Final Goodbyes

Saying goodbye was definitely the hardest part once the program was over. It was surprising how close some of us got after spending five and a half months together. I really hope I can stay in contact with all of them and already some mini reunions are being planned for the fall. That's one perk of these Midwest abroad programs. We all go to school relatively close to each other. After our goodbye dinner in London, we all spent the night packing and went on our separate ways. I hopped on the train going to Edinburgh and that started my two weeks of travel. 

During my two weeks, I went up and down the UK and to Eastern Europe to visit a friend. I went to Edinburgh by myself for four days and it was a lot of fun. Traveling by oneself is really rewarding and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to do it in the UK. The key is to be a smart traveler and not go out after dark. I went through St. Christopher's Hostels for a place in Edinburgh and it wasn't the nicest place, but it was cheap. 

Tips for Traveling Alone: 

1. Keep a budget.

2. Don't walk the streets after dark. 

3. Try and blend in with the locals.

4. Pack as light as possible!

5. Don't make yourself vulnerable.

Edinburgh was a pretty tourist-friendly place, so it wasn't all that bad. I would be a little more hesitant to go travel in Turkey or someplace in Eastern Europe by myself, but I did have a friend there and that made it a little better. Being alone does get a little lonely, of course, but there is so much to see and I was so glad I got to see what I wanted. 

Now that I'm back in the States, I'm going to miss my host mom in Italy, I'm going to miss all the sites in Europe, and I'm going to miss the Tube especially in London, but being abroad has helped me to learn how to deal with different people especially after we all lived together for so long, and how to adapt to new surroundings. I'm so excited for the people who will be going on this program next year. There are so many perks when going abroad and though I want to go back to Europe soon (immediately, might I add), I know it's not going to be the same. Still, I'll have this awesome program to remember Europe by and hopefully make some more memories in that lovely country soon!

And the Hits Just Keep On Coming

It's been quite awhile since I posted last, but that's because there's been so much to do. In the past three and a half weeks I've gone to the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio, loads of museums, parks/gardens, the English countryside, Abbey Road, Buckingham Palace (where I saw the Queen!!), and a bunch of hidden places that require reservations and the utmost secrecy.  London is the place for doing things, let me tell you. Or, rather, let me show you.

The Rosetta Stone - British Museum

A real-life (or dead) mummy! - British Museum

A little creepy, but still cool. - British Museum

Bart Simpson chilling on the South Bank

The Tempest at Shakespeare's Globe

These next couple pictures deserve more words. As a class, we got the opportunity to tour the Houses of Parliament. It's literally a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me as an overseas tourist. According to its website, only British citizens can book tours and, luckily, our professor was a Brit through and through. We were led around by a pretty famous/infamous Labour party member named Dennis Skinner. Andrew (our prof.) had us look him up on Wikipedia and such beforehand and boy; he was one colorful character. He definitely kept us entertained as well with his snide comments and sometimes sarcastic remarks. It would get a little lost in his strong Derbyshire accent, but we were able to keep up well enough. We weren't allowed to take pictures of the current houses in use, but I did snap a couple of the entrance that was once a Parliament hall before the houses burnt down.

Entrance to the hall that splits into the House of Lords
and the House of Commons.

Continuing on...

Kensington Gardens

And the fluffiest flowers I've ever seen!

Prince Albert Memorial

My little trip out to Farnham, Surrey was absolutely lovely and on a perfect day weather-wise. Luckily I had a friend who lives out there so she led me around. We trekked through the countryside from the train station to Waverley Abbey, a Cistercian monastery that was in use from 1128 to 1536. It lies in ruins now, but seeing it in the middle of someone's farm was fascinating. And the walk there was beautiful.

Farnham, Surrey! Also known as the
English countryside (or where Londoners
go to get some peace and quiet)

Waverley Abbey ruins

Waverley Abbey

Me and Waverley Lane

The easiest tree to climb ever

One of my favorite things ever was the Warner Bros. Studio Tour I went to in Watford with my friends. We took a train there to northwest London and a shuttle from the studio came and picked us (and the other 100 people) up and took us there. The studio itself was amazing for a huge Harry Potter nut as I and I was finding myself in awe of, firstly, the set designs, the thought put into it, and the building techniques, and second of all, with movie magic. The way film can manipulate reality is so interesting. It definitely encouraged my thoughts of attending film school after my undergrad. Worth every pound I paid (and then some). The gift shop was also amazing and I think all of us, my friends and I, spent quite a bit of money there. But hey, when will we ever come back?

And another fantastic piece of info we found out afterwards: Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton had visited hours before us. WHAT! Yeah, that was our reaction too.

The Owl Emporium

Books, books, books!

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!

Gryffindor! Woot woot!

The Gryffindor Common Room

Harry's wee cupboard

The Hogwarts Bridge

Hogwarts

Hogwarts again

"Just stick out your wand hand, step
on board...

...and we can take you anywhere you
want to go!"

Ugh, the Dursleys...

Props! PROPS!

Yeah, that's right. I'm riding a broom. 

The beloved Time Turner (it wasn't destroyed
after all!)

The two secret places my friends and I went were both equally awesome and equally expensive. The first was called Evan and Peel and it was set up as an underground Detective Agency which becomes a bar. It was really hidden away and required reservations and imagination. I'll only show a photo of the door because I was sworn to keep the inside a secret (but they've got creative good drinks if you're willing to pay a bit for 'em).

