Author: Nicholas Siebenaller

Back in the USA

I wish I had more time in London, as I felt like I only scratched the surface of the city. There were many places I feel like I did not have the time, or funds, to do completely including some of the place we went to like Tate Modern. Despite being there for over a week, I still feel like I need to convert prices in my head roughly to US dollars despite the price being in it, or think that I can’t use my phone because I am on the move and not connected to WiFi. I do miss the ease and speed of the Tube for getting around, and I wish I took more advantage of the double decker buses. The transportation is just boring here by comparison.

London to me was organized chaos. The streets were confusing to navigate as they didn’t follow much of a pattern. Most dogs were unleashed yet always stayed close to their owner. Old and new blended together nicely throughout the city. There was not much of the same, rather many different unique elements that made up the city and surrounding area. I definitely plan to go back to add on to my great London experience.

Tower of London Post

One of the most interesting places I visited was Tower of London on this trip. I went on a tour with a Beefeater who was absolutely hysterical, yet very informative, and saw the beautiful Crown Jewels. However, the single thing I liked the most at the Tower was the White Tower housing the National Armory. The suits of armor and swords housed there were more like works of art than weapons. They even had the largest suit of armor in the world there. Another incredible sight were the Ravens. I was lucky enough to get a picture close to one, though I didn’t want to invade on its space too much. I think it is a cool tradition that Ravens are kept there, though I feel bad that they can’t do much flying.

Parliament Tour Post

I started out my free day with a tour of the Palace of Westminster, aka Houses of Parliament. Sadly no pictures were allowed, but the interior reminded me of the grandness of Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was not the interior that was the most interesting to me; the traditions and differences in government systems. The one thing my Blue Badge guide stressed was the “non-political” sides of the government. For example, the House of Lords, although selected by an entity separate from Parliament, serves more of an advisory function. Lords are selected for their experise in a certain area. Umile senators in the States, Lords are only payed £300 each day they show up to Parliament. Attendence is only expected of Lords when there is a debate about issues they have knowledge on. There are not enough seats in both houses to sit all members, since there are so many members in Parliament, many more representatives than in the US. The lack of career politicians in one house of government with instead experts in particular areas seems like a useful element of government instead of having two different, yet similar houses of government. It would be interesting to look up how effective this style of government is compared to our federal system.

Nic’s Second Post

In this post I wanted to talk about something I was disappointed with and somrsomet I was impressed by. One of the places I was disappointed by was Leicester Square. The area around Leicester Square is very lively with theaters, Chinatown, restaurants, and shops. While I thought the Lego Store was interesting, and M&M World might be worth looking at to get custon candy, I felt that the square itself was very Americanized, where I would rather see something a little more traditional British or a modern derivative of that. The TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and Burger King seem invasive on this old London square. On the flip side, I was impressed by how well preserved the Magna Carta was at Salisbury Cathedral’s Chapter House. It looked like someone only wrote it years ago instead of centuries. It makes me wonder why the Declaration of Independence and Constitution in the National Archives in Washington DC are so washed out and barely readed, less the fanciful writing. The cathedrals themselves we have visited so far have also been quite impressive given all the details that make up those places and the technology used to construct them. This makes me excited to visit Westminster Abbey later in the trip.

St. Paul’s Cathedral Sketch

St. Paul’s Cathedral was one of the most beautiful buildings I had ever been. There were so many intricate details everywhere. I felt overloaded at times with all the detail. What stuck out to me right a way were the pair of crosses made in such a unique style. I could instantly read from the crosses that they were representing some kind of destruction. Upon further reading of the description, I learned the one I sketched was a way of commemorating World War I. I definitely thought this was something I’d want to sketch, but I wanted to think a bit beyond what I physically saw. This translated into the curved lines, seen coming from the projecting structured I interpreted as bombed buildings, as the fire and smoke that could be seen soon after the structure was bombed. I think the crosses themselves do not go with all the “old” of the cathedral, much like how war should not go with religion.

Nic’s Pre-Departure Post

It feels kind of surreal that we will be traveling across the Pond tomorrow. I fortunately had a light week this week, so I have been able to do some more research on London and things to do. Despite this, I am not sure how I will fill up all the free time I have. I am hoping to attend a football game while we are there, but the high price is turning me away. I bought a cheap phone for the trip to use with a SIM card I got a while back that gives me free international service, and I have made sure to download all the apps, music, shows, etc. Our itinerary sounds amazing, and I am really excited to go to all those places. The one thing I did plan outside of that is taking a tour of Parliament on my free day. As a person interested in world politics, I can’t pass up on the opportunity to visit an important lawmaking building in Europe. I think I am well prepared for this trip, but I’ll only know that once I get back home. I definitely am going to get Buckeye Donuts before I make it to the bus, or else I may not make it tomorrow.

Nic’s Bio

Hi everyone! My name is Nic Siebenaller and I am a third year Computer Science and Engineering major and a Political Science minor. I am from Oregon, OH, a city just east of Toledo, OH. In my free time I enjoy binge watching shows, keeping up on current technology, cooking, and hanging out with friends.

Traveling has always been a passion of mine. Growing up, I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel to various places in the United States. This has made me enjoy planning trips, helping me learn more about the places I visit. I am excited about both learning more about London from the preparation we do in class as well as the experience abroad.

What I am excited to see while abroad is all the differences in culture between England and the United States. For example, the rich history that London offers compared to United States. The United States does not have as deep of history as a country as its counterpart. Additionally, I am interested in observing the differences in common practices, like driving on the left side of the road. I am also interested in seeing how the tea is over there.

The Ledge at Willis Tower in Chicago