Life of the Royals

As promised, here's my report on my trip to one of my most anticipated tourist attractions: Hampton Court. For those of you who don't know, the reason I wanted to see Hampton Court so bad is I love the Tudor history, and not just because of the Showtime show The Tudors (though that may have helped a little). I've loved reading books about Henry VIII and his many wives, as well as his daughters Mary and Elizabeth. Hampton Court is one of the main palaces where the Tudors spent most of their time so I was really excited to see it.

Thankfully I don't have class on Tuesday (to be honest I don't have class ever) so CJ and I decided to spend the day at Hampton. We got really lucky and it was easily the nicest day we've had in England since I've been here. I had almost forgotten what the sun was like.

*Side note for anyone thinking about coming here: Get a rail card!!! I know it may seem like a lot of money to spend in the beginning but I promise you that you will make your money back and more! It saves college students 1/3 of the price on any rail ticket every time. So buy it!

Anyways, back to Hampton. It was so much fun. One part of the castle takes you through the early life of Henry VIII and as you go through the rooms you see how his first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon fell out of favor and how he chose to marry Anne Boleyn (my favorite of his queens) instead. There was also a huge banquet hall with thrones at the main table. Fun fact: the red chair is actually for the king while the blue is for the queen.

Because of the beautiful day we also spent a lot of time out in the gardens which were green and flowering. It felt like a perfect spring day. Hampton Court also has one of the most famous mazes in all the world and we made it to the center! Actually, I beat CJ to the center but he'll probably deny it.

After we had our fun at the palace we went into the town to have a late lunch. Because we were sick of sandwiches (we always seem to go to cafes) we went to a little Italian place. It was authentic Italian and the food was amazing! It was easily the best pizza I've had since I've been in England. Then again, that's not really saying much.

Other than the trip it was a pretty slow week and this week will probably be similar. It's our last week of classes so I have a lot of papers and projects to finish but then we're done with classes and we get to go on break for a month so it's definitely worth it! Also, next week my sister Stephanie comes to visit so expect that to spice things up. Until then, cheers!

Not Enough Hours in the Day

Well, it has definitely been busy this past week to say the least so I'll try to catch you all up.

Last Saturday CJ and I decided to head into London and go see Kensington Palace. This is where Queen Victoria, the longest reigning British Monarch and patron of our college, lived for most of her life. Unfortunately not a whole lot of it was open for public viewing but we did get to go through all the exhibits they had open. My favorite was the one that focused on the life of Victoria herself and her children. We had a great time but finished quickly and didn't want to head back just yet so we decided to indulge our American cravings.

Not having American food or fast food for almost 2 months we decided that it would be the perfect day since we were in London where it is all so close. So for me we had Burger King (honestly, it was the best burger I've had here which really says something about England's burgers) and for CJ we went to his beloved Chipotle. Finally we also decided to make a pit stop at King's Cross station and for any of you Harry Potter fans out there you better know what this means...Platform 9 and 3/4!!! While it wasn't exactly what I expected--they made it a bit touristy, of course--it was still a lot of fun and I got to be nerdy and wear the HP glasses and scarf and everything. And of course I chose Slytherin as my house. ;-)

The next day Olivia and I went on a school sponsored trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, aka the birthplace of William Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway (his wife) and his family. We had read the guidebook and already determined that Shakespeare's birthplace was very touristy and not worth the money so instead Olivia and I made the mile hike out to Anne Hathaway's cottage. It was definitely worth the trip as it was very authentic to the time period. I was amazed that it was still standing to be honest but it was so adorable and we had a great time.

Then after a hike back into town and a quick lunch we went on a 2-hour walking tour through the town. While it was freezing and we were past numb by the time we were done the tour was really interesting and it was amazing to find out how old the town is and how much history is there. It made me realize how new all of the US is compared to England.

    Anne Hathaway's Cottage 

                                         

Shakespeare's Courting Chair where he courted Anne Hathaway

 

Shakespeare's Grave

This house was so old you can see how crooked it is.

Unfortunately, with the start of March that also means that I've realized I only have 2 weeks until most of my assignments are due in my classes which means I actually have to do work while abroad. However, Olivia and I did take some time off yesterday to go to the mall. Yes, believe it or not, they do have malls here. They're just very very hard to get to. We spent 2 hours traveling there but in the end it was worth it to get to the Stratford Westfield Mall. And yes, it is just like the Westfield malls that we all know and love in the States. It was so much fun because it cured a little bit of my homesickness since I felt like I was back at my home mall. Not to mention I also got a ton of new clothes for really cheap (thank you Primark!).

Today I am locking myself inside and working but tomorrow it's supposed to be around 60 and sunny so I'll be heading to Hampton Court which is something I've been dying to see since I got here so expect another post soon. Until then, Happy Monday!