Sunday, May 26, 2013

Home At Last and Rested!

Well I made it home around 8:15 yesterday evening and let me tell you, I was glad to be out of any mode of transportation. 10 hours in a plane and then 6 hours in a car was plenty enough for me today! Our flight from London to Chicago was pretty smooth, I got in three movies and possibly an hour of sleep. It was nice and quick and then we got to Chicago and had to pass through customs which went by quickly and as we were about to the gate it was almost time to go again. When we sat down were told that they didn't know where our plane was and then we got delayed for about 45 minutes, kind of nerve racking but we finally landed and about 30 seconds of being on the ground, I was sweating. Going from cold and rainy to sunshine and 80 is a pretty big change. It was nice to see the sun though! After goodbyes my mom and I were on the way home, by the time we got back I was exhausted, I am still running a little slow but am glad to be back. The last two weeks were incredible, I met some great people and a great time with them! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of this trip. Thanks to our guides and ISA, they were all so great, they were so nice to us and did so much but a really really big thanks to Dr. Nobiling for supporting the study abroad program by putting this trip together and then putting up with all of us for two weeks in a foreign country! I had a great time and think that studying abroad is a great experience that everyone should try at least once, it opens doors and allows students to experience a different culture. England was really great to go to, we have historical connections to this country but as time has progressed things have changed and it was interesting to witness some of these changes first hand! I loved all the time spent there and would really like to go back to this area and spend more time in some of the places and hopefully visit other countries and get some more stamps in my passport! Well I think that is all for this blog, which has been an experience in itself, rather difficult at times but  I am glad I was able to do it so my friends and family could keep up with the trip as well! That's all folks!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Whoops... How could I forget about the Tate Modern?

I seemed to have spaced an important visit on Thursday and let me tell you, it was INTERESTING! We were required to visit an art gallery during our two week adventure and Thursday after the legal walk Laura, Kayla, and I decided that we should go then and when we were trying to decided on which of the many places to go we finally decided that the Tate Modern would be a good choice. We navigated our way from the Royal Courts of Justice to Southwark, we followed the big orange light posts leading the way to the Tate Modern. Once inside it was kind of confusing and I am sure that confusion never left. Modern art is...weird, in my opinion, I had a really hard time looking at some of the art and understanding it. There is always supposed to be some deeper meaning and as I stared at some of the pieces I tried to look for deeper meaning but I really REALLY did not understand it. This piece for example, is called Trip Hammer, to me it looks like to giant thick metal slabs but no... This is art. I did not know that placing a slab of metal on top of another piece was art. I guess I look at things for what they are and that's it, but congratulations to the creator on getting this placed in an art gallery.
Richard Serra, 'Trip Hammer, 1988
The pure state of confusion I was in did not cease, as we toured more the confusion became greater and I am sure the look on my face was screaming it as well. We entered into a gallery that on the door read that things in this particular room may not be suitable for everyone and contained some adult graphic nature and let me tell you they were correct, I was kind of shocked at the animated movie and we will leave it at that...
After that I decided that modern art is not really my cup of tea and was ready to skedaddle right on out of there.



Friday, May 24, 2013

The Final Countdown...

Attempt Number 467, at trying to get this blog to upload...

Surprise it’s raining out! Another free day today and the last full day in London, kind of bittersweet, I have enjoyed my time here but I am looking forward to going home in a few hours! Today was a relatively calm day; I worked on my blogs for a good majority of the day and then went down to Camden town for some last minute souvenir shopping with Danielle, Kalee, and Justin. (You are welcome to those people who are lucky enough to receive a gift from abroad!)  I came back to the hotel to pack up and make sure I had room to get my belongings and souvenirs home; it looks like I should have just the right amount of space to get all of my things into my suitcase and backpack and then just hung out. We were invited to a final group dinner before we depart and enjoyed some “American” pizza, which is what they call Pepperoni,  at an American food chain, Pizza Hut. They have the same name but are definitely different! I think the food is one of the biggest differences culturally that I have seen and I have to say I don’t much care for the food here, I am not a fish person so I can’t enjoy the famous Fish and Chips that everywhere seems to offer. After the dinner I headed back to the hotel and then Morgan, Alesha, and Kalee, and I went off to ride the London Eye. The views from the London Eye were quite spectacular, looking over the city that for the past two weeks we have walked around almost every day was pretty amazing. The city is massive there is so much to see and having a view from the top was great. The London Eye is a well know structure and I am glad I got to ride it on my last night in London. Tonight I will finish the last of the packing and make sure I have everything ready for tomorrow morning. Well I guess that’s all for Friday’s blog, next blog will be made from the good old United States! J

Goodbye London!!!



