London, England
"Keep Calm and Mind the Gap"
Copyright of Eric Latimer (aka The Dub King)
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Our first stop on our excursion through Europe after our
cruise was London, England, one of the most popular and well known cities in
Europe. We stayed in a hostel, Clink 78, for the time we were staying in London
and explored many of the common sights of London, including the Tower of
London, The Eye, Westminster Abbey, the British Museums, and the
Parliament Building.
Day 1 in London: "We came, we saw... we slept"- The Clink
The train station we left from after we got of the Jewel of the Seas. We waited a while for the train to London, but it was much better than being late. |
Another early morning on our study abroad trip. At 6:a.m. in the cool Baltic air, our group checked out of our beloved Jewel of the Seas (see previous Stand Alone Page) and boarded a train out of Harwich, England straight to the heart of London. Upon arriving, we had somewhat of a culture shock for the first time during the entire trip. Remember,we had been spoiled on the cruise ship for twelve days, getting meals delivered to us and having the luxuries of being at home. That all disappeared when we came and saw that to use a public restroom cost 30 pence, and that trashcans were no where to be found in the train station.
Clink 78 main lobby. |
After we recovered from this reality check, we waited and eventually boarded a private bus to our hostel, Clink 78. Once again, we did not really know what to expect. Would it be big? Small? Smelly? Dirty? When we entered the hostel, we all realized this was going to be an experience that we have never had. The rooms were 8 to a room, and small, a little more than the size of a standard dorm room at Berry. Needless the say, the girls were freaking out, just a little. After everyone got settled (for the most part), the evening was rather restful. Everyone was tired after boarding and traveling through the city, and was suffering from cruise ship withdrawals. However, the next day was really one to remember...
Day 2 in London: Parliament, The Eye, Westminster Abbey, and of course Pret a Manger!
Westminster Abbey |
Our second day in London was a full one. Were woke up early
and split into two groups: one walking to Westminster Abbey, and the other
taking the metro to some of the others sights then to the Abbey. Either way,
both were extraordinary trips. The Abbey was massive and jaw dropping
beautiful, each carving and stone put perfectly into place it seemed. We
journeyed and found the famous Parliament building and The Eye, the largest
Ferris wheel in the world (both can be seen at the top of the page).
Just a personal observation I found while I was in
London: The people their had a great pride for who they were, and what they
had. The streets were not dirty, the buildings and facilities were
not vandalized or damaged... it was all very much put together. Even
the people seemed to treat each other with respect (except maybe the taxi
drivers but... well..)
We also ran into a unique food place in London called
"Pret a Manger", a deli like store that sales all natural sandwiches,
fruit, yogurts, chips... it is like a Subway, but all natural and very good.
Our entire group became in love with the place after the first visit and came
back again and again. Interesting how natural food can have such an effect on
the consumers. More pictures of Pret a Manger can be found on the CSOB Study
Abroad Page under "London".
Anyway, that night some of the students headed back to the
The Eye to ride and get a view of the city in the night sky. And man did they get a
view.
The Parliament building while riding the Eye in the evening sky. |
Day 3 in London: The London Bridge, London Tower, British Museum, and Museum of Natural History.
Like day two, day three in London was also a very packed and
eventful day. Once again, we were up early to meet up at the London Bridge and
London Tower. The London Tower, which housed the Crown Jewels to the King and
Queen was visited by one group of the students while the other broke off the
view the London Bridge. The bridge was massive and adorned with a light blue
paint and a coats of arms everywhere.
After
taking a short break and grabbing Starbucks, our crew headed out to meet up and
explore the British Museum and the Museum of Natural History, both of which are
world renown for their collection of artifacts. In the British Museum, we saw
all kinds of artifacts, ranging from ancient weapons of war to the rare
paintings of Picasso. Probably one the most
premier items was the Rosetta Stone, the key archaeological find to
deciphering the Egyptian written language. The Museum of Natural History too
housed a wide variety of interesting sights, including Dinosaur exhibits and
scientific simulators, such as the earthquake simulator. The rest of the day
was spent exploring the shops of the city and preparing ourselves once again to
pack up and head to our next destination.
Day 4 In London: Through the Chunnel and off to France!
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