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.

5/11/15 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.