June 7, 2011

Today was all about the beautiful Chatsworth House. This house is currently the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. We got to tour the house and the gardens. The house involved many wonderful things and treasures for anyone visiting. The house sits on a 1000 acre piece of land and includes the home, the wonderful gardens, the stables, and a maze. In the house many incredible things exist. One important fact to remember is that this house represents the fictional house called "Pemberley" from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. The grand staircase is incredible and the painted ceiling above is also amazing. I also loved the dining room, the detailed carving work from Grinling Gibbons, the amazing collection of sculptures and furniture. Also, in the gift shop we saw the great Mr. Darcy sculpture and got our pictures by him. I also found another fun tea towel. That is my souvenir from the different countries that we are visiting. After a look around in the gift shop we hit the gardens. The day was also a little overcast and chilly, but while seeing the gardens we felt a few raindrops. Then more rain came and we of course got soaked. I had a rain jacket but didn't bring my umbrella. We did a quickened tour of the gardens and made it inside to the warmth of the buildings. To top off a great tour we ended by sharing a delicious chocolate cake before heading back to our bus. On the way back to the train station we got to see the town's famous twisted cathedral spire. It was created from wood that didn't have time to fully dry before being used for the structure. Tomorrow is Kensington Palace...

June 6, 2011

Day 2 in Scotland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a trip!!!! Today I woke up in a bed in the country of Scotland. Wow!!! I just realized I am using a lot of exclamation marks in this post but I can't show my excitement in any other way.  I got up and got ready. Then we were off to do some more sight seeing and shopping. After our shopping, we went back to the hotel and checked out of our rooms. We caught the train and were off back to London, but on our way back.... we went to the Alnick Castle a.k.a. THE HARRY POTTER CASTLE.  We were lucky to get a taxi to and from the castle for about 4 pounds a person. We got to tour the inside of the castle and the garden areas.  Time got away from us but we were still able to see a lot of things. The gardens were gorgeous and the state rooms were exquisite in their detailing. My favorite room was the dining room. The carvings were all carved wood and had an extremely detailed pattern. The furnishings, wall coverings, grand fireplace, and the view was beautiful. I also learned that the house holds two of the cabinets designed for Versailles but they now reside in the castle. They were beautiful cabinets and I wished I could have got a picture of them. But of course... no photography was allowed.. Bummer! After the castle we toured the gardens and saw the rose gardens, they weren't quite in bloom yet like other gardens we have seen. We also saw a huge fountain of water that was incredible but hard to take a good picture of.  People like to gather by the good stuff, so taking a good picture is a little tricky.  After the castle, we got our taxi driver to pick us up and take us back to the train station.  We rode the train and got off at King's Cross. This is where the famous 9  and 3/4 platform is at. We got a few laughs and smiles from the locals but had a great time in the world of Harry Potter.  Tomorrow is at Chatsworth! More great things to come but first some sleep please...

June 5, 2011

SCOTLAND!!!!!! SCOTLAND!!!!!!! The second day of our free days involved going to Scotland for the day and spending the night.  I can't believe that I got to go to Scotland!! Crazy. The day began by catching a train and riding it to Edinburgh. It was the longest train ride yet that I have been on, it was close to four hours long. But the views toward the end of the journey were incredible. We could see the rocky coast line and the water crashing up onto the rocks, and everything was so green. Once the train ride ended, we got off and found our way to our hotel. It was called Jury's Inn, a very nice and well designed hotel. We checked in and the girl had a strong scottish accent and topped it off by having red hair. We took our luggage to the rooms and we were off to exploring. We walked along the Royal Mile, which is in the center of the town and leads to the famous Edinburgh Castle. We took some pictures of the outside and walked around some more on the city streets. It started to blow and started to lightly rain. We stopped and talkesd with a man who lived in the town and he joked that it was the summertime in Scotland. Burrr! We also stopped and had some food at a local pub and I enjoyed a whiskey burger that was quite delicious. I got some souvenirs for family and a fun coat from H&M for myself. Day two in Scotland tomorrow...

