This trip to London was truly an amazing experience and opportunity. There is so much history within one city and so much of it relates back to the United States. It was also interesting to see the blending of so many different cultures, which was made very evident from all of the different types of food on every corner. The architecture was so amazing, and it was really interesting seeing so many different styles of architecture so close to each other. Wandering through a narrow medieval street with lots of old buildings only to find the Walkie Talkie at the end of the street was such a juxtapostion. But when you wander though London, seeing things like that is not abnormal. There is just such a successful blending of the new with the old. But even with all of this, I was slightly underwhelmed, perhaps my expectations were just to high. It didn’t feel like we were in a different country, possibly because there was no language barier or perhaps the fact that a lot of our culture comes from England. I felt like I was just in an older part of the United States where they happened to have different accents, which isn’t unreasonable since every part of the US has a different accent. Overall I really enjoyed the trip and I do want to go back and see everything I didn’t get a chance to, but I would probably go back to Germany or Switzerland first.

And just like that, we’re back to our daily college lives. London was truly an amazing experience and I wish I had more time there. There were countless things on our ‘to-do’ list that we never got to, but also a lot of unexpected things that were equally cool to see and experience. From hearing friends’ stories, and seeing the city on TV, I’ve always had this picture in my mind about what London would be like, culturally, geographically and aesthetically. Based on this picture I had in my mind, I also thought that I would really enjoy London, and that it would be a place that I might like to live. After finally traveling to London, I can say that the picture in my mind was quite wrong, but at the same time, I do really like London and would definitely consider living there at some point in the future. Traveling to NYC many times, I have found myself comparing London to NYC to put it in perspective. Although they are both of the largest cities in the world, they’re completely different in mind, culturally, geographically and aesthetically.

Architecturally, London was a lot more complex than I had imagined; the seamless weaving of 11th century buildings and 21st century skyscrapers into the urban fabric was absolutely incredible. This trip was the first time I had been out of the country, and the first time I really sketched. Sketching while there and learning about the city beforehand allowed me to get much more out of the trip. It was such a cool experience to visit places like Stonehenge and Stourhead which we learned about in Arch 2300, and let me say, the slideshow pictures don’t do their justice.

Old and New

London was filled with many surprises, all good (in my opinion). Although I was only there for a short period of time, it’s a city that I am fascinated with. I will definitely be back in the future, and maybe eventually I’ll go back for good. Cheers London.

Brighton

Tea time

O-H-I-O in Tate Modern

This trip to London was my first time leaving the country and I felt this study abroad trip would be a great way to transition into traveling to other countries. The fact that there is no language barrier made the trip a whole lot easier, compared to going on a trip to Germany or Spain for example. London was a lot more incredible than I imagined it would be, especially the architecture. I loved the fact that everything looked very old and they blended the old with the new, while making sure they didn’t disregard the importance of their architecture by building up around it.  My favorite part of the trip would have to be the English country side. I love have peaceful it was out there and the fact that both Stonehenge and Stourhead were located there definitely factored into my decision. Another amazing part of the trip was the Harry Potter studio tour. They had most of the sets from the movies and many different costumes and props. There were many more amazing experiences on the trip that I will look back on for a long time. I am so glad I went on this trip and hope I can have more incredible experiences like this traveling abroad in the future.

The journey ends…..Exploring London and the English countryside has been an adventure.  I experienced many surreal and unforgettable moments such as walking on Millennium Bridge, wandering through the River Thames Promenade, absorbing the details of the interior of Salisbury Cathedral, seeing the follies at Stourhead, and viewing London at sunset from the top of One New Change.  I am pleased to have acquainted myself with another city, while I learned more about myself.  I treasure the occasions wherein I explored London on my own; it was liberating to know that I could take the tube without becoming lost, that I could fulfill travel errands without assistance, and that I could navigate a city via foot without asking for directions.  I have traveled many times in the past with my parents; as such, with matters in connection to travel, I could always rely on them for help.  Owing to my trip to London, I am proud that I developed confidence as an independent traveler.  I intend to revisit London with my parents in the future, as I would like to see the city through their eyes.  As I write this blog post, I am still in the London state of mind.  The memories I created in London will live in my mind for eternity.

