A very busy and adventurous day.

I have loads to talk about and tons of pictures to show, so let's get things started! Also, prepare yourself for fun facts. I went a little Wikipedia crazy.

I didn't have class today until 2pm so I thought I would go on a little adventure. Some of my usual travelling buddies had class this morning so I was on my own. I didn't want to go too far because I am paranoid that I'm going to be late for class or get lost. A few days ago, Jill and I went on a walk to Kensington Palace Gardens, which is just a couple blocks away. It's connected to about 3 other parks so it's just massive. As we were leaving we saw a sign for "Peter Pan". We tried to find it but some how got on to the wrong path and headed back. Today, that was my mission. I planned to go to Kensington Gardens and just walk until I found Peter Pan. I knew the general area from looking at maps but otherwise I had no real plan. I woke up this morning, took my time getting ready and then headed out at 9:50. It was beautiful out today. It wasn't too cold, the sun was shining and the green was definitely good to see. I didn't realized how much I love big open spaces and trees until now. My first stop was the Albert Memorial. I've seen it before but it was raining and i didn't see the front. Seeing it as the sun is rising is absolutely astounding. It's beautiful. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria after her husband, Albert, died in 1861.

The Albert Memorial.

A closer look at Albert.

Across the street from the park is Royal Albert Hall. It's one of the attractions that is listed in the Haunted London book Portia got me for my birthday. According to the book several ghosts haunt the building.

Royal Albert Hall.

Then, I walked along Long Water part of The Serpentine. That is a man made lake that splits Kensington Gardens from Hyde Park.  Don't let the picture fool you, it was very bright out.

The Serpentine and the Serpentine Bridge.

After a few minutes of walking I found Peter Pan! It looks a bit small in the pictures I took but it's fairly tall. The detail is really cool and there are characters all around the statue. After a bit of research, I found that in the original novels and play, Kensington Garden is very important. Peter Pan has adventures there before going to Neverland and the author, J.M. Barrie, met the Llewellyn Davies family (who peter pan is inspired by) in the park.

The Peter Pan statue.

Some fairies talking to a squirrel on the back of the statue.

Peter Pan.

Some fairies at the base of the statue.

The base of the statue.

At the top of the Long Waters is the Italian Gardens. The picture is a bit dark but they are absolutely beautiful. The gardens are a set of 4 fountains that were constructed in 1860.

The Italian Gardens.

I headed west toward Kensington Palace and found this monument. It's dedicated to John Hanning Speke. He discovered Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile.

Speke Memorial.

Eventually, I found Round Pond. You can see clear across to the Palace so, I tried to take a picture. As I was looking at my phone and pressing the button, a pigeon took off and started to fly directly at me. I am not a huge fan of birds so this was rather frightening. Luckily, it missed me and went about its business while I took a much better picture.

The Pigeon from Hell.

Kensington Palace.

I walked around Round Pond and explored outside and around the palace.

Statue of Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria and Kensington Palace.

A statue outside of the palace. I think he looks like a pirate.

Gates outside of the palace. All of the palace gates are breathtaking.

A panorama of the garden in front of the palace.

A side view of the garden with the Orangery in the background.

The back of the Victoria statue from inside the garden.

A rather daring squirrel on a bench by the Orangery.

The Wiggly Walk. The picture doesn't do it justice.

The public entrance of the palace.

After exploring the gardens, I decided to run to Tesco and get some lunch. I grabbed a sandwich, some crisps and a drink and headed back to Metrogate. The only catch was, in true London fashion, as soon as I stepped outside it started pouring. The beautiful day I was having turned grey within a matter of 4 minutes. I hurried back and sat down to eat. And, wouldn't you know it, the skies cleared to a lovely blue. 

I would just like to take this time to bring up a slight problem I'm having with London. You would think that with the amount of rain this country gets, they would have found the best pavement to use so people would not slip and fall. On the contrary actually, cobblestone makes up most of the streets here. And today I learned that cobblestones and converse are not the best of friends. Luckily, I did not fall but there were some pretty close calls and I nearly broke my ankle accidentally stepping off the sidewalk onto the road.

