After coming back from London, my world in Columbus seems a lot smaller. The familiarity of my own city is comforting, but there is so much to be said about the unfamiliar that is so intriguing.  This trip was my first time out of the country and it really opened my eyes to how much there is to explore. Through my travels I was able to learn and adapt to a new culture, experience independence, and grow as a person. London was a great city to start with since it has such a wide variety of people and architecture. I loved how there was so much contemporary aspects to the city but it was so well blended with such a rich history. Despite the fact that I am not a Knowlton student, I feel there is so much that everyone can learn through architecture like I did. I will always remember this trip as the best week of my life. I cannot wait to expand on my travels and explore everything the world has to offer. This trip was the first step to my life as a traveler. London will always be in my heart and I know that I will see it again one day.

Stourhead bridge

Stonehenge sketch

Plan of Salisbury Cathedral

Today we had our day trip to Stonehenge, Stourhead and Salisbury Cathedral. Today has been one of my favorite days so far since we got to see outside of the big city. The stones at Stonehenge were shorter than I expected, but nonetheless incredible. The tour guide mentioned that Christopher Wren lived nearby and that on the stones it looks like it says “I wren” and its theorized he may have frequented here as a child. Stourhead was absolutely beautiful. The fact that the landscape was all manmade is super interesting because it looks really authentic despite things being maybe a little too perfect. Lastly, Salisbury Cathedral was one I was looking forward to as a pre-law student. It is so cool to see one of the original copies od the Magna Carta since it’s such an important document that still influences the way the world operates today. I also found out that Salisbury Cathedral had the first all female choir. I did sketches at each location and truly enjoyed understanding each through pencil & paper.

Princess Diana Memorial + Sunset

Tower Bridge via Southbank

I absolutely LOVED our walking tour today and seeing how my understanding of the map actually came to life while exploring the city. My favorite parts of today were seeing & crossing Tower Bridge which was so much more colorful than I thought. Tate modern was another favorite of mine today. Not only did we get to go on swings, but it was really cool to know the purpose of the swings- that the more people that combine effort, the more work gets done. Lastly, the Princess Diana memorial was stunning as well. I loved how the movement of water was used to depict her life.