It’s hard to believe that the whole trip to London is already over. I still remember the super long walking tour seemed never to end, but now I’m already back to school again. I think this trip is a good relief for me from school work, and it allowed me to see some of the most historic and famous sights. There are many differences between London and Columbus. For instance, in London, drivers drive extremely fast, and everything seemed to blend together, while in Columbus, the cars move in a much slower pace. Moreover, Columbus feels like a more peaceful living space where you can slow down and enjoy more of your life, which is different from what I experienced on the tip, which was constant traveling within compressed time. The most important thing I learned from this trip is to get to people as early as possible start from the beginning of the semester. Throughout the semester, I was caught up with school work, but I have no complaints because I made such choice myself, but I should have still tried to be more active to talk to people more and get to know them better. However, I think I still enjoyed the trip with many people; I can feel their enthusiasm towards the trip and friendliness to me. I had lots of fun just by listening to their conversations. I think from now on, I will open up more and communicate with people more.

Today is probably one of the most relaxing days during the whole trip. In the morning, I was a little bit surprised to learn that Westminster Abbey served for different purposes, such as markets. In my previous opinion, churches were only used to worships. Then I went to see the great Chapter House, which is a lager version of Salisbury Cathedral’s chapter house. After that, I took the took the tube with Kendra and Kayla to the shopping center near St. Paul’s Cathedral. We had really nice Vietnamese noodle soups there. Mine was not as spicy as I thought, but I still loved it! After we finished our lunch, we went to a Starbucks near St. Paul’s Cathedral. There we had a nice conversation and enjoyed our leisure. In the afternoon, we went to SOM, which is a world-wide famous architecture design firm. I am not too big a fan of skyscrapers, so I thought the tour of the company was okay, but it’s still nice to see some of the models and 3D printed models out there. Then, I had a relay enjoyable conversation with the group at Wagamama. I was not hungry at that time, but the juice and food were very delicious!

The evening of our free museum day, I was finally able to go to The Sherlock Holmes Museum. I had been waiting to go since I decided to go on the trip. It was rather difficult to find, as it is between 237 and 241 Baker Street despite the address being 221B Baker Street. The museum is quite cheeky looking like one of the typical cafes. Next to the museum entrance is the famous door to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson’s flat.

Door to the far left with museum on the right

Before you can enter the flat, you have to buy a ticket from the counter in the back of the gift shop. The ticket was £15 that gets you in to the flat itself which is dressed in a Victorian era style, like when Sherlock and Watson would have lived there along with all the employees in traditional Victorian era costumes.

You never truly go through the main flat door, there is a door to the front entrance are of the flat from inside the gift shop area where you show a man your ticket to enter. Walking in to the front entrance, you take the stairs to the second floor which houses Sherlock’s bedroom and study.

The second floor had another living space and a small office that was full of items such as books and pictures. There was a guest book to sign as well. The one prominent part of the second floor though was the wax figurines. I did not stay there long as I found them rather creepy but they were presenting specific scenes from the stories.

Overall, I had a wonderful evening and acquired some pretty neat souvenirs. I am still so happy I was able to visit this small little museum of one of my favorite literary characters and feel as if I was back in the Victoria era.

Going on the London Eye was truly a remarkable experience! I had never been on a Ferris wheel this high so it was nice to be on one this high! I went on the Sky Wheel in Myrtle Beach, which was nice, but it did not offer views like the London Eye did. Most of the sites that we had visited were visible from the Eye.

The iconic Big Ben can be seen in this picture. It was nice to see this again since our time by the boat launch was limited. image
Although hard to see because I took this with my iPhone, St. Paul’s Cathedral can be seen behind another building. This also shows how massive the cathedral really is, because it towers over the surrounding buildings!

Of course the Shard is visible from the Eye, but I like how this picture shows the isolation of the Shard from the other larger skyscrapers of London.

A lot of the bridges can also be seen quite well and being high in the air, it can be seen that many important buildings and sites are linked together by these.

There was also a wonderful view of the sunset while at the top of the eye, which can be seen here. The views were incredible and it was definitely a wonderful experience!

Yesterday we started off our day by taking the Tube to Temple which is one of my new favorite places. Temple is filled with cobblestone streets, courtyards and fountains, and is a quiet escape from the busy city. While in Temple, we explored Middle Temple Hall and Temple church, which are both situated on a courtyard, one with a double hammerbeam roof, and one with great stain glass windows.

Temple, near Middle Temple Hall

After Temple, we went up to Covent Garden which is also a new favorite of mine. The market stalls, the food, the street performers, and St. Paul’s Covent Garden all made this place very unique. During this time, we also explored Sir John Soanes Museum which was very quirky but fascinating at the same time. On our way back to Covent Garden for lunch, we stopped in a place called Neal’s Yard which was a cool place we had researched before coming.

