Day 14: Warwick Castle, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Oxford University

Today we had another day trip! Our tour guide today was hilarious and our driver's name was Atilla (I am NOT kidding) and he was also hilarious. Our whole group was much better then the first day trip which made for an enjoyable day despite some rain. Our first stop was the ancient castle Warwick built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The castle was later turned into a stately family home and that was what we toured. The castle was beautiful and there was ancient arms and paintings adorning the walls. Unfortunately it was raining very hard throughout this stop which made it a bit less fun.

Very rainy morning at Warwick Castle

Our next stop was Stratford-Upon-Avon to view the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It amazes me that the house is still there and walking through it was so cool because you literally stepped back in time. In one room there were professional actors who said they would take requests from any Shakespeare work and perform a part of it. The performed the first meeting of Romeo and Juliet wonderfully. Such a fun touch. The whole town of Stratford was adorable and just so English.

Birthplace of Shakespeare!!

Inside his house

Our last stop was the oldest university in the world: Oxford. We took a short tour of the campus but it is so sprawling that we only got through a small piece. We were able to go inside Brasnose College which boasts alumni such as David Cameron and William Golding. I also got to see the statue that inspired Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter movies and the lightning bolts carved into the sidewalk outside the Sheldonian Theatre that gave inspiration for Harry to get his lightning bolt scar. I also saw the Eagle and Child pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met to read each others developing novels and discuss writing and literature. As a huge fan of both, this was a huge fangirl moment.

Original stained glass beside replaced clear glass following WW2 bombing that shattered the original windows in this room inside Brasnose

Project related, inside the common room for Brasnose College, some of the stained glass windows had been blown out during bombing of WW2. Instead of replacing the stained glass, they replaced the windows with clear glass so the effect of the war would never be forgotten. This is yet another example of how this country bears their scars with pride. They choose to remember the bad times and how they rose above it instead of covering up the scars and trying to forget.

Most beautiful university

Nearly Headless Nick!!!

Look familiar? Harry?

Pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien discussed their famous novels such as Lord of the Rings and The Lion, The  Witch and the Wardrobe!

On the way home, a car broke down in the middle of the road and our bus driver and guide decided to move it for the guy so they put the bus in park and literally pushed the car out of the way. Quite an entertaining end to our day. Overall, I highly enjoyed this day trip as I got to see more of England and view some places of huge historical and cultural significance. Of course I had to get an Oxford sweatshirt so I look extra smart back in the states ( I have always wanted an Oxford sweatshirt!).

Day 13: Sir Winston and some Mummies

This morning I decided to go visit the Churchill War Rooms. My tube journey was supposed to be 2 easy stops and one platform change.... an hour later I had walked 3 miles and been on 6 different tube trains. Finally I made it to my destination thanks to some directions from a very sweet government security guard. The Churchill War Rooms were the underground command centre for the government throughout World War 2. The bunker has been preserved so well that it gives the impression you are stepping into 1942 and the center of the war effort. Some of the rooms were used as bedrooms for the people who were running the Map Rooms, the typists, the secretaries and even a room for Sir Winston Churchill himself. They were running this immense war out of some very cramped quarters. Some of the other impressive rooms included the Map Room, in which they never turned the lights off or left unmanned until VE Day in 1945 and the Cabinet Conference room which was left intact the same way it was left when the turned the lights out in 1945 including the small doodle drawings of Hitler on the wall maps. It was just mind boggling to see how they ran such an immense and strong war effort out of such a cramped space.

There was also a whole museum dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill himself. He was such an enigmatic man. The testimonies of the people who worked for him in the bunker throughout the war all mirrored the same general idea: he was a strict taskmaster, a perfectionist, a jokester and the best man they had ever met and had the privilege to work for. It discussed his life throughout the war; he was in his mid-60's throughout the war and put in 14-18 hour days often staying up until 3am to get everything done. He saw no problem asking his staff to do the same. His war effort was a strong one and he was very hands on with everything. he intended to be present at the D-Day invasions of Normandy but King George pleaded with him to stay safe in England because he was too important. He also was a smart diplomat by making great friends with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt prior to the war declaration so he had a strong ally when war did start. He was a genius with words and always loved writing, I think this is why he gave such inspiring speeches. He was a strong and proud man born into a rich. noble family but he had to make his own way in life from the start. He was sent off to boarding school at the tender age of 7 and his parents were very absent from his life. His father died when he was 20 and he always aspired to be a politician just like his father. He was in the army for a time where he excelled and inspired great loyalty among the other soldiers. It seemed the general theme was that no matter what he did or where he went, the people who surrounded him respected him immensely and became fiercely loyal. That is a mark of a truly great man.

