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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Flying Home




Well first off I have to thank my parents for being so supportive about this crazy idea of me just dropping everything and going off to London for two months to live! I have always been someone that wants to experience life to the fullest and I've honestly had some really amazing experiences living here.

I love London so much and am really sad to say goodbye because who knows when I'll come back. It honestly feels like home to me, I know two months doesn't sound that long but because I've basically gone out everyday by myself I have really personally gotten familiar with London and attached!

Sunday

Regents Park


Hamley's Toy Store were they sell Harry Potter wands

National Gallery


Today is my last offical day in London so I tried to start the day as quickly as possible. I went to Regents park where I enjoyed a 30 mintue walk getting to see the London zoo and giraffes (didn't actually go in). Of course on this walk I got lost and was the American girl running around trying to find a bus which I was finally able to discover, and just my luck a crazy women gets onboard where she starts muttering to herself whilst staring me down. I then went to the world's biggest toy store Hamleys, yes I got a Harry Potter wand! And at the end of the day I went into the National gallery at Trafalger square.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Trooping of the Colors


My last saturday here and I have just seen the royal family!
I have seen the Queen of England my friends I can die happy, just kidding.
Every July they do the Trooping of the colors were the queen and the Royal family ride in open carriages from Buckingham Palace down the street. The British really do dress up to see them which was a delight to see, to illustrate this in your mind I was seeing men in top hats with canes!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Aren't I a Lucky Girl




Need I say more....

Greenwich

The Royal Observatory
View from the Royal Observatory


Today I took my last final (test), and got on the tube to head for Greenwich. The train ride was about 45 minutes long because Greenwich is a little outside the city. I went to the Queen's house, the Marine Museum, and the Royal Observatory. Anyone who knows me, knows I loved the movie Titanic and during a phase of my life I would read books about that little boat tragedy. Well I happened to stumble on a garden erected for those that died during the Titanic incident which I found very touching and a special moment in my life.

The three coolest parts of Greenwich
1) Looking through a telescope and seeing Saturn
2) Touching a meteorite that is 4 billion years old... so I've officially touched one of the oldest things on earth.
3) Standing on/at the Prime Meridian

BYU Center

Here is some examples of the fine cruisine we experience living in the BYU centre in London. This first, and my most favorite example is a traditional India style meal. Plates are made of real leaves that you can just throw away when your done eating, and forks aren't necessary!

And one night they made us fish and chips! So good!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The British Library and a TUBE STRIKE!!




So if you don't have an ear tuned into the international news you probably wouldn't know that there is a tube strike going on in London. Three million people on average ride the tube "subway" everyday and currently it is completely closed for the day. Wondering what that means London is like right now, CROWDED!!!! People either have to walk, ride a bike, ride a bus/taxi, or drive. So don't worry when you go to a bus stop to get on a bus there are about 50 people waiting at the stop with you.
So I woke up today driven and wanting to go and see a bunch of things but also realizing that I was probably only going to have time to go see one thing on my list (which I was right) and that thing was the British Library.
Within the British Library they have an exhibit of the Beatles handwritten songs like "I want to hold your hand" and "yesterday" so I got to see what their handwriting was like and the doodles they drew along with the lyrics. I also got to see the original Magna Carta.
After that I had a long, detoured walking/bus ride back to the house for dinner once again at 4:45 pm.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Stratford-upon-Avon

Bill Shakespeare's grave
Shakespeare's Birth Home
Anne Hathaway's house (his wife)
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Today we got on the coach and drove off to retrace associates of the late William Shakespeare. I wasn't too excited about this but thought "you know what when you go to London you should go to Stratford-upon-Avon".
We begun at his mother's house, Mary Arden. It was also connected to Palmer's farm and they'd done a really good job in bringing the old farm back to the visitor. They had people dressed up, and real life animals such as; Goats, owls, falcons, pigs, sheep, geese, and roosters. One of the best parts was a guy who trained falcons for a living. He came out into a big field and started telling us about the job of training a falcon, after doing so he had the bird fly off to a nearby gate and then come back to his outstretched hand. He let a lot of us do this to as long as we asked him a question about his job. I was around the sixth person to get to have the Falcon fly onto my arm.

Our next stop was to Anne Hathaway's house, the women Shakespeare got pregnant when she was 25 later on marrying. But get this when he got her pregnant he was only 18, and there is no portraits, physical descriptions, nothing to tell us about Anne. Don't you find that interesting that the women married to the "worlds best writer/poet" didn't write anything specifically about her. Then we went to the birthplace of William and his grave in Holy trinity church. And we also walked along the Avon in Stratford. Avon is the word for river if you didn't know that.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

BBC News



Yep today I got a tour of the British Broadcasting company! Only a group of five of us decided to go together. When we arrived we got assigned to two BBC personnal tour guides who immediately were like "where are you girls from?" ...Don't worry Utah we're leaving quite a good impression.
The guides took us around showing us studios they use and even letting us have a practice run of what its like to conduct a live news show. I was in charge of the lighting, way difficult but I managed.
We also got to be shown into the dressing rooms they assign to celebrities or bands when they come on to be interviewed. They explained that most the time a dressing room isn't really used for getting ready its more just a place to keep track of where the special guest is so they don't go wandering off. Therefore celebrities are allowed to ask for certain things in their room so they don't get too bored because they're supposed to stay in there. The two most ridiculous requests he's heard has been from two girls from the states. Mariah Carey asking for puppies to pet before she went out to be interviewed and Jennifer Lopez actually had turned in 5 full papers of requests, I guess Jenny isn't just sweet ole' JLO from the block.