After grabbing lunch and looking around the markets of Covent Garden we headed to our museum of choice, Tate Modern. Although I’m not a huge modern art fan, I really enjoyed walking through Tate. After wondering around the museum, we took the Tube to the Sherlock Holmes museum and we enjoyed walking through Regents Park. On our way back, we took the Tube during peak which was interesting, fun, and stressful all at the same time. I have never seen so many people cram into such a small space before. When our stop came, we had to fight to get through people. To end the night, we had dinner at a pub near the hotel.

The journey continues…..My fourth day involved a series of awestruck and dream-like moments.  To begin with, visiting Stonehenge was surreal.  I am grateful to have seen in person the historic site as Stonehenge not only belongs to English history, but also to world history.  I find the area that surrounds Stonehenge to be scenic, inspiring, and calming owing to the open and rolling expanses of fields.  The use of pillars in the design of the Visitor Centre provides contrast to the acres of unobstructed fields.  Second, visiting Stourhead was a dream that turned into reality.  I was amazed at the amount of greenery planted at the site.  Everywhere I turned, my eyes were refreshed with trees, flowers, or leaves.  Among the follies, I, in particular, like the bridge as grass spills throughout it from the surrounding area.  I appreciate the maximization of nature at Stourhead.  For instance, the leaf-lined branches that billow from a tree provide cover for a portion of a path.  Also, arrows are carved into rocks in order to provide directions to visitors as they explore the site on foot.  Third, the scale of Salisbury Cathedral stunned me.  Owing to its enormity, the cathedral renders the visitor minuscule not only in the literal and physical sense, but also in the sense of worth or value.  The enormous scale of the building serves to reinforce the divinity of Heaven and the aim of humans to reach Heaven in the next life.  Overall, I appreciated spending time in the countryside as doing so allowed me to catch a break from the hustle and bustle of the city that is London.  I enjoyed experiencing the softer side of England via lush nature, quaint streets, and celebrated heritage.

* The pillars of the Visitor Centre at Stonehenge contrast to the vast emptiness of the environs

* At Stourhead, trees provide cover over segments of paths and rocks provide directions via carved arrows

The journey continues…..Visiting the British Museum was an ideal way to start the day as doing so allowed me to experience the Great Court without the presence of loads of people.  The museum is full of historical treasures from all over the world which renders it an establishment that must be explored.  The Great Court of the British Museum stunned me.  I appreciate the engineering involved in the curvilinear glass roof structured via the diagrid system.  In addition, I find that the flow of light into the court activates the space to serve as the unifier of the wings of the British Museum.  It is interesting that the British Museum acquired treasures from countries all over the world.  For instance, the museum houses friezes from the Parthenon located in Greece.  It is difficult to provide a concrete or clearcut answer regarding whether or not it is appropriate for the British to keep the treasures which culturally trace back to places outside of the United Kingdom.  By virtue that the treasures are culturally related to places outside of the United Kingdom, the treasures should be returned to those places.  The argument, however, could also be that the United Kingdom possesses the resources to study and preserve historical treasures, thus the United Kingdom should be allowed to keep the treasures.  Second, I am interested in High-Tech architecture.  As such, viewing the skyscrapers, Lloyd’s Building, 30 St. Mary Axe, and Leadenhall Building, upclose allowed me to acknowledge the scale of the structural elements.  Third, visiting Greenwich was surreal.  The area with the royal buildings appeared to me as a set for the film adaptations of British literary works.  The facades of the historical buildings of Greenwich and the facades of the skyscrapers of London contrast.  The facades of the historical buildings are detailed owing to ornate carvings.  Investment was put into creating ornamented shells for the buildings so that the buildings indicate the grandiose, revered, and opulent lifestyle of the royal residents.  The facades of the skyscrapers, on the other hand, are detailed owing to the display of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as the structure.  As such, systems and structure perform double duty.  Not only do systems and structure provide utility for the skyscrapers, but the systems and structure also render the skyscrapers with a raw aesthetic.

