesting to share with you tomorrow, though, so check back for a new post in the evening as usual. Ciao. :)

Sights and Sounds of the Big Smoke--Day 23

First of all, happy first day of fall (autumn)! This is my favorite season by far! I love the beautiful colors of both the trees and the sky (it always seems bluer this time of year), the cool (but not cold) weather, and the comfort of warm beverages and clothing if the air does get a little nippy. I would say that my first day of fall was pretty good. We did not get to see Buckingham Palace today because by the time we reached the gates (only 10:30 AM, mind you), tickets were sold out not only for the day but for the entire weekend! A few of us were pretty bummed (I'll confess that I was not among them...it would have been cool, but I am extremely flexible and understanding, not to mention the price of admission is 16 pounds). My roommate really, really wants to go, so she bought a ticket for Wednesday morning. I would have bought a ticket, too, but I have class in the afternoon on Wednesday and don't want to risk being late. Well, that and I have a big presentation in history class on Wednesday for which I would like to spend the morning doing last-minute preparation and such. I did get some good pictures from around the area, including a side-shot of the palace and a photo of the statue of Queen Victoria that stands just outside the palace gates.

Though we were refused admittance to the palace, we poked around one of the gift shops for a few minutes, but most of the items were too expensive for our tastes. From Buckingham Palace, you can see the London Eye, which gave us the idea of walking there and doing that instead of the palace. You'll probably laugh at me because the price of a ticket is almost 19 pounds (yikes!), but it's one of those things you almost have to do even though it's super touristy. The experience starts with a four-minute 4D video. That part was okay. I didn't like getting spritzed with water (which happened a few times). Then, we walked a short way to the line, which actually moves pretty fast. After about 5-10 minutes of waiting, we boarded a pod and began our slow ascent on the Eye. I must say that the views from the Eye are indeed spectacular. I got some really nice shots, including one of Buckingham Palace and one of St. Paul's Cathedral (it's like being on the other end of the shot because I took all those high-up photos at St. Paul's for history class).

The London Eye...like I needed to tell you!

I finally got a good snapshot of Big Ben.

A barge on the Thames framed by the shadow of the London Eye.

Millenium Bridge and northwest London as seen from the London Eye.

St. Paul's as seen from the London Eye.

And...Big Ben again! I feel like the Houses of Parliament are getting some pretty rich treatment from me.

Buckingham Palace, the Aerial Shot (it's more or less in the center of the shot; I think the buildings in the foreground are part of St. James's Palace, and the green space is St. James's Park).

 After the London Eye, we all agreed to go back to our flats so we could have lunch and rest for a few hours before heading out again. Then, at 4 PM, we set off for Trafalgar Square, the site of the candlelight concert. You may note that we were a few hours early, but we really wanted to see two very cool (and free!) museums that occupy Trafalgar Square along with St. Martin: the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. We ended up getting to the National Portrait Gallery at about 5 PM, and there was so much to see that we didn't really have enough time for the National Gallery (which I still really want to see because it has a lot of great works by British painters). Anyway, the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is a fascinating place. It is perhaps best known for its original portraits of Tudor monarchs and Tudor-era dignitaries, the oldest known paintings in the gallery. These portraits are richly colored and highly expressive. I particularly loved the painting of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's last wife before he died. She was really a beautiful woman, and the artist represented her beauty very well. He also painted her clothing and jewelry with such detail that I felt like I could almost reach out and feel the fabric of her dress or the gold and jewels on her hands and neck. One level down, there are paintings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. I saw some lovely depictions of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, especially a marble sculpture of Victoria in which her arm is resting on Albert's shoulder and her hand in his as he leans slightly forward to speak to her. It wonderfully captured the love those two had for each other. It was quite touching to behold. The same floor also had a playful painting of a young Paul McCartney. The bottom floor of the gallery had more modern portraits, including photographs of many British celebrities with whom we are all familiar (Russell Brand, Rowan Atkinson, Ricky Gervais, Paul McCartney again as an older man, etc). Some of the portraits were in media that I had never thought of as "portrait-worthy" including an interesting LCD self-portrait, a freeze-frame image of David Beckham, and an acrylic-on-linen piece that looked so much like photography that it scared me. However, I am somewhat ashamed to admit that my very favorite piece was a painting of Prince William and Prince Harry in their uniforms. They looked very handsome, and the picture was cute because William was in conversation with his brother, who was half bent-over and smiling during the interaction. Overall, it was a sweet picture of brotherly affection (although I'm not really sure if they actually get along well in real life). I wasn't sure if picture-taking was allowed, so I didn't get any snapshots of the portraits. I'd just encourage you to check out the website if you're curious.

