Author: Logan Fout

Post Trip

I can finally check off studying abroad off my bucket list! London is a fantastic city, and I would love to go back one day. One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed about this trip was the fact that before we went we learned about certain sections of London and landmarks. As example it was very exciting to learn about St. Paul’s cathedral and then actually go inside the cathedral learn even more about the churches history.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”- Neale Donald Walsch

The quote above could not be more true for this trip. The whole trip in general was out of my comfort zone since we were in a different country and needless to say life really does begin when you get out of your comfort zone. On our free day Taylor and I traveled by train then by bus to the city of Brighton. I was so nervous to venture out on our own with only a map, and little knowledge on the train/bus systems since we could not use our phones as clutches since we did not have data. Our free day turned out so well this summer I may turn off my phone and just grab a map and take a road trip to somewhere in the states. Thanks to this trip I feel more confident in getting out of my comfort zone, which will make life more eventful in the long run.

Overall I enjoyed London and would go back again, but I would also love to explore more of the UK and other parts of Europe. I am now itching to travel and see more of this beautiful world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brighton Day Trip

I can not believe this was our last day in London. Time goes by so fast when you are having a blast and learning. On our last day Taylor and I took a day trip to Brighton by train/bus.

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One way took around two hours, but the two hour ride was totally worth it! Once we arrived at Brighton the first place we stopped at was the Brighton Pier. This pier was a very unexpected treat because I thought the pier was closed until April. Below is a horrific sketch of the entrance. For reference below the sketch is the actual entrance.

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The pier has restaurants, amusement rides, and arcade games and is very kid and adult friendly. After the pier we went down to the ocean. It was very interesting because there was no sand, but rather pebbles and rocks. I found it rather hard to walk around on the beach because there were so many rocks which lead to no traction.

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On the last bus ride to the train station I took a time lapse video from the top of our double decker bus. The time lapse shows how the bus maneuvers around the roads.

 

Overall the day trip to Brighton was spectacular. I’m very happy I went out of my comfort zone and traveled outside of London!

Outside of London

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Tuesday was a magnificent day with blue skies and a lot of fun. We started the day by taking a bus to Stonehenge, Stourhead, and finally Salisbury.

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Our next stop was Stourhead. I am not one to enjoy gardens, but Stourhead is one location I would absolutely love to go back to. Something about the gardens made me feel free and relaxed.

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In the picture above you may notice that lake is not fully filled. You would think that would be disappointing, but it turned out to be a very interesting treat! While sketching the bridge a lovely off-duty tour guide approached us and talked about the retaining wall along the bank of the lake. The stone is not normally there, but due to a valve problem the lake had to be partially drained. She explained how Henry the Magnificent had the walls put along embankment. It was very nice to talk to the local tour guide with an abundant amount of passion about the gardens.

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Out last stop of the day was Salisbury Cathedral. Salisbury Cathedral introduced me to gothic style. I learned that I am not a big fan of gothic style, it just felt very grim and dark inside. The building was still majestic and beautiful though, just not my type of style!

Wow, I can’t believe we have already been in London for four days! London has been good to me and I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of the trip.

Yesterday we went on a huge walking tour of London, and visited many sites. We walked a total of 12.84 miles and 26,136 steps before returning to the hotel.

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It was fantastic to get a nice walking tour of London with a very knowledgeable tour guide. One of the sites we visited during the walking tour was Princess Diana’s Memorial in Hyde Park.

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Princess Diana Memorial was very breath taking to see in person. The memorial was open in 2004 by Her Majesty the Queen. The memorial itself is a water based memorial, made with granite, which are two simple elements. Her memorial is some place you just want go and relax. The memorial is meant to reflect her life with the ripples in the water, and the ups and downs before landing in a small calm pool of water. Overall the memorial was a sight to see and would recommend it to anyone traveling to Hyde Park.

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Adventurous First Day

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Today was a very eventful first day. We stopped at many places but I would like to focus on St. Paul’s Cathedral. St. Paul’s is a beautiful building that even non-architects like myself can appreciate the monumental magnificence of the building. Above is a picture of the top half of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is a double dome. Our group had the privilege to climb to the very top of the double dome, and get a breathtaking view of London. The climb up was a tight squeeze (literally) below is a picture of the one of the staircases.

imageUnfortunately I did not get a picture of the smallest staircase, but did get a picture (below) of Taylor and I walking up the smallest set of stairs. As you can see I had to bend over to make it up the stairs.

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Once you made it to the top the trek was all worth it. The view from the top is an absolutely stunning view of London’s skyline. (below)

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Amazingly enough this cathedral was built 341 years ago before the era of having all the construction equipment we have today. It fascinates me how the whole building was constructed with blood, sweat, and muscle. Since there was lack of heavy machinery like we have today.

Introduction

Hello Everyone! My name is Logan Fout and I am from Frankfort, Ohio. I am a transfer sophomore majoring in strategic communications with a minor in business. I am extremely excited to learn about the culture of London and then apply what I learn when we study abroad. I am most excited to visit Stonehenge.

Selfie

This picture was taken while I was sitting in class. (exciting I know)