Something I found interesting was that he actually lost the first election for Prime Minister following the victory of World War 2, largely thanks to his leadership. But, at the ripe age of 77, he once again won the election for Prime Minister and served the Government until 1955 when he was 81 years old.

This was such a great experience for my project. It gave such a great insight to how the war was run and the people who ran it. I loved getting to "know" Sir Winston Churchill and his life.

After the War Rooms, we went to the British Museum to see the famous Rosetta Stone and lots of mummies from Egypt and other artifacts. It was incredible- so much history in one building.

Day 12: Day Trip to Windsor, Bath and Stonehenge

Today we got out of London to explore the English countryside!! We took a bus tour to see Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge. The first stop of the day was Windsor Castle. This is the official residence of the Queen. It was built in the late 11th century by William the Conqueror. We were able to view the lavish State Apartments (no photography unfortunately). The Queen Anne's Doll House is also housed at Windsor- this scaled model of an English manor home complete with small books, portraits and a Hoover vacuum (one of the newest inventions when it was made). The castle exterior is absolutely stunning. St. George's Cathedral is within the castle grounds and features tombs of many Kings and Queens. The interior was beyond beautiful- unfortunately no pictures were allowed there either. The Royal Windsor Horse Show was also going on so seeing that from a distance was pretty cool for me. From the flag flying high above the round tower we knew the Queen was at Windsor today. We think we may have caught a glimpse of her driving out but who knows for sure.

St. George Cathedral

See the flag? The Queen was in

After Windsor, we headed to Bath to view the ancient Roman Bath House. There is a natural hot springs that flows in this area and the Romans harnessed it into a bathhouse during their rule of England. The water runs at a constant temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The ancient baths were not uncovered until the mid 1800's and were soon turned into the current tourist attraction. It gives an interesting peek into the lives of the ancient Romans during their rule of England. We were able to try a bit of the water from the natural hot springs and it was disgusting. To see such an old site preserved so well was amazing. It is truly a man made wonder of the ancient world.

It was gross :(

Our last stop was one of the 7 wonders of the world just tucked away in a typical english field. Stonehenge is a UNESCO world heritage site and dates back to approximately 3000 BC. The ring of stones is believed to be some sort of holy site to those ancient peoples and also a burial site.  Some of the 1 ton stones were hauled from as far as 150 miles away in Wales. This circle of stones has mystified and wondered people for thousands of years; we still don't know why it was placed there or how exactly these people completed such an amazing feat of human engineering in such an early period. Walking up over the hill to this very famous site was more breathtaking then I could have imagined. We had a beautiful, sunny, clear afternoon and the view was breathtaking. It is beyond mystifying. I cannot describe it well enough with words so I will leave the talking to the pictures.

A little fun with the stones :)

After Stonehenge we headed back to London. The whole tour was wonderfully run and gave us a very nice view of the England countryside. It is so picturesque and beautiful. Overall the day was wonderful- I crossed more things of my bucket list and feel blessed to have been able to experience one of the 7 wonders of the world. The only issue with the day was a screaming child on the bus, some parents really need to utilize duck tape or not bring their terribly behaved children on buses to make the other people miserable. But it is what it is- it was still a great day and well worth the trip to see such amazing sites!

Day 7: The Tower of London

The White Tower

The Crown Jewels Building

Today we visited the Tower of London. Wow. My favorite thing so far this trip by far. It is such an imposing fortress with the huge moot, 15 ft thick walls of stone and the White Tower plunging into the sky in the center. We got in as soon as it opened and were able to follow along with the Yeomen Warder tour in the beginning of the castle. Yeomen Warders are the caretakers and protecters of the Tower of London and also the tour guides. They must serve in the royal military for 22 years of active service before even being eligible for this post. It is a highly revered job and they have the honor of living inside the tower of London.

Our Yeomen Warder tour guide- he was awesome!

