"I'm Henry VIII, I am, I am"

Last Wednesday we took a day trip to Hampton Court. It was a pretty awesome place. It's a pretty good sized palace (I wouldn't mind living there...) that Cardinal Wolsey built and the Tudor family ended up living in. It's apparently haunted by the ghosts of Henry VIII two wives who were executed. I didn't see any ghosts though, and I was searching for them. Basically there was a lot of drama that went on under this one roof (or several roofs I guess) with Henry VIII crazy family. It was cool to see. We spent hours walking all over the castle and then hours walking through the gardens, which were beautiful. After Hampton Court we wandered along the south bank of the Thames and ate dinner down there instead of going back to the Centre. So that was last week's excursion...and we leave in twenty minutes for Cambridge, our excursion this week. I like that they call them excursions, it makes it sound really intense.


The architecture was really cool in all of the buildings. I think that the kitchens were my favorite part. They could cook for like 800-1200 people almost daily. Lots and lots of meat I guess. I'm glad I wasn't a cook there.

The entire inside of the palace was beautifully painted and really elaborate. We weren't supposed to take pictures...so we snuck a few :)

Me and Henry. I didn't like him much before I went, but, after singing his song all day and walking around his house, we became better friends.


The chimneys were my very very favorite part of the whole castle. They all had different cool patterns in the brickwork.


This is the Privy Gardens behind the castle. This isn't a very good picture of it but it looked like the place where they hold the ball in the Count of Monte Cristo. I wanted to wear a mask and walk around and stuff. It really did look like it...a lot.


More of the gardens.


The hedge maze behind the castle. Yep, it was just like Harry Potter...except not quite as long, not quite as hard and not quite as dark with some really funny theme music playing. As you can see, I got lost.


The whole group of us behind the palace.

wearing holes in the soles of my shoes

At one point I thought that all of the crazy walking would slow down after those first few days. Man was I wrong. We walk ton and it's just fantastic. I think though, that after three weeks, my nearly brand new shoes are nearing their end. As the English would say--they're about ready to croak. Time for a new pair?

A need tae practice mae Scots

I LOVED Scotland! I think I loved it for three main reasons. 1) They really do wear kilts 2) they really do play bagpipes all the time and 3) they really do talk like that. None of it is just romanticized in movies...it's all real. Despite what you may have thought...I didn't really learn how to speak Scots, but I tried. I think it's my new favorite accent to impersonate. Other favorite words/phrases I heard: they call their friends "mukkers," "a mist ye sae muckle" would be "I missed you so much" and "Guid cheerio" means goodbye.

Edinburgh was a way cool place to be. It's a very old city. There were so many medieval buildings and so much history in one little place. It was also just the right size to walk around and see everything without being dead tired. And, besides all that, it's totally where my family was from so I was definitely connecting with the ancestors right? Right. Actually, the very first day we got there we immediately set out to hike Arthur's Seat, which overlooks the whole city and surrounding area and was also where the first missionaries in Scotland dedicated the land for missionary work. It was really cool to be there--the very place that the gospel had its beginnings in my family. There was a really neat spirit about it.

We did so many things in the two days that we were there that it would be impossible to write about all of them so I think I'll just post pictures and maybe explain them. I love Scotland though and I'm excited to go back there in just less than a month!
The Castle. It's sweet. I don't want to run for Queen of Scotland though. Not quite as warm and inviting as Buckingham.
Just a random street. The city looks really dirty...and that's because it is. Everything is covered in soot. I guess the Scots are too lazy to clean it off. Oh well, it looks older and more important that way.
Felicia, Lindsay and I about half the way up Arthur's Seat. Little did we know that we were only half way...or we might not have been smiling so big.
A pretty neat little wall and road that we passed on our hike. The mountain was covered in those yellow flowers. So pretty.
I'm sitting on top of Arthur's Seat. Carolyn is...uh standing by me I guess. Carolyn is probably one of my new favorite people.
Me...and the view from Arthur's Seat.
This looks like a postcard. So I had to stick it on here. On the way down Arthur's Seat (yes, it was a long hike...)
View of Arthur's seat from the bottom.
Look! I'm a true Scot. Tartan cloak and all. There were some sweet charity shops in Edinburgh.
There were also some sweet alleyways in Edinburgh.
Lots of men. In kilts.
Me. And a man in a kilt. I think I'm a little more excited about his kilt than he is.
I found this at some museum I went into. I thought the answer, which is B, fits me quite well...so I finally and officially accept the name of Whiskey. They drink a lot of Whiskey in Scotland...
We're warriors. Watch out.
Me and Abby and a statue with the Castle in the background. I don't really know who the guys on the statue is. Oops.

I LOVE SCOTLAND! And I'm now quite proud to claim my Scottish heritage :)

York and Jorvik!

