Last day!

Like I said I woke up at 9am today and headed down to breakfast. I did not eat nearly as much as I thought I would at breakfast, seeing as I didn’t eat dinner last night.
After breakfast I joined a group that was heading to the Louvre. It only cost 9 Euros which was very surprising. The museum was not nearly as busy as it was when I was here in 2004. We went to see the Venus De Milo and Mona Lisa which was fun. The museum was so hot! After we couldn’t stand the warm rooms anymore we moved outside and too pictures out by the glass pyramid.

We took our pictures in front of the pyramid and then went back to the metro and left for lunch. We all chose to have lunch at Pizza Di Roma. I am definitely tired of eating here. I can’t wait to come home and have some Ramen! I know it sounds crazy because there is supposed to be so much delicious in France, but I’m ready to go back to eating Ramen in my pajamas on the living room couch! After pizza I had Hagen Doz ice cream which was delicious.

We headed back to the hotel for the tour.

The tour today was really fun! It was a lot of walking but our tour guide was very interesting and he was so excited that I couldn’t help but be excited too. He was obviously American because he had no accent. He said he was originally from Sacramento, CA but moved to France five years ago. I laughed when he said that when he moved here he spoke only three words of French and not very well. He now speaks it fluently.

He took us around the various areas of WWII France, which was interesting because as Americans I don’t think we really think about what went on in France the day of the liberation. We know the liberation happened but we don’t’ know what really what went on in France.

The tour guide had so many great stories. One was about an American Pilot who was flying over France when it was controlled by the Nazis. There was a huge Nazi flag flying from the Eiffel Tower so the pilot decided to fly right under the tower! The guide said he’s told this story since he started as a guide and he once had the pilots granddaughter on his tour!

After the tour I headed back to the hotel with Jean. I stopped at the small supermarket to get dinner. I bought croissants, jelly, peanut butter, a small carton of orange juice, and a can of mandarin oranges (13 Euro!)

But let me tell you...I have never wanted a PB&J so much in my life. They were the most delicious PB&J ever. I think some good signs that I was ready to go home were:
1) I was excited to pack my suitcase and bag
2) I enjoyed sitting down and eating PB&J Croissants
3) I was so excited to find CNN (in ENGLISH) on TV and just sit and watch the news
4) It was amazing to just sit on the bed, eat my sandwiches, and watch the news with the window open (listening to the rain) and think about how nice it was to be dry and not out walking on the soaking wet streets of Paris.

Ready to go home!!!

(pictures coming soon)

First day in Paris!

Today was fun but busy. I hung out with a different group of people which was really nice. Today we went to listen to a famous journalist/photographer who was Pyle’s “tent mate” during WWII for a brief time.

]\He actually invited all 34 of us to his apartment in Paris! The apartment was in the back of a complex. We walked in through a big metal door, through a courtyard and up to what looked like a greenhouse in the back of the complex. It was his house!! It was so cute. He had folding chairs, plastic chairs, couches, armchairs, and dining room chairs spread all around for us to sit in.

Unfortunately the bulb on his projector/slide machine broke so we didn’t get to view his pictures while he talked, but it was still very interesting! He didn’t know Pyle very well but the little bit he told us was neat to hear. He said that the day he was leaving Pyle made it a point to say goodbye to him. He commented that Pyle seemed like an easy going guy.

What looked like an office in his apartment had big tables and desks lined with magazines. One wall was lined with different photography books. His coffee table was piled high with more magazines, photo books, and his personal books about his career.
We all had a very hard time staying awake not because he was boring but because we were all so very tired and his apartment was so warm!

After leaving I headed over to Notre Dame with my group. We ate lunch (another sandwich on yummy bread with no meat. It wasn’t very good for what I paid) then went and walked through Notre Dame.

After walking through we took tons of photos. Then we headed for the souvenir shops!! I bought a really pretty green Paris scarf with Eiffel Towers on it (it’ll be nice for the spring weather), a shot glass for matt, and a Paris travel bag! The bag is huge and will be great for lightening my suitcase on the way home. It’s going to stink carrying it around but it is totally worth not having to pay $50 for my big suitcase being overweight again. The bag was only 25 Euro so it was actually cheaper to buy the bag than pay to check my suitcase…hopefully I will keep it under 50 lbs.
After shopping we took the very confusing metro back to the hotel. The metro here is so much different than the Tube in London. It’s dirty, confusing, smelly, and full of graffiti.