Through our tour, he told us of the beginning of the Tower of London. It was established by William the Conquerer in 1078 to protect himself against the english people. He was a Norman (French) and had taken over by sheer force and brutality. The White Tower was the original structure and throughout the years, the rest built up around it. The moot around the Tower was an engineering feat in it's time and stayed a working moot until 1848 when the Duke of Wellington ordered it to be filled in.

He also told us of the Royal Menagerie of exotic animals that were kept on the Tower property until 1835 for the viewing pleasure of spectators and visitors as well as the entertainment of the royals. There were a variety of exotic animals such as Lions, Elephants, Bears, Kangaroos, Snakes and Monkeys, just to name a few. During the reign of James I (1603-25), the animals were made to fight each other as a gladiator type of "royal games" to entertain the royals and their friends. After a serious of animal attacks in the mid 1800's the zoo was moved to its current home in Regents Park.

Recreation of what it was like when there were exotic animals living at the Tower

Another famous role of the Tower of London was as a Prison. This may be it's most famous occupation. It was a horribly unpleasant prison and the walls of some towers still bear the scars of the prisoners who carved upon them while waiting for their fate. Many of the priosoners held there were later executed. 75 noble men met their end on top of Tower Hill right outside the gates in front of a horde of people. They were beheaded and the head was displayed after as a gruesome example. The first person beheaded was the Archbishop of Canterbury; it was actually peasants who broke into the prison and took him out and executed him but the tradition stuck after that. The last execution on the hill took place in 1748.

Some prisoner carvings

Some other famous executions took place inside the walls of the Tower. Included in these were the three queens- Anne Bolyen, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey. They were all three beheaded in the courtyard and buried in unmarked graves inside the church on the grounds. Their bodies were not found until the reign of Queen Victoria. Anne Bolyen and Catherine Howard were both executed as fated queens and wives of Henry the VIII. Lady Jane Grey was queen for only 8 days before she was killed by the bloody queen Mary in order to obtain the throne. She was only 16 at the time of her execution and was forced to stand over the headless body of her husband the day before her own execution. In an effort to maintain her families name even in the face of death, she practiced laying her headed upon the block the night before and the day of her execution she strongly walked to her fate and gave the signal for execution herself. What a strong woman. Another sad story of an execution in the Tower courtyard was that of an 80 year old woman, the mother of a Catholic priest. The sole reason for her execution was her sons status. She was never sentenced for anything but was led to the scaffold anyway. She was able to run away before the executioner swung the axe and proceeded to run around the courtyard before the executioner caught her and chopped her to pieces on the cobblestones.

Memorial to the 3 Queens executed here

Reproduction of the block and axe used for executions

Another bloody scar in the Tower's illustrious history was the 1483 disappearance of the two princes- aged 9 and 12. Their uncle, Richard of Glocouster,  sent them to stay in the Tower of London following the death of their father for their own protection until they could take the throne (so he said). They were last seen in a tower room inside the walls of the Tower of London. In 1674, workers were fixing some stairs inside the tower and uncovered a small box. When opened they found bones of 2 bodies- a boy of 9 and a boy of 12. It is assumed that Richard killed them in order to take the throne and hid them in the stone steps. The tower where they were last seen is now called the Bloody Tower. Their bones now rest in Westminster Abbey in the Corner of Innocents monument.

Bloody Tower

On a brighter note, the Crown Jewels of England have been housed in the Tower since 1333. We were able to view the jewels but not take pictures. All I can say in BLING BLING! They were breathtaking.

Another interesting aspect of the Tower of London is the official Ravens. There is a quote that said "If the 6 Ravens ever leave the Tower, England will fall". This is taken very seriously as 7 Ravens (6 plus a spare) live on the grounds with their own Ravenmaster. They are well fed on a diet of raw meat and bird biscuits soaked in blood and have mates for life as well as considering the Ravenmaster to be a part of their group. They were roaming while we were there... they are as big as cats!

The HUGE Ravens

I still found some project relation inside the Tower. Rudolph Hess, a Nazi official was imprisoned here for a time during World War 2. This shows the longevity of the Tower as a prison.

The Tower of London was truly an unforgettable experience. To be surrounded by so much history, in the place where Kings were crowed, queens were beheaded and exotic animals lived was just indescribable. It was certainly not an experience I will forget anytime soon. I got a nice Tower mug to remember the place once I am home in Ohio drinking my morning coffee... everyone wants to be reminded to executions and ravens first thing in the morning right??

