3/2-3/5

Sunday's are always so fun getting to church and getting to help out in primary. Primary is seriously like a circus! I have never seen anything like it (Zach and McKay seem very mild in behavior compared to this primary)! When primary is over we all look at each other and exchange this silence look of yes we survived another week. We thought that primary was over but they had to practice for the Mother's Day hymn that they are singing on March 30. (Yes, Mother's Day is earlier here). We had a bunch of children all exhausted from three hours of church and now we were trying to get them to sing. We went into the chapel to practice and in the middle of the song the fire alarm went off. I thought that normal primary was a circus, no the song practice in the chapel was an even bigger circus. When we get on the bus after church I always am so grateful for the opportunity to be going to church here. Even though it is the circus I learn so much, and get excited to laugh and play with all the children.

Since we only have 6 weeks left we decided that we need to start making plans. We wrote out our entire week so that we can fit in all of our activities. We have a YOLondonO (you only London once) list....

Monday we went to Leadenhall Market.We got there and it was pouring rain! We didn't realize the market closes at 3! It was 4, but we still got to see the cute area. There were places to eat and little shops. We went into Hotel Chocolat and got some yummy samples. We then headed to Covent Garden. This is just the cutest little area. We were able to see so many fun things and just explore. 

Leadenhall Market

I am not the hugest macaroon fan.....I will say they have grown on me. The macaroons here are so good and pretty! 

They just seem to decorate everything so cute! Look at these macaroon trees...

Covent Garden, an antique fair was going on when we were there.

This lady was singing, she is a professional Opera singer. Look at these people just hanging out listening to her at the tables.

Neal's Yard is an area by Covent Garden with brightly painted buildings. 

I was tempted to walk in for a much needed hair cut...haha 

Me & Hali

(Me, Jillian, Andrea, & Hali)

Walked down the streets to find the restaurant.

This was a restaurant that was recommended to us. It was so yummy. Reminded me of East West Cafe in Santa Rosa. All vegetarian.

I got the Indian Plate. It tasted so fresh and healthy!

Look at the salt and pepper....also the orange and grapefruit in our water! 

Selfies have been a huge thing this trip...I wanted to stop and take one with the creepy painting. Andrea thought it was funny so captured a picture of us.

The serious look is not working well

Shrove Tuesday (pancake day), is a day in February or March before Ash Wednesday (1st day of Lent). We decided to have a pancake picnic up on Parliament Hill. We were all so hungry on the bus on our way to Parliament Hill. We did not know what to expect. This was recommended to us, because of the great view. We got off the bus and looked around and it just seemed like we were in typical London (buildings all around). We started doubting that a view of the city even exists. We saw a man walking his dog that looked like he knew what he was doing. We followed him and sure enough we were going up a paved trail. It was about a ten minute walk up before we saw the view. It was beautiful! 

The flowers are starting to show up! It is so nice seeing color!

(Me, Abbie, Jillian & Hannah)

Notice the London Eye 

(Abbie, Molly, Hannah. Me, Hali, Madeline, Andrea & Jillian)

Tuesday night we got to see La Boheme, an Opera. We saw La Boheme in the Royal Albert Hall. Royal Albert Hall is right down the street from us. I was excited to see the inside and curious to hear an Opera. I was worried it may put me to sleep (which sounds awful) so I came prepared with some treats stuffed in my purse. I LOVED it! I forgot I even had treats with me until halfway through! The music was beautiful! The Opera was all in Italian, with subtitles. The subtitles were not always up but you still understood the story line. The singing was beautiful!

(Abbie, Andrea & Me)

(Jillian, me, Hannah, & Andrea)

(Abbie, Jillian, Me, Hannah, Hali & Andrea)

Wednesday was our day trip as usual. We were lucky this time because we didn't have to be at the bust until 8 a.m. We headed to Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed. Runnymede is just 20 miles west of London along the Thames River. King John signed the Magna Carta here in 1215. Magna Carta was the first document forced onto a King of England by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their rights. The key principle in the Magna Carta was that no citizen could be imprisoned or outlawed without a lawful judgement being made against stated laws of the land. This meant that King John had to operate under this law too. The Magna Carta was used as a reference for the United States Constitution.

The Kennedy Memorial
The Kennedy Memorial is standing in its own acre of land, given by the people of Britain to the USA, in memory of our assassinated President.