 

Legal Walk and Jack the Ripper Walk

Thursday was the last planned day we had in London, we had a legal walk scheduled and Joanne was our guide again for the morning. It was a tad bit chilly out but we made it through the walk and then went to the Royal Courts of Justice. We walked around the legal part of London where all the Inns of Court are located. There are four Inns; Gray’s, Lincoln, Middle Temple, and Inner Temple. These Inns are chosen by the Barristers and they are tied to them for life. They each had very beautiful gardens and their own chapels and dining halls. We walked through Lincoln’s park at first and they are very well kept and very pretty, Gray’s Inn Park was only open to the public for a few hours in the afternoon, we went to Lincoln Inn and the grass all around it almost looked fake. I have come to see that in a large city an area that has grass is taken care of rather well, these areas contain more trash cans than anywhere. Regents Park near the hotel and the parks in Bath were also the same way. I think because of the lack of grassy areas they tend to take more pride and care in these areas. The Inns of Court are used in history as the training facilities and lodging for Barristers, now a Barrister only goes to the Inn 12 times in the first year but never has to go back but has a lifetime connection. Some of the buildings were historic and some were rebuilt in the 1900s after the heavy bombing after World War II. We were also able to attend the Royal Courts of Justice and got to sit in on a case. After a slight delay, we watch the appeal process in the English justice system. Three men were appeal a sentence of 3 years which was the maximum for their sentence, the Judges had reviewed the case granted the reduced sentence of 2 years. It was interesting to see the appeal process in action and see how they handle it compared to American Justice. It isn't much different except for the fact that their judges and Barristers wear wigs. The architecture in the rooms in this court was more historic and really beautiful. Overall the day was a bit chilly but was a good experience and was really interesting.

That evening Kalee, Danielle, and I went on the Jack the Ripper Tour. We rode the tube to Tower Hill and were met by the guides. We split into two groups and started the walk, we were told about victims of the Ripper, theories, and possible suspects, and we visited some of the sites of the murders which have since changed but are in the same location. Jack the Ripper is the first known sexual serial killer and is by far one of the most well known. The murders started in September of 1888 and ended in November of 1888. There were only five victims total but the way that he killed the women was extremely particular and quite grotesque. Jack the Ripper left a big question mark on history; no one actually knows who committed the murders. I really enjoyed this tour and found it quite interesting to listen to someone who is so into Jack the Ripper tell the story that happened so long ago in the streets of London.

Free Day

Wednesday was our first free day where we were given the opportunity to go around the city and explore on our own. I would like to say that it was a day full of great adventure but that would be a lie. It was a good day though, Laura, Kayla, and I, woke up and went to the lovely Starbucks establishment that has been a lifesaver here and then we set off to Camden Town to do a little bit of shopping. This was our second experience here and we seemed comfortable in doing a little wheeling and dealing with the prices. The key is to show hesitation when they tell you the price and usually the shop owner will then suddenly remember that it is 10 pounds cheaper. They will also use the ploy "for a beautiful girl, everything is half off." Acquired skills of the trade I imagine... This little market area is a good place to get souvenirs and pretty much anything you could think of. There is so many food options and it was the first time I had walked by one of this places that I was being called out to, to come and try their food. We then decided that we would go back to the hotel and work on our blogs, which really means look on Facebook and try and catch up with those we have left behind in the United States. Our plan after was to go to the London Eye for a ride and then go on the Jack the Ripper Tour. Needless to say, neither worked out. We got a bit lost on the tube, first time that has ever happened I am pleased to say. It was a bad time to be on the tube, it was after 5 and people were hustling and bustling home from work and made it a little chaotic. We were starving by around 7 so we went back to Camden Town to a Mexican Taco Stand that was pretty good and very filling. We went back to the hotel and were going to "work on our blogs," I let Kayla borrow my computer because she was even more behind on blogging and went back to the room to catch up on a bit of reading but ended up falling asleep. It was a good free day, unsuccessful but good!

A Cold Day in Paris!

