5/27/15 Twinings

We spent the morning at a tea tasting at the Twinings shop in London, which was really fun. We tried six different types of tea including white tea, green tea, yellow tea, black tea, oolong tea, and puer tea. The tea was brewed in a mug and then poured into a bowl. To properly taste the tea we had to take note of the smell, appearance, taste, mouth feel, and aftertaste. In order to taste the tea, we scooped the tea out of the communal bowl with a spoon and then we slurped (the louder the slurp the better) it from the spoon. Everybody had a lot of fun and we had the opportunity to buy some Twinings tea after the tasting.

After that, we visited the Albert Memorial and the Victoria & Albert Museum. The memorial was extravagant and gigantic. Unfortunately we only had time to see a small portion of the V & A museum. We ended our day by eating, the tradition British food, fish & chips.

The tea tasting at Twinings.

Posing in front of the Albert Memorial.

Albert Memorial.

5/25/15 Chelsea Physic Garden

We started our day in the Chelsea Physic Garden which was small but diverse. The garden was originally created in 1673 in order to train future apothecaries in the art of plant identification. The garden was opened up to the public in 1983 and now visitors can come explore the collection of natural medicine/remedy plants that the Chelsea Physic Garden has to offer. The garden was fun but much smaller in comparison to Kew Gardens.

We spent our afternoon on a tea and coffee walk in the City of London. During this walk we saw some of the old warehouses, original coffee shops, and much more. Along with learning about the historical buildings, we also saw some of the newer buildings including the Gherkin Building (30 St Mary Axe), Lloyd’s of London (1 Lime St), and the “Walkie-Talkie” Building (20 Fenchurch Street). Apparently the Walkie-Talkie Building used to melt cars accidentally due to its concave shape. If you want to find out more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675 .

Chelsea Physic Garden.

5/23/15 Globe Theater

We started the day off by going to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing the Guard Ceremony. The actual ceremony was not that exciting except that the marching band played Thriller (or at least something that sounded very similar to Thriller) at one point which was hilarious. After that we went to the Globe Theater to watch Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It. And I must say, I did like it. The cast did a marvelous job of portraying their characters in a funny and unique way.

Waiting for the play to start at Globe Theater.

5/21/15 & 5/22/15 Art & Architecture

For both Thursday and Friday I spent the morning in class and the afternoon at the British Library researching for my paper. Once I finished all my schoolwork I had the chance to explore London! On Thursday I went and saw the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. I really enjoyed the Houses of Parliament which were extremely grandiose and awe-inspiring.

On Friday I started with the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. From there I went to Tate Modern (a modern art museum) which I really enjoyed. Two of the displayed works really struck a chord with me. The first was a documentary called Blindly which shows scenes from painting workshops with visually impaired participants. The film showed some participants who were born blind and some who lost their sight due to an accident or condition. These participants were asked to paint self portraits and pictures of animals. It was interesting to see how they viewed the world while not being able to see. If you want to learn more: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/artur-zmijewski. The other work of art that I really enjoyed was called Tree of 12 Metres by Giuseppe Penone (see picture below). Penone carved industrially produced sticks of timber while following the natural knots and rings of the wood. This technique exposes what the tree looked like when it was much younger and smaller. If you want to learn more: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/giuseppe-penone-1754.

On my way back from the Tate Modern museum, I stopped by the Tower Bridge. I really enjoyed standing on the bridge and looking over the Thames. Even though the Tower Bridge is in the middle of a very busy city, I found it to be quite relaxing and serene.

Big Ben & the London Eye.

Posing in front of Westminster Abbey.

Tree of 12 Metres by Giuseppe Penone.

Tower Bridge at night.

3/18/15 Regent’s Park

After class and research in the British Library, I set off on my own to explore Regent’s Park. On my way there I stopped at 221b Baker Street (aka the Sherlock Holmes Museum) because I am a big fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The gift shop was fun but I felt like the museum was underwhelming. Maybe I just have a hard time appreciating a museum for a fictional character. I much prefer museums displaying artifacts with historical relevance.