The Magna Carta Memorial
(Madeline, Christine, Hali, Lindsey, Me, Saren, & Andrea)

(Briona, Abbie, Me, & Andrea)

Such a beautiful property, we walked through this field to get to the memorials. 

(Hannah, Madeline, Hali, Me, Andrea, Abbie, Lacey, & Saren)

After we got back on the bus and went to Windsor Castle. Out of all the castles that we have been to this one was my favorite. I think it was my favorite because it was exactly what you would imagine in your mind when you think of a castle, queens, kings, knights, horses, and beautiful land. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the whole world. It is the official residence of the Queen. We were not allowed to take picture of the interior of the castle. We were able to go through the King and Queens state rooms, and dining rooms. The dining room is still used for formal banquets and gatherings. Ambassadors, political figures, and business people still come to the castle for over night visits. They eat with the Queen, then she shows them artifacts in the library, and then they wake up and have breakfast with the Queen again before leaving. We also got to see Queen Mary's doll house! It was like looking at an actual house! I wish I could have taken pictures because it was amazing! The doll clothes on display were also amazing. Beautiful jackets and little doll shoes with precious accessories. We also saw lots of china on display. They have beautiful dish sets made that go along with special occasions. 

They would shoot arrows out of these slits in the walls. 

See the wall how it looks like teeth indentations, they would use this so they could shoot things out of the openings and then hide.

This was the best part of the day! At 11 a.m. they changed guards. They Abba songs! It was great!

They say this was a great location for a castle because they could see for miles and miles, if people were coming to attack.

(Hali, Andrew, Hannah, Andrea, Jillian, Me & Kelsie)

(Hali, Andrew, Hannah, Andrea, Jillian, Me & Kelsie)

This is where the Queen enters the castle! 

This path went on forever....fun to picture the Queen coming down it to stay at Windsor. 

We walked around the city for a bit and came across this fun telephone booth....and of course ended up in a Fudge Shop.

We walked in for a free sample and left with 8 huge pieces of fudge. We bought six and then spun the wheel (behind us) and got 2 pieces of fudge for free. The man that is wearing the cowboy looking hat in the back was the worker. He was quite the character. When we asked to take a picture he ran in the back and came out with these lovely hats for some of us to wear. He was yelling and screaming and being crazy!
(Spencer, Kaitie, Saren, Hali, Me, Lindsey, Ryan, Paige, & Madeline)

Notice Kate's baby carriage in the back.

The Queen

We then headed to Stoke Poges, where Thomas Gray is buried. Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is believed to have been written in the churchyard of the Church of England parish church of Saint Giles in Stoke Poges. We walked through the graveyard and then saw where Thomas Gray is buried. In our literature class we read works from these famous poets.

(Me, Andrea, Madeline, Jillian & Hannah)

(Me, Andrea, Gabe, Madeline, Jillian, Hannah & Abbie)

(Andrea, Hannah, Me, & Abbie)

Our last stop was John Milton's house. He wrote Paradise Lost. He lived in London during the plague. His friend, Elwood brought him to this cottage so he would not die from disease. The Great Fire of London in 1666 cleansed London of the plague so Milton returned to London to finish Paradise Lost. Harvard contains many important items that normally would be at this cottage. Down the street from the cottage is where Milton's friend, Elwood is buried next to Wiliam Penn (founder of Pennsylvania). John Milton went blind at age 44 but would wake up at 4 a.m. every morning and have 50 lines of iambic pentameter written by 11 a.m. There was an elderly man who was giving us a tour of the cottage. He was so excited to talk about John Milton it was cute. I asked him how many times he has read Paradise Lost, he said so many times. I am impressed because we had to read parts of it for class and it was challenging. 

Weep no more, woeful shepherds, weep no more, For Lycidas your sorrow in not deat, Sunk through he be beneath the watery floor.

Fly, envious time, till thou run out thy race: Call on the lazy leaded-stepping hours.

Serpent in the Garden of Eden

So saying, her rash hand in evil hour forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate

We have already started a Utah list (yes, still need a creative name) for when we return. One thing I have learned here is to take advantage of wherever you live. There are always fun new things to go do! Of course London has a million different things that we are trying to fit in, but as we compile a list for Utah we are realizing there are things to do everywhere! It is sad that we are already making a list for Utah because that means we are coming home soon! I think that we are making a Utah list so that we aren't so sad when we have to leave London! We have so much fun here!