June 4, 2011

Today was our first free day of the trip. It involved catching up on some much needed sleep and having an extremely late start to the day. I ended up waking up at around ten and did some cleaning in my closet. It is amazing how living out of suitcase can get so messy. You would think that it was such a small place, but boy oh boy I had a mess on my hands. I should have taken a picture to show why I am so proud of having it nice and clean again. After cleaning, I had a shower and some breakfast that was delicious.  A small group of us decided to go to a place called Regent's Park in London. We rode the tube and found the stops very easily and had a quick walk to park.  We were going to go the zoo after we had a nice walk through the park but instead came upon the London Green Fair. We picked a great day to go the park.  The park was stuffed to the brim with people, booths, and food vendors. This weekend is "holiday" for people and the tube and every where we go seems to be very packed. We rode the tube and were crammed next to each other. I was very glad to get off at our stop and stretch myself and gain my personal bubble space back. Well the park was gorgeous and landscaped very well. Once inside the space with all the booths, we walked around and once again I got some really cute things. I found a really fun leather bracelet that the lady said was from Argentina. Now when someone asks where I got it from, I can say that I got it from London but it came from Argentina. Crazy! oh and I also got a really fun summer dress. I tried it on over my other clothes and it fit. I love the pattern and the green and purple colors. I have to stop spending money! While at the fair I also enjoyed a crepe filled with cheese, tomato, and basil. When I asked for the flavor that I wanted the lady smiled when I said tomato, they pronounce it "tamato". I also experienced the french way of not shaving your armpits as she asked who was next.  Yucky! The hair still showed when she put her arms down. Well that was a nice start to my free days, but tomorrow will be much more amazing... I AM GOING TO SCOTLAND!!!!! I am so excited!!!!!!!!! Great pictures to come.

Today we went to the great city of Bath. I love this town and all of the great things it had to offer. We went to the Roman Baths which were close to 2000 years old. The exterior of the Baths had huge corinthian columns and a large pediment. When you first enter, the space is filled with a huge dome and we got headsets to hear the individual displays throughout the museum. May favorite part was the first glance as you exited out of the building and into the area where the bathing pool was located. The sun was shining on the green water and the statues around the upper level all had the sun illuminating on them. After the Roman Baths, we went to the Fashion Museum also located in Bath. I loved seeing all of the different styles of women clothing and how they changed over the ages. At the beginning they were more straight and column like dresses, gradually adding lower necklines, and also moving the waist to accentuate the hips. After the museum we went to see the Royal Cresent.   It was an amazing sight to see. The street opened up and the buildings form four crescents around a center circle of grass and trees. After the museum we walked around to the different shops and had some fun shopping.  I got a new bag that was purchased from New Look and I got some souvenirs for family.  Looking forward to three free days...

June 2, 2011

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Today was all about museums and exploring London. We had the great opportunity to view Sir John Soane's Museum and the British Museum. We separated into two groups and went to Sir John Soane's Museum. The house was incredible and was covered with all sorts of treasures. One of the workers in the house said that the man knew how to shop and knew how to shop for a bargain. He would find many valuable things, and sometimes not even realize the worth of them.  The worker informed us, "That when you like something, then you should buy it." I agree with him! (Except when I check my account online after today's purchases). Some treasures in the house that I enjoyed were an exhibition of carved wooden cathedrals, a huge sarcophagus brought in by taking down the back wall of the house, a room full of paintings (this room had walls that would open and close to allow other pieces of artwork to hang). It reminded me of an antique shop that was filled to its brim and made me nervous to move to quickly. The man knew how to shop and he surrounded himself with great relics of the past.  After seeing this house, we went to the British Museum of Art. The exterior is very grand and is a taster of what is to come when you enter. I saw the Standard of Ur which I remembered from my early Art History class. It was exciting to see the actual piece instead of just a picture on paper. It was smaller than I thought it would be but still very fascinating to examine. We looked around for awhile and then were off to the streets of London. We went to Portabello Market and had fun seeing the different shops and tourist attractions. I got two really cute scarfs and a fun necklace for 18 pounds. No more spending for me in London! I need to have money for the other countries too. Time is going by so quickly now and I want it to slow down.  Tomorrow we will be going to Bath... looking forward to it and a good nights rest. oh and p.s. I had the most delicious red velvet cupcake today and had italian for lunch!

Today began by meeting downstairs in the flat at 6:40 am. What an early start to a very adventurous day! We began at the Salisbury Cathedral. It has the tallest spire in England at the moment and I got to see from its great heights the great town of Salisbury. Before the great view of the city, we had to climb up some very small spiral staircases. It was well worth the fear and tight spaces. We got to see the structure of the cathedral and the inside of the domes and flying buttresses. After Salisbury, we entered some high class taxi cabs and were off to Wilton House. The current Earl of Pembroke inherited the house and all of its grandness when he was only 23 years old. He is a very fine looking Englishmen and has been married for a year and his wife is an interior designer. They are making improvements throughout the house. We were able to see the bridge behind the house and was happy to have the chance to get some good shots in. After the tour, we had free biscuits and drinks. I love to eat free food when I am starving! It tasted amazing. After our visit of Wilton house, the ride to Stonehenge began back in the taxi's. My driver was hilarious and gave us a nice tour of the sites as we passed them on the road. We got to drive past Sting's house and almost saw a camel because of him. Once we made it to Stonehenge, I was super excited and thrilled to get out and see the megolithic stones. It was everything I hoped for and more. I got some really great photos and hope you enjoy looking at them. Museums for tomorrow...