First off, I want to apologize for not posting in a while. I have done quite a few exciting things (which I hope you continue scrolling to find out about) as well as started class. This means that blog posts will be highly erratic in terms of scheduling. I hope to post at least once a week, but as you can see I have already failed in that department.
Also, I will probably only put a few pictures in each blog post because I am lazy and take lots of pictures. All of my pictures will be on my Facebook page if you want to see more pictures. Pictures for this post will come tomorrow probably...if I can convince my computer to cooperate!!!
Hampton Court Palace
Last Tuesday we took a wonderful field trip to Hampton Court Palace, home of King Henry VII. Tudor and Elizabethan England are probably my favorite parts of British history, and basically all history in general which made this trip quite a treat. We started with a tour of the kitchens. I am amazed at how so much food came out of these places. I only have to cook for seven people in my food group about once a week. I cannot imagine cooking for over 600 people every day! We then toured Henry's apartments as well as William III's apartments. Although the palace on the whole was beautiful, one of my favorite parts was the gardens. Behind and beside the palace there were extensive gardens which were all still very much in bloom. There was also a significant number of Canadian geese, something I had hoped to avoid while away from Gordon. One was exceptionally curious and tried to help itself to my friend's lunch!
Port Meadows
I have been led to Narnia. That is all.
London
On Saturday we had an optional field trip to London. We walked around a good portion of the city starting near Buckingham Palace and ending up in Leicester Square. While walking through the park I was hit in the face by a pigeon, which was a new experience for me. We ate lunch in Trafalgar square and then headed to the monument for the London Fire. The view from the top was incredible. I could see the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and the London Eye! The climb up the 310 spiral steps was not as enjoyable. The highlight of the day was definitely an Evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral. The acoustics were incredible and the music was amazing beyond description. I have never particularly enjoyed Organ music, but I sat in awe through the entirety of the exit music. This trip was quite enjoyable and I look forward to returning to London in the near future!
Portchester and Portsmouth
Today we went to Portchester Castle and Portsmouth. I finally saw the ocean!!! Oxford is one of the furthest places from the ocean in the UK. This separation from my natural habitat has been difficult, but school has definitely kept me busy enough. I enjoyed walking around the castle walls and taking in the views. We then headed over to Portsmouth, which is another place that my New Hampshire brain had preconceived notions of. Fortunately, those notions were kind of correct as Portsmouth, England is also a functioning naval ship yard. We toured the harbor to get a feel for the British Navy today and then boarded the HMS Victory to get a feel for what the British Navy used to look like. It is hard to imagine over 800 people living on one ship. Our professor told us that each person was allotted 14 inches of hammock space. Even though the ship seemed small on the outside, it felt much bigger on the inside. Personally I think there was some kind of undetectable expansion charm worked on that ship. Our final stop of the day was the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII's Navy. Only a piece of the ship was available for viewing as it had been raised from the English Chanel and this was all that was left. I was truly amazed when I saw it. There is something indescribably magical about seeing a piece of history that has been preserved through unconditional means (like sitting in silt at the bottom of the Chanel).
School
Our introductory British Culture course has taken me on some quite enjoyable field trips. I feel as though we are being taken to all of the places that we missed out on visiting because we were not proper English school children. My first paper was completed last Friday and I have two more due next Wednesday. That being said, I will probably not be able to post until those papers are done. I am greatly looking forward to the start of Oxford term and the start of my music tutorials!!!
Until the next adventure,
Brynn
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