We left the NPG and headed across Trafalgar Square to St. Martin-in-the-Fields for the candlelight concert. The church is quite magnificent, as you can see from the photo I snapped before the performance. As for the concert itself, I can only give high praise. It was lovely. A lot of the music was familiar to me, being mostly composed by Mozart. I'm sure you would have recognized many of the melodies, too (we heard some of his violin concertos and Nachtmusik). During intermission, we wandered downstairs to check out the renowned Cafe in the Crypt, which is just what it sounds like. My roommate expressed surprise that someone thought it would be okay to establish a restaurant on top of others' resting places, but I think it's a common theme: St. Paul's also has a cafe. Anyway, intermission was not very fun for one of my friends. She took a bad step off her pew and rolled her ankle, causing her to fall to the floor and momentarily black out. She was quickly given ice and her own seat at the back of the church so she could elevate her leg, and after the performance, she was taken to the emergency room by our program leader and another one of my friends. She had x-rays, and her ankle is not broken, but the last I heard, the doctors were checking for hairline fractures and sprains, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. It is my understanding that she will be fine, probably only requiring a brace, but I am hoping she recovers quickly. She is a real trooper, too. She has a very high pain tolerance, and she had her usual charming sense of humor through the whole ordeal.

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square (I tried to get a people-less shot because I prefer them, but this was the best I could do...it's a pretty happening area of London).

Welcome to St. Martin-in-the-Fields church!

 After quite the exciting day, I am ready for bed. Tomorrow is our trip to Hampton Court Palace, so I'm looking forward to getting some shots of the gardens and the facade of the castle. (It's the least I can do given today's early disappointment.) I'm sure I'll learn a lot so I can share it all with you when we return. Hopefully you don't mind your history lessons!

Odds and Ends--Day 22

I spent the majority of the day today working on homework, as often happens on Thursdays. After lunch, I walked with my roommate and another friend to the Study Centre to pick up our tickets for tomorrow night's candlelight concert at St.Martin-in-the-Fields. I am pleased that most of my friends here are also going. It should be a great night. We are also trying to orchestrate a visit to Buckingham Palace in the early part of the day, so we are going to sit down and have a little group chat about that this evening after dinner. As a side note, it was a really nice day today, so I was glad for the afternoon walk after glaring at a computer screen for the previous three or four hours.

After we picked up our tickets, we made a quick stop at Waitrose to restock on cereal before heading home. I am continually in awe of the good quality of the food here, even when it is something as simple as cereal or bread. It seems that Europeans place a higher priority on "quality over quantity" than Americans do, and as a result, their food is less highly processed. Everything on the shelves and in the deli cases and other food counters looks so fresh! I just want to buy everything because it looks so good!  All in all, I would say that European food agrees with me. I am a really big foodie and somewhat of a health nut, and I think that a European lifestyle coincides quite closely with my ideas of healthful living. This is true not only of food but also of general fitness. Many Londoners own bikes, and London has many bike-rental stations (like the Nice Ride system in Minneapolis) which I am sure pre-dated their American counterparts by a few years at least. The public transit system is also more highly developed than in the United States, so the streets are clogged mostly with bikes, buses, cabs, and pedestrians than personal vehicles. One thing that is exceptionally unhealthy here is the air. I'm sure that less cars equals less fuel emissions, but the sheer number of other vehicles must make up for it. And Londoners are quite fond of smoking! I can hardly walk anywhere without inhaling someone else's cigarette fumes. It's quite disgusting to someone who considers smoking a vile habit that should be allowed in homes only.

Anyway, I thought I'd take this rather slow day to express some of my general feelings about a topic that is very important to me right now. I really like the responsibility of buying my own food and feeding myself, and it's actually kind of fun in a way. I just think how much easier it will be when I come back to the States because I'll already have experienced it in a foreign country.

Pictures from the Tower of London are forth-coming. I hope to share them alongside some awesome pictures of Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square tomorrow, assuming everything goes according to plan.