After class, Jill and I decided to make a quick run to Primark. Primark is a store that sells clothes and things for incredibly low prices. We only needed a couple things so it wasn't going to take us very long. We left Metrogate and headed to the bus stop. We knew the bus we needed to take (number 10) but didn't know where we needed to get off. Caitlin had given us a little direction but told us we would just know it when we got there. We walked passed the bus stop but needed to get to the other side of the street and there was no easy way to cross. As we tried to find a crosswalk, 2 number 10 buses drove right by. We stood in the cold for a bit and waited until 4 different buses all drove up. Now, I feel it's important to note that buses here will not stop unless you flag them down. The buses created a bit of a line while people got on but the number 10 bus drove around and, as we tried to flag him down, kept driving. We stood and waited for another bus for, what felt like, an eternity. Several other buses drove by but no 10. Finally, our bus arrived and we got on. Now was the tricky part, trying to figure out when to get off. We looked up Primark on my phone and found the general area and decided to get off near a tube station, just in case we got lost. We got off the bus and tried to figure out where we were. It had gotten very dark and traffic was hectic so the whole experience was very overwhelming. After fighting with Google maps as to where we were, and being unable to find Primark, we decided to call it a night and take the tube home. We only had to go 2 stops and we knew exactly what we were doing. We approached the first stop and decided to take a detour and get some cookies, because we needed them. We stopped at Ben's Cookies which is right outside the tube station. It was a tiny place, Jill and I could barely both fit in it. As I was paying, Jill stepped outside. The plan was to take a bus (number 49, much more reliable) back to Metrogate because it would drop us off right at the end of our road. But, as I went to leave the cookie shop, the skies opened and it started pouring. (Again. This is becoming a pattern) So we got back on the tube and hoped the rain would stop. Luckily, it did. When we got off at our stop, Gloucester Road, it had stopped raining and we walked back home. 

Now that I'm home, I'm eating dinner and going to bed. Today was definitely an adventure. Tomorrow we are going to the Tower of London and I am soooo excited. Well, I'm off to do some homework and sleep! Goodnight everyone!!

JessLynn

Thinking of titles is the hardest part of writing this blog...

Today wasn't too eventful but it definitely wasn't boring. We had our first British Life and Culture class this morning. BLC is taught by the same professor that teaches Modern British Politics. The classes are very similar right now, but I'm ok with that because they are super interesting. I also had my second British Crime Fiction class and I have never been so excited for a reading list in all of my years of school. The first author we are reading is Edgar Allan Poe, who is one of my favorites. I participated in class today which is pretty rare for me. I think it shows how excited I am about the material and how comfortable I am with our group already. We got out of class a little early so we could get started on our pretty hefty homework. The hardest part about class is when Christine introduces us to the works we are reading. I get really excited and want to start reading. I can't wait to open them up and dive in.

After class, I ate some dinner and have since been reading and just hanging out. In a few minutes I'm going to hang out with Jill and watch the first episode of Supernatural. (Because that's exaclty what I need, another TV show that I'm addicted to haha) Tomorrow is the last day of class this week and there are plans in the works to go to the Tower of London at some point this weekend. So, stay tuned for some exciting adventures that I will be going on!

JessLynn

A Visit to the V&A.

Last night, Mallory and I decided that we needed to get out of the dorm and do something. We discovered that we didn't have class until 2pm today so we planned a trip the Victoria and Albert Museum. I've heard really good things about it and it's just a few streets over from Metrogate. So, this morning we woke up and headed out at 10:30. The museum is absolutely amazing. It's huge and there is so much to see. Entrance is free but it costs a little extra to see the special exhibits. We decided to stick with the permanent exhibits. These exhibits are organized by where pieces were made. We stuck with Europe for today. The amount of history in that space is astounding. One very cool feature of the museum is it's interactive elements. I was able to touch a wooden rose that was carved in the 1400's. We hardly scratched the service and I am really looking forward to going back and seeing more of the pieces!

