Day 48: MONDAY
February 21st
This day was also a very busy one. I feel as though my Mondays always are, even though I have no class. I woke up, got out of bed..... "ran a comb across my head"... then I went to the British Museum (TBM) for History class and some alone time. I feel silly every time I walk towards the museum entrance because I quickly realize I have the goofiest looking smile on my face. I love the museum; it's my home away from my home away from home. I know it like the back of my hand.
After TBM, I went straight to the Tate Modern for my Fine Arts class. This one I didn't enjoy as much. The whole place was confusing and bland. Then I went grocery shopping on my way home.
I love going out in the city by myself because it's seriously the only alone time you get. Everything else is scheduled and precise and with 40 other people. It's hard not to lose your marbles daily around here. Plus, when I'm by myself, I can walk as fast as I want to or mosey if I like and I can sit on the Tube and listen to my music and escape. I love it.
This night was quite and "Ideal" night. As in, we went to go see "An Ideal Husband", the play by Oscar Wilde. I went into this not knowing anything about the story or about Wilde's writing and came out a converted Oscar Wilde fan! I absolutely loved it! It was a little slow at first but the subtle humour and stabs taken at English society were brilliant. And the whole thing is very intriguing story about blackmail and betrayal in politics. I love how Wilde took what would normally be a dark and dismal story and turned it into something satirical. Like I said, now an Oscar Wilde fan :)
Day 49: TUESDAY
February 22nd
I am LOVING my World Civ class. I sit there and listen to Durst lecture on things that we're not even going to be tested on and therefore don't really have to take notes on anything he says, but I do anyways. Lots and lots of notes! I sit there wide awake and alert because everything is SO interesting!
I LOVE HISTORY!!!
Anyways, after our afternoon class, we had this lecturer guy named Simon Ditchfield from the University of York come and talk to us about English heritage. Why? No clue - the professors said it was so that BYU can use it as a tax write off and so that London lets them stay in Palace Court. Basically, the government wants to see what BYU is contributing to the community so we hold lectures like this one that are "open to the public" but no one else comes and we still get the credit!
The only downside is that, as BYU students living in the Centre, we actually have to attend and listen. And this guy was NOT easy listening. I understood every word he said, but for some reason, those words did NOT make sense to us. We were all in a state of trance as we sat through an hour of his babbling. I'm sure what he was saying was intellectual, but none of us grasped it. I felt bad for the guy, but really, he was more boring than watching an earthworm crawl.
Day 50: WEDNESDAY
February 23rd
Like I said, today is the HALFWAY point. I can't believe how much we've done.
In fifty days we've been to:
14 cities,
2 countries,
9 shows (plays, musicals, concerts),
10 museums,
and all over the Tube!
With everything we do, and the little free time we have, I can't fathom how fast March is going to go by. In case you're wondering, every week we're in a different country.
Italy the first week,
Wales the second,
Ireland the third,
and France & Belgium the fourth.
Then we also have day trips, plays, and other things that we're attending:
Jack the Ripper,
A Mosque,
Madame Butterfly,
Stratford upon Avon,
King Lear,
Billy Elliot,
Churchill War Rooms,
the England-Ghana football game,
a session at the House of Commons,
and Jersey Boys to finish off the month.
I'm so excited, I almost don't want it all to happen because I know it will FLY by.
Today, to mark our halftime, we took a day trip to OXFORD, England to see the University. I must say that I loved Oxford more than Cambridge. Maybe because it wasn't as cold.. But then again, it was raining all day. Oxford is amazing. I loved the spirit of the town and how fun and small it felt. You could walk everywhere and I just enjoyed all the history that's there.
Sites to be seen:
Christ's Church
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| Entrance to Christ's Church |
This is the place where they filmed scenes from Harry Potter. Mainly the stairs in Hogwarts and the Great Hall where they always eat. This place also gives lots of credit to Lewis Carrol and Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. This is where Mr. Carrol got his inspiration for his book and wrote it. There's hints to Alice everywhere around the college and it's clear why he got inspiration from this strange little girl :)
The Stairs of Hogwarts:
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| Harry, Luna, and Hagrid :) |
The Great Dining Hall:
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| Unfortunately, we couldn't eat there |
Then we made our way across the street to the shop that started it all, Alice's Shop. This is where Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean of Christ's Church while Lewis Carroll was a professor there, used to buy her sugar for her afternoon tea. It was originally called Old Sheep Shop and then, after Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were published, they changed it. So now it's a little gift shop with all things Alice. Including some of the sugars and sweets she used to buy.
Alice's Shop Oxford:
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| You have to follow him down the rabbit hole |
The place was adorable and I bought a cool deck of cards with a different quote from the books on each card! The whole place was filled with an air of magic and wonderment :) I also bought an Oxford jacket at this little store next door!
Then we went to Magdalen College (pronounced Maudlin) and saw the greenery and DEER!
Then we shopped a little more and I didn't buy anything else for me, yay! And since it was almost time to head back to the bus, we decided to make our way over and stop at the Eagle and Child Pub. This would have been my favourite place for sure if we had gone in. This is the famous spot where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would sit and write and have nice chats together. I still get butterflies in my stomach when I think about it!! So exciting!
The Eagle and Child:
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| Also known as the Bird and Baby |
To finish off the escapade, westopped this quaint little bookstore called Oxfam and got some SUPER cheap books. What a steal! Then, headed home - without the Durstelers. No, we didn't forget them, they're staying there this weekend so he can work on some research or something. AND the Crowes are heading to Paris tomorrow afternoon. Which means..
WE'LL BE PROFESSOR-LESS ALL WEEKEND!!!
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