Welcome to London!

Our second day here was a big orientation day. We were escorted to our classroom area, provided by Richmond University, to receive a program orientation for while were were in London! They gave us the details on cultural differences, transportation, money, and even safety while abroad. Sgt. Paul, our British comedian of a bobby, came in to discuss with us the stupid things study abroad kids seem to get themselves into while overseas... And then promptly forbid us from doing any of those things, of course. He also told us that possession of pepper spray in the UK is a felony (it is considered a firearm), so a few girls and I had to kiss our mace goodbye!

After the orientation, we had a brief break before our big coach tour of the city. A few of the girls and I browsed the shops in the area to look for lunch spots, and I made yet another trip to Sainsbury's to retrieve some items that I was too disoriented to remember to pick up the night before.

Back at Courtfield, we were loaded on to a coach that would take us on a tour of greater London. Our tour guide, Liz, was a self-proclaimed loony Brit, full of all the sarcasm and wit that the British have to offer. We took off from the flats as the jokes rolled on.

The gardens across the street from 23 Courtfield!

Our first stop on the journey was Westminster Abbey, so we made our way through the London traffic and foggy weather to the Westminster area, passing some lovely sights on the way!

The Natural History Museum

Victoria & Albert Musem

A lovely dress shop in Knightsbridge

A cake shop in Kensington

Hyde Park perimeter

Outside of the Palace!

We finally arrived at Westminster Abbey after a couple of frantic dashes across the street with 50 college students in tow. Liz led our tour, and we got a wonderful background on the best parts of Westminster, starting with the grave of the Unknown Warrior and the Coronation chair (which is now in a special room and facing some hefty conservation repairs!) We then walked to the corner of science, where quiet a few of my group members where more than alarmed to know that they were standing atop Charles Darwin. As we headed deeper into the church, I couldn't help but identify the church with all of my art history terminology: the nave, the flying buttresses, the stained glass, the vaulted ceilings... Gothic architecture is one of my favorite architecture styles, and the English sure did it right. Standing in front of the altar, I couldn't help but picture the royal wedding... Being there and seeing it was surreal!

We strolled through the rest of the Abbey and Liz made her cracks about the past kings and queens of England, each having their own unique history and notoriety. We ended, of course, with Poet's Corner, and saw all of the greats. This is when the humanities students all ooh-ed and ah-ed over their idols and Liz went a little over her time limit entertaining them with stories about their favorites. We hustled back toward the buses, and on our way there encountered the boy's choir from the Westminster Abbey Choir School, walking in two straight lines into the abbey to prepare for that evening's performance.

The westwork of Westminster Abbey! You can always judge what your directions are in a city by looking toward the old cathedrals. The most elaborately decorated side (and the main entrance) of the church faces west!

From Westminster, we made our way through the rest of the city! We got back on the bus at just the right time, because London decided that hail was the appropriate weather for a good portion of our journey.

Parliament!

Liz got very distracted by Robert Downey Jr. on this bus next door during a stop

Trafalgar Square!

The National Gallery

A stereotypical London phone booth shot

Somewhere between Trafalgar's Square and Waterloo, however, I apparently got a little too cozy in the back of the bus and went right back to sleep (sure, I can fall asleep on buses...) I was later told that Liz made a comment about me sleeping, but I woke up after a while! I just needed to rest my eyes!

I woke up just in time for a classic photo-op! The London Eye framing the Big Ben clock tower.

As we approached Piccadilly Circus, Dr. Foy and Dr. Facinelli revealed their devious plans, and we were kicked off of the bus at the Circus. The intention was for us to explore the heart of London (and learn to use our Oyster cards) by force encouragement. So off we went! We did not have a lot of time because it was late and a lot of the main attractions were shutting down, but we snuck a few things in!

Olivia and me in Trafalgar's Square!

The countdown to the Paralympics

Me in the National Portrait Gallery! (After a docent came through and told us they were closing in 30 seconds)

Tube ride home!

Luckily, we ran around enough that we beat rush hour and headed back home on the Tube without issue! When we arrived back at our flats, the dark reality of our situation set in: it was time to do our readings. Because we have a thing called study abroad with this thing we have to do called class. Dr. Foy and Dr. Facinelli had a double header class ready for us tomorrow, so we had to buckle down and study for the day ahead!