Sunny and the city

February 18, 2010

Man, another week gone by! We are over five week into our fifteen week program… where did the time go? I feel like I begin every post with this same dilemma. I just don’t want this wonderful time to end! But I should enjoy it while I’m here and not worry about it ending so soon.

This week was…good. Nothing too exciting happened. But there are plenty of adventures to come this weekend with day trips to Greenwich and Brighton. And London Fashion Week beginning tomorrow! So excited. We have set aside plenty of time to people/celebrity watch around Hyde Park and the show tents. I plan on getting some homework done during that time, too… yeah, right.

In contrast to the crazy weekend coming up, Wednesday was relatively relaxed. I only had class for a few hours and then Hal, Viv, and I roamed the streets, took a bunch of pictures, and saw a few things we’ve wanted to see. First, I went for a run in the morning. And it felt sooo good. The sun was out and I ran all around. Hyde Park was stuffed with people enjoying the one day of good weather this week. It was really a perfect morning. The Queen’s guard was even practicing around the park. I ran far away from them… didn’t want my eyes to swell up! Thanks allergies. I stopped by the Serpentine Gallery, which is located right in the middle of the park, to see an installation by an artist we are studying for my art history class. After reading a few plaques and signs around the gallery, I found out that Princess Diana was a big fan of the gallery and used to hold parties there all the time!

Got back on the Tube for a long ride to the Embankment. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the tube. And I don’t really know why. It’s always crowded, smelly, and jerks you around every which way, but was so happy to ride it again. I might have even smiled when it showed up at the station. It is so uniquely London. The city would be nothing without the underground. Along with my happy, homecoming mood, Viv, Hal and I headed to the Thames. Did I mention it was sunny today? It was so beautiful, I almost didn’t wear a jacket. We walked along the Thames for a bit, visiting the Victoria Embankment Gardens. We made our way slowly west, toward the Somerset House.

Oh, I almost forgot. I lost my map on the way to the tube station! It was this really cool pocket book with maps and places of interest and tons of information. I was completely lost without it, I almost cried. Pretty sure Hal and Viv got tired of me sulking for the entire afternoon. I was so sad! Our advisors gave it to us the first week here and I’d marked a bunch of things in it, notes and such… And nobody else ever carries theirs’ around like I do, so we were lost, of course. I was so sad until I found the exact same one in a post office! It didn’t have all of my markings, lists, and places checked off that we’d visited, but at least I have a map again. I’ll just have to go back in and mark it all up like my old one!

Back to our afternoon adventure. We finally found the Somerset House. Which is awesome, by the way. We didn’t get to learn much about it because the information desk and all tours were canceled because London Fashion Week is being held there this weekend! We had no idea, until we saw the big signs for Somerset House and it said ‘Fashion Week Ahead’ below. Crazy! We did get to walk around the huge building for a bit. It has this big courtyard in the middle, that usually has those funny, dancing fountains of water that shoot out of the ground, but they were covered by the catwalk tents. We actually got to see the red carpet area and everything set up for this weekend! We are definitely heading back there to people watch this weekend. And I’m bringing my camera. We plan on going back to Somerset House after Fashion week to tour the house and the gallery inside.

After our misadventures at Somerset House, we headed toward this part of town called Temple. It used to be home to the Knight Templar. They built a beautiful church called Temple Church and from then on, the area was known as Temple. The area is filled with huge, Victorian style buildings, mostly offices and banks. But there are also green, green gardens and a beautiful view of the River Thames. So pretty. We took few pictures by the church, a red telephone booth, the river, and were on our way. We also passed the Royal Courts of Justice. Amy, I wish we had visited this when you were here! It was like this massive castle right in the middle of the street! And it went on and on. Taking up the entire city block. We couldn’t go inside because some big court case was going on (there were news cameras and everything outside), but we got some pretty good pictures from the front entrance. After a bit more wondering, we headed home for supper and homework.

Along with my history class, I visited the National Portrait Gallery and Banqueting House this afternoon. First, we ascended on the Banqueting House in a massive herd. Seriously, I feel to bad for the people working at these places when thirty loud Americans walk in the door, crowding the place and asking bizarre questions. They always look so scared. The Banqueting House, located right beside Parliament in Westminster, was magnificent. It is used for official functions given by the government or the Queen. It was built by Henry VIII, but rebuild several times after that. King Charles I was beheaded right outside and the entire ceiling of the banqueting hall is painted like the Sistine Chapel. My neck hurt after looking up for so long.

Next, we headed over the National Portrait Gallery by Trafalgar Square. We were there as a class to check out the Tudor Collection (Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, Mary I), but were allowed to wonder to our heart’s desire after a short lecture from our professor. We found so many recognizable faces there. Queen Elizabeht, Charles Darwin, Mary Queen of Scots, the Bronte Sisters, David Beckham, Liz Taylor, Prince William! It isn’t the artists that are famous in this gallery, but the people portrayed. So many famous monarchs and other important people to Great Britain. It spans all the way from the Tudor Period (~1500) to the present. So many faces. So much fun! We had a blast. My favorite was great drawing of Winston Churchill. We headed out into the rain after that and onto the tube, headed for home. Ever since, I’ve been sitting on my bunk, planning for spring break and doing homework.

Off to Brighton and the coast tomorrow. I’ll see the English Channel for the first time! See you soon.

Love, Kelly