Long Trip Home

Well today is the day we’d both been anticipating and dreading. Anticipating because it brought us home to friends, family however dreading due to the return to normalcy, of non-adventure. It’s good to be headed home, though we have had a long trip. As of now we’ve already been on the go for 21 hours. I’m tired, and my road is nearly over. Time for me to say goodbye and to say thank you for reading, for enjoying my blog. I hope that you enjoyed it, till my next trip I bid thee adieu.

Going out with a BANG!

Okay to say today was awesome would be an understatement!!! It was incredible, exhilarating, thrilling, pricey, tiring but at the end of the day I was really happy that I’d gone. The day started out with an early rise, off to London by 830 and arriving by 930. Though I was with another student on the tour Andrew on the way over, we quickly split up as we had different agendas for the day. My first destination was the London Eye – a special Ferris Wheel that’s enclosed – to purchase a riverboat tour and a flight on the Eye. I went on the tour first and decided to hold off on my ride on the London Eye until 9pm. The tour of the River Thames was really cool. We saw Parliament, the Tower of London, Globe Theatre, and several other important landmarks.

Afterwards I headed off to the Tower of London, looked at the crown jewels which had recently been returned due to the State Address of Parliament the day before, checked out the towers – which showed some torture implements, and generally enjoyed the few hours I spent there. I have to admit, the Tower of London was not what I expected, but that did not make it any less cool. After the Tower of London, next on the list was the British Museum and British Library. First off, big kudos to the Brits on this aspect, they know who to give a nice quality experience and they make it FREE. So that was really cool. I enjoyed myself, saw the Magna Carta and other interesting historical documents such as Shakespeare’s writings. The museum was more object oriented and featured ruins of the Egyptians, Romans, and Greek among others.

Next on the list was the Sherlock Holmes Museum which was small, but still cool. Basically it was a small building and you could go inside and see where he may have lived. An interesting diversion along with the metro station that was attached to it. Visiting Baker street was definitely an important need for a visit to London. I finished faster than I had expected and without really knowing what else to do, I headed back to the wharf close to Westminster Abbey and Parliament. At this point in the day, I was really tired, bored, and almost went on the London Eye early so I could get back to the school and rest. But I refrained ambling around hoping to find an internet cafe.

While I did not find an internet cafe, I did find a red carpet. Apparently, I have such the stupid luck that I stumbled upon the British National Movie Awards. Once it was mentioned that Tom Cruise and Orlando Bloom would be among attending stars, my mind was made up. I was going to stay right where I was, right next to the red carpet. It was great!!! I had an awesome view and received a lot of autographs among them being Tom Cruise and Orlando Bloom. Really I think only I would have the dumb luck to stumble upon an event such as this and to get autographs. Anyways after getting Tom Cruise’s autograph – had to wait until 8:20pm for that because he arrived late – I headed off to grab pizza and then to go ride the London Eye. The London Eye was gorgeous at sundown/night and I was happy I’d signed up for it. London at night is beautiful and though I was sad to leave for what would be the last time for awhile, I also look forward to future visits. Arriving in Bracknell – where we are staying – I was very tired and it was raining. Not good weather conditions to stumble upon and I took a taxi to return. What awaits now is nothing more than just that, waiting. I’m packed already and all is in order. I won’t be falling asleep tonight. This is nearly my final entry, until tomorrow.

Laundry Day

Laundry Day…YAY! Well not really yay, but at least I got it out of the way. Today I largely sat around the College either inside or out as I waited for my laundry to finish. I then packed up and made ready preparations for my trip to London tomorrow. It can’t all be glory but I can say that tomorrow will definitely be an adventure.

Freedom!

So finally we’re done! Free! While I had the option to go to Scotland, I chose to not, deciding that instead I would spend time in London and enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, Scotland sounded AWESOME! But, the downside of it was that I would be in a bus from 10pm-6am there and back which is not my idea of enjoyable. The test went well…more than well to be honest, though I did not equal my midterms score…alas life is hard 😉 Anyways tomorrow was initially planned to visit London – The Tower, British Museum, and other enjoyable places. However I’ve had to pull out due to the State Address of Parliament. I’m really enjoying having the room to myself as all of the 5 other roommates in my room decided to go to Scotland.