The Unkindness of Ravens--Day 21

Today was our awesome history class trip to the Tower of London, one of many World Heritage Sites in London. We started our tour with a general overview of the Tower and its many highlights, including the White Tower, Jewel House, and the spot of many executions (that of Anne Boleyn, that of Lady Jane Grey, etc). We paused for a moment by the raven cage, which is a very interesting. The ravens have always been inhabitants of the Tower because they like the smell of fresh meat (not so much human flesh as beef for the inmates' meals). Since the ravens seem to like the Tower so much, a legend developed over time that says that if the ravens ever leave, the Tower will fall (some contend that it is the Monarchy that will fall if the ravens leave). Needless to say, the ravens are kept satisfied with offal and other meat scraps from the local meat market, and they have a lovely cage to return to for rest. We wouldn't want them to escape, now, would we? (Oh, and to explain the title, a group of ravens is called an "unkindness," much like a group of cows is called a herd or a group of wolves a pack. Other interesting group names are "murder" for crows and "exultation" for meadowlarks. Isn't the latter a beautiful image?)

Arguably the Tower's most infamous role was that of jail or prison. As you might expect, the usual torture and be-headings went on. However, not all those confined to the Tower suffered. Some prisoners, like Sir Walter Raleigh, lived in virtual luxury. These rich men were allowed to bring their families with them, lived in sumptuous apartments, and had their meals specially catered from chefs outside the Tower. Not such a bad life if you ask me.

The Tower's first role, though, was as a castle (it was build in 1086). It afforded protection to the reigning monarch as well as a strategic location on the Thames to prevent successful invasions of London. Part of the old moat is still visible at the front of the fortress. Since those days, the Tower has served many roles, including those of Royal Observatory (now at Greenwich), armory, palace (many royals spent the night in the Tower before their coronations), and zoo. That last one may seem striking, but it was once the custom for royals to swap exotic animals as gifts. King Henry VIII had a magnificent elephant, but the most famous was a polar bear who was well-loved by those who visited the Tower.

After our brief tour around the complex, our professor released us to explore whatever areas struck our fancy. It is important to note at this point that the Tower of London is actually a complex of some 21 buildings, making it difficult to see everything in just one go. However, the most important buildings are located roughly in the center. Our first stop was the Bloody Tower, so named because of the various murder intrigues that took place there, especially the supposed "murder" of Richard III's nephews (the sons of King Edward IV). The young lads were playing in the courtyard one day when news of their uncle's coronation reached them. They were declared illegitimate and never seen again. Some think their uncle arranged to have them killed. Others think it was their brother-in-law King Henry VII (he married their sister), who would have viewed them as a threat if they survived. Still others suggest that they were not killed but simply disappeared. However, the skeletons of two young boys have been found in the Tower, so I think they were murdered.

Our next stop was the Jewel House, home of those famous crown jewels! Unfortunately, photography is not allowed, so I'll have to point you to the Internet. Let me tell you, though, how gorgeous they are in person! The jewels on the crowns are absolutely enormous. I found it most interesting that a lot of the gold pieces are older than the United States! There are a lot of video screens leading up to the vault holding the jewels to entertain visitors when the crowds are large. Thankfully, we came at a great time of year. We hardly had to wait at all to see the Jewels, but the video that was playing was really cool. They were showing footage of past coronations! It was quite a sight to behold, even pre-recorded and decades old.

Finally, we made our way to the White Tower, which contains so many interesting artifacts that it's hard to remember everything we saw. The first level is all armor and swords, most notably the armor worn by King Henry VIII. One of his suits is elaborately etched, and our history professor told us that this was the work of Hans Holbein. I suppose when you are king, you get to choose whoever you want to etch designs into your armor. The next level held some really interesting gifts to the Royal Armouries from various countries around the world. The Royal Armouries room also held examples of royal weapons from centuries past. What I really loved was the armor designed for the kings' horses, which brings me to our next sight. One of the rooms in the White Tower (called the Line of Kings) has life-sized renditions of all of the kings' horses (made of wood and painted the right colors) from King Henry III through King William IV. It was quite magnificent to see all of these horses lined up and looking ready to charge any enemy foolish enough to oppose them. The White Tower had yet another room with interactive exhibits, including a weapons quiz where you could answer questions by lifting the weapon you thought was correct and then banging it down again and an archery skills tester (mostly just a test of arm strength and strategy, no real bow involved). A final interesting thing about the White Tower was a huge dragon sculpture made out of various kinds of metal and plastic. I definitely needed to have my picture taken in front of it, so I asked one of my friends to snap a quick shot. I guess I need to explain at this point that I totally forgot to bring my camera along! How silly of me! However, my friend has offered to let me use her pictures in lieu of my own, so you can at least get an idea for what I saw (I stuck with her the whole time, so you can be sure that she didn't see anything that I didn't see nor vice versa).

