The last couple days have been amazing as usual. We finished studying Roman Britian, so it was awesome to see the Roman wall and amphitheater here in London. I did go to a lot of museums this week which were all very interesting. I love learning about the history of England because it has had so many groups come in and out. I spent Friday evening wandering around London; I finally ended up at Harrod's which is a huge department store in London. They have everything such as jewelry, clothes, food and it is all super expensive. We ended up at a café and I ate some delicious lemon cheesecake :) On Saturday I got to go to the London Temple. It's a fairly simple, white building, but it was beautiful. The grounds are green and lovely. There is a pond with pathways, benches, trees, and bushes all around it. Later on Saturday afternoon I ended up at Picadilly Circus which is an area of town with a lot of shops and restaurants, so that was enjoyable. Saturday evening I saw A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe Theater. Let's just say the show was modern for this particular performance... it was a very entertaining, unique experience. Enjoy!

We ar wearing Sherlock holmes hats ;)

Roman Wall... an original.

more roman wall

I have friends and we pose.

There was a random flag ceremony and a band. Happens all the time.

Roman Amphitheatre (british English) also Claire and leslie were being gladiators

This painting is called the desert of temptations, I thought it was incredibly beautiful. I found a painting at the Artist's Guildhall called "A Desert of Temptations" and I was transfixed for a long time just looking at it. I could feel the Savior's weariness in that moment and I just love how the artist painted this scene.

St. Paul's Cathedral--I go there in a few weeks!

Royal Albert Concert Hall

a curvy British building.

a cobblestone pathway with cute British apartments

Harrod's is a ginormous department store in London--it is SO EXPENSIVE.

The London Temple :)

It is truly a beautiful place

the gardens around the London Temple

Elf Ellen. Elfen

More rain, but the flags look really cool hanging on the street at Picadilly Circus

coo billboards

He was really good and this happens all the time in London

MILLENIUM BRIDGE! Where Harry Potter and his friends ran across in the seventh movie. Yes, I actually walked across it.

The Globe Theater

Inside the Globe Theater

Claire and I watching A Midsummer Night's Dream

So, London is amazing. I love the diverse amount of people. I can walk down the street and meet people from Finland, Italy, Sudan, and India all in the space of ten minutes. I love how green it is, the gray clouds, the slightly chilly weather, and that the roads twist and turn everywhere. I have enjoyed the last few days just exploring museums, parks, and cafes. I think I will definitely enjoy my time here! I did spend yesterday at Kensington Palace (where Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince Harry live, so yes I am next door neighbors with royalty!) I finally had fish and chips which is incredibly delicious. I spent time in the British Museum and I went to a cartoon museum with all of the oldest comic strips in London. I talked to a lot of random people about what it means to be British and scored a lot of funny conversations. I ran through Hyde Park and it was incredibly beautiful.
I am really enjoying my classes because we learn about the history, then we read literature from that particular time period, and then we go see artifacts/buildings from that time period! It has been awesome! I am also on the setup/cleanup crew for breakfast and dinner. So, that takes up a bit more time, but we only do it for a week before we get to be done for the whole semester! Hope you enjoy the pictures :)

That's the view from our flat. Pretty incredible.

fish and chips. they are so yummy.

LOVE IT. 

Claire and I at the British Museum!

Hyde Park. Happy place. my happy place. 

More Hyde Park. 

Gardens in front of Kensington Palace. 

Me in front of the gardens. 

This is Claire sketching! I'm a creeper :)

Kensington Palace

Queen Victoria!

William the 3rd maybe? There is a picture of me later on trying to pose like him... :)

British Museum

jewelry hasn't changed at all since the Iron Age...

This place was hilarious! 

hungry ellen. hellen. (nate, ak, alysha)

haha #selfie

oh yeah I got caught in a rain storm without an umbrella or jacket... 

daisy fields. 

kids running through daisy fields. so cute! 

So here I am posing as that William guy... Hope you enjoyed the blog! 

So, I'm going to share my adventures in London for the next few months! I had a bit of a rocky start getting here, but everything worked out eventually! I flew out of Minneapolis at 7:30 on Thursday evening and then I flew to Iceland. I landed in Iceland at 6:30 am the next day. So, I got to stay in Iceland for all of twenty minutes before catching my next flight. I definitely want to spend some time in Iceland in the future. I landed in London at 11:30 am and started asking questions to all the important-looking people around me.
Firstly, I needed to buy an oyster card (a card that lets me ride all the trains and buses in London). I waited in three different lines trying to buy the oyster card and when I was finally able to buy it my debit card decided to not work of course. I found an ATM which gave me the money, so I got back in line to buy the oyster card and finally got it. Then, I had to find a shuttle which took me to the train station. I had been told by my friend Sharon (the friend I am staying with)to get a certain train, but then of course that particular train was cancelled. I wandered around until I found someone official looking who told me to grab a different train and then make a connection to the original place I was supposed to get to! So, I dragged my suitcase along behind me and barely caught the train. I was able to make the connection and get off at "London Bridges" where I was supposed to meet Sharon.
But, with a dead phone and computer I had no way of talking to her. I wandered around for a bit until a nice lady told me where to find an internet café. I pulled out my adapter and started charging my phone. Within minutes my phone was charged and I had made contact with Sharon! I was so happy when she found me :)
We hugged for a long time, grabbed my stuff, and grabbed a bus to her house. I rested for an hour and then we hit the town! We took a bus down to the Tower of London, the River Thames, and Tower Bridge. We wandered around there for an hour or so just looking at everything, then we ate dinner at Nando's! It was so delicious :)
The next day, which is today, I slept in until eleven am because I was so doggone tired! Finally, I woke up and we headed off to central London! We walked all around Big Ben, the Parliament building, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery, the Embankment Park, took a ride on the London Eye, wandered back to Buckinham Palace, and then we ate dinner at a nice little place called Ed's Diner!
It was a wonderful day and I saw so many amazing things, but of course at the National Portrait Gallery I used the loo and my cell phone fell into the toilet. Sharon laughed about that for an hour or more and I was able to get over my embarrassment and sadness at the prospect of no cell phone for two months. It is currently sitting in a bag of rice, so hopefully it decides to work again! Also, as we walked around today we saw a lot of street performers, musicians, and actors. It was fun to watch them and take pictures with a few. A few of my favorites being Yoda and Charlie Chaplin! All in all, it was a wonderful day :)

A random parade showed up which apparently happens all the time?

 Sharon and I on the London Eye

 Big Ben

I found Charlie Chaplin :)

 Buckingham Palace!

The Balcony where the Royal Family says hello :)