London Day 3

          Today started off well, with a wonderful English breakfast containing sausages links, ham, sunny-side up eggs, strawberry yogurt, and the best breakfast tea I have ever drank before. Shortly after this delicious start, we went to our orientation meeting where my group performed our presentation. I was quite nervous going into the presentation, but shortly before it, my nerves subsided. I think that our presentation gave an accurate and succinct description of London and Westminster Abbey.

            Directly after our meeting, we went to the back side of Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. On the way there as we were walking by St. James’s Park, we happened to see the Queen being escorted in a fancy car. It was really exciting to see a current monarch up close and personal. To be honest, I was not incredibly impressed to see the Changing of the Guard. We were on the side of the street that they chose not to enter and the construction for the diamond jubilee was blocking most of our view of the presentation.

            On the way back to our hotel, our group walked through St. James’s Park. It was incredible to see the beautiful green fields in the park as well as the ducks, squirrels, swans, and trees. This park is an oasis of sorts inside a large metropolitan area filled with enormous and historical buildings.

            After a brief break for lunch, we went to our first business stop at Bloomberg. What an incredible company! They are highly successful at delivering quick and precise information and well as production the Bloomberg terminal to help financial analysts. The high emphases on employee value and transparency in the workplace made this company stand out as one that is managed well.

            During the evening, I went with a group to do a little night sight-seeing. We rode the underground to the Waterloo station where we got out in order to see the London Eye. We then proceeded to walk across the London Bridge to the Houses of Parliament (Westminster Palace) and the London Clock Tower (Big Ben). Both of these were incredible to see at night with the light shining on the classic Gothic architecture. My group decided to eat at a pub right outside Big Ben where we ordered delicious fish and chips. This was good time to get a little more intimate with some of the people on the study abroad and see where they stand spiritually, socially, and morally.

Study Abroad: London Day 1 & 2!

           We landed in London! Today, we toured Oxford directly after landing at London Heathrow. It was a beautiful town, with architecture dating back to the 15^th century, and some even dating back to the 1200s. The first place we went was the Eagle and Child pub, where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to meet as friends. It was awesome to see a place where two of my favorite authors would meet over ale to discuss their literary pieces, the meaning of life, and what God was doing in their lives.

            Next, we went on a walking tour of Oxford University. Oxford is a collaboration of 38 colleges which act as independent universities. Unlike colleges within universities in the United States, these colleges have a broad variety of subjects that they teach. Along this tour, we saw the college that J.R.R. Tolkien attended (as well as a bust of him), the college where much of the Harry Potter series was filmed, and the house of Dr. Hailey, namesake of “Hailey’s Comet.” These colleges are beautiful, each with a luscious green courtyard, immaculate cathedral and exquisite library. Our tour guide was a cute old British man named Bill, who had a defined but understandable accent and was quick to answer questions. Tonight, we took the Underground for the first time to Leicester Square. This square is a hub for tourists, containing restaurants, theatres, casinos, and pubs. I went to a place called Garfunkle’s for dinner with Ryan, Jimmy, Sydney, Kelly, and Allison. While it was not exactly authentic British food, I had a delicious meal of sausage and mash, three links of sausage with a brown glazed sauce severed with mashed potatoes and covered in onion rings.  

          I will try to post as much as possible, but wifi isn't great so we'll see how much I can do!