Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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 15th 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!

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