The other is called Soho's Secret Tea Room and I went there for a bit of brunch and tea. This place also requires reservations. We had to enter a pub where older men were having their midday drinks and tell the lady our reservation. She guessed it; it was clear we didn't fit in with the pub crowd. We went upstairs that was completely dressed up as a 1940's tea room complete with a record player and quaint decor. It was lovely, the tea was lovely, and though it was a bit pricier than other tea houses, the environment (and the scones!) were worth the price.

Now for the highlight of my week: I SAW THE QUEEN. She was on her way to Parliament for her annual speech at the State Opening of Parliament. We went to Buckingham Palace to catch her on her way and she passed by us in her lovely carriage, having been preceded by her son Prince Charles (and his wife) and the Crown Jewels (in its own carriage - fancy that).

Buckingham Palace

The band of guards making their way to
the queen's gate

IT'S THE QUEEN!

IT'S THE QUEEN AGAIN!

 And Prince Charles too, but he wasn't nearly as exciting.

I have one full day left of London until my program as a whole and my time in London is officially at an end. The program itself has been such a wonderful experience and the people I've been with I'm actually going to miss. It does get a little tiring being with the same people day in and day out, but I know we'll miss each other once we've parted. It's been one heck of a time and I'll miss London dearly, but I'm glad to say my travels don't end here. I'll be traveling after the program for two more weeks around Europe. I'm lucky I have friends who live in this part of the world who I can visit, but lots of my traveling will be by myself. I'm excited and a little nervous, but I have done a lot of touring of the city on my own anyway both in Florence and London. Being here and fulfilling my dreams five years in the making has been so rewarding and I'm lucky to say I did it! And have some amazing memories and pictures as evidence.

And I have to say this: favorite play of the eleven we've seen is definitely War Horse. Theatre in London is so great and it's worth coughing up a few pounds to see a play or musical! There are half-price tickets in Leicester Square and, while I'm lucky my program paid for most of them, the tickets I purchased on my own were at great prices for fantastic shows. London theatre (along with so much else) is top-notch! 

Stratford-upon-Avon and its Goodies

Why I love England
Reason #31: Shakespeare.

Stratford-upon-Avon is his birthplace, and we were able to catch two plays there, one really modern adaptation of As You Like It and another called The Empress, the latter not having much to do with Shakespeare and the former being really, really entertaining.

Stratford is a quaint little country town that plays up the fact that Shakespeare was born, lived, and died there. It's a nice town that bustles with tourists (mostly students), expensive rates, and lots of souvenir shops, the latter two having to do with the first.

Now on with the pictures, I say (and you're probably thinking):

The old style of houses.

Left: Anne Hathaway (wife of W.S.),
Right: Shakespeare's grave

Memorial of Shakespeare

Upon the River Avon

The river's lovely, really. 

Shakespeare Memorial

Shakespeare's birthplace

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre

So yes, Shakespeare is awesome, the river is beautiful, and the Royal Shakespeare Company was absolutely amazing in their production of As You Like It. I'm not a big fan of the play myself, but the way the play was performed was enough to convince me that I loved it even if I, well, don't in real life. The production was set in the present time and all the actors wore very modern clothing with lots of plaid shirts and sweaters. The music was very English indie/folk with a tinge of an older, ancient world to it that really set the mood and tone for the entire play. The musician, Laura Marling, plays really well and has a very lovely voice. 

As for the actors, Rosalind was played by a lovely actress, Pippa Nixon, that a lot of the women in the program fell in love with when she came out again dressed as Ganymede. Everyone fell in love with Orlando, played by Alex Waldmann, and his silliness, his gentle naivety, and his passion for Rosalind. Those two and everyone else in the production executed the Shakespearean language so well, and with their body language and blocking along with their facial expressions and modern clothing, I could understand every bit of what was going on and what the funny and serious bits were. After watching such a well done modern adaptation of Shakespeare, I don't think I could even read the play the same afterwards. It made reading the play itself rather boring. 

Besides the plays and apart from Shakespeare altogether, I was led to find a cute little shop/cafe on the popular tourist street. It's tucked into the row of shops, but it has a small swinging sign that reads, "The Creaky Cauldron." And just as the sign leads one to think, once you enter you are welcomed to the magical world, a tiny oasis for magic lovers and for those who are a little overwhelmed by the world of Shakespeare. Once you make your way past the man at the counter, you enter the magic shop with tons of games, magic dust, wands, etc. It's small, but full and wonderful. Through the magic shop, there is a cafe where they serve sweet cakes and other treats along with butterbeer, pumpkin juice, or just plain coffee. And past that (yes, this place extends quite deep), there is a tight sitting area. I had to get the butterbeer and it didn't disappoint a new butterbeer drinker. I won't tell what it tasted like, but I do hope to try other kinds and see how they compare. 

There is also an upper level that you have to pay to get into, but there is a treasure hunt-like game that you play as you go through and you get to peruse through the shelves full of magical objects and the rooms that get a little creepier the further you go. There was so much integration of the magical world with British history (including the claim that William Shakespeare was a great wizard) that I could almost believe it all, even if some other claims were a bit silly. At the very least, it was all entertaining and I, as an avid Harry Potter fan, did enjoy it. I just can't WAIT to go to the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

Why I Love England
Reason #32: Harry Potter references

Butterbeer!

The Sorting Hat (borrowed from Hogwarts)

Officially a witch of Henley Street

I did go to other places, like Greenwich! Greenwich is also a really lovely town and the prime meridian is there, but we only took a day trip there to mainly visit the National Maritime Museum. It's a nice coastal town, but so far all of the cities I've visited have been near some source of water. It's nice to know water isn't scarce on this island.

Why I Love England 

Reason #33: Water is EVERYWHERE. And it's beautiful.