Once back to the hotel I put on the most comfy clothes I had with me, closed the curtains, and crawled into bed! I was tired I just had to get some sleep.

So it’s Saturday right now and I just had to note that, other than waking up occasionally last night, I woke up at 9am this morning. I really needed some sleep I guess!

Pictures coming soon!

Mont Saint Michel and Off to Paris

Today we left Caen. It was a short stay but I got to see many different places.
About 2 hours after leaving Caen we arrived at Mont Saint Michel, which is an abbey right on the border of Normandy. It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful! As we were driving along to road I had just woke up. I looked out the window and in the distance was what looked like a castle floating on an island in the middle of a lake. It truly looked like a fairytale castle.

We drove through a little town and when we turned the corner we were on a straight and narrow road driving directly for the big, stone island. As we got closer I could see that at the bottom were large castle walls. Rising above the walls on the island’s sloping hills were small houses that seemed to be stacked one on top of the other. Perched at the top was a large, beautiful church with its’ steeple outstretched towards heaven.

The tides were low so we drove down to the muddy bus parking on the side of the road. We all walked in together and everyone couldn’t stop staring up at the monastery and through the stone castle streets.


We met with our guide and started the slow, long, slanting climb towards the top. The man street was narrow and I could feel the worn, rounded stones beneath my feet. We walked by restaurants, crepe shops and souvenir stores. Up and up we went.
The rain was sprinkling on my head but I was so busy looking at everything, especially the steeple that we were slowly approaching, that I paid no attention to my wet hair.
After what seemed like forever we finally reached the monastery doors.

The guide told us that only 25 people could live year round on the island. Twelve of the people were monks and sisters and the other thirteen were mostly shop owners. I think that it would be so strange to live on an island in an old castle with only 24 other people. During busy times the guide said that Mont Saint Michel could have up to 10,000 visitors.

In all we walked through two chapels, saw the various sections that have been used as monk housing over the centuries, what used to be a dining hall, the location of the old cemetery, and the place where the monks worked. I think that my favorite thing we saw was the room that was used for guest banquets. This room had two huge fireplaces. I have included a picture of everyone standing in the fireplace to show how big it actually was.

I think that Mont Saint Michel was so interesting because of the first impression. It was absolutely amazing to look out the bus window and see it on the horizon. At first glance it appeared to be floating on the small bay just waiting for us.

After Mont Saint Michel we got back on the bus and traveled to Paris. It took us about five hours.

I have to say that I’m not ecstatic, like the rest of the group, to go to Paris. When I traveled to Europe in 2004 I wasn’t impressed. I think that it is mostly because there are so many other places we had been on that trip that I thought were so much more beautiful that Paris.

It’s nice to see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, but most of the other places to visit are expensive designer shops and overpriced restaurants.
Tonight I paid 20 Euros for grilled chicken that wasn’t even seasoned, fries, and ice cream. That’s about $35 American dollars!!!! So I do believe I will be making a trek to the small grocery store down the street to buy bread and meat and cheese for my lunches while we’re here. I can’t shell out 40 Euros for two meals a day tomorrow and Saturday!

The Journalists Memorial

The last main stop we made on Wednesday was at the Journalists Memorial. The memorial was started in 1944 to commemorate the war correspondents that died in WWII. Ernie Pyle’s name was under the 1945 section on the first tall stone. The stones line a pristine pathway and go up to 2006. Some stones are completely covered front and back for just one year! Many of them are not war correspondents but just journalists killed while doing their job both in wartime and peacetime.



It was really cool to be able to see Pyle’s name on the stone. For me it was a very important part of the trip. I just think that it’s amazing that he was recognized for what he did and the fact that he died in the line of duty just like many of the soldiers did. He died on the frontline, in the fighting, with the men he wrote so passionately about. Ernie Pyle from little Dana, Indiana.

Here is a picture of me standing next to the stone with Pyle’s name.

The American Cemetary

On Wednesday we also visited the American Cemetery. I didn’t blog about it Wednesday night because I was completely worn out!!
I have to say that it was a good experience. Although I was a little surprised that I wasn’t emotional. There were some people that couldn’t stop crying…but I really didn’t feel anything. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that I was not speechless when I saw all the white crosses. I’m not saying that I was not stunned when I saw the long wall of the soldiers who were never found. And I’m not saying that I was not moved by the words of praise and thanks written on the monuments. I’m not saying any of those things…

But I feel the need to reiterate that I think that it is difficult for someone of my generation to feel emotional about something that I fully admit I will never be able to completely understand. I go back to the idea that I just can’t imagine what it was like.

