LOVE

I’m in Love. Yes. Love. The kind that makes you excited to wake up in the morning. The kind that makes you smile for no reason and makes you glow. The kind that gives you goose bumps. The kind that keeps you awake at night. The kind that creates questions and  makes you think and want to search for answers. The kind that makes you dream of bigger things. I’m not talking about my man, Nathan (although he is all these things, too). I’m talking about London.

I’m in love with London. This is the greatest city EVER. I’ve only been here for 3 weeks and I know I’ll never want to leave. Every day, I discover something new. There are so many things to do and see here. To live in a place so steeped in history…I’m not even a history buff.

Last week, we visited the skin exhibit at the Wellcome Museum (Free), Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. I also went shopping at Borough market for class. Monday we went into the houses of parliament and tasted food. Tuesday I spent the morning at a NHS (National Health Service) clinic – no worries, everyone is fine. Tuesday evening we experienced british gfootballYesterday was probably my favorite outing. We biked about 8 miles along the Thames ending at the most fantastic Palace I’ve ever seen! We spent the afternoon at Hampton Court Palace wandering through rooms and gardens before riding the train home to rest our tired legs and feet.

Just a few thoughts and pictures.

Skin Exhibit. This exhibit at the Wellcome Museum was all about skin. It looked at skin from scientific, religious, social, and cultural perspectives. I could go on and on about this exhibit. But I wont. Ask me if you want to know more!

Westminster Abbey. This beautiful church is so unique. While it is clearly a religious institution, it’s walls and floors are decorated with mementos of secular life. Great people in history are buried here – some not so great people in history have paid to be buried here. A few interesting graves that we walked on – weird to say I’ve walked on graves – Henry Purcell and a ton more musicians, Charles Darwin and a ton more scientists, and tons and tons of monarchs, Edward the Confessor being the most noted.

Oldest Garden

Buckingham Palace. Pretty cool place. Although, not my favorite. Perhaps the killer cold I had put a damper on things. I did take a lovely nap in St. James Park right by Buckingham Palace.

Borough Market. Don’t let the name fool you. This is a high end, ritzy, “fashionable” market. The food at this market is all organic (although in London organic is unbelievable cheap and easily accessible), sold in a specialty shop, or made by artisans. It was interesting to see, but I’ll stick to my cheaper markets like Church Street, where you can get enough vegetables to feed you for a week for about 1 pound ($1.60)!

National Health Service. Unbelievable cool that as students, we can just walk in, sign up, and get help. Obviously I do not know the ins and outs of National Health Care, but there are so many things working here!

British Football. This was an experience. Watching a football (soccer) match in a home stadium is nothing like watching a professional level sports match in the states. Nothing. It compares a little more to college sports in atmosphere. The fans cheer, chant and sing. They taunt the other fans. I swear they spend more time intimidating the other fans than they do watching the game! Perhaps this was because it was a rival game (Queen’s Park Rangers v Millwall). We cheered for the Queen’s Park Rangers and shouted and chanted right along with the crowds and enjoyed the game thoroughly even though it was a draw! I would suggest this activity to anyone coming to London.

Hampton Court Palace

Side of Hampton Court. Baroque style.

Tudor Entrance to Hampton Court Palace

Yesterday we rode to Hampton Court Palace and arrived in style, very similar to how Henry VII arrived at the palace. So far this has been the best activity. Even though it was rainy and overcast. The ride down the Thames was so beautiful, picturesque, post card worthy! It was “England” in so many ways. Every bend in the river, the boats, the houses, the green fields….I can’t do it justice in words or pictures. It was also nice to just ride a bike, to soak it all up and get some exercise that didn’t involve walking!

Can I have a weeping willow tree and a house on the Thames.

Biking down the Thames.

The Thames

My future house on the Thames.

The palace is HUGE. It was added on and renovated over a number of years and was opened to the public in the late 1800sby Queen Victoria. In many ways it is a “living” museum. They have actors around the grounds explaining various aspects of palace life. We all got to wear robes around as if we were royal ourselves (The child in me absolutely loved this!).

Never too old for dress up.

The palace is both Tudor and Baroque in style. Henry the VIII was mostly responsible for the Tudor architecture (Henry VIII was the 2^nd Tudor King) and William the III for the Baroque (William the III had asthma, so the stairs are all really shallow). The gardens are amazing – the hedges perfectly trimmed. Even in the rain, the experience was amazing!  

Still Obsessed. I want one!

Old school bathroom in the Georgian part of the Palace.

Garden at Hampton Court

I can just picture Henry VIII and his many wives sitting here - one at a time of course!

I am so incredibly jealous of all the local people who get to see these amazing buildings every day.  I wish I could just walk or bike down the Thames. I wonder if it ever gets old, looking out across the Thames at an amazing palace.

P.S...

So, apparently Madeline exists.