* The iconic Great Court of the British Museum

* The systems and the structure are displayed on the facades of the contemporary buildings

My second day in London was once again exciting, full, and pleasant as it involved a lot of walking and informative sightseeing.  Certain thoughts and observations popped in my mind as I explored London via foot.  To begin with, I like the dichotomy of City Hall, a modern glass-and-steel building placed on a side of the River Thames, and Tower of London, an old stone-and-mortar building placed on the other side of the river.  River Thames could serve as a line of division that separates City Hall and Tower of London which were constructed at different periods in English history, which were built using common and available materials in accordance to timeframe, and which exemplify aesthetics of distinct architectural styles; however, the river also serves as a unifier of the two buildings, threading City Hall and Tower of London into the fabric of the city to create a whole urban identity open to architectural evolution.  Second, I find that London is filled with bridges that function to link upper and lower London via the River Thames.  Though bridges are not buildings, to me, bridges are nonetheless architectural as bridges engage people, contribute to industrialization, and involve both structure and aesthetics.  Among the bridges in London, I, in particular, appreciate Millenium Bridge and Tower Bridge.  Millenium Bridge and Tower Bridge, similar to City Hall and Tower of London, serve as a dichotomy as the former is a contemporary bridge constructed from glass and steel, whereas the latter is an historic bridge constructed from masonry units.  Third, visiting Hyde Park at the end of the day after viewing a sheer number of buildings was a welcome respite.  The expansive and open space, the greenery, and the water features rejuvenated me, allowed me to catch my breath, and permitted me to view scenery beyond buildings.  At the park, there is a long and wide grass path lined with trees for which I specifically possess an affinity; with that said, if a future studio project of mine involves the development of outdoor space, I would refer to this for guidance.

* A detail of the structure of Millenium Bridge

* The iconic Tower Bridge viewed in the morning

* Trees meet sky at Hyde Park

* The grass path at Hyde Park for which I possess an affinity

My first day in London was exciting, full, and pleasant. Several key thoughts and observations appeared in my mind owing to my experience on my first day in the city.  To begin with, I find that though the British possess the inclination towards progression, forward-thinking, and development (for instance, London introduced the world’s first sewer system; the world’s first department store; and the world’s first underground train system), they are conscious to celebrate their history (for instance, notable Brits are buried at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral; signages that indicate the former residences of past notable individuals are found on the facades of the buildings at Bedford Square; and the Museum of London was established to serve as the venue that would record the events that shape the city of London).  The British seem interested in coupling the past with the present as seen by the presence of skyscrapers that were not only built via modern technology and engineering, but were designed to preserve the sight lines that lead to St. Paul’s Cathedral, a building that encapsulates centuries-worth of London history.  Second, the Barbican Centre surprised me in a positive way.  Brutalism, which is the style of the buildings of the center, can be cold and uninviting; however, the harshness and the hardness of the concrete are tempered and softened by the vibrancy of the greenery and the fluidity of the water.  The involvement of reciprocal invasion between water and walkable area in the design of the plaza is smart and sensible as it engages the residents with their outdoor environment.  The center serves as ideal public housing owing to the level of amenities available for the residents.  Third, viewing the city from the roof deck of One New Change was an ideal way to cap off my first day in London as doing so not only allowed me to view St. Paul’s Cathedral from above ground, but also in relevance to the contemporary buildings.  The opportunity provided me a glimpse of the buildings I would visit, along with my classmates, in subsequent days.

* The iconic facade of St. Paul’s Cathedral

* The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral viewed at sunset from the roof deck of One New Change

* At the plaza of Barbican Centre, water invades walkable area and walkable area invades water

* A sketch of a door found at St. Paul’s Cathedral

Kew Gardens Palm House
Yesterday, we went to Kew Gardens. The weather was a little bit chilly, but I was glad to see a variety of different kinds of plants. It’s a lot of work to keep so many plants and take good care of them. It was really warm and beautiful inside the green houses. In the afternoon, I went from Kew to National Gallery. I went on the train with other people first, and I kept falling asleep. I really appreciate that they woke me up and let me sit close to them so I got off train on time. Then I took the tube to Charing Cross to National Gallery. When I first went to the gallery, I bought a map, and I was very ambitious to see all of it. I was planning to go to each room on first floor from right of the building to the left. But there are too many corridors which lead to different rooms, and I think I finished almost two thirds of the first floor. On the first floor, there were many colorful religious paintings. I wanted to glance through as much as I could, but I stopped to see stories for those which seem special and unusual to me. After that, I went to tea with everyone and had nice chats with people. The deserts are sugary, but I enjoyed their tastes.

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.

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.

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.

