5.28.2010

Mythology

I have come to love Roman and Greek mythology thanks to Prof. Macfarlane and Ovid's Metamorphoses. One of our class assignments is to find modern depictions of mythology in the arts throughout London and analyze them. Although I hate to admit it, I am enjoying the assignment and I actually get excited and curious everytime I see a mythological reference. I know, I know; geek.

Botticelli's Venus and Mars at the London National Gallery.

5.21.2010

The little things that make me happy....

Juicy nectarines from Portobello Road; I crave one just about everyday.

Platform 9 3/4 and Diagon Alley; you have to love Harry Potter.

Seeing the financial district, again. I love the new buildings and the old buildings and it is just such a cool part of town.


5.16.2010

Home Away From Home

The Preston England Temple has just made my top 5 list. Although it isn't the most beautiful temple I have ever seen and I wasn't able to go inside, our visit to the grounds could not have come at a better time.

Not only was I personally having one of those days where nothing seems to go right, but we had all been on the coach for nearly three days and everyone was at the point where they didn't care about seeing anything else, we just wanted to get home. The professors thought it would be a nice surprise, if we were running ahead of schedule, to make a quick stop at the temple. Luckily we had a few extra minutes and we had about 20 minutes to roam the temple and MTC grounds there. By the time we all got back on the coach it was like an entirely different group of people.

I love the temple and I love the feelings that are felt there. I couldn't help feeling like I was back in Hawaii with my family while being there. It really is a little bit of heaven on earth and my home away from home that I can find just about anywhere.

Elgin Marbles

One of the things I've been most excited to see is the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum. The Elgin Marbles are the actual sculptures from the Parthenon in Greece. I was absolutely giddy in this room and they definitely lived up to their expectations!!


5.14.2010

Toilets & Rubbish

For some reason it seems like we ALWAYS have something to throw away. Maybe it's an American thing, but London, unfortunately, has very few litter boxes or rubbish bins. At first it was really irritating and seemed sooo stupid, but turns out it's because terrorists were caught hiding bombs in rubbish bins. For safety reasons there are none in the underground and very few above ground. It is still irritating, but not so stupid anymore.

P.S. If you want to use the toilet, do it before you leave home or wet your pants :)

The Beach

This week we went out to the coast. At one point, while driving, the coach came around a bend and looking down through a green valley you could see the ocean slowly expanding in the distance. It reminded me a lot of Mo's favorite part of the island (Oahu) when you're coming out of Mililani and down into Waimea Valley where you see the ocean just spread out in front of you. The scene wasn't much different from that, but it absolutely took my breath away. It really made me miss home and Mom and the rest of the family so, so much. I love London and everything I've seen in Great Britain, but the coast has still been my favorite because there is nothing like home.

We got to watch the sunset on the beach and then we hiked up on to some outcropping cliffs to look back at the little seaside town, Ilfracombe. Gorgeous.

The beach the next morning- I was so sad I didn't pack my running shoes because it was so beautiful. :(
We also drove out to the cliffs at Tintagel (Cornwall) and it was warm and sunny all day!! I love the ocean!!

5.08.2010

A Part of History

My London family picture at Westminster Abbey. So darling!

We walked down Whitehall Street today, between Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square, and passed Downing Street (#10 is where the Prime Minister lives). The photo here is of the policemen out front guarding the gates because Gordon Brown (current PM) was holding a press conference. If you haven't been paying attention, election day was Thursday and it resulted in a hung parliament; meaning no candidate won enough seats to have a clear majority and form a new government. I've been following the elections pretty closely and it's been really interesting. When we saw the press conference Brown had just come out and instantly everyone on the street starting shouting "Resign." It was pretty intense and soooo interesting. Even more interesting is that if neither of the top two candidates, Brown and David Cameron, can form a coalition with the remaining party the Queen actually has the power to invite one party to form the government or to call an entirely new election. I guess she has more power than I thought.


Tyler James:

I miss those blue eyes, how you kiss me at nite
I miss the way we sleep
Like there's no sunrise, like the taste of your smile
I miss the way we breathe

I see your blue eyes every time I close mine
You make it hard to see
Where I belong to when I'm not around you
It's like I'm not with me

But I never told you, what I should have said
No I never told you, I just held it in

And now, I miss everything about you
I can't believe that I still want you
After all the things we've been through
I miss everything about you, without you

Stone Henge - small yet classic



Human Henge - my brilliant idea.

We also visited the Wilton House (a new fav) and Stourhead Gardens, both of which have been used in the filming of several movies such as Pride and Prejudice, The Young Victoria, Sense and Sensibility, etc.


P.S. These sheep literally mow through the fields.... picture them moving as fast as a sheep can move while eating. I know, it's pretty fast yeah?!

5.07.2010

Tower of London


The Tower of London- great photo ops, boring history. I was excited to visit the Tower of London because I've heard so much about how it has an exciting and mysterious history. Mysterious is a better description I think because nothing I saw or heard there was exciting. Except for the crown jewels.... I'll give them that :)

5.02.2010

Trafalgar Square

Today we visited the famous Trafalgar Square and were privileged to get there just in time for the Communist rally. Communist activists are still alive and well, even in London.

5.01.2010

A Walk thorugh History

I hated history classes all growing up, but London has successfully made me LOVE history. Everything is old and everything has a story behind it and I have found myself loving learning the history of this beautiful city.

The Tower Bridge.

St. Paul's Cathedral by Christopher Wren & view from the top of St. Paul's.

The Globe Theater.

Westminster Abbey.