hope you don't mind heights.

Despite the fact that I need to do some homework today, I decided that I wanted to do some thing fun this afternoon. It was too pretty of a day to just sit in my flat and read. One of the girls, Ivanna, and I had originally planned to climb the dome of St. Paul's today, but her supervisor [who is involved with politics and such] informed her that St. Paul's was going to be the meeting site for today's Occupy London protest. We decided that it was probably not a good idea to try to enter the Cathedral through all of the people. I had heard, though, that it the Tower Bridge museum was neat, so we decided to check it out.

This picture was taken from regular driving and walking level along the bridge. As you can see, there is a second level in between the towers that is somewhat higher. That level is where the museum is located. We took a lift up and then walked between the towers, looking at displays and information. The walkway is closed in, so it was quite secure. I barely even felt like I was that high up in the air.

The view from up top was really nice. It is glassed in, with big structures that make it hard to get a clear view of the city, but there were camera windows for taking pictures without glass in the way. It was fun playing around with pictures.

Along the walk, there were old pictures of the bridge, sketches and plans for its construction, images of the three considered bridge designs, information about other neat bridges around the world, and facts about events and stunts that have taken place on the bridge. If you think the heights alone would have made you nervous, there was a video playing that showed a guy jump the bridge on motorcycle. Seriously? That just seems like a bad plan from the start. Apparently a double-decker bus once had to jump it, and that was his inspiration. I want to know how the bus "had" to jump it.

It was a nice little outing, before I return to my homework. The whether is currently great, and I knew I would regret not taking advantage of the lovely day. The ticket also gets me access to the Great Fire Monument; I have seven days to go to that before my ticket expires. I'm not really sure what all it entails, but hopefully I will get a chance to go this week. I think it is basically a really tall column that you get to climb up in. Again, good thing I'm not afraid of heights.

it's raining in scotland?

This past weekend I went to Edinburgh with some friends. It made for a really long weekend, but it was nice to get out of London, and explore another city. Saturday was quite rainy - typical - but Sunday cleared up some, and it made for a really nice trip.

 We started off at St. Giles Cathedral, off of the Royal Mile. There was a big statue of John Knox inside! This is of the heart of the city. We all spit in it; supposedly that means we will some day return to Edinburgh. Hope so! Maybe in the summer next time, though.

We toured the castle the first day as well. It was really misty, though, so my pictures didn't turn out very nicely. It was neat to see the castle, and they were doing reenactments, because it was some kind of celebration or anniversary. There were people firing off canons and guns, dressed in old traditional uniforms. The complex was MASSIVE. It was like a little village all within the castle grounds. I can't lie, it kind of reminded me of Hogsmead.

I got up early on Sunday morning to go to Holyrood Palace. The other people I was there with had gone up the day before me and had already taken this tour, so I did it before most of them were awake. I wasn't aloud to take pictures inside the Palace, but this is a picture of the front. After doing Buckingham Palace, this one seemed quite small, but I kind of enjoyed that. It almost seemed more realistic and more livable. I can't really imagine life in Buckingham Palace, and, not that I can see myself living here, this was more understandable.

We were planning on going to the John Knox museum after I went to Holyrood, but it was closed on Sunday. Instead, we went to the Museum of Scotland. We went up to the terrace and had an INCREDIBLE view of the city. I played around with the panoramic setting on my camera and was able to get the picture below.

 The museum itself was massive. I particularly enjoyed the part on religion in the area, but the artwork and stylistic areas were also interesting. It was one of those museums that is impossible to do in one visit, though, so I'm sure I missed some awesome items.

We had lunch at The Elephant House, where JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter! How exciting! And we met up with Emily, a friend from UNC who is studying in Edinburgh for the semester. It was a nice relaxing lunch, and the cafe was quite enjoyable.

The rest of Sunday afternoon was relatively relaxed. We did pretty much everything that I had planned to do, which is always nice. I didn't feel so rushed that I was worried I would miss anything. We walked around in a big park, that I don't remember the name of. It was a fun and easy afternoon. Then we took the massively long train ride back, and fell quickly asleep for class the next morning.

I don't know if I will do many more big weekend trips, but I am currently planning my fall break trip, which I am quite excited about! In a few weeks you will get posts about ITALY! But, in the mean time, I will continue posting about life in London.

it's not our fault. all the good discoveries have been taken.

Last week I got to hang out with the Megan and Katie! It was nice having friends from home here. We explored the British Library, which is absolutely amazing. Shakespeare's notebooks, Jane Austen's writing table, some really old Bibles, original lyrics written by the Beatles, so much awesomeness in one room.

On Sunday we went to Cambridge, and my flatmate Kirsten came with us. It was neat to get out of London and see a British "college town." We took a guided tour through the University area and we gradually heard the stories of many famous discoveries. We saw the place that Watson and Crick announced the discovery of the double helix. We saw Trinity College, where Sir Isaac Newton clapped his hands and listened to the echoes to test the speed of sound. There were many moments where we thought "my life will never be this important." But we then decided that it wasn't our fault. All of the big inventions and discoveries had already been made. We can't help our birth year...

Genius aside, Cambridge was absolutely stunning. We went into the Chapel at Kings College, and I was blown away. The vaults on the ceiling are incredibly. They are fan vaults and they appear to be as delicate as lace. I can't imagine trying to construct that out of stone. Churches just aren't made the same anymore.

Chapel Hill is gorgeous, but the buildings seem to pale in comparison to Kings College, Cambridge. One thing UNC allows that Cambridge doesn't is the ability to walk on the grass. Apparently, only fellows are allowed to walk across the grass and lawns in Cambridge. That rule would never work at UNC. Thank goodness for the quads.

where are harry and william?

These past few days I  have continuously felt as if I should run into someone famous. I actually did a double take, thinking I had seen Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) getting onto the tube. Sadly, I was wrong; the guy was too short, and Rupert probably doesn't even use public transportation. But, this week I have done some cool exploration and have seen the fancier sides of London.

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful. It has actually been hot. I have not known what to even wear the past few days. I prepared for rain and wind, not 80 degrees. Tuesday, my room mate Beth and I decided to explore Hyde Park. It was fun to walk around on such a nice day. Some of it looked familiar; I kept recognizing things I had seen when I was there a few years ago. New or not, though, the park is really nice. We saw the Peter Pan statue and the Princess Diana memorial. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and a great way to enjoy the sun shine. I am sure it will be cold and rainy again soon.

Wednesday, our entire program went to Buckingham Palace. [Gasp, the royal wedding dress is currently on display]. We had audio guides, and in the first two minutes of the guide Prince William welcomed us to the palace. We were standing on a porch, hoping to see Harry and William walk across an opening and wave. We knew it wasn't going to happen, but one can hope, right? The palace was beautiful. There were so many old paintings, thrones, and crystallized objects. It was beautiful. And there was a three room display, completely dedicated to the Royal Wedding. Kate custom designed her lace, including pieces of work that represent all of the countries that make up the United Kingdom. If anyone wants to know more about the dress, just ask. I watched an entire video purely on the design process.

After the tour through the palace we walked through the gardens. They were nice, but it was a hot day and all of us had to run off and make it to our internships. We didn't get to see anyone royal. My count of famous people I have spotted is still zero, but, who knows, maybe I will see someone soon. Fingers crossed!