I was amazed at the rows and rows and rows of white crosses. I tried to take time away from the group by walking a little behind and thinking to myself. I was a little frustrated at my lack of emotion but at the same time my reaction was what I had expected it would be.

I feel it is necessary that I also note the difference from the American Cemetery and the British Cemetery, which we visited later in the day. My eyes were teary and I was a little bit choked up at the smaller cemetery for British soldiers. On the bottom of each headstone there was a small quote of remembrance from the family of the dead soldier.

The only way I can think to describe it is that it really made it seem real. It made me think of this soldier and those he left behind. Some stones had words about his life as a soldier or sailor. Those made me think of what he did for his country.

One of my favorite stones read:
828101 Gunner
R.T. Dennison
53rd (Worcestershire Yeo.)
Airlanding Light Regt. R.A.
6th June 1944 Age 29
“No one knows how much I miss him or the heartache for the one I loved so”
I think that all the details about the soldier, R.T. Dennison really help to make it much more real. It is hard to describe what I’m trying to say. The fact that it lists his rank, what he did, and especially his age helps me picture what R.T. Dennison might have been like. The age alone really helps put it into perspective because I can think if my friends and family that are that age.

The reason I really liked this stone was because of the quote that, I’m guessing his wife, had engraved at the bottom. It really made me think much more about what it was like to lose someone in the war. It made me think of what Dennison had to sacrifice for his country and the one left behind.

I really believe that if the crosses at the American Cemetery were a bit more personalized with a quote like the British ones were it would have been more real for me.

I really hope that this makes sense.

I also really hope that you are not taking me the wrong way. I don’t want to sound like I am not grateful. I don’t want to sound like I am not sad by the many, many men (and a few women) that were buried in the American Cemetery.

I think that I must stress the fact that I quietly walked through the rows and rows of crosses by myself. The wind was whipping at my many layers of clothing and threatening to take my hat right off of my head. There were few other people in the cemetery at the time. I was reading the names and home states of the soldiers.

I did not cry.

I just thought.

I tried to think about what they gave and what it would be like if they had not sacrificed their lives. What would the world be like today if so many had not stepped up. It’s hard to imagine.

...more to come

It's getting late here. I will try to write more tomorrow if I have internet. I have to get up early so I should probably go to bed. Just to give you an idea....the post time on this will be the time back at home....here it is 1am.

Night!

I'll leave you with a picture...
Me standing next to the stone at the Journalists Memorial that has Ernie Pyle's name on it.

Omaha Beach--Normandy

Today we visited lots of different places! First we went to Omaha Beach which was very interesting. I first need to say that we did not, by any means, have enough time at this stop.



We only stayed for about 15 minutes. As the bus drove down the narrow street along the beach looking for a place to park I looked out the windows at the hills and houses. Our guide, Helen, pointed out that the houses with thatched roofs were the older ones. The white stucco houses were the newer more "fashionable" ones.

Helen showed us where the old concrete bunckers still stuck out of the hills above the beach. They were barely noticeable until she had the bus driver stop and she told us where to look.

Once the bus parked we walked down to the beach. It was very windy and my hair was blowing. I had to keep pulling my hat back on tighter! My feet, wet from crossing the small stream of water at the bottom of the stairs, sank into the squishy sand. I know
that it may not seem right to say, but the beach was beautiful. The white foamy waves were crashing onto the sand and rising up the beach. The sky was blue and the condensation was more of a mist from the sea than a rain. I separated from the group a little and walked along the breaking water.



I really wanted to try to think about what happened on the beach and imagine what it must have been like for those men.

I could not.

And I don't think anyone from my generation will be able to grasp what happened there.

I don't even think that anyone who wasn't there will ever be able to fully understand.

When I looked at the beach I saw beautiful brown soft sand. Small streams flowing across the sandy beach trying to reunite with the ocean. White waves. Blue water. Rising cliffs behind me and beautiful old, handmade houses.

I cannot imagine.

I cannot imagine the water filled with iron blockades and barbed wire. I cannot imagine the sound of German guns booming from the hills. I cannot imagine the battle ships and landing boats.

I most certainly cannot imagine the men desperately trying to find cover behind anything they could.