I am a little behind on my blogging so hopefully by the end of my time sitting at Starbucks I will be caught up! I don't know what I would do without this lovely coffee shop chain!
2:30 in the morning is a little early to be starting off your day but in order to get to the train on time that is the time we had to get up. We were picked up by taxis because surprisingly even the tube isn't even open at 3:45. We arrived at the station a bit early but it was alright because we got to go get coffee, I knew it would be much needed for a day touring the city of Paris. Soon we were off on the high speed train, the Eurostar. On the train ride there I was able to get a few more minutes of sleep which was nice and the next thing I knew we were 10 minutes away from Paris. The train station as we arrived looked as though it was in a rather sketchy part of town, there was graffiti all over but I guess some would consider it art. We arrived and we had to get cash because they don't have the same currency as London. Next, we were off to by underground tickets to get us from the train station to our Big Red Bus tour. We made it to St. Michel tube stop where we came out of the ground into a city that was much different. The traffic was crazy! We decided that we would go to the Notre Dame Cathedral first and this building is beautiful!
We toured around the building and it was just a beautiful inside as the outside!
After a tour around the Cathedral we made our way out and were in search of a bathroom. We had been told that this is major difference in this city compared to the U.S. was the lack of public bathrooms. We were told to try a restaurant but we were turned away and then we found it... The self cleaning toilet stall on a street. Yes, it was quite interesting and also quite disgusting. I had some ladies willing to pose in front of it! Thanks Morgan and Alesha... Oh, and there is Danielle too!
After our interesting "Toilette" experience we were off to catch the Big Red Bus, which took us around the city and we went by the opera house and then stopped at the Arc de Triomphe. First we went up the Champs- Elysees, which is a famous street in Paris, we went by many stores like Louis Vuitton and I thought about how much we would have to pay to go in, because I don't think they would willingly let us poor looking college students come inside.
The Arc de Triomphe, is massive! It doesn't look like much from across the round about, after going under the street and standing under it, you feel so small. It honors the soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and French Revolution on it and it pretty impressive to look at. We then set off to find some food in the foreign place! After much searching we ended up at a burger place which was quite interesting the language barrier made the experience even more interesting because they call out your order number in French! Fortunately, I was able to get my order and then sit down and enjoy a hamburger, it looked really good but then took a bite and was extremely surprised at what I was tasting, I got the taste of burger and bun and tomato and saying a wee bit of horseradish would be a total understatement. I was not expecting horseradish on a burger but it was there! I like horseradish but my eyes were watering by the amount on the burger, after that first bite I wiped the bun off and the horseradish taste was diminished and tasted much better!
 
We got back on to the bus where the next stop was... The Eifel Tower! It was quite impressive, this world known monument is HUGE!!!!
 

After several pictures and laying on the ground to the right angle for some we were off to the Louvre. When we got there I recognized a bridge which contains thousands of locks on it, the Pont de l'Archeveche also called Lovers Bridge was an amazing site. People put a padlock on the bridge and then toss the key into the Seine River below in hopes of creating everlasting love.
We made our way around to the Lourve and we discovered that it was closed but got to look around the fountains outside and the glass pyramids in the courtyard.
 
It was kind of hard to enjoy anything after a certain point, it was really cold and kind of raining all day! We tried to make the best of it but it was a really bad day to visit this lovely city. After this experience I think it would be hard for me to say I would go back but I did cross over Point Zero which we were told if you cross over then some day you would come back to Paris. So Paris, until we meet again... I hope you are warmer next time!


 






Monday, May 20, 2013

Old Bailey and a Guest Speaker

No pictures for today's adventures... Today was a pretty mellow day, it started with a walk to Old Bailey. We were met there by a reporter who told us all about Old Bailey's history and New Gate prison that was once in this location. He told us about an outbreak of typhoid, people getting boiled, and then we got the chance to go in and see a trial. We were under the impression that we could go to any trial in the courts but were shot down upon our arrival at security, there two women who told us come up but then told us to go back. We ended up waiting about 45 minutes to go through security and then were put in a murder trial but it was just he closing arguments, so it wasn't very heated and exciting. The trial was for 10 defendants being charged with murder and the barrister told the jury that ultimately they would be decided on 40 charges.
The barristers and judge were all dressed in their gowns and wigs, which frankly are hideous, they kind of look like a perm gone wrong with two rat tails dangling from the back. Real classy... The closing arguments were rather long and can go on for hours.
We left the public gallery and headed back to the hotel so we could head the ISA building, because we had a guest speaker meeting us there. Thomas Macmanus he met us there and discussed the two systems; we discussed the similarities and differences of the United States system and the UK's system. We discussed how the USA's system developed from the UK's system but how they each have evolved into different systems. He was a good speaker and made sure that we understood everything he was explaining to us. We talked about all of the courts and it put all of our visits into perspective and answered any questions that we might have had from previous visits. Today was a good day but we have to go to bed quite early tonight because tomorrow we are Paris bound and we are leaving the hotel at 3:45! It will be worth it to experience a new city!!