By this time, it was getting pretty near 5 PM, so we decided to head back to housing. It was really great to spend the afternoon at this incredible site. Maybe I'll get a chance to explore other areas of the Tower of London at a later date. One thing I did want to point out was that the whole complex almost resembles a little medieval village, with its houses and little shops (now they are souvenir shops, but they may have served different purposes at an earlier date). It sounds kind of morbid given the Tower's unsavory history, but there you have it. I'll try to post pictures from today as soon as my friend gets them up on Facebook. I think I definitely learned my lesson about forgetting my camera today. You can be sure that my camera will hardly leave my side from now on (which probably isn't such a bad thing considering that you never know when a good photo op will arise). TTFN. :)

Just Your Regular Garden-Variety Day in London--Day 20

Because today was Tuesday, I spent the better part of it at Heythrop attending my classes. None of this is dreadfully interesting, but I just want to share with you some upcoming activities that I am particularly excited about. First of all, I paid just 10 pounds to get a ticket to see the Fulham Football Club play on October 23rd. It should be a really interesting experience. I really like soccer, especially after following the 2010 World Cup last summer. I also found out that we are going to Stonehenge/Salisbury on October 14th. Finally, in British Art History, I am working with two other girls on a presentation about Tudor art throughout England. Each of the groups was assigned a specific area, and we chose Hampton Court Palace in Surrey. It's about a 45 minute train ride away, so that is what we are going to do for the day on Saturday! I am very excited because Hampton Court Palace has wonderful gardens (yay term paper material!) and an infamous hedge maze, not to mention a sumptuous chapel (those terms seem at odds...) and the lovely bedchambers of monarchs past. The palace is also the topic of a presentation that I have to do for History of London, so I will effectively be killing two birds with one stone. Awesome!

Oh, and I thought you would enjoy these pictures of me taken by other people on the London trip. :)

Having a delicious time at Snog!

My friend's caption read, "Hannah! In a pathway! Because we can!" (at Oxford)

 P.S. I'm headed to the Tower of London tomorrow! I hope I don't lose my head!

Saatchi...Gesundheit!--Day 19

Hello again! This morning was quite uneventful, being mainly devoted to homework. I was totally fine with this, though, because I feel like I'm not being as mentally challenged here as I am normally used to. Homework time gives me a purpose and makes me feel a little better. Not that I'm not enjoying seeing all the sights--those are important also for my cultural education--it's just that this whole trip is in vain if I am not committed to my schoolwork.

At any rate, I finished the homework that I needed to finish, and then wondered what I should do the rest of the day. Most of my friends are gone at class on Mondays, so I don't really have anyone to hang out with. This was especially true today because there is a theater performance this evening at the Globe Theater to which many of my friends are going. I chose not to go because when we were doing sign-ups, I wanted to put my name down for some really important things before they filled up (like the trip to Greenwich and to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the latter of which is absolutely crucial for my term paper). However, this came at the cost of other things like the Globe (plus, it is required for theater students, I didn't feel like taking someone else's spot when that person might really need it more than I did). Long story short, I decided to go to the nearby Saatchi Gallery, a three-story art hall dedicated to an ever-changing display of contemporary works. The gallery is just a short 15-minute walk from my residence on the King's Road. Now, I am not a huge fan of contemporary art because it tends to get a little weird. And I won't lie and tell you that this wasn't true for most of the works in the Saatchi Gallery. However, there were some pieces that I really enjoyed or that I thought were particularly interesting if I didn't exactly enjoy them in the proper sense, and those were the pieces I took pictures of. The building is arranged into 15 galleries, and I must tell you that Gallery 9 was my favorite. I really wanted to take a picture of the works in Gallery 9, but there was an employee standing in the room. It is not against the rules to take pictures of the artwork, but I just felt self-conscious about doing so. As such, I will share this image from the Saatchi Gallery website to substitute for my own photography (sad, I know):

I love the detail on the brown tile. It's very swirly. The box is covered in looping vines and flower designs, also very attractive. I love the living quality of the centerpiece, as well as its use of jewel-toned glass and rust-colored metal. (Photo courtesy of www.saatchi-gallery.com.)