I cannot even begin to imagine...and I will not pretend that I stood on that beach and could think of how it must have felt...because I could not.

Travel to Caen France

We made it to Caen! It has been a very long day of buses and a farry. We left at 8am this morning (late). My roommate and I woke up a little late partly because we didn't get our first wakeup call and partly because we ignored the second one. I didn't even hear it!

We rushed to get ready and finishing packing the last of our toiletries and ran downstairs for breakfast. I stuffed two croissants into my purse and quickly ate the funky sausage and runny eggs. I didn't even get to finish my tea. Then it took us almost 10 minutes to get an elevator. The only reason we finally got one was because we took it up from our 3rd floor to the 12th (stopping on each floor). Then it went down 12, 11, 10, 9...all the way to the ground floor! It took forever!

I headed for the bus (still rushing) and wheeled my luggage (all 63 lbs) over to he driver and got on. I ate my two croissants that I had shoved into my purse while I was waiting. We drove off about 10 minutes later on our way to the farry.

It was about a two hour drive to the docks and I slept off and on most of the way. Once we got to the docks we found out that the French farry employees were on strike and we couldn't take that farry. It was a long confusing process which involved taking the luggage off and reloading it three or four times! Finally we got on a Brittish farry and headed out.

The seas were rough and choppy. The sky was gray, rainy and foggy. About 10 mintues after we left the dock I felt the boat (we were sitting in the front) rise up and then it felt like we were falling really slow. After what seemed like forever the front end slammed down hard on the brown water and all the glasses and bottles at the bar shook violently. Two bar tenders ran for the coolers where sandwiches and drinks were kept and pulled down screens to keep things from falling out.

I must say that the "farry" looked more like a miniature cruise ship! It wasn't at all what I was expecting. It had nice wood floors and eight decks in total. Decks three and four were for the many cars, trucks, buses and semi trailers that slowly drove on before we boarded. I read a little and eventually fell asleep. About an hour and a half later were docked in France.

We headed down to the car decks where security lead us to our coach bus. Neither the woman leading us nor the driver spoke English. (great start!) Thank goodness for the four or five people in our group who speak French!

So we boarded the bus and the strong men (all 7 of them) loaded all the ladies luggage from carts to the coach. How sweet of them.

Then we were on our way to Caen. We hit some really bad traffic and I eventually fell asleep after reading a few chapters from my teaching book. I slept uncomfortably balled up on two seats. I woke up often only to see that it was dark and gray outside and that our big rectangle bus was being blown all over the road. (The correct side of the road now...Auntie Em we're not in England any more!)

After what seemed like forever (maybe five to six hours) we arrived at the hotel in Caen. We headed to our rooms (my new roomate is Lizzie) and got ready for dinner which would be served at 10pm.

It has been a very long day and we're all waiting like kids for Christmas morning to see what our surroundings look like in the daylight. Well it's very late here so I better shower and head to bed!

Last day in 'jolly old england' !

So today was fun...long but fun! We left at about 10am and took the Tube to the Frontline Club. It is a famous resturant, club, and meeting hall that was started in London by journalists. We went up to the meeting hall/event room on the third floor to hear John F. Burns a New York Times writer and war correspondent speak.

It was an interesting talk. He spoke about his time in Iraq and what it is like reporting there. He talked about ethics, the soldiers, what censorship is like now compared to in Pyle's time, and even the time he was taken hostage!

The one piece of advice that I liked the most was to always remember that you are a citizen before your a journalist. What he meant by this was that that in some situations we will have to decide to do what is right for us either as journalists or as citizens. To put this in context he was discussing when interviews are on the record or off the record and how sometimes we may need to choose between being 'the journalist' and just a 'regular citizen'.

It was also very interesting to hear him talk about when he was taken hostage a few years ago. He and the other men came out unharmed but he was quick to point out that they were very very lucky.

After the talk we walked a few blocks back to the Tube station. I have to take one second to describe the 'lovely' weather we were having today. Like the receptionist said about yesterdays weather (which actually turned out to be nice) 'it's pretty much going to be the worst storm London has ever seen.' haha Wow!

So...walking the few blocks from the club to the Tube station was interesting to say the least. There were huge round rain drops. The wind was blowing every which way, whipping and weaving through the buildings. Our large group of 30 tried to keep an eye on our leader by barely peaking out from underneath our umbrellas, which on many occasions were blown inside out and upside down.