Stones and Baths...

England has SO much history in it, yesterday we went to the city of Bath and on our way made a stop at Stonehenge! This particular monument dates back 5000 years. Experts are still unsure who the builders were and the reason they placed the stones here and another mystery is how they got the stones to this location. Some of the stones weigh up to 4 tons, there are two types of stones at Stonehenge, Bluestones which are from Preseli Mountains an astonishing 240 mile journey and the Sarsen Stones which were brought from Wiltshire which is 25 miles away.  It was interesting listening to our guide tell us all about Stonehenge and the many theories as to why it is there, of course a poll revealed that most of the group thought that aliens were the only explanation of how the stones ended up there. This place really is a mystery!
 
 
There are several mounds around Stonehenge which are ancient burial mounds. 
 
The City of Bath was beautiful, this city like the rest of England is very historical, but one of the main reason this city has so much history is because it contains mineral springs that come from the Earth and are rather warm. The city was built by the Romans with the name Aquae Sulis which means the waters of Sulius.  These mineral springs were used by many to bathe and to some there were a place of worship to the Goddess Sulis Minerva. People eventually stopped bathing in the water and began drinking it because they believed it could cure any ailments, we even got to drink the water as well, I didn't experience any life altering changes afterward but maybe I didn't drink enough.

A spring that has been turned into a "wishing well."

Ahhh... Refreshing... (Actually it was warm and not very tasty)
 
Bath was a very beautiful city with a lot of history and it was a very cool experience to walk around the town for a few hours see the sites and see the ancient "magical" baths.


Saturday, May 18, 2013

Saturday: Houses of Parliament and a bit of shopping!

Today, we were given a tour of Houses of Parliament, it was a really beautiful building with a lot history!
Oliver Cromwell statue outside Houses of Parliament
 A view from the line going into Houses of Parliament
 
Inside the oldest section of Houses of Parliament
 
We couldn't take pictures any further than the one above, but we went through the Queen's dressing room. It was very extravagant room, decorated from top to bottom. There were important portraits of past Queens and Kings, with crests and shields of families all around.  Portraits of royalty was everywhere and paintings of important events and battles were on the walls, there was so much to take in. When we arrived in the House of Lords the first thing you see is the Queens thrown which is breathtaking, it is gold encrusted and very beautiful. You almost feel the power and royalty. Our tour guide was very fun and had a great sense of humor, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The room was full of red as well, which he explained was the more expensive color during the building. The House of Commons was green in color, which he explained was the cheapest but this section of the building is relatively new because of a fire that burnt this part to the ground. He explained the separation of the two and how the Queen doesn't have a lot of power and the House of Commons can doesn't necessarily have to listen to the Queen. The Black Rod man is a man who travels between the two houses and must knock after the door is shut on him to be let in, all the while the Queens watches. He said the Queen has never stepped in the House of Commons nor will she ever. This tour was really interesting and full of history, the building itself was beautiful and I could have spent a long time just staring at the décor.
 
After we finished the tour we decided to go to a place in London called Camden Town. This was very interesting place and reminded me a bit of a swap meet, with a lot of products being sold on the street and then people hassling you into buying or offering you deals. It made for some good shopping for souvenirs  and just about anything really. We ate at a Japanese restaurant which was pretty good as well, a little different from the China House and Beijing Gardens. One of the best parts is watching all the strange people that inhabit this area, very, very, interesting individuals are out there. Tomorrow we have a full day in Bath, so I will probably be behind on the blogging!

Friday outside of London: Oxford, Shakespeare, and a Castle!

Friday we went outside of London to Oxford and were given a tour of Christ Church. There is so much history everywhere we go and this was no exception, Christ Church is one of the 38 colleges that make up the University of Oxford. This college was initially founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1524 but was overtaken by Henry VIII. The interesting thing about this particular area of time was that Cardinal Wolsey was the Dean of the School and he had three daughter's, one of them being Alice. In 1851, Charles Dodgson went to Christ Church, he met the Dean's children and soon began to tell the all stories. Some things seem to mimic a particular story by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. There are many connections that seem to be quite similar. There is a window in the dining all that shows some of the charcters in the stained glass window.
Outside view of Christ Church
The Alice in Wonderland Window
 
The dining hall is actually very familiar to those who are Harry Potter fans, the dining hall was recreated for the films because they couldn't actually use the dining hall at Christ Church.
 
