Saturday was a very British day. It was very dreary and
rainy all day! In the morning, we went to Oxford Street (think Times Square) to
buy Eleanor new shoes. With good walking shoes, we headed to Parliament. I did
not know very much about parliament before our tour, so it was a great
opportunity to learn about British government. There are many traditions for
the House of Lords and House of Commons which are not seen in the Senate or
House. The palace was very well guarded. To get in we had to go through airport
security and then there were guards everywhere in the palace! It can
technically be considered a palace because there are rooms that the queen uses
to get ready for the first day of parliament and thus those rooms are
apartments. Because the building houses royal apartments, it is technically a
palace.
 |
| Stained Glass in Entryway |
 |
| In front of Elizabeth Tower (Home of Big Ben) |
 |
| Rain |
After our tour, we walked towards the Victoria & Albert (V&A);
however, we got hungry on the way in stopped in Harrods. It is a huge
department store that even has its own giftshop! We decided to get afternoon
tea while we were there (a classic tourist activity). We each got a pot of tea
(I got English Breakfast- No.14 English Breakfast Blend, A classic English
Breakfast tea. The full-bodied flavour of Ceylon complements the bright colour of
a fine Kenyan tea, while malty, bold Assam contrasts with a delicate Darjeeling),
and Eleanor and Sara got scones while I got two “fancies” (Sticky Toffee
Pudding Gâteaux- Layered toffee and date cake and Passion Fruit Posset-Whipped
cream and passion fruit mousse . They were the most delicious desserts I have
had!
 |
| My fancies! |
 |
| Sara's biscuits and cottled cream |
 |
Enjoying Tea
|
 |
| Other Fancies |
With very fully stomachs, we wandered around Harrods looking at expensive
bathtubs, fancy dinnerware, and loads of clothes! Then we set out in the rain
once again, so we could go the Royal Albert Hall where we saw a wonderful
concert, the BBC promenade. The BBC Proms were founded in 1895 and run every
year from July to September. The concert we saw was Wagner, Rienzi-overture;
Ravel, Piano Concerto in G major; and Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 in D minor,
with Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano, and Philippe
Jordan as conductor. I enjoyed the concert, especially the jazzy first piece
and latter dramatic pieces.
 |
| Albert Memorial |
 |
| Royal Albert Hall |
 |
| Inside Royal Albert Hall |
On Sunday, we had a bus tour around the city. Our guide was
an outspoken and opinionated Londoner; however, hilarious and thoroughly
entertaining. It was great to learn a little about many of the sites that I
pass daily. We also stopped at several stops to look at St. Pauls Cathedral,
Tower Bridge, and a market used as Diagon Alley for the Harry Potter movies. In the afternoon we went to a lovely garden
party at Professor Vinter’s house. She had many cakes and cheeses for us and it
was nice to talk to the other people on the program more. Also, I got my mobile
(phone) to finally work!
 |
| Tower Bridge |
 |
| "Diagon Alley" |
Yesterday was a very exciting day. In the morning, Kate,
Matt and I went to the Notting Hill Carnival. It is the largest street festival
in Europe. We were heavily warned against bringing anything so I did not bring a camera; however, BBC took pictures which I have uploaded. It also felt very safe due to the 7,000 officers in attendance. The parade is amazing because each group will have a procession of
dancers, floats, props and a band that takes up 2+ blocks each. The costumes
are absolutely gorgeous and incredibly intricate (and revealing!). After
watching the parade for a while, we got some delicious corn on the cob and jerk
chicken. Just as we were finishing, a woman from the BBC came over and asked if
we would like to be interviewed, so we said sure. Our quotes (mine is the quote
after Kate’s) and picture made the article. Given all of the spectacular food
and costumes, not sure why our picture got chosen, but oh well! The link is
here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23843154
 |
| Kate and I at the Nottinghill Carnival- picture by BBC |
After the festival, we came home and ate dinner and then
went to the Bowler (local pub) and got strongbow. A football match was on which the entire pub
was watching. We were the only ones not getting upset by the lousy calls,
yellow cards and other parts of the game.
Today we start classes! I have my art class ( The Early
Renaissance in Florence and Flanders) today so I need to go find somewhere to
buy school supplies. Who knows how easy or difficult that will be.
