I woke up this morning around 6:30 to shower, get ready for breakfast and head to my first day of classes. I really enjoy my British Parliament class so far. I think John Rose is a very interesting man. He held a seat in Parliament for 31 years. I'm sure I will learn a lot from him.
After classes were over, we went to lunch at the college dining hall. We were given some tea sandwiches, which I didn't eat because they had mayonnaise on them, and we were given this delicious vegetable puree soup. It was so good!
Next we took the tube to the Enbankment stop where the National Gallery, the London Eye, and the Thames River are located. Cathy Rogers, the program director, gave each of us a ticket to The Original Tour, a popular bus tour here in London. On this classic double decker bus, I saw St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, The London Eye, the Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge. This tour also showed us historical places such as the famous Fleet Street popularized by the movie Sweeney Todd, the beginning site of the devastating Great Fire of London. With the Original Tour ticket, we received a free river cruise that provided us with some really breathtaking views of The London Eye, Tower Bridge, the HMS Belfast Naval ship, and many other sights.
(the sculptor of this lion and the 3 just like him, did not actually have a real lion pose for him. Because of this, he did not know what the paws of a lion look like so instead, he just used his dog's feet!)
Oh Heyyy, William and Kate!
Beautiful Big Ben
The London Eye
The next few pictures are of St. Paul's Cathedral. It was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. He is the architect that was given the responsibility to rebuild London after the Great Fire in 1666. St. Paul's is 365 feet tall, a foot for every day of the year. This is considered one of Wren's masterpiece's.
This statue is known as the monument. At the top, golden flames are burning. If the Monument were to be laid down towards the east, the flames would mark the spot where the Great Fire of London began.
The Tower Bridge
The Tower of London
again...
again...
The Tower Bridge again..
This is the HSM Belfast Naval Ship. Named after the capital city of Northern Ireland, this ship played a very important role in World War II. It was used in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. It is now located in the Thames River and is part of the Imperial War Museum.
again...
This is the Shard Glass company building. It is currently being built. When completed, it will be the tallest building in the European Union. The tour guide said that this building would have roughly 100 floors, mostly offices. He also said that they are currently on a floor in the 80's, which is a public viewing platform. After the platform, the rest of the floors will be private residences, starting at £25 million!
This is a replica of the ship that was captained by Sir Francis Drake. He was a privateer (pirate). He was sponsored and supported by Queen Elizabeth I. He was second in command of the English fleet when they defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. (Wow, the things I learned in Emergence of Western Civilizations with James Boyles!)
This is a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It is the first building to have a thatched roof since the Great Fire of London. I'm hoping to get a/several groundling ticket(s) to a few shows.
After the tour and boat ride, we returned to Heythrop College. Maegan, Sarah, Carrie, and I had a little picnic in the beautiful park at our school. When we finished with our food, we went for a walk in Kensington and Hyde Park. It was so beautiful. So many people were outside enjoying the lovely weather. We then took the cliche picture with the red phone booths!
When I came back to my room, I did some homework, skyped with Jeff and my family. Now that I have finished my entry for today, I am ready for bed!
Today was such an amazing day! I had so much fun and saw some really beautiful things. Tomorrow after class we many go to Wimbledon!
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