Many Tube entrances and streets were lined with broken and battered umbrellas. After dealing with the wind and rain for a few minutes we realized our umbrellas were pretty useless and just put up with the rain and unavoidable bad hair day to come.

For lunch me, Andra, Jennifer, and Lizzie went to a sushi place. I did not eat the sushi (yuk) but instead went a few doors down to Starbucks and got a BLT and Chai Latte. It was so delicious. But I must point out that I'm seriously considering checking out a sushi bar with Matt sometime when we get back to Bloomington. I'm curious...but pretty sure with my hate of seafood that it won't end well.

After lunch we all met back up at St. Paul's Cathedral. I didn't remember going there in high school, even though I know we did, so I was pretty excited! We learned a lot about what the Cathedral meant to the people of London during the Blitz and how it was saved by the firemen and volunteers from the fires. I was excited to see it up close. I really think I'm going to do one of my three columns about St. Paul's because it was absolutely beautiful. If I end up writing one about it I will post it on here later.



Briefly though...

The front has beautiful carved, stone columns. The main doors had to be 20-30 feet tall and were gorgeous solid carved wood. Sadly some vandals had left there own carvings on the doors as well. When we entered I think everyone was completely memorized. The ceilings were covered in gold and ornate murals. What wasn't marble, wood, or wrought iron was covered in gold! The floors were a huge black and white checkored tile. At the alter there were rows of pews for the choir and the many many pipes for the organ.

After walking down the aisle and reahcing the front everyone automatically looked up into the dome. It was amazing. The mural flowed flawlessly. It didn't even to seem to curve with the dome. I remember mentioning to someone that it was inconceivable how high the dome actually was because I was so hypnotized by the paintings beauty. A balcony circled the bottom of the dome where people stood looking down at us below.

We then walked as a group to see the war memorial in the back of the cathedral. It is a memorial that was dedicated to all the Americans who fought and died in WWII. There is a large book with all the names of those who died written inside...today it was turned to two pages covered in 'L' names. I don't know how often they turn the pages but I also cannot imagine how long it takes them to get through this six to seven inch book of names. Truly amazing...

Then we went together down to the crypts. I stood for a few minutes reading memorials for war correspondents. The only other crypt I remember stopping and just staring at was the Duke of Wellington. His was a massive marble coffin on top of a even bigger marble stand. His name was inscribed in a gold plate on the side.

After the crypts we decided to make the long 136 stair trek to the lowest balcony at the bottom of the dome. The highest balcony at the top was a total of about 204 feet and 435 steps total. It's sad to say that college students are so very out of shape! We eventually huffed and puffed our way up the small spiraling stair case and through the narrow corridors and came out through a short doorway into the big, beautiful dome. I have to point out that I am a little afraid of heights and couldn't walk directly next to the railing. I couldn't look down as I walked either...I had to face the people sitting on benches around the edge until I found a place to sat. Only then did I look down and realize how high we were...but it was worth the fear.

The organ was playing by this point and it was so peaceful just sitting and staring at the mural and listening to the organ. Jennifer and I were just staring off and listening to the music. I really didn't want to leave the cathedral. I could have really just sat there all day and listened to that organ music resonate through the dome of the church.

After the church we hurried through three different Tube lines and three different stops to get to Churchill's Cabinet Rooms. We didn't have a tour and had to use the little audio guides but it was still really cool. I didn't even know that was how they conducted business during WWII. To be able to go in there and look at the rooms restored to how they looked back then was really interesting. I thought that the playing of the air raid sirens while we were walking through was a great touch. It really put it into perspective how it would have sounded to be down there. I think my favorite room was the one with the 'slab' which was the big piece of concrete put on the ceilings to protect the occupants from falling bombs. There was a small old style radio in there playing the BBC broadcasts and it was really fun to just sit and listen.

After we were done with this (about 6pm) we all broke off and did our own thing. The group I was with headed to Piccadilly Circus which is like London's version of New Yorks Time Square. We were off to shop (again), and my only request was I need a London souvenirs. Jennifer and I went into a tea shop and bought teapots! She bought a really classy blue, white, and sliver teapot. I got a brigt red and yellow one that was hand painted. One side of it says 'having tea with the queen' and the other says 'the famous British brew'. Its so cute! It was $50 but totally worth it!! The I also got some tea and a few things from the cabinet rooms gift shop. I'm DONE spending money in London.