After Edinburgh...and after one more 5 a.m. train ride we got to my new favorite city of the English countryside. York. I don't know why I feel such a bond with York but I do. It created probably the best day of Study Abroad yet. We stayed in a sketch hostel and there was nothing extremely important to do in the town...but we found a lot to keep us entertained. York Minster was great, we didn't pay to go inside because we're cheap, but we went to Evensong there. I got a few glares when I didn't say the prayers. Oops. My favorite thing about York though...the entire town smelled like chocolate. No really, it did. From the moment you walked through Monks Gate you could smell chocolate, and pastries. They had such good pastries. Mmmm...it's a good thing I don't live in York.

The best part of the day...is that instead of paying to go to York Minster, which is only the largest cathedral in the northern half of the UK, we paid seven pounds to experience Jorvik! the Viking City. Oh my goodness...it sure created a lot of laughs...and a lot of good memories. There was this little ride-thing-sort of thing that took us through a the sights--and smells--of a typical Viking town. It was like a really bad version of the Haunted Mansion. After we got off the ride, we had the chance to meet a few Vikings and even find out if we were Vikings ourselves. It was so funny. If you ever go to York, don't feel pressed to go to Jorvik, but, if you have a little spare time and money, don't pass it up. Besides that, it's really fun to say.

York also had some pretty awesome little shops. My favorite was a bookshop that was kiddie corner to the minster. It was awesome. Actually there are awesome used book stores all over England. We also made sure to stop by Whip-ma-Whop-ma-Gate, which you just can't miss (it's the shortest street with the longest name) and we did a really cool walk with this cute little old tour guide, on the old walls of the city, and she told us all about the history of York. It was really interesting and York has a lot of history to it. Basically, it was a great place to stop and spend the night in our sketchy hostel before heading home to good ol' Palace Court.The Minster. The coolest stained glass window was behind scaffolding. Sad.
Um...I'm a Viking? And that scary man...he's a Viking too.
Making friends with Vikings. We fit in really well at Jorvik.
They had some great hat shops in York. I wanted to buy one and go to the races. Maybe even cheer for Dover.
Old Roman ruins of the wall surrounding the city. Yes, those stone boxes are coffins, but I'm pretty sure they're empty. I didn't get close enough to find out.

Mummies and Mummies and Mummies

I wasn't going to add anything until I came home from Scotland...but today was my first experience in the British Museum and I think I'm moving in there (as soon as I get back from Scotland of course) and so I thought I should let everyone know. Actually, this entry is totally for Zach because I know how much he would absolutely LOVE the Egypt sections of the museum. Here are just a couple of things that I saw.


So many mummies. They were everywhere! You can tell from my face that they were a little bit, just a little bit scary. It was weird to be surrounded by them. They also had other cool Egyptian artifacts there...like tons of different sculptures/statues of pharaohs, like this one, of Ramses.


And finally, probably my favorite part of the museum (that I've seen so far) was the Parthenon frieze ruins, the Elgin Marbles, that are there. Why they are in London no one really knows, and there are many people who aren't too happy about it. But at least for today, I'm glad they're here. I guess that's just one of the benefits of being an empire, you can bring all kinds of cool stuff back to your capital. Maybe I'll consider returning them if I'm elected queen.


Oh and just one more thing, the Rosetta Stone was really really cool too. Zach do you know about the Rosetta Stone? If you don't you should wikipedia it or something because I think you would think it's pretty awesome.

High Tea

Wow, I think I am finally caught up on all my blogging. I can't believe how little time I had those first few weeks. I'm sure it's not going to get a lot better, but at least I feel like I have a little time in the evenings after dinner now...at least on Mondays after FHE. I am having so much fun here in London I can't even describe it. It's everything I hoped it would be for sure and I am meeting some amazing people and seeing some amazing things.

This week we go to Scotland! We're leaving on Wednesday morning at 4:15 in the a.m...I guess we'll see how that goes...and we're traveling to Edinburgh and then to York, which is actually in England. We'll be home again on Saturday night. I'm so excited to see Scotland and northern England. I guess I'll have a lot to add next week when I get home.

I realized that the one thing I haven't said much of anything about is my classes...which are really the main reason that I'm here :). I'm loving them. English is awesome, my professor is absolutely hilarious and so entertaining. Today we went over T.S. Eliot's poem, The Wasteland (which is about London) for about four hours...and I loved every minute. My history class is awesome too and is totally hands on, get out and see stuff. I love it. They are going great.

Today in between class time (he gives us like an hour break) a group of us walked over to Kensington Orangery for high tea. It was so fun. The Orangery is beautiful, actually all of Kensington gardens is beautiful...and the cakes and scones and drinks were really good. Way too expensive...but really good. I think it's just one of those things that you have to do while you're here. Especially because we live so close. Me and my bunkmate, Kylie, chillin' at the Orangery. The whole group of us outside the Orangery. It's a cool building and there are some pretty neat pathways and fountains right out in front of it.

Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens! We went there this last Friday and it has been one of my very favorite places I've been so far. It was absolutely incredible. Being here has made me realize how dry and brown Utah really is. These gardens cover over 300 acres and are just full of beautiful trees, bushes and flowers. The azaleas and rhododendron gardens were probably my top faves...but the palm house was pretty cool too. We spent three hours just walking through and I could have spent all day. Mom, I'm taking you there no question...so get ready...you're going to love it!This palace belonged to King George III (the American Revolution King) and is right in the middle of Kew Gardens. All of these beautiful parks used to belong to the royal family and most of them have an old palace there. I found this sign to be very true...and pretty amusing as well.
I had to add this one for the boys. Zach and Lance...any idea what this cool bird is? I captured him on my own camera...even without a motion detector :)

Greenwich...spinach?

Last week, on Thursday I think it was, a group of us made an excursion to Greenwich to stand in two hemispheres at once. Greenwich was a headquarters for astrology and navigation in earlier times and the Prime Meridian cuts right through it. It's also said to house the clock that has the most perfect time of anywhere in the world. This is Jane and I, standing in two hemispheres at once.

Not only is the old observatory and famous Prime Meridian here, but the Old Royal Naval College was also quite a sight. King Henry VIII actually lived here at one time and had a palace built just outside the Naval College, overlooking the Thames. It's a pretty cool place, all of the walls and ceilings in the hall of the College were beautifully painted with murals (which took something like 19 years to complete) and even the pillars and fireplaces were faux-ed on the walls, which I found really cool.

Our day ended with some pretty good fish 'n chips. Actually, they were by far the best I've ever tasted. We found this little pub just outside the Tube stop in Greenwich. They also had a wide array of condiments, which we made sure to sample...some were well...interesting.














Oh...and Greenwich Spinach...that's a Dr. Seuss pun, that my mom referenced as soon as I told her I'd gone there :)

Nursery!

I got called to be the nursery leader in my ward. I go to a family ward that is about an hour south of where we live. It's kind of crazy to get there and back on Sundays, but definitely worth it. I love it. Today we talked about hands and why we should be thankful for our hands. I have all little girls and they are so adorable. There is also another lady in there with me, named Sister Lolia, and she is great. It's been such a great thing and I'm so excited to keep seeing these kids every week for a while. I got at least four goodbye kisses today and I can't wait to go again.

This is Sharon. I don't know if she's really old enough to be in nursery, but I don't mind that she comes because she is so adorable.



This is Katrina. I think she speaks more than one language because she randomly spurts things off in what I think is Russian all of the time. Sister Lolia is holding her.

Excursion #1: Canterbury, Rye and Beachy Head

Our first "excursion" was so cool! We drove through miles and miles of the Southern English countryside to get to awesome places. Fields and fields of canola (which flowers bright yellow) looked amazing as the sun rose (we left really early). I loved the three places we stopped. I think Beachy Head was probably my favorite though, I've always wanted to see the White Cliffs of Southern England. Our day culminated in our bus almost breaking down...but luckily we made it home safe and sound. Here are a few snippets of my day:

Canterbury and Canterbury Cathedral:


This Cathedral was awesome and one of the oldest sites we've seen so far. It was founded by St. Augustine (the first Christian missionary to England--sent by the Romans) in 602 and then it was made really famous when St. Thomas Becket (archbishop at the time) was martyred here in 1170. From that point forwards hundreds of thousands of pilgrims made their way to Canterbury to pay their respects to Becket at a shrine that was built for him. This is where Chaucer's Canterbury Tales had their origin. It's really crazy to think that I have actually stood where all of that happened. I also loved the architecture. All of these really awesome Gothic buildings are making me really excited for my Gothic period class next fall.

The Cathedral was falling down, but don't worry, we held it up and everything was ok. It is a pretty old building...


Rye:

Our next stop was the little town of Rye. It was kind of a quintessential English village. Nothing really profound happened in rye, it was just sort of a stop to see the English countryside. It was complete with an old fortress, gate, cobble stone streets, a church set on a hill, Victorian style houses, Simon the Pieman pastry shop and just an old town feeling. The Mermaid hotel was awesome and I loved the way they named their houses instead of having house numbers. Such a fun place with a really unique atmosphere. I think I could live there and write a book. Henry James did it.


When I saw this little cottage I thought of McKell. Kell, does this look like something you should live in some day? Do you want to move to Rye with me?


Isn't that old Victorian architecture awesome? It's picture perfect, just what you'd think of when someone talks about a sort of vintage English town.



These two pictures were of my favorite street, Mermaid Street, which was so cute, complete with cobblestones and all.


Beachy Head:

Finally we went to an amazing site on the southern coast of England called Beachy Head. It's part of the "Seven Sisters" series of white English cliffs that span along the coast of the English Channel. I loved this place! I think I could have easily spent the whole day there. Not only could you see the amazing and breathtaking cliff views but there was so much open English countryside and rolling hillside in the opposite direction, and little pastoral sheep farms everywhere. It really was an astounding place.


The cliffs were really neat, and straight off. Word to the wise: never EVER take the Murdoch boys here. They'll just get too close, I know it.


It was so windy, we had to be careful not to get blown over the edge :). Look at that though, the English Channel and White Cliffs--WOW!


I took video of all of these places but I can't figure out how to add them and actually have them work. Soon, when I become a pro blogger I'll figure it out.