Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head

  Once again, I've misunderstood this great city of London.  When I packed my suitcase (this time last week... weird), I assumed that I would need layers.  You know, sweaters, light jackets, a long sleeve shirt or two: casual and easy.  Never would I have imagined it be the equivalent of a harsh Southern winter.  For all you Auburn people,  I'm talking- strap on your galoshes and parka because you're about to walk from Lowder to Funchess, through a cold, wet, mess uphill both ways kind of weather.  The past two days, today in particular, I gained a new appreciation for the South and our hot, muggy summers.  So all you people out there grumbling about the hot Auburn sun, your backpack sweat, your sunburn, your inability to eat a popsicle outside without it melting down your arm- wipe your brow, rub on that Aloe, lick up that popsicle, and praise the Lord for that beautiful humidity.  Today is one of those days I'm missing my Southern summer.

  

  Nevertheless, let's go back to Wednesday.  Wednesday will probably be my favorite day of the week here in London.  I can already tell.  We slept in, finished homework (yeah, Mom and Dad, I'm actually taking class), grabbed lunch and headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Out of all of the museums I have visited so far this trip, this one is by far my favorite.  We traveled through fashion from the 1750s to the present and enjoyed pieces of artwork in piece.  The Victoria and Albert Museum is in South Kensington, away from the rush of most of tourist London, so I enjoyed getting to take my time reading about the things that interested me the most.

Downton Abbey- for real though.

Courtyard in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In front of a staircase from the 1500s. Woah.

Look at the miniature human door.  People were tiny back in the day.

Leonardi di Vinci's Journal... Is it bad that this makes me think of Ever After?

A picture Bible for people who could not read.

Hey guys.

Looks like a backgammon board.

   After we got back from the museum, we met a bunch of our friends in the Refectory (the dining hall at Regent's), grabbed some dinner, and decided we all needed milkshakes.  Scott recommended we go to a place in Camden called Byron, so about 15 of us rallied together and headed through Regent's Park like a school group headed on a tour of the London Zoo (also in Regent's Park and hope to go at some point).  Runners, families, foreigners (including ourselves), flooded the park and reminded us of the vibrancy and diversity of London culture.  We even saw some Brits playing American baseball and thought we might show them how its really done another day (not that I would be much help).  The park is large and beautiful, and I'm looking forward to my time exploring it over the next five weeks.  Our time at Byron was filled with laughter, gigantic, handspun milkshakes, talk of Greek life at Auburn, and an attempt to pull our cash together to pay for all 15 milkshakes.  Another successful night.  

Sweet Mary Allison.  Alpha Gams take London by milkshake.

Costumes from the opening ceremony of the Olympics this past year!

In an old pub in the Museum of London.

   Today, we took at field trip as a group to Hampton Court Palace.  Although the palace's interior and history far surpassed my expectations, the weather seemed to put a damper (literally) on the palace landscape.  Apparently, I missed getting to explore the beautiful palace gardens behind and around Hampton Court because I was too determined to see anything and everything near a heater.  The royal apartments and and preserved quarters of Henry VIII were the most interesting parts of the palace to me.  There is so much history (and so much drama) behind those walls, and I enjoyed getting to walk through Henry VIII's life and see where he ruled.

Caroline, Ellen, and I riding the tube to catch our train to Hampton Court Palace.

Carson and I on the train.

Scott and Caroline.

Carson and Anna in the courtyard of Hampton Court Palace!

Rainy, cold, freezing day.

Anna, Carson, Shannon, and Mary Allison outside of a courtyard.

Carson and Anna dining like Henry and Anne.

My turn.

Cheating by eating Italian food.  Already sick of food in in the Regent's Refectory. Yikes.

All in all, it's been a jam packed and awesome first week.  We're headed to Oxford tomorrow, so more pictures and stories to come.

Cheerio!