A Lovely Monday

Who thought Monday mornings would be our favorite of the week?! After getting to sleep in until 8:30, Lauren and I headed to our Architecture class for our next trip around London. On this week's agenda was Parliament and Trafalgar Squares. A quick tube ride us brought us to Westminster, putting us in the middle of the city's political center. As fate would have it, as we were walking out of the station, who did we bump into but Katie Cherico! We couldn't believe we saw her just by chance, but since we were with our class we could only exchange quick hugs and greetings. The group made our way to Parliament, where we walked along the building's perimeter and learned about its architectural history. Most of the building was built by Charles Barry after winning a contest to find a design; he cleverly combined the characteristics of the Classical and Gothic styles to make the beautiful structure that sits on the bank of the Thames today. From there we walked over to Westminster Abbey, and then made our way down Whitehall, a long stretch of road that houses a number of important buildings. We passed the Imperial War Museum, the Whitehall building, and 10 Downing Street (there were cameras everywhere, but unfortunately we couldn't stick around to see what was happening!). At one point, as our professor was telling us about one of the sites, a woman stood on the outskirts of our group and listened intently along with us, which we all got a kick out of. As we continued walking, our professor was telling Lauren and I how "US moms from Connecticut" often join her groups and request tours. When we told her we were from CT, she told us one of her friends lives there in a giant house that was apparently in a magazine. When we mumbled to each other it was probably Greenwich, she exclaimed "that's it!" Shocker. Turns out she went to a function at Westchester Country Club when she was visiting...small world!

After walked down the whole of Whitehall, we arrived at Trafalgar Square. The very center of this area is the point from where all distances from London are measured. So if in New York you see a sign saying "X miles to London," it has been measured from right there in Trafalgar Square! Our professor pointed out all the major sites surrounding the Square, taking us into St Martins in the Field Church and finally the National Gallery. This magnificent building features one of the most impressive collections of art in the UK, and is considered a top 5 site in London. When our class was let go to explore, Lauren and I headed for the Impressionist wing, where we got to see works from Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and many more. They were all gorgeous; I'm learning through my time here how much I love Impressionist paintings - my favorite is definitely Monet. After wandering for a bit more, we decided to head back to Courtfield for a laid back lunch.

From the Steps of the Gallery

This afternoon, I decided I wanted to do a few more things around London, so Ashley and I headed back to Westminster to explore while Lauren opted to relax at home. When we were there this morning, we learned that Parliament was in session today, and you can go in and view it free of charge. We were excited to check this out as everyone I have talked to has said it is a very cool experience, but we were sad to discover that by the time we arrived the wait to get in was over 2 hours. Needless to say, we decided to pass and try some other things. Our first stop was Churchill's War Rooms in the Imperial War Museum. This complex underground system was the main operating location for Churchill and his allies during the whole of the Second World War.  As it was completely underground, it guaranteed protection from the constant threat of air raids and bombings.  Many of the rooms were exactly as they were in the 1940's, and it was fascinating to see how many areas there were and the purposes they served, I'm definitely glad we saw it! Back above ground, we made our way across the river and over to the London Aquarium. Sounds odd, but I have been wanting to go here so badly! We got to walk through countless tanks filled with thousands of fish. Each section represented a different region of the world, so it was fun to get a different feel in each room. Some of our favorites were getting to touch starfish (although Ashley was a bit skittish) and walking over a glass floor that looks directly down into the shark tank! It was a fun afternoon activity and made me want to go to the Maritime when we get home!! By the time we were out, the Sun had begun to set on the Thames and it was time to head back home.

After returning back to South Ken, Lauren and I had a relaxing dinner and have since been cleaning and catching up on e-mails. Tomorrow marks the start of our fourth week of placements, honestly it seems like we've been working for much much longer! Unfortunately the alarm clock goes back to the early setting tonight!

xo Carolyn