Once we finished up the tour we had to go back in time for dinner at the center. So that night I didn't really do anything else.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Monday in London

Parliament up close
The inside main staircase

The room the House of the Lords takes place in

Today I went to United Agents talent agency to take a peek around, its the talent agency for most of the top stars in England (many don't know this but of course I would figure that out). To name a few of the stars that are represented there, they are:

  • Kate Winslet
  • Keira Knightley
  • Sienna Miller
  • Ewen McGregor
  • Ian Mckellen
  • Hugh Dancy

Then I went to Berwick St. Market located in the Soho area of London, small but interesting. From there I went to Parliament to watch the House of the Lords, which is more commonly known as the one where all the men still wear the white wigs. Super boring but just to go inside of Parliament always feels special because the inside actually looks like a medieval castle. And then I went to Tate Britain art museum which is a quite small establishment.


Sunday, June 7, 2009

Multistake Conference in the UK


I got to shake Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf's hand, the first general authority's hand I've ever shaken happens in London, what's the odds of that...


So guess who is here, Neil A. Anderson and Dieter F. Uchtdorf! We all left at 8:45am to ride the tube to Clapham Common ward to watch via satellite the multi stake conference for the United Kingdom and Ireland. For our dinner we ate a buffet style meal at like 1:30pm because there was a single adult session at 7pm at Hyde Park ward.
The single adult session was amazing! I have never really gotten to see the lighter side of Pres. Uchtdorf but I definitely did here and he honestly is my new favorite (even though we shouldn't pick favorites). He quoted from Harry Potter, called the single men stupid, and told us the adorable love story of his wive and himself. I loved every minute of his talk!! Just picture a member of the general authority saying "Syltherin"

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Westminster Abbey

Westminster abbey's entrance
I sat in one of those chairs during the service.

So today I slept in then I headed off to Portbello market to get the cheapest fruit and once I had my fruit I went off to Convent Garden market, and then from there I have no idea how I got there but somehow I just ended up in front of Westminster abbey.

I was walking around looking at how amazing it is when I can see that people are just going in for free. I was like, What is this? Free Westminster Abbey? So I walked up to one of the clergy and asked if I could go in, "Of course." he says. It was evensong session were I was seated next to a true British man, heavy tweed coat and all. He also had the best accent and was really into the service and that in turn made me more into it.
It was really cool to just look up and around and realize that this is the place most monarch's have been crowned! How amazing I was sitting like twenty feet away from where they crown a monarch!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Kensington Palace & London Eye

Kensington Palace
Front entrance into Kensington Palace
The Eye

The club that we got to go into

I toured Kensington Palace where Princess Di's dresses and Queen Victoria's old bedroom were on display. The palace was really sparse in the inside.. maybe because no one really lives there anymore. The outside of the Palace is very pretty with gardens and fountains and that is why it's known as a tourist attraction.
Then a big group of 21 of us went and rode the London Eye because the professor's covered the cost. Then we just headed to Leicester square that is known as the young-ish part of town. It has movie premieres there, and the a thriving club scene. This guy told us we could go into their club for free so we were all like "why not" and went in. There was no one in there but it was fun to see a club and dance for a few minutes and to sit in the VIP section...but clubbing on a Thursday at 9pm isn't exactly living the party life.

Wow, realization, time is winding down and I'm ready to come home and see everyone again and have a phone and car but I for sure am going to miss London!

Sites I've been to Thus Far

*StoneHenge * Tower of London
*Jane Austen's house * St Paul's Cathedral
*The Royal Pavilion * Oxford University
*Westminster Abbey * Blenheim Palace
*Tintangel Castle * Buckingham Palace
*King Arthur's seat * London Bridge
*Edinburgh Caste *Tower Bridge
*stirling Castle * Globe Theater
*Exeter Cathedral * Parliament
*Wells Cathedral * Scotland's Parliament
*Stourhead gardens * London Royal Opera House
*William Wallace's Monument * Barbican Hall
*Prothcurno Beach * Royal Albert Hall
*Bodiam Castle *Kensington Palace
*20th Century Fox offices * Harrods store
*Keira Knightley's House * Brighton Pier

Places I've been

MUSEUMS
*National Gallery*National Portrait Gallery*British Museum*Victoria & Albert Museum*Natural History Museum*Imperial War Museum*Kensington Palace*British Library

PERFORMANCES
*A View from the Bridge
*Three Days of Rain (James McAvoy)
*Romeo and Juliet (globe)
*London Symphony
*Ondine Ballet

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Day Trip

Today was a day trip where we loaded the bus and went to Bodiam Castle, and the Royal Pavilion. When we went to the royal pavilion (which is gorgeous, very Asian palace) we walked through it with audio guides and once through we went down to look at Brighton Pier.
After that we loaded the bus and went to Bodiam Castle, yes it is a castle set on a moat! So beautiful!
The Royal Pavilion is definitely my favorite palace I have seen thus far. All the others are too opulent with tapestries. What I loved about the Royal Pavilion is, he doesn't hide that he wants to look impressive or rich! He does so and he does it with style. The great dining hall had a huge dragon chandler!!! I love that!! Other palace's are showing off but in such a way that you know they try to make it look unintentional but its like duh we know what your trying to do with all the gold, chairs, tapestries and paintings!
The castle was very old and pretty much just an empty courtyard in the middle but it definitely is the old style castle you picture in your mind!

Royal Pavilion and Bodiam castle

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton once owned by George IV and then Queen Victoria sold it to the city cuz it was "too obulent and Asian for her"
Great Dining Room in the Pavilion, you can't really see but the chandlier in the middle of this dining room hangs from the mouth of a dragon.

What the Kitchen looks like

Bodiam castle, yes it has a moat (meaning its surronded by water)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Royal Opera House

So on Sunday we went and say the ballet called Ondine at the Royal Opera House and it was amazing! My first legit ballet, and in London, how cool is that!





So I saw ballet