Finally in London! Day ONE

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Everyone said it would be different to study abroad and that I would be in a culture shock for the first weeks. It wasn't until today that I finally knew what they were talking about. We took a 2.5 hour bus ride to London right after classes were finished on Thursday. We went straight to the hotel with no time to explore the sites around us. Seeing the first double decker red bus really got us all excited.

We woke up early Friday morning to head to the underground railroad or better known as the tube to the locals. This was so exciting for men because the logo used today is a big part of Graphic Design history. We took the tube to Tower Hill where we enter the Tower of London. Thankfully we had a student group rate that allowed us to get inside on just a few pounds. While inside we raced to see the crown jewels. These were absolutely spectacular. All the detail along with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls was a site to see. The display featured 10 of the Royal crowns, the Queens coronation garments, multiple scepters, and the silverware used at the coronation banquet. It was amazing to see the gold and pearls on the spoon used at the dinner. Once outside the exhibit we walked around the area seeing a few more exhibits. We say the memorial for Anne Boleyn and other knights and royals that were executed there. We saw the Tower where the prisoners were kept and where they were laid to rest. In the center was the original Tower of London site that is now a museum to show the chivalry used in battle. The rest of the buildings have been added on by Kings and Queens throughout history.

We then went back on the tube and made our way down to Piccadilly Circus! Walking off of the tube and up the stairs we are in shock to finally see this place! After all the movies with this place in it, we could not believe we were finally here! We walked around and saw the Ripley's Believe it or not museum and m&m world. We started to venture out farther to Chinatown, Soho, and Oxford Street! It was crowded with people rushing everywhere getting soaked by the rain but I wouldn't change a thing.

We then went to the British Museum, which is one of the largest museums. They have every subject of history in the museum including parts of he Colosseum. We were able to see the mummy section and very quickly ran past the British history and ancient Greece. It is definitely on the list of things to do when we go back to London on another weekend. As the day gets closer to the end we try to relax by watching movies in our hotel room before Day 2 begins.

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Photos

Underground Railway sign
The Graphic Designer in me!