There are also other interesting connections to Christ Church and novels, C.S. Lewis also went to school here and he wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. A lamp post and a door show the connections.



 
The school is very beautiful and I enjoyed learning all about it's very interesting history. After our very quick tour of Christ Church we were back on the bus to Stratford.
Here we were able to see the birthplace of Shakespeare, it was a pretty little area, we didn't spend much time there because we had to make time for the CASTLE!
 
Warwick Castle was a beautiful place, there was a lot of things to see with not a lot of time. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1068.  I hit the main places and saw a show. The ancient castle was extremely cool, especially on top of the tallest tower.
 
There was beautiful gardens and amazing shows and manikins.  There was a show while we were there, Flight of the Eagles, a man who had a few well trained birds that look a little weird perched on someone's arm.




 
It was a good day full of history and cat naps on a bus, which were much needed!  speaking of the bus, the bus driver needs an award or something that guy can drive a bus better than I can drive a car! He was in the city and whipping that bus around like a mini-cooper, it was impressive. We got back to the hotel and went to Covent Garden to meet up with Laura's cousin who lives here and went out to Maxwell's, which provided us with a pretty American experience, hamburgers and milkshakes! The food was very comforting and a reminder of home, although I could almost swear that they melted some chocolate and poured it into a glass for my milkshake, (very rich!) It was another day full of adventure!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Day 4: A once in a lifetime kind of a day!

We received a message from Dr. Nobiling that we would have to leave an hour earlier this morning because we were going to go to Downing Street and we were actually going to be let inside to get a picture and hear about Number 10, which is the residence of the Prime Minister. Aside from wearing a dress all day it was definitely one of the best days yet! We set off from the hotel today and I was anticipating the view of Buckingham Palace! We arrived at the Supreme Court to meet Richard and Phil our very special "tour guides," they are actually two Metropolitan Police Constables, where they told us that we weren't going to be watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace... from the outside. We were actually going to be able to go inside the gates to watch the ceremony. This was VERY exciting news! We made our way to Downing street where we were let inside and were told all about the history of the famous location and all got pictures taken in front of the door.
After we left downing street we made our way toward the Mall, which is the main road running to Buckingham Palace. We also stopped at the National Police Memorial, where I captured Phil in the reflection.
 
 
The view from down the street of Buckingham Palace. 
 

 
One of several places on the sidewalks around Buckingham Palace that has been dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana.
 
We watched the ceremony from inside the gates but we were not able to take any pictures. But as we walked in an were standing in front we looked back as probably thousands of people stood outside (probably wondering who in the world this group was and how they were managing to get inside the gates.) It was an experience that is certainly once in a lifetime. We experienced so many rare things and I feel very fortunate to have done this today. All thanks to our great guides for the day Richard and Phil.
 
We made our way out to get lunch before the next location which was New Scotland Yard. There were given a brief of what the Metropolitan Police do and what they are responsible for in London. They have a wide area to make sure stays in order and help with all special events that take place, things like Marathons, Bike Tours, and even the Olympics.
 
 

Today so much happened that I know I am forgetting to mention things. I am very happy with what we did today and am glad that we met Phil, Richard, Barry, and Martin, because they made the experiences of today even better!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Out and about on Day 3!

Today was full of walking! We got up this morning and rode the tube to Westminster, to go to the Supreme Court. When we first came up and out from the underground I was totally mesmerized by the clock tower often called "Big Ben" but we know that Big Ben is the bell not the actual tower, the actual tower is now called Elizabeth Tower. I have seen this in movies, pictures, and everywhere else but this was literally in front of me!
 
We visited the Supreme Court today, for being such a new court there was quite a bit of information to go along with it. It is the court that deals with all matters in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland civil laws. We learned that the idea of a Supreme Court in the United Kingdom was being thought of around 2005 and was fully established in 2009. The Supreme Court Room we first went to was newly renovated and was more modern in terms of design. They have an emblem in which they are very proud of, it consists of and Red Tudor rose for England, with leaves of a leek for Wales, a flax representing Northern Ireland, and a Purple thistle for Scotland.
 
