Cambridge

This week we went to Cambridge and experienced one of the most well known schools in the world. It was so interesting to see how their campus is set up. It is all very spread out and the colleges within the university have a lot of autonomy and pride. The college lines the Cam river, and so we-like most Cambridge students-went punting along the river. It was so much fun. I was thinking of dad the entire time. Also, happy birthday dad! I’m glad you were born.

Soccer...oh wait-FOOTBALL

Last night we went to the FA international game of USA and England. The game was at Wimbley stadium which is huge, and the fans were wearing tons of red. There were about 71, 322 people in attendance and the crowd was a lot quieter and more respectful then at byu (something I did not expect). I really loved the game and consider this one of my favorite things here. David Beckham got a golden cap award for playing 100 times against France and Kelly Roland from destiny's child sang the national anthem. The speakers weren't workign so it sounded really bad...just a mean trick from the queen.

Market

There are a lot of open markets in London, and it is not uncommon for my friends and I to go to multiple markets on Saturday. One of my favorites has been borough market. This is a fresh foods market and everything is delicious! We had a biggest grilled cheese sandwich. Also, during the same day as the market the country was having bank holiday and so at the Tate modern there were tons of people playing games (it was the museums theme) and on the of games was fresh veggie chess. I liked the picture and I thought it went well with the food selection from above.

Plays

This week I was able to go to two plays in the theater district. We went to Sound of Music and Into the Hoods. Having only seen half of Sound of Music I was a bit skeptical, but it was amazing. The songs were great, and the stage literally had a large mountain on it. I was very impressed with the sets. At one point we were surrounded by Hitler’s swastikas and I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. It was intense. Into the Hoods is a spoof on Into the Woods. The plot was very lacking in this play, but it was entirely composed of modern rap and hip hop music with amazing breakers. The dancing was incredible and it was so much fun. Leaving the theater was so great, everyone was rocking out to Jackson 5 and dancing. The picture of it is my friends and I trying to be from the ‘hood’…if you couldn’t tell.

*more pictures of sound of music will be coming. I'm waiting to be tagged on facebook b/c tourists tend to be very obnoxious holding up massive amounts of people to take pictures and so i try to make it easier by only having 5 cameras from utahns instead of six.

Temple Trip

We went to the London temple today to do baptisms for the dead. It was really fun; I absolutely love the temple. We left at nine and got back at a little after four…it’s amazing the sacrifices people go through to go to the temple and church. Having had the luxury of being two seconds from church and 3 minutes from a temple it has been a shock to travel. The temple was simple, and interestingly seems to be more concerned with rules then the Provo temple. For example, in London nail polish was not ok…at all. Provo doesn’t care. I felt like a bit of a heretic taking off my brilliant red nail polish. We had to take a taxi there and I felt like we were going to get in an accident because they drive on the wrong side of the road. I was a wee bit scared.

Hampton Court

This week we went to Hampton Court. If I were to try to write the history of this palace down…it would be 18,000 pages long (roughly). Seriously, everything has happened here. Some of the key points are that James the first (formally James the 6th of Scotland) lived here, along with the famous Henry the VIII. Henry is known for murdering his wives when they would have sons….a typical story in aristocratic trends. The palace rooms were very impressive, lots of gold and fine things. Tons of ceiling murals. It’s amazing how high maintenance the royalty was. They through about three rooms everyday in order to get ready. Also, the kitchens would cook for over 400 people when there were large gatherings. That’s a party. The gardens were enormous and so very pretty! We also successfully completed a English maze (see Harry Potter 5).

Note: The court is rumored to be haunted with the spirits of the murdered wives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM! It was so fun to talk to you...i hope you had fun at the zoo. Sorry i couldn't be there. (yes..i'm am writing this on the assumption that someone will read it aloud to him-i'm fully aware he can't read.)

Hello

While I have been away, lots has happened-so considering the difficulty in calling people from London I will post them to the individuals.

• Happy Mothers Day! Mom, you are amazing and great! I couldn’t ask for a better mother.
• Happy Birthday! Matt, way to be born. I love you and wish we could go bowling more often. Move back to utah….asap! Also, congrats on finishing your first year of law school.
• Happy Birthday! Lindsay and Madison you girls are so sweet and amazing. I love watching the blog and wish I could be there with you. I’ll see you soon!
• Also, my little niece Mariee Morgan Orme was born to Nick and Cassi. To my Minnesotan friends: I love you guys and wish I could be there with you. I send my love and continue to pray for you.