 Another interesting work that I couldn't get a good picture of was 20:50 by Richard Wilson Doy, located by itself in Gallery 15 on the lower ground floor. This piece of art is basically a room filled with used black oil.  At the edge of the room is a steel wall that holds back the oil, and part of the steel extends through the oil to form a walkway whose floor is about four or five feet below the surface level of the oil. I'm not really sure what the point of this work is, but it looked really cool. The only reason I didn't photograph it myself is that my camera could not adequately capture its intrigue and mystery.

Photo courtesy of www.saatchi-gallery.com.

 Gallery 1 (the gallery I started with for obvious reasons) showcased a collection of randomly-placed rocks, and I was struck by the simplicity of the art and the grandiosity of the rocks themselves.

Photo by me this time. :)

This piece is called The Milky Way, and I thought that the eerie glow and mesmerizing tangle of wood and fluorescent lighting was fascinating.

It's like a futuristic spider's web.

I am quite fond of rocks and crystals, so I particularly liked these cardboard churches covered in copper (II) sulfate. They're just so...blue. I also like the idea that humanity tries to conquer nature but that, in the end, nature always takes back what once belonged to it. I think that this piece is expressing the same sentiment.

Both of these churches are models of real churches in France. (Viewed from the side.) I love how you can just barely see me leaning down to take the shot. :P

Most of the other pieces were flat-out disturbing. I'm sure other people thought they were cool, but I'm a little too sensitive to really love contemporary art. You can certainly have a butcher's at the website for some images from the current exhibition (entitled "The Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture) if you feel like you want a taste for what I saw.* My visit to the Saatchi Gallery only lasted about 15 minutes, but I suppose I went more for the walk than anything. I had been cooped up in my room for most of the morning, and I did not want to spend all day inside, especially since today was relatively sunny and rain-free.

After I left the gallery, I didn't quite feel like going back to my flat. I had heard about the Chelsea Farmer's Market from a fellow student, so I decided to check that out. Contrary to what you might think from hearing the name, this complex of shops. There is a gardening store (very cute), a pet shop, a restaurant, a nail salon, a clothing store, and best of all, an organic grocery store called Here. I ventured inside for a quick peek around and was quickly drawn in by the amazing-looking produce ("fruit and veg" in Brit-speak) and dairy products. I spent a few minutes wandering the aisles and marveling at all of the organic products, from pasta to cereal to dessert and much more (even beauty products and household cleaning products). I was about to leave when I noticed that the only exit was past the register. I felt bad leaving without buying anything, so I picked up a few cups of yogurt (peach, raspberry, and vanilla--which I cannot wait to try) and a bag of rainbow rotini (I'm also looking forward to trying this). I paid less than 5 pounds for this, which I think is pretty good (but not great) considering that it's an all-organic store and that the stuff I bought is probably going to be fabulous. I'm not going to shop here a lot, but I'm glad that I found it. After I bought the yogurt and pasta, I decided to poke around the gardening store (called The Chelsea Gardener) just for the joy of looking at the flowers, plants, and gardening tools on display. My curiosity satisfied, I returned to my flat. I definitely want to go back because there is this cute little Italian gelato shop near the entrance, and it looks really good! Maybe I can convince my friends to come with me. (That shouldn't be too hard...we certainly love frozen yogurt!)

On a different note, I thought I'd give you some more insight into British life. When you buy things at a store or order food at a restaurant, the price you see on the item or on the menu is the price you will pay. The tax has already been factored in (it's called the Value Added Tax or VAT). Apparently, on purchases over 200 pounds (or more or less depending on the retailer), you can apply for a refund of the VAT when you're filling out your taxes. I think this system is smart and honest, which is so easy to come by in the commercial world, isn't it? (Yay, sarcasm!)

Anywho (or, as Cockneys say, "Any road..."), have a great rest of the day!

*Huh?? "A butcher's"? Is she nuts? Is that London water getting to her head? No! That's Cockney rhyming slang. In the Cockney dialect, you replace the word you mean with a phrase that rhymes, and then you shorten the phrase. "Butcher's" is short for "butcher's hook," which rhymes with "look." You're welcome.

My Kind of Day--Day 18

First off, I thought I would satisfy the curiosity of those who would like to see the inside of our student residence. Here is my room (albeit a little messy):

My desk and bed are on the left.