The other rooms of the court have been somewhat persevered to represent the history of the courts. We even got the opportunity to sit in on a case that was happening. We learned all about the new adaption of the Supreme Court and it was really interesting to hear about it and compare it to our knowledge of the United States Supreme Court.
 
After we were done with the Supreme Court tour, Kayla, Laura, and I all decided to head to Leicester Square. There we walked through all through the main part and went to China Town, M&M World, and almost witnessed what might have turned into a flash mob.
 
After we left Leicester Square area we headed back to Russell Square and went through the park and headed the British History Museum. I was amazed with how much stuff was in there! It was never ending and there was a lot to take in. It was an amazing experience to see all of the items in it. I loved getting to see all of the historical items from all different areas of the world.
 
 
It was a good day for exploring a different part of London today and tonight it has been recommended that we go to a pub to watch the football game that is happening tonight, for the cultural experience, so in that case GO CHELSEA! :)  




Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Magistrates Court Visit

Our second day here and we went and visited the Westminster Magistrates Court. We got to experience the continental breakfast that was not impressive, just the basics, toast, cereal, fruit, and a beverage. Another exciting part of our day was the first trip on the Tube. That was an experience in itself, the amounts of people riding and trying to squeeze in at the very last second before the door closes was pretty crazy. I was glad that we had Dr. Nobiling and Maria there to help us navigate that because I am positive that I would have gotten lost!
When we go to the Magistrates Court we went through security, where they confiscated my camera (to avoid pictures being taken while in there) and my perfume because apparently that can be dangerous. Our tour guide met us there and explained to us her experiences with the courts and was very knowledgeable. She explained to us about the Crown Courts and the Magistrates Court trying to tell us the differences. We were able to walk into the public gallery and watch the proceedings, they are kind of different from what we are accustomed to when it comes to court proceedings, The defendant went into a small box and sometimes was part of the public gallery before they entered. We only watched proceedings where their were Lay Magistrates, who are volunteers from the community and they would make a decision and the legal advisor would watch over the proceeding and review the ruling to make sure that it was legal. We did watch some warrants also be granted to police officers. The sentences were similar here, one man's driver's license was revoked for 18 months for "drink driving" on a first offense. But I feel that the Magistrates took the defendants personal situations into account when they returned their rulings.
It was a great experience just to see the difference between the courts here and the courts that we know as county courts. As we left we even got to use our "brollies" to avoid the rain.

The Big Arrival!



We have landed!! The plane ride from Rapid City to Chicago went by pretty quickly and we were able to go grab some authentic Chicago Deep Dish Style Pizza at the Airport before getting on our flight to London. On the flight over from Chicago it seemed to drag on forever! (I did get to watch The Big Bang Theory, so that was a plus!) The food on the flight was not impressive, but I wasn't expecting much to begin with. After they turned out the lights everyone seemed to be sleeping or trying to but it was hard to get comfortable. I dozed off for a little while a couple times but was awoken by either someone moving, a painful kink in my neck, or by the gentle shake of turbulence. The sun finally came up and we were only an hour away from landing in London, a DELICIOUS breakfast, consisting of a croissant/roll thing with some butter and jelly and a small bowl of fruit, with a small cup of coffee that was supposed to awaken me but failed... We landed and claimed our bags and went through customs fairly quickly, where we were met by the lovely ISA group that was extremely helpful! We waited for the Coach to take us to Windsor Castle and when it arrived our day was off! On the drive over there, I couldn't help but stare out the window and take in London, all of the houses so close together, driving on the opposite of the road that I am used to. I don't know if it really hit me of where I was until I saw Windsor Castle sitting off in the distance looking so impressive! We got off the Coach and went toward the Castle and my anticipation grew because of this site!

Windsor Castle is the official home of the Queen, she spends her weekends here. The outside was spectacular to look at but the inside which we couldn’t take pictures of was even more so. There were rooms inside that were literally breathtaking, just walking through and experiencing so much history was an experience of a lifetime!


 
We made it time to also see the changing of the Guard, which is a commonly known ritual.
 
Another view of Windsor from the inside.


 
My very own picture with the guard! :)
 



 
After our tour of Windsor we took a short walk to Eton College and a private school for boys, ages 12-18, it is a very prestigious school and they all where suits to class and look very classy.
 
Overall our first day here was great but after the flight and the day I was super exhausted. The culture is so different here but you can definitely see the similarities. Hopefully I get over my sickness quickly so the rest of the trip is even more enjoyable! That's all for Day 1!