Later, we went to the castle where we witnessed the changing of the guards and toured the historic landmark, seeing where James the first (aka James the 6th of England) was born. Scotland’s national flower is the thistle…I bought an authentic Scottish tartan scarf there. The name made me laugh. Also, we ate haggis….which is disgusting.

hag·gis
–noun Chiefly Scot.
a traditional pudding made of the heart, liver, etc., of a sheep or calf, minced with suet and oatmeal, seasoned, and boiled in the stomach of the animal

Edinburgh and York

This week we went on an extended trip to Scotland. We stayed in the capitol which is Edinburgh. It was really fun! We got up at 5 and went on a train. I absolutely adore train rides. Pictured here are Paige, Erica, and I having a party on the train. When we got into Scotland we found our hostel and then went rambling on the highlands of Scotland. We climbed Sir Arthur’s Seat where I listened to William Wallace (aka Mel Gibson) speech given in braveheart. I felt like a true Scotsman!

Les Miserables

We went to Les Mis as a group of friends and went to get the discount tickets. Notice, that discount entails the very very back row of the theater…but surprisingly we were able to see everything great. Les Mis continues to be one of my favorite plays, and the actors in London only cemented its ranking as one of my top 3 plays. * In the picture by the sign the girls and I were revolutionaries. Sad when I have to explain my brilliant picture ideas.

Beachy Head

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Here we are at Beachy Head. This is considered part of the seven sisters, which are seven branches of the coast that have huge, white, chalky cliffs. It is awe inspiring. Apparently, the jagged, 500 foot drop can be blamed on the continent of Africa running into Europe. It has a suicide rate of 20 people a year, so a bit scary. Also, notice the intense wind. The horizon was really cool because there was a bit of haze and it melted into the ocean..it was very cool.

I remember reading this poem last year and wanting to go actually see the white cliffs....so here it is.

The White Cliffs

I
I have loved England, dearly and deeply,
Since that first morning, shining and pure,
The white cliffs of Dover I saw rising steeply
Out of the sea that once made her secure.
I had no thought then of husband or lover,
I was a traveller, the guest of a week;
Yet when they pointed 'the white cliffs of Dover',
Startled I found there were tears on my cheek.
I have loved England, and still as a stranger,
Here is my home and I still am alone.
Now in her hour of trial and danger,
Only the English are really her own.

by: Alice Miller

We traveled about an hour to Greenwich…which is where time is dictated! In fact, it is called the meridian of time…and I stood on two hemispheres. It’s a tad bit conceited for England to say they can determine tyme..but I guess someone had to do it. The day was gorgeous, and the grounds were incredibly amazing. I’m beginning to realize what the effects are if you have rain…and I’m liking it a lot more then the effects of not (which would be all of Utah).

sorry for the delay....here are some updates

This is yet another cathedral that I have been to. Actually, this cathedral is probably the most important. It is called Canterbury Cathedral, and is considered the center of the Church of England. You might also be familiar with it because of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” That book is important because it was written in common vernacular English, which was one of the first texts to use English…though it was the transition English from middle to modern. Making sense? Probably not..but I’m an English nerd. Also important, Sir Thomas Becket was martyred here and there is a small shrine to him. He was a church leader who stood up to the government and was assassinated. The catholic church has some shady history.

Back of London College

Front of London College

This law society is part of the london college. It is so random, it's in the middle of tons of office buildings and you go down this little cobble stone street and you look up and wow....here is this really really tall college. Way cool.

the right of the building

Just a note: the pictures are segmented because it was SO LARGE!!! Really though-it's huge

Don't mess with the law.....the building seems a bit intimidating

The students take a class titled london walks, and as you can probably deduce, the class is composed of walks. These tend to be very long and i almost always get lost-but it really helps us get oriented around the city. My favorite walk was the legal district, especially the royal courts of justice.

I think that my dad said that our family traces its roots back to a town called Leicester..if this is the case then this is our hometown. It was super busy because it's in the theater district where a lot of the plays are performed.