Yesterday I visited British Museum, and I was glad to see my favorite, exquisite European designed plates, jewelry, and glass. When I was younger in middle school, I learned about how Brits exploited China and other places and snapped those valuable treasures from these countries, so I was angry about the Brits. However, as I grew up more, I gradually learned that Chinese government has not spent enough effort preserving national treasures, and some of them were badly damaged or not well preserved. Then I realized that British Museum may be a better place for them. Although it’s sad that they’re taken out of their original context, which would enable people to appreciate more of its cultural value, they can last longer in British Museum and be appreciated by people all over the world who travel to London.
It’s also really interesting to learn about the Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures’ explanations and stories behind. If I just looked at the sculptures, I would have no idea what it was about and why it was created.

In the afternoon, the boat trip to Greenwich was fun but cold at the same time. The explanation along the way helps me learn some of the interesting history behind these properties. Some of them lead to the very beginning of creation of the United States, so it’s fun the realize the ties and differences between these two countries since the past. At Greenwich, the rich paintings on the wall looked incredible just like those in St. Paul’s Cathedral. They were colorful and detailed as well.

Similar to the first two days of the trip, we got to see many amazing buildings and interesting  things. Out of all of the great things we did today, I would have to say my favorite thing would have to be the British Museum. The Great Court alone was worth the trip there and was incredible to see and even bigger than I thought it would be. When we were meeting before we got to leave I was able to capture a picture with shadows being casted, which was great!

This picture doesn’t have the shadows on it, but it also made the Great Court very special.

My favorite exhibit would have to be Nereid monument. It was great to see such a wonderful piece of history! I was amazed at how many people were there sketching it, even though many of them were in elementary school.

Another great exhibit, and probably the most popular, was the Rosetta Stone. It was great to see such an important historic piece. There was also a brooch in on room, I believe Medieval Europe that I saw that was quite unique. 

Also in this section was a large pile of coins of the era. I thought it was very special to see these, especially because of the large amount of coins that there were!

The day was fantastic and included so many great things, but the British Museum stood out from the rest!

Day two is a huge walking day, but it’s great to see so many buildings with detailed history background. The guide knew the history very well, and I really appreciated that. I learned that in order to construct a modern skyscraper, it must be built within the context and help to improve the street views of London order to get public’s acceptance. In Tate modern, I was very impressed by the earth taken from different periods of London. In addition, when I was visiting with Melissa and Katie, we found a painting with a red “O” inside, so we took a group picture with “OHIO”, and that was fun. Although we did not go to Buckingham Palace, the large surrounding green space was very impressive. Before, I watched some interesting tourism TV shows taking place here, so it’s exciting to visit these places myself. Since I do no major in Architecture, today’s walking tour helped me better learning how city’s buildings should be relevant to each other in order to create accepted atmosphere and add more value to the district where it is. Green spaces are always precious and not easily obtained, and I feel lucky to visit such well preserved royal palaces.

My favorite part of our first day in London had to be the plaza at Barbican. There were so amazing wonderful things here, including many great views. Most, if not all, of the buildings were brutalism style, which is something that isn’t seen too often. In the heart of the plaza were different water features, which were my favorite part of the Barbican.  The different water features added to the plaza and would be even more spectacular in the summer. The side pools would be great to sit at and enjoy the day. There are many apartments overlooking the main pond (not sure if that would be proper identification of this water feature), most of which would have wonderful views of the plaza. I did notice a restaraunt we had passed which would be great to try outside in a little bit nicer weather since you would be close to the water. I found it interesting that the architect made it difficult to get into this part of the plaza, but once the em reason was stated by Troy, it made perfect sense. The architect had not wanted an easy path for civilians to pass through on their way through the city, which makes the area more peaceful and less crowded. This plaza had gorgeous views and is something I would definitely like to see again.

When we first went in the St. Paul, it was kind of dark and chilly. Then we went upstairs to the top, and the view was great. I could see the egg, the bridges, and the Thames River. The walking upstairs was a little bit of pain because the step was so tiny, but it was worth to see the top. It’s really hard to imagine people back in hundreds of years ago could design and create such delicate work, but I could not even make a good sketch of it…The paintings are religious and meaningful, although I do not understand majority of it, but it’s still inspiring to see grand view of paintings made on walls.
I enjoyed the whispering gallery’s view but not the guards. One of them constantly whispered to the wall to ask people to sit down. At first, I thought it was someone’s child being weird, then I realized it was the guard.

Also, I loved this morning’s walk. I loved park’s view and single long narrow street with houses. I wanted to go back to one the clothing stores, but unfortunately, stores close pretty early in England, and I couldn’t remember where it was quite well either.