The handle is even an axe...

**Sorry for the delay in getting this posted- the evening of this day I was given the sad news that my Uncle Darrell lost his year long battle with cancer and the next morning we left for Ireland. Ireland post coming up next. Also coming up is a special tribute to my beloved Uncle- he was a kind and wonderful man who will be so greatly missed.

Day 6: Here Comes the Sun

Do do do doooooo......... (a little George Harrison is always a good idea)

What a beautiful sunny day in London today! Since sleep has been optional the last few days we took this morning to sleep in a bit. I have never slept so well in my life. Walking will do you in! This morning we got up around 10:00am and went on the Magical Mystery Beatles tour. Our tour guide is known as the Beatles Brain of Britain and owns the Beatles Coffee Shop. It was so cool!! We saw Paul McCartney's business headquarters, the studio where they recorded Hey Jude and Dear Prudence as well as a slew of other famous songs. Next was the original building where Apple Records was housed with the rooftop they played their final live performance from. Th last part of the tour was the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing and Abbey Road Studios. I took my shoes off to walk across the road because when you walk where John, Paul, George and Ringo walked- you must do as they did. Traffic very much flows through the Abbey Road crossing so getting a good picture was a challenge and there was tons of other people trying to do the same thing. I think we are going to go back early one morning when there is less traffic for more pictures. We also wrote on the wall of Abbey Road Studios with notes for our moms and significant others.

McCartney Productions Limited owned by Paul McCartney

Must have been quite a studio to have those songs recorded there!

The building that first housed Apple Records and where they gave their final live performance off the rooftop

Abbey Road Studios

Writing on the wall of Abbey Studios.... sending some love home to mom, dad and Zac

ABBEY ROAD barefoot of course... just like Paul. 

Our life is now made. 

After the tour we headed for the Camden Street Markets. So busy but so cool! The little shops were everywhere. Part of the market was in the old horse stables so that was pretty cool for me :) Since it was such a beautiful day and everything was packed with people we decided to come back to the flat and relax for the night and get another good nights sleep so we can start the week out fresh and rested. (Not to mention everything closes super early so there was honestly nothing to do tonight)

These Street performers were awesome. Perfect Alice in Wonderland

Leftovers from when it was stables

Street art is amazing here. Hey John

This upcoming week is going to be a great one! Being in London is just so incredible. I am really getting a feel for the city and starting to understand it. This morning on the Tube I got super annoyed by some tourists standing on the wrong side of the escalator and blocking the traffic flow (you do NOT do that in tube). I love the Tube system- it is so simple and works like a well oiled machine (literally). Getting around the city is much easier then I was expecting.

As I am ending my first week in London, I have taken some time to reflect on how my perceptions of London have either been true or completely wrong and how I feel living in a big city for the first time in my life.

What I expected:

• The accents are just as wonderful as I knew they would be
• The city is beyond beautiful
• There is so much old stuff
• The history is literally everywhere
• Everyone always dresses nicely
• Tourists who don't try to fit in are obnoxious
• Trench coats are necessary 
• Waterproof shoes are necessary

What has been a surprise:

• The tube is way easier then I expected
• The people are very polite
• There is more new buildings then I was expecting
• The groceries are very cheap
• The food is all so good and whole and natural
• There are so many free options for activities
• Things aren't sketchy, they are "dodgy"
• Your not sleepy, your "knackered"
• Oyster cards are amazing but guard it with your life

I have been having a blast with the other girls! There is 4 of us that have been doing things together and just having the time of our lives! Such a fun group of girls to explore this city and I am glad we share the idea of seeing everything we possibly can and making the most of this time by getting the true London experience along with the tourist experience. We come home exhausted every night but we have already seen so much and it is that good exhaustion knowing you filled your day with wonderful things and it was worth the blisters on your feet and sore muscles. 

I can't describe how amazing this experience is. I just want to take a moment to wish a Happy Mothers Day to my amazing mom from 4,000 miles away and say a huge thank you to both of my parents for allowing me to make this dream trip a reality. I know it is a once in a lifetime experience and I am doing my best to make the most of it and put your investment to the best use! Thank you mom and dad- you truly are the best! Sending all my loving home to you...