Homework and the Cha Cha Slide

It was a long day today. Staring at the window and generally just trying to do anything but be in class. We had 6 hours of instruction and that was pure torture. Lets just say that if you imagine the worst thing a trip could be. This is it. As soon as he announced class was over, I was out of that classroom and off to anywhere…just as long as I was not in that classroom. Unfortunately while I may have not been in the classroom, I did have a test to study for. I basically reviewed the chapter powerpoints 2-3 times per chapter and that was my preparation. Lets suffice to say that the evening was as well interesting. Several members from class started dancing first to the Cha Cha Slide and then Applebottom Jeans. It was sooo funny, I was hard pressed not to laugh and it was a great distraction from studying. They did not dance too bad. Well until tomorrow I guess.

A Relaxing Sabbath

Today was a good day. The last Sabbath we had to spend before we came back home. The sun was out, shining, and beautiful. Newbold campus really has a nice setup and service options. After church for me it was an afternoon of relaxation. Sitting back and talking to friends and family. In addition, walking outside was also a positive experience, something I was sure to take advantage of. We’re almost done and I can feel it, the only thing I do not look forward to is tomorrow and monday. This is due to the fact that we have 4 chapters to cover on Sunday and then a final exam monday. Alas, not all can be fun. Anyways until tomorrow.

This is my New Home – Windsor Castle!

Well today was somewhat chaotic. We went on a spur of the moment trip to Windsor Castle and had a blast. Though not as impressive as Versailles it was still cool. The Queen arrived right around the time we got there, leading me to think that she’s following us. Either way the royal standard went up. We were able to look around most of Windsor castle. The State Apartments were quite opulent as was Queen Mary’s Dollhouse…I did not stare at it as long as some would. Clearly I am not much into dolls or that sorta thing. The stores around the castle were nice and I found quite a few souvenirs for people back home. All too soon it was time to leave and head back, another thrilling day behind. The end is now near.

Another Routine Day

Today was also slow as we had class. Really not that interesting. However, at least I was able to upload my images onto facebook. There is something good about having nothing else to do aside from listen to a lecture. I cannot believe that in one week I go home…it has been quite a trip!

Watching the Guard, I meet Aslan and eat Indian Food

So today was quite a bit of fun! We woke up early and ate breakfast before heading for the train to London. It was about an hour to get in and a couple more minutes on the metro before we arrived at Big Ben. That was pretty cool, yet it was not what I had come to expect. As an American I’ve always envisioned Big Ben as being pretty huge, unique, I must admit it’s smaller than I’d originally expected. After Big Ben we headed over to see Westminster Abbey, which was pretty cool, continuing onward to the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Buckingham Palace. There were a lot of people lined up, yet luckily I was able to stand decently close to the fence behind a lot of midgets..or at least really short people. At first it started out pretty slow, finally becoming real when the stereotypical queens guard – ie the guys in red suits with black hats – came in playing instruments and such to herald their arrival. The queen was in residence that day as evidenced by the royal standard that was flying. I thought that was pretty cool. The ceremony lasted fairly long and afterward it was time for lunch.

Lets just say I had a healthy appetite as we found a place to eat – Pizza Hut- and settled into a nice buffet. Next on the list was Downing Street, home of new prime minister David Cameron. Though we could not get close it was cool to see. After that was Trafalgar Square and that’s where I got to climb up onto one of the lions whom I’ve henceforth nicknamed Aslan. ^_^ That was fun and we were there for around 30minutes before heading off to our final stop of the day, the Bank of England.

The Bank of England was fun and I learned a lot, winning a prize even at the end for opening a safe they had their. We headed back riding the train before going to a restaurant close to our school. I was quite hesitant to eat the food they’d picked as I usually HATE Indian food. But it was not that bad – Yes Aunt Ralene, I ate Indian food and liked it – though I am loathe to admit that. Finally going back to the dorm and collapsing for the evening…what a day!

Leisurely Silence

So today was again another slow day. It comprised of an exam and additional class time. Afterward a walk around the campus was quite nice. Really I can not help to see just how amazing God is. It’s beautiful here, albeit somewhat similar to Michigan.