Author: Elena

Post London

I have to say London is No.1 on my list of all the cities I want to have a second trip, and I am literally planning to have a family trip to London again this summer break. I think London is a very different city, compared to all of the other cities I have ever lived in or traveled to. I love the way how it combined the old historical buildings with new modern style architecture. In this city, you don’t see the modern buildings very often, expect in few couple blocks. I think London tries its best to keep all those old buildings without letting them be replaced by the newer ones.

When I walk in the street, I can easily tell which one lives in London, and which one is not, by their outfits. I think it is very interesting that people in London tend to wear very classy and fancy. They all seem very proud, especially with their British accent :).

If I have to pick up a scene in this trip that gives me the most impressive experience, I will say it is the afternoon when we stand in front of the London Eye, and listen to the busker playing songs. I watch people walking by, and I can feel their happiness, and love. I think that is my best moment in this trip.

Elena’s Day7

We went to Westminster this morning. The tour guide was very nice and introduced tons of stories behind the sculpture and history to us. The triforium of the church is divided into two parts. The part close to the west exit is very plain, while the other part is well-carved. The reason is that the architecture was built in two different times. I think it is a very interesting part of architecture that people can tell the history by the appearance of the architecture. Later on, we went to the Greenwich, and have a tour for the ceiling of the painting hall. It was extremely impressive, because people hardly have the chance to take such a close look at the painting on the ceiling.

Westminster

Elena‘s Day4

We went to stone henge and stourhead today. Stone henge is much smaller than I thought and stones are placed much closer together. Stourhead is amazing and it is definitely one of the most beautiful sites I’ve ever seen. It is extremely peaceful, and you can even hear the sound of the leaves when the wind blows. I like the way the architect set the lake in the middle, so that wherever you stand in the park, you can always see the water. It is mentioned that there is not much height difference between each level of the lake. There is only 4 feet high of the lake.

Stourhead

Elena’s Day3

In day 3, we went to The British Museum in the morning. I was very impressed by the open space. The Roman style buildings were very well connected to the modern style new buildings by the ceiling. I like the grid of the ceiling, which provide a sense of curve. The floor and the ceiling are new

built. I like the stairs around the cylinder shape building in the middle of the space. The handrail is designed in an very interesting way. It looks like saw tooth, which has a clear contrast to the smooth edge of the wall. In the museum, I saw a sculpture of Egyptian. It was my first time to see the 3-D person, instead of on paper.

british museum

british museum

Elena’s Day1

 

In St.Paul’s Cathedral

We went to Barbican this morning, which is a neighbourhood with different functions, residence, theater, school, and etc. The circulation is very interesting. Even though it seems very organized, it is still hard for people to find the way out. Then we went to the museum of london. I love the spiralstairs at the entrance a lot, and took a great picture of it. Great Fire is shown visually in the museum. After having Japanese Udon for lunch, which tastes somehow very sour by the way, we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, and I did the sketch there. It’s my first time to use pen do draw such a complicated perspective of an architecture. I found it would be easier to use pencil for the general position and circles at beginning. For dinner, I went to Chinatown for hot pot, and chilled for a while. Today was a great day!

Elena’s Pre-Departure Post

It is midnight now and there are only three hours before we leave. I’m so excited now, but very stressful as well. I have a quiz and an assignment due this Sunday night, and I need to finish my physics homework at the end of the trip. Hopefully I can make it on the flight or during the trip. I bought a “day pass plan” for this going abroad trip, which provides me data and unlimited call and texts when I am in London. Having access to network definitely makes me feel safer if I need to going to a place by our own. It’s my first time going to London. I finally have the honor to experience the rainy days (LOL). I am very looking forward to learn another culture. I’d love to see British manner and how British gentleman behaves. Historical architecture always attracts me a lot. I can’t wait to see St Paul’s Cathedral. In this trip, we will sketch a lot, and hopefully my sketching skills can be improved. I think it will be a challenge for me to do quick sketch. I will remember “PODS”. In the next couple days, I hope we can know each other better and have a wonderful time together!

P.S. I will stay awake tonight..

Elena’s bio

Hi everyone!! My name is Elena, and I am a freshman in architecture major. I am from Yangzhou, in the east coast of China, a city near Shanghai. It is a beautiful city. I really enjoy travelling with my families, and explore different architecture in the world. In the past few years, we went to Hong Kong, Beijing, Thailand, Saipan, Germany. I stayed in Canada for three years for my high school. Before I studied abroad, I played piano and drum for years. I like photography, sketching, and play basketball. I am very interested of the architecture, studios, and dessert in London.

I first learned about architecture when I read “The Memoirs of Lin Huiyin.” The autobiographical book was written by the wife of Liang Sichen, one of China’s greatest 20th century architects. He dedicated his life to studying and protecting ancient Chinese architecture, playing an influential role in the development of modern Beijing. Prior to World War II, he even wrote a booklet about ancient national architecture and provided it to the government, who subsequently made sure that the valuable architectural heritages were not bombed. Reading about Liang, I realized that as an architect, I can contribute to cultural heritage and protect valuable national treasures. Later, while volunteering at the Shengji Art School for Orphans, I continued to develop my passion for architecture.

in beijing

in canada