A Roodloft from the Netherlands at the V&A.

Plaster casts of kings and queens at the V&A.

We then headed to our first British Crime Fiction class. The professor for this class is Christine Harris, the Director of the Lawrence University London Centre. She is absolutely amazing and I am so excited to read the material for her class. The greatest part about my classes is how passionate the professors are. Every one of them absolutely loves what they are doing and really wants to share their knowledge with us.

After class, I headed back and made myself some dinner. It's the first full meal I have made and it was absolutely delicious. 

Chicken with pastry, broccoli and mashed potatoes. Thank you Waitrose Ready Meals!

Then, I went to my final class of the day, Fringe Theatre. Tonight we saw our first play, Little Black Book. We met and discussed some of our expectations for the play and waited for the students that weren't in the class to join us. We all took the tube to the theatre and sat in the lobby/bar for a few minutes until the house opened. The space was really small and a little cramped but the stage was very low which made it very easy to see. The show was fantastic. It was a little odd and confusing but in the best way. The actors were absolutely stupendous. There were only two of them and they were almost constantly talking for the whole 80 minutes. I really enjoyed the play and I'm glad that was the first one we saw. 

The bar at The Park.

Well today has been busy and now it's definitely time for some sleep. Good night!!

JessLynn

First Day of Classes!

Good evening! I'm still trying to work out my schedule for blogging but starting today I'm shooting for daily updates. So here is my first real post!!

Today was pretty laid back but there's still a lot to share. I had two classes today. First up was Modern British Politics with Professor Fosdal. This is the class I was most excited for. I know absolutely nothing about British politics but I am fascinated by American politics. I really look forward to being able to compare them and see how our systems differ. The content of the course sounds very interesting but what's even better is the professor. He is fantastic. We have met Professor Fosdal a couple times before today (at our welcome lunch and at Christine's house for tea). He is a very sweet older British gentleman. You get the sense when you speak with him that he genuinely cares about what you say; he isn't just making small talk. He wants a conversation. He is incredibly intelligent. A lot of questions were asked in class today and he eloquently answered every single one. I am really looking forward to having this class and British Life and Culture with him.

After class, I had an hour break to go grab some lunch. Becky and I went to Pret a Manger, which is becoming a favorite of mine. The food there is very fresh and tastes delicious. We then headed back to Foundation House for our second (and final) class of the day, Fringe Theatre in London. I will be honest and say that I was a little intimidated by this class. I have only recently been doing theatre and I am still learning. I was very pleased to find that, with my Start Up Theatre class last term and the few shows I've worked on previously, I am one of the more experienced students in my class. We will be seeing one show per week for the rest of the term and analyzing and reacting together. Professor Ridgers is very laid back and really open to hearing our opinions of the works we see. He is very interesting and seems very easy to talk to, which will be beneficial when we have discussions in class.

When class finished, we headed back to Metrogate and I just lounged for the rest of the day. It started raining really heavily so going out was not really an option. I need to stop sitting around and actually get out into the city. Now that we have a set class schedule, planning trips and exploring will be much easier. Tomorrow morning my roommate, Mallory, and I are going to explore the Victoria and Albert museum before we have class. That will hopefully jump start my exploration of the city.

Side note that is completely unrelated to anything else: The beds in our room are incredibly loud. Every time you move, even slightly, they creek and shake. It's very annoying and a little scary. I just thought you all would like to know.

JessLynn

Hello!

Welcome to my blog! Here is where I will keep everyone up to date on the fun things I'm doing in London for the next 3 months. I will also be making videos for the Lawrence University London Centre YouTube account. I'll post those videos here as well. I'm not sure how often I will update but I will try to post daily about what I'm up to. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!!