26 May 2010

Today was a long day for us. We went to quite a few places today and did a lot of walking. First, we went to get our rail passes updated. After that short excursion, we all went to St. Pauls Cathedral. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures, but it was absolutely beautiful inside. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and the architeture and murals are absolutely astounding. There was the dome where people could walk up and see a whole view of the city, but I did not go up. From the others that did go up, the view was spectacular. Shortly after everyone came down from the dome, we all did a walk-through of the crypts. There were the bodies and memorials of Lord Nelson, Sir Christopher Wren, and other important people who helped to shape the Cathedral to what it is today. There were also memorials to the service men and women who gave their lives in the wars past. It was a wonder to behold. The tombs were made with gorgeous marble with beautiful inscriptions. We all then said good-bye to Professor Parkhouse, but we will see him tomorrow. After we toured the Cathedral, we all took a walk over the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge, which it is not anymore. It was called that because the Queen called it such but it also has the name the Millenium Bridge. Just after the walk, we all went to the re-created Globe Theatre. It was a short walk through but we saw the history of the Globe Theatre and how it was re-created through the years. We saw the different costumes used in the past for past show, the re-created instruments they would use in Shakespeare's day and also we saw the stage they used to practice on. There was an entire display of what was used for different Shakespeare's plays from King Henry VIII to As You Like It. It was amazing to see how experts could re-create not only the Globe Theatre but all the aspects within the theatre like the costumes and all the props needed to make the performance come alive. We all ate lunch outside the Globe just before our walk to the Tate Modern Art Museum. We didn't have much time at the museum but we saw different displays of art such as poetry and every form of modern art that could be displayed in different ways. As we walked, the weather got slightly warmer so we all relaxed for a moment and de-layered ourselves. After our slight break, we kept walking all the way to the London Eye. Once we got there, we waited for Professor Wolfe to get us our tickets and waited on line to get into our own bubble, as I call it. The ride in total was about 35 mins and the view from all sides was spectacular. We saw everything from that height like Big Ben, the Parliament buildings, and the dome at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was the most amazing sight that I had ever seen and I know that everyone was overwraught with wonder being at the top of the eye. When we came down, we took a short walk over to the Houses of Parliament. It was hard to get in though because there was a security issue the day before but we all managed to get in without a problem. Once inside, we sat in on the House of Commons in session. It was interesting to see it in session and real issues being brought to the table by opposite parties. Everyone enjoyed being there and seeing Parliament in session. Today was a long day but it was a fantastic day with everyone loving everything we saw and did. Tomorrow will be Cardiff!

Until tomorrow, we shall see whats in store....