Time to actually talk about London! I forgot to mention that before we went to Stratford-upon-Avon, we went to Warwick Castle. It was kind of like a Medieval Times sort of thing, but it was pretty.
One day we went on a walk through Highgate with our Art and Architecure professor and he showed us this really pretty park.
Charlie was messing around with the color swap thing on Christine's camera.
I'm really going to miss all of the parks in London. We went running in Regent's Park quite a bit, or sometimes in Russell Square.
We went to a Girl Talk concert, which was so much fun. This picture was taken before we were crushed by dancing masses.
We took a group trip to Greenwich and here's Christine and I at the Prime Meridian.
There's a beautiful view from the observatory in Greenwich. That white house down there is the Queen's house.
We took a ferry back from Greenwich and had a lovely ride on the Thames. Here's the Tower Bridge.
There are tons of crazy street performers along the Thames and these guys were taking a break.
Christine and I on the tube.
The girls and I by a flower stand in Notting Hill. This is after we had lunch at this really cute cook book store where they cook different recipes from different books every day in the back kitchen.
One day, with one of my English classes, we went on a walk to Brick Lane, which is a very Indian neighborhood, though it's mostly a lot of hipsters now. On the way, we passed the pub where a few of Jack the Ripper's victims were last seen.
Our last group trip was up north in the Lakes District. We went canoeing one day and hiking the next. Cedric, who ran our hostel, also ran the outdoor activities. He took us out on the canoes and made us play the canoe versions of tag and basketball, so of course, a bunch of people fell in. At one point, when another pair of people had fallen in the water, Cedric made everyone else move towards the edge of the island. Everyone was struggling and he started yelling "THIS IS A SAFETY SITUATION! GET TO THE EDGE OF THE WATER," but then goes, "AND WAVE AT THE FERRY! WAVE AT THE FERRY!" Oh yeah, and it was pouring out, so we were cold, wet, trying to paddle, and forced to wave at the passing ferries. At least Christine and I owned at basketball with our amazing canoe skills.
The Lakes District is most famous for William Wordsworth and his poetry. We visited Dove's Cottage, where he used to live. Here's Christine, Frank, and I in Wordsworth's backyard.
We all wore our Ciao Bella shirts from Venice on the hike.
It was a beautiful day and our guides weren't quite as intense as good old Cedric, so it was all good.
View of beautiful Keswick. And a sheep.
Ciao Bellas at the top of the mountain.
Our whole program got the chance to visit Parliament. It was really cool to go inside, see the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and all of the statues and elaborate ceilings.
Here's Ashley and I in Russell Square. This was my favorite place to run and it's right nearby, just on the other side of the British Museum.
We had a nice little Easter Sunday in London. We went to church in our Easter finest, though as it turns out, everyone here just wears black and khaki, so our pastel outfits weren't really necessary. We went out to Sunday roast at a pub nearby and we met this random bunny on the street.
View of Parliament and the London Eye from the bus. I'll miss the busses here because you get such a great view of everything.
Finally made it over to Abbey Road, but it takes forever to get a picture since other people are trying to do the same thing and there are tons of cars trying to drive. Christine and I managed to get ours after a while.
Just when the weather started getting nice, we figured out that we can get up on our roof. Here's the view of Great Russell Street from up there. It was so much fun to hang out right on top of the city.
We also finally made it to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. We were a little late, so I ended up standing on a fountain, but you can sort of see the guards. A band of them came marching by and they stood behind the gates playing music. Besides some traditional sounding stuff, they played some Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin. I have no idea why, but it was fun.
Those are the Horseguards.
Christine and I by Buckingham Palace.
And by the pretty flowers.
During our last weekend, London finally gave us some gorgeous weather, so we went to Hyde Park and rented a paddle boat. Charlie and I did all of the paddling for all of us, but it was really fun.
Then we walked over to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, where they encourage you to stick your hands and feet in. But, what they don't encourage is walking in the fountain, which Christine found out from park security soon after this picture was taken.
Then we found Peter Pan!
Last night was our group boat party on the Thames. It was so much fun and such a great way to end our semester here. We got gifts for our coordinators and professors and they couldn't stop telling us how we're the best group they've ever had. I guess we get along better than any other group has. So, we had a nice dinner and danced all night.
We all love Wilson, our Art and Architecture professor, as you can tell from how happy I am in this picture. He's never gone to the boat party for any group before ours and he had considered not teaching at all this year, but he absolutely loved all of us and he was so happy all night. It was wonderful. As he put his arms out for us to take this picture with him, he said, "What more could I ask for?" Oh, Wilson. Love him.
So, this is it. We spent the morning at Harrods getting some last minute souvenirs and we took some nice bus rides. I'm pretty much packed and now we're having our last London family dinner in our flat. I've had the most amazing time here, but I'm very excited to get back home. I hope you enjoyed all of my pictures and adventures and I can't wait to see you back in the states!
