Author: Eleanor Bennett

Back From London

I LOVE LONDON! I thought the trip was the perfect mix of education, culture and fun. I am happy to say that I was able to see/do everything that I wanted to, and cannot believe I was able to do it in such a short amount of time. I found the educational part of the trip very interesting, not only because of the architecture, but also because I experienced and understood the spaces differently than I had when we learned about them in class. I hope that the memories I have in those spaces stay with me as I continue to learn about each site in future classes.

I thought the cultural part of the trip, tea, pubs, the tube, etc., was also extremely interesting. A few of us were lucky enough to meet some British students who we talked to about the differences in our schooling systems and vocabulary. I found their schooling sequence very fascinating, and the differences in our vocabulary and slang pretty funny. This was an interesting way to learn more about the British culture and what it means to be a British student and young adult.

Lastly, the trip was a blast! I am so happy that I was able to meet and become friends with so many other students. Before the trip, I was nervous that we would not all hangout together, but I am so happy that we were able to!

Last Day in London

We started the day at the cute bakery next to our hotel. Next, we headed off to Buckingham Palace to visit the Queen! It was very nice to get there so early because we were able to get right up to the gate. Then we headed to Abbey Road to reenact the Beatles album cover! It was very underwhelming because there were no markers, no stop light, and lots of traffic. Nonetheless, we stopped traffic to snap a picture!

Afterwards, we headed to Camden Market and spent a good chunk of time there. We got lunch and I was able to find some goodies to bring home for my family and friends. Then, we headed to Covent Gardens and stopped for coffee in the Public Transport Museum. That museum was really cool and was organized similarly to the tube map.

Overall, the day was a blast! But, I am sad to leave London.

Abbey Road Photoshoot
Photographer: Gabriel Gerstner

A comparison: Sir John Soane’s and Isabella Stuart Gardner Museums

  1. My favorite type of museum are houses, usually mansions, that include a collection of artwork belonging to the owner. Before going to Sir John Soane’s, the Isabella Stuart Gardner museum was my favorite. The museum is one of her homes and is filled with the art and furniture she had collected over her lifetime. Each side of the house is a different color and the art and furniture coordinate with each color, and is set up to replicate the organization it must have had while she lived there. The art surrounds a large covered courtyard garden that provides most of the light for the museum. The first floor is filled with sanctuaries reflecting different cultures.

Both museums are filled with loads of art but the Gardner museum has much less sculptures and more artwork. Of course we weren’t able to go upstairs in the Sir John Soanes museum, which I’m sure is filled with more utilitarian pieces, the Gardner museum has more of a relationship between the art and the living spaces. Additionally, light plays an interesting role in both museums. The windows and skylights create odd patches of light and color which highlight certain pieces in the SJS, while the courtyard provides illuminating light on the artwork at ISG.

I love both museums, and have been to a few others very similar, so it is very interesting to compare and contrast the two!!

Red Room at Sir John Soane’s Museum (From internet)

Red Room at Isabella Stuart Gardner

 

Thoughts on Stonehenge

I loved Stonehenge! I thought the site, visitors center included, was done very tastefully and I think the sustainability aspect was really nice. We were so lucky to have gotten there early enough where there weren’t too many crowds. I thought the stones were beautiful and the moss and coloring/discoloring of the stones were very interesting. I was lucky enough to be standing next to a tour guide who told me about “graffiti” on the stones and how they knew they were not from this area. I thought it was specifically interesting that, before the commercialization and tourism, people from that area could go to them as one would go to a park, without knowing their importance.

Sketching the stones was very difficult but it helped me to better understand their organization and coloring.

Sketch at Stonehenge

Stonehenge.

First Post in Country!

First day in London was so fun! My favorite part was St. Paul’s Cathedral. I thought the interior was beautiful and specifically enjoyed going up to the top. I was interested in the space between the two domes and was wondering what the structure system was before it was reinforced with modern systems.

I stopped to sketch at the whispering gallery and was surprised by the amount of people taking pictures, standing on benches, and standing right in front of students sketching. The guards were constantly telling people to not take pictures, yet people continued. I thought that was interesting because the guards weren’t enforcing it very harschly, and the visitors even though they knew it was not allowed, continued to take pictures.

Very excited for the rest of the trip!

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Ellie’s Pre Departure Post

Less than twenty four hours until London, and less than four hours until I need to wake up to make it to Knowlton in time! I am really excited for London but it has recently sunk in that I am actually headed there. I was super busy this week with homework, essays, and lab reports, and I think I was too preoccupied to actually realize I was headed to London at the end of the week. Now, that I have been packing and organizing all of my things, it has actually sunk in.

I cannot wait to get to London. I am specifically excited to see Stonehenge, Tower of London, and all of the art museums. I am hoping to visit other art museums and galleries while in country – let me know if you are too. I love art and taking photos and am excited to share them with all of you. I am also really excited for and hopeful that my sketchbook turns out the way that I want it to. So, I think I will be spending a lot of time on my sketchbook this trip. Anyways, I am really excited to go to London and to travel around with all of you! See you all very early tomorrow!

Ellie Bennett’s Bio

Hi! My name is Ellie Bennett. I am a first year Architecture major and Engineering Sciences minor. I am from Wellesley, Massachusetts, twenty minutes outside Boston. I chose Ohio State over schools closer to home because of their architecture curriculum, the football, and the distance from Boston! Less than ten students from my high school have went to Ohio State , so I was excited to get out of the Northeast and meet new people.

In high school I was a varsity swimming and sailing athlete and a part of an acapella group. I also worked as a lifeguard and swim coach in the summers. In my free time I like to hangout with friends.

I love to travel and am really excited about being able to go to London. Two years ago, I went to Rome, Positano, and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. This trip was amazing and solidified my interest in the architecture and culture abroad. I am specifically excited to explore, take pictures, and sketch in London, as I did in Italy. Further, I am excited to see how the fashion, art, food, and tea differ from the United States. I really love finding the “underground” or lesser-known things in cities, and am excited to see interesting ones in London.

Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

Prom, May 2017