 Our lovely kitchen:

And the fifth floor common room:

Now for the details of my day. I am in a very contented state of mind at the moment for a variety of reasons. First of all, I had another successful shopping trip at the grocery store today. Secondly, my friends and I went out for some coffee this afternoon at a nearby French bakery/cafe called Paul. At said cafe, I had the richest, thickest, and most delicious hot chocolate of my life. It was basically like drinking melted dark chocolate. My friend had their mocha, and I'm betting it would rival the mocha from Cafe Alba. As you might imagine, I am very willing to find out. I also felt a little peckish at the cafe, so I ordered a similarly delicious chocolate pastry. My father loves chocolate pastries, and I must tell you that I have come by the same love honestly.

After that delightful little pick-me-up, I ventured alone to the Chelsea Physic Garden, a mere 15 minutes from our residence and very easy to get to from a navigation standpoint. What a charming little place! It is situated on 3.8 acres just to the north of the River Thames and is cozily tucked behind red brick walls. I was glad for the solitude of this secluded location, and it was only 5 pounds to get in with my student ID card. I was just in time for the free 3 PM tour of the garden, and it was extremely interesting and fun. It started sprinkling a little during the tour, and I was afraid that it would rain and that I wouldn't be able to get any pictures to show you. However, it cleared up nicely, so I was very pleased. Anyway, the Chelsea Physic Garden was founded in 1673 as an academic institution for the benefit of aspiring apothecaries. It did not open to the public until more than 300 years later in 1983, during which time it began to gain eminence as a teaching and research institution and as a supplier for botanic gardens. Today it is still concerned with research (particularly the re-emergence of interest in the medicinal properties of plants) and has partnered with botanic gardens around the UK to work on plant conservation measures.

An example of the layout of much of the Physic Garden. Each bed contains plants within the same order (plants that are related). This layout has been in use since the garden's inception.

The seal of the apothecaries. The gold figure is Apollo, who is kind of the patron god of apothecaries. The rhinoceros on top represents the medicinal qualities of plants (the horn of the rhinoceros was once very valuable and sought after as an aphrodisiac).

 Some of my favorite parts of the garden were the rock garden with its pond, the spice garden, the pharmaceutical garden, and the vegetable garden. The rock garden has stone from the Tower of London, which was given to the curator when the Tower was under construction and ended up with extra material. The Physic Garden needed rocks in order to grow some of its medicinal plants, so those in charge of the Tower construction consented to donate the extra building material. The rock garden is also made up of basalt that was donated by Sir Joseph Banks--a botanist and patron of the natural sciences--from his voyages to Iceland. The oyster shell in the center of the pond is a tribute to Sir Joseph Banks.

The grey stone with the lines carved into it is from the Tower of London. The darker grey/black rocks are Icelandic basalt.

 The spice garden was really fun because it was brightly colored and featured a lot of interesting spice plants, including tumeric, cumin, and paprika. I'm a pretty big foodie, so I love flavorful food and that was another reason I enjoyed the spice garden. I thought this arch was kind of pretty with the brightly-colored flowers twined around it.

 The pharmaceutical garden appealed to the biologist in me, with its many categories of medical conditions and plants used to treat those conditions (including skin diseases, cancer, cardiopulmonary diseases, ocular diseases, intestinal diseases, and psychological disorders). The garden contained such plants as belladonna (to dilate pupils) and mandrake root--a mild sedative (yes, it really exists!).

The vegetable/herb garden smelled wonderful! I'm pretty sure I picked up the scent of sage or some other herb with a magnificent, fresh aroma. It was like walking through a farmer's market. I saw such edibles as fennel, dill, basil, and strawberries. Near the vegetable garden was a wonderful olive tree, the largest olive tree grown outdoors in the UK.


I'm really glad that I visited the garden, not only because I'm a huge plant lover but also because I felt like I was making good progress on my term paper. So, when you put together chocolate and plants, you have the makings of a very good day if you're me.

A garden illustrating various methods of seed dispersal.

Peppers grown in boxes.

A display illustrating various kinds of rope created from plant fibers (from left to right: manila hemp--from a plant related to the banana, cotton, flax, sisal--related to the agave plant, coir--extracted from coconuts, and regular hemp--of the genus Cannabis).

 On the walk back from the Physic Garden, I couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute little side street with its multicolored houses.

It looks like the inside of an ice cream parlor. Or maybe Easter?

I'm looking forward to a quiet rest of the day so I can recharge for next week, when I'll be visiting the Tower of London for History of London (Wednesday) and St. Martin-in-the-Field church in Trafalgar Square for a little classical music by candlelight (Friday). Have a restful Sunday afternoon/evening!