Time to actually talk about London! I forgot to mention that before we went to Stratford-upon-Avon, we went to Warwick Castle. It was kind of like a Medieval Times sort of thing, but it was pretty.
One day we went on a walk through Highgate with our Art and Architecure professor and he showed us this really pretty park.
Charlie was messing around with the color swap thing on Christine's camera.
I'm really going to miss all of the parks in London. We went running in Regent's Park quite a bit, or sometimes in Russell Square.
We went to a Girl Talk concert, which was so much fun. This picture was taken before we were crushed by dancing masses.
We took a group trip to Greenwich and here's Christine and I at the Prime Meridian.
There's a beautiful view from the observatory in Greenwich. That white house down there is the Queen's house.
We took a ferry back from Greenwich and had a lovely ride on the Thames. Here's the Tower Bridge.
There are tons of crazy street performers along the Thames and these guys were taking a break.
Christine and I on the tube.
The girls and I by a flower stand in Notting Hill. This is after we had lunch at this really cute cook book store where they cook different recipes from different books every day in the back kitchen.
One day, with one of my English classes, we went on a walk to Brick Lane, which is a very Indian neighborhood, though it's mostly a lot of hipsters now. On the way, we passed the pub where a few of Jack the Ripper's victims were last seen.
Our last group trip was up north in the Lakes District. We went canoeing one day and hiking the next. Cedric, who ran our hostel, also ran the outdoor activities. He took us out on the canoes and made us play the canoe versions of tag and basketball, so of course, a bunch of people fell in. At one point, when another pair of people had fallen in the water, Cedric made everyone else move towards the edge of the island. Everyone was struggling and he started yelling "THIS IS A SAFETY SITUATION! GET TO THE EDGE OF THE WATER," but then goes, "AND WAVE AT THE FERRY! WAVE AT THE FERRY!" Oh yeah, and it was pouring out, so we were cold, wet, trying to paddle, and forced to wave at the passing ferries. At least Christine and I owned at basketball with our amazing canoe skills.
The Lakes District is most famous for William Wordsworth and his poetry. We visited Dove's Cottage, where he used to live. Here's Christine, Frank, and I in Wordsworth's backyard.
We all wore our Ciao Bella shirts from Venice on the hike.
It was a beautiful day and our guides weren't quite as intense as good old Cedric, so it was all good.
View of beautiful Keswick. And a sheep.
Ciao Bellas at the top of the mountain.
Our whole program got the chance to visit Parliament. It was really cool to go inside, see the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and all of the statues and elaborate ceilings.
Here's Ashley and I in Russell Square. This was my favorite place to run and it's right nearby, just on the other side of the British Museum.
We had a nice little Easter Sunday in London. We went to church in our Easter finest, though as it turns out, everyone here just wears black and khaki, so our pastel outfits weren't really necessary. We went out to Sunday roast at a pub nearby and we met this random bunny on the street.
View of Parliament and the London Eye from the bus. I'll miss the busses here because you get such a great view of everything.
Finally made it over to Abbey Road, but it takes forever to get a picture since other people are trying to do the same thing and there are tons of cars trying to drive. Christine and I managed to get ours after a while.
Just when the weather started getting nice, we figured out that we can get up on our roof. Here's the view of Great Russell Street from up there. It was so much fun to hang out right on top of the city.
We also finally made it to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. We were a little late, so I ended up standing on a fountain, but you can sort of see the guards. A band of them came marching by and they stood behind the gates playing music. Besides some traditional sounding stuff, they played some Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin. I have no idea why, but it was fun.
Those are the Horseguards.
Christine and I by Buckingham Palace.
And by the pretty flowers.
During our last weekend, London finally gave us some gorgeous weather, so we went to Hyde Park and rented a paddle boat. Charlie and I did all of the paddling for all of us, but it was really fun.
Then we walked over to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, where they encourage you to stick your hands and feet in. But, what they don't encourage is walking in the fountain, which Christine found out from park security soon after this picture was taken.
Then we found Peter Pan!
Last night was our group boat party on the Thames. It was so much fun and such a great way to end our semester here. We got gifts for our coordinators and professors and they couldn't stop telling us how we're the best group they've ever had. I guess we get along better than any other group has. So, we had a nice dinner and danced all night.
We all love Wilson, our Art and Architecture professor, as you can tell from how happy I am in this picture. He's never gone to the boat party for any group before ours and he had considered not teaching at all this year, but he absolutely loved all of us and he was so happy all night. It was wonderful. As he put his arms out for us to take this picture with him, he said, "What more could I ask for?" Oh, Wilson. Love him.
So, this is it. We spent the morning at Harrods getting some last minute souvenirs and we took some nice bus rides. I'm pretty much packed and now we're having our last London family dinner in our flat. I've had the most amazing time here, but I'm very excited to get back home. I hope you enjoyed all of my pictures and adventures and I can't wait to see you back in the states!
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