After the slightly disappointing Sherlock Holmes Museum, I walked through Regent’s Park which is beautiful and filled with extraordinary water fowl. After researching why Regent’s park has such a large population of waterfowl, I discovered that the park has an ornamental waterfowl collection containing more the 90 species of birds. They collect the bird’s eggs, place them in a hatchery, and once born they trade them with other parks to prevent inbreeding. I’m not sure how they manage to keep all those birds from leaving the park, but they definitely make the park special.

221b Baker Street.

Water fowl in Regent’s Park.

Glorious Regent’s Park.

3/17/15 Free Day

Today was a free day so we could so whatever we wanted. Accompanied by some classmates, I went to the British Museum for the first half of the day. Even though we were there for an hour we hardly made a dent in the museum, it’s so big. After that educational experience, we wandered around Oxford Street (a shopping district) and Piccadilly Circus (a giant roundabout). After that we stumbled into St. James Park and ate a nice picnic in a park. In the park there is a little pond with many water fowl and other birds hanging around. There were so many birds that I have to wonder if the government brings them into the park and/or feeds them. Then we stopped by Buckingham Palace on the way back.

Inside the British Museum.

Hanging out in Piccadilly Circus!

Visiting Buckingham Palace.

3/16/15 Greenwich

While visiting Greenwich we explored the National Maritime Museum. One of the museum curators gave us a talk about the tea trade. After that we visited the Cutty Sark which is the fastest still-surviving tea clipper. We were able to walk around the lower deck, tween deck, and upper deck. After the Cutty Sark, we walked up to the Royal Observatory where we were able to straddle the prime meridian and look out across London (what a beautiful view). We also walked to The Queen’s House but we were unable to see inside due to a wedding. Wouldn’t that be a pretty place to get married? Our last destination in Greenwich was the Old Royal Naval College which has an extraordinary painted ceiling.

View from the Royal Observatory.

5/11/15 High Tea

Today we had the privilege of experiencing afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace. After barely making it on time (due to getting faulty directions), we were able to sip English Breakfast tea made from a blend  of tea from Sri Lanka and Assam. After trying the tea plain and with cream and sugar (cream and sugar was better), we were served 4 types of sandwiches (cucumber & mint, egg salad, salmon & cream cheese, and a delicious coronation chicken wrap), 2 types of scones (currant and orange), and 3 different desserts (a light cake with jam, a chocolate-coffee cake, and something with an almond on it). The afternoon Tea exceeded all of my expectations.

With the knowledge that I had to back at our hostel at 4pm in order to meet my Professor to go to the British Library, I decided it would be fun to take the bus back instead of the Underground. I assumed 45 minutes would be enough time to get back. And let me tell you it was not. At 4:20 I was still on the bus, far away from the bus stop I needed to get off at. But fortunately for me I knew how to get to the Library from the bus’ location, so I got off at the next stop and sprinted to the library in the hope that I would be able to meet my class there. Upon my arrival I rushed to the reader registration room and asked if a group of Americans had recently been there. They had not. So I went outside to go look for them and as soon as I got to the street I saw them coming my way. What I learned from this was while the bus is a nice way to see the city, it is not a good choice if you are in a hurry.

Enjoying Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace.

My class posing for a picture outside of the Orangery at Kensington Palace.

5/9/15 Departure Day

After two days of class lecture on the Illinois Wesleyan University campus and one free day to get packed, we are finally ready to leave for London! We left for London on May 9th for an intensive three week travel May Term course. Twenty-four students and two faculty member are traveling to England, The Netherlands, and Belgium to learn about “The Bloody History of Tea”.

In case you don’t know me, here’s a brief description:

I just finished my Sophomore year at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois as an Accounting Major. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and this is my first time leaving the continent. I am really excited for this class and the opportunity to explore a tiny bit of Europe.

Waiting at O’Hare airport to board the plane to London. Everyone is really excited!!!