Day 3 | London '16 Culture & City

Post 2, day 3

March 15 2016March 15, 2016

Yesterday was the first day where I felt peaceful in the rush of the big city of London. To start the day off we visited the British Museum, which has the prettiest architecture on the outside and a marvelous ceiling over the courtyard. Inside I spent the majority of the time looking at the Parthenon. Which I had very strong feelings for surprisingly. I think it’s awful that it’s being held captive here and not in its rightful home in Athens. I read a sign in the museum that said 60% of the Parthenon is being held here in London while the other 40% is being held in Athens. I feel like the lord that took all of the artifacts stole a very important piece of Greek history from the Grecian people.

Later in the day we took the tube to Westminster where I finally got a breif look at Big Ben and Westminster. We then took a very comical boat ride out to Greenwich passing by the exact spot where the mayflower took sail to America. At Greenwich we visited the royal dining hall and the Royal chapel and I must say it was beautiful!! I finished the night in Jamie Oliver’s restaurant with some friends from the trip. The atmosphere there was amazing and the food was even better. The place had fresh garlic hanging by the kitchen and a beautiful skylight Ceiling. As a table we got a bunch of starters, I had the best dark green mammoth olives I’ve ever had, crab bruschetta, and fried calamari and fish. For my main dish I got the pasta bolognese! I think this will be my favorite meal I had in London.

Some pictures of my day:

Here is a model of the Parthenon. It is my dream to go to Greece one day and see the remains of this beauty

I found this quote while walking around the British museum and I found it quite fitting for this trip and adventure I am on in London

The outside of the British museum is beautiful!

Me and my new love Ben

Jamie Oliver’s restaurant will now forever hold a spot in my heart!

My solid attempt of sketching the courtyard at the British museum

Day 3: When Beauty Is Common

March 14 2016September 30, 2016

“I start really missing London when I go away. I have a little flat, but very central. I live above a pub and you’d think it’d be a nightmare, but I like hearing the music and it’s quite comforting.”-Ellie Goulding

It’s Day 3, and I am finally starting to feel at home in this city. In particular today, I got a taste of what life in London is like from our visit to Greenwich.

I was blown away by the Royal Banqueting Hall, Royal Chapel, and Queen’s House, today. I was really hit by this idea that has been flickering in the back of my mind thus far: All of this is normal for Londoners! That awe we felt when we saw St. Paul’s peeking between two high rises for the first time? That excitement we felt walking along the Thames? These treasures are simply a part of the fabric of Londoners’s lives-they might even be used to them! What would that be like, to live in a place where you could expect to see so much beauty on a day to day basis?

Afterwards, some of us stayed in Greenwich and shopped and ate at Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant. The shops were so cute, and the restaurant was so quaint and the food was amazing. Since it was all in this cute suburb, it felt like I was getting to see a real slice of London life, which was awesome. It was so relaxing just to get to shop and eat and ride public transportation.

Jamie Oliver’s Italy was the perfect way to end our day!

I started thinking about what effect it must have on Londoners to live around such beauty, and I started wondering if their love and acceptance of the arts didn’t come from the beauty and history that surrounds them. Art and history are important to them, because they are surrounded by it. Perhaps American culture could come to have the same kind of appreciation for art if we were to put more value on what we already have around us and provide for new art to be made for the public to enjoy in their regular lives.

Even this sketch I did of an Anglo-Saxon cross fragment in the British Museum Great Court, situated between two incredible marble pillars, demonstrates the beauty which is commonplace to Londoners.

London: Take 2 & 3

March 14 2016April 6, 2016

Days two and three in London were just as beautiful as the first. Our walking tour, thought extremely long and somewhat exhausting, really provided a great overview of the city and showed the multitude of characters of buildings. And I absolutely loved our tour guide. He was adorable and told the best stories that further explain the history behind the architecture. The Tower of London was one of my favorite sites to see. I didn’t realize just how extensive the walls were outside of the keep.

I also loved Tate and the Millennium Bridge. I know from class(es) that Tate was large but I never expected it to be that massive. Especially with the current exhibition, the space seems overly large. I’m also a huge fan of Tate’s book store and will definitely be going back there for our museum of choice. Millennium Bridge was something I was really excited to see. I’m a (huge) Harry Potter fan so it was nice to be able to see the bridge in context.

This picture seems like a very accurate description of the trip so far (ft. Millennium Bridge).

The British Museum was another site I was really excited to visit. I’ve always loved history, I grew up watching the History Channel with my mom, so visiting the museum was extremely enjoyable for me.

An attempted sketch at the statue of King Ramsesses II. It was so funny to watch all of the little kids come running up to see what I was drawing then look amazed when they saw what it was. It made me feel a bit like a renowned artist.