Day 5: Other Activities

Day five was so full of activities that I chose to split it into two posts: one specifically regarding my World War 2 research (previously posted) and one just on the general sightseeing and experience. We started the day by getting the tractional tourists picture out of the way. 

Next for the morning was a walking tour of the East End. This is such an interesting part of London- it has had such a diverse history with so many changes. Originally it wasn't even within the city walls. The streets of the East End reflect their history with names such as "Bishopsgate" after one of the ancient city gates and :"Houndsditch" after the ditch beyond the wall where the dead dogs were thrown. The area was eventually integrated into the city though it was a poor slum full of immigrants and migrants. One of the biggest immigrant groups to move into this district was the Huguenots from France who fled persecution in France for their protestant religion. In 1687 alone, 13,000 Huguenots immigrated to London and settled in the East End to begin weaving patterned silken clothe- their famous trade. The silk became the height of British fashion and they prospered until the fashion changed. They eventually abandoned the area and the next group to move into the area was the Jews- once again fleeing persecution for their religion. Our tour guide is from the area and her great grandparents settled in the area throughout the Jewish immigration in the late 1800's. As I stated yesterday in my blog, her father was a part of the World War 2 evacuations. The Jew's have since moved out and now Asians have settled in the area as well as hipsters and artsy people. The homes once occupied by the poor immigrants have now become million pound homes owned by bankers and lawyers. Quite the change from earlier times.

The old homes of the Huguenot immigrants

We also saw a building in which the first every trade union meetings took place and where Annie Bassant planned the first strike for match stoke makers in the East End to protest the working conditions that caused most of the women who worked in the factories to lose their lower jaws to "Fossies" within 5 years of working in the factories. This was the first major step in the direction of improved work conditions and unions. Another interesting thing we saw on the tour was the remains of the Truman Beer Factory. This was established in 1666 and was open and working until 1989. At one point it was the biggest beer factory in the world. Beer was popular in the 1700-1800's because doctors often encouraged people to drink beer instead of water to avoid the spread and contractions of Cholera (a water based disease). Truman Beer Factory is now a bustling street market and art destination. Our tour ended at a small handmade bagel shop still run by the Jewish descendants of the earlier immigrants. 

Truman Beer Factory

Also related to the East End was a walking tour we took earlier this week revolving around the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888. 5 prostitutes were brutally murdered in the East End and the killer was never caught. Our tour took us to each of the locations where the women were killed. Some places have been changed drastically and others have remained virtually unchanged. Seeing the actual house where the final victim was killed was quite creepy. It was very cool to do both tours and see two different parts of this diverse part of London.

The final home of Mary Kelly (the final victim)

After the tour we headed off the to Victoria and Albert Museum. Wow is about all I can say. The amount of art, history and fashion was just mind boggling. The 3 of us just walked around with our mouths hanging wide open taking in everything we could. There were replicas of the statue of David, a notebook belonging to Leonardo Di Vinci, a ring from 1500 BC and so so so so much more. We didn't even make it all the way throughout the museum and we still spent hours there. The most incredible thing: it was completely FREE. That is the true greatest thing about exploring London, so many things are free including all the national museums and galleries.

Leonardo Di Vinci's Notebook

Ancient Armour for a horses head

Imitating the ancient catholic statues

After the V & A, we went to the Natural History Museum briefly. What a gorgeous building. The giant dinosaur right when you walk in certainly makes for quite the impression. It was very crowded so we only saw the mammal exhibit but the whales were HUGE! It was super cool. 

Next we decided to release our inner nerds and headed to Kings Cross station. They literally have platform 9 and 3/4 set up in the station with a trolley heading into the wall. We waited in line for a good 15 minutes (happily) before getting to pick our house scarf, put our hands on the trolley handle, pick up the wand and smile for the picture as the helper throws your scarf so it appears you are running! I was like a kid in a candy store- the nerd alert was on high. Such a fun little experience that was COMPLETELY FREE. They also had a small gift shop with typical Harry Potter themed things. I bought a chocolate frog and got the Snape card :( 

Kings Cross Station

THE Platform 9 and 3/4

Bye muggles, I am going to Hogwarts

Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin heading to Hogwarts

After dragging our very tired selves back to the flat, we made a nice pasta dinner together and watched the VE Day concert on the telly before crashing for the night. London is exhausting and wonderful and exciting and beautiful all wrapped up in one. I can't believe the first week is already almost over.