After shopping and walking for what seemed forever we went to dinner at Pizza Express. It was nothing like the Bloomington Pizza Express!! We each had a delicious pizza. The other girls had a glasses of wine and me a diet coke (in an old fashioned glass bottle). We toasted to our last night in London and then walked 5 blocks to the nearest Tube station and headed for the hotel.

We leave tomorrow morning at 8am for Caen Normandy. Don't know if we'll have internet there but I'll try to keep up with the blog when I can.

London Day 2!

So today we walked around London. We took the Tube all day which was just as interesting as when I did it in high school. It was a little confusing at first but once I got the hang of it again it was a piece of cake. The only thing that is a little hard to get the hang of is whether I need north, south, east or west bound trains. It didn't take long to get the hang of navigating again.

I saw a sign that was kind of interesting. The funny thing about the Tube here is the recording that tells you to 'mind the gap' between the train and the platform. So of course everyone thinks that's amusing. Then on the way out of one of the stations I noticed a poster that said 'MIND THE GAP!' and below that it said 53 injuries last year. I thought it was a little interesting that the poster was hanging near and exit...after I could have already fell in the gap! haha Just thought that was interesting.

The first thing we did was travel to St. Brides Church on Fleet Street. St Brides is known as the journalists church because all of the newspapers used to be on Fleet Street and that is where all the journalists lived.

I know I've said before that I've seen tons of churches in six different countries and that was the last thing I wanted to see! But while the church looked a lot like other churches I'd seen it was set back off of the main street.

We had to walk down an alley and ups some stairs and around a corner before we got the entrance. And the church wasn't crawling with tourists (that's until we walked in! haha). But while it did look the same as all of the other churches I saw four years ago...there was the difference that this was the journalists church. All over the walls and pews were small plaques with someones name, their birth and death years, and whether they were a journalist, publisher, photographer. The plaques were everywhere! They also had a shrine in the back corner for all the war correspondents currently 'serving' who were captured or killed.

The man who ran the church was so friendly and loved talking to us about the history of the church. He gave us the churches newsletter and invited us to stay for choir rehearsal and service. We did sit in on the rehearsal but not service.

The choir was absolutely amazing!!! It consisted of about four women and four men and a beautiful organ. When the keys of the organ were struck this gorgeous hum crept through the Church and it rumbled up through the floor, my feet and into my body! I could feel the organ notes resonating in my chest! My favorite part of the choir's singing is when they were singing softly and then the women would just crescendo into this beautiful ghostly sound. They truly sounded like angels. You could see all 30 of us sitting in pews just completely transfixed, almost hypnotized, by the angelic sounds resonating through the tall, sculpted ceilings of the church.

After St. Brides we walked up Fleet Street towards Trafalgar Square. We had about 45 minutes to explore here. Me and about four other girls spent the time walking blocks turning around and walking blocks in the other direction looking for a place to exchange our travelers checks! Then when we finally found a place the woman had to ask one of the girls for her signature 3 times because she kept saying it didn't look enough like her signature on her license! It was a pain, but I guess it is good to know that they are double checking.

After racing back to meet up with the group again we all moved down to the Tube again and headed to the Imperial War Museum. www.iwm.org.uk I really enjoyed this. We all took pictures by an exhibit sign. It read 'Weapons of Mass Communication'. I thought it was picture perfect! (The exhibit was actually about propaganda posters used during WWI and WWII.


We took an hour tour of the museum with a guide which was interesting. There were WWI and WWII planes.

My favorite had to be the American/Canadian plane called 'Big Beautiful Doll'. It was silver with a checker pattern on the nose and it had the thick stripe symbol with the star in the circle. I think it was a typical marking of planes during WWII...I know Matt really liked that symbol and at one time wanted it painted on his motorcycle. After the tour we had an hour to go around and look at the different exhibits, but in the end that was not enough time!

I wish we could have stayed longer. I could have but everyone else wanted to go shopping. If I ever come back I'd love to go back to the museum and look at all the exhibits. The one exhibit I did get to go see was the Blitz. It is a small replica of what a bomb shelter would have looked like in London during WWII. You sat inside with about 20 people while the sound of a mans voice was played over a speaker along with sirens and the sound of bombs falling. I remember sitting there and hearing the high pitched whine that we heard in the documentaries and it was just whining and whining. Getting louder and louder. I had butterflies in my stomach because it was like I knew that one was ours. (sounds strange but that's how I felt!). Then there was the sound of a loud explosion and the shelter started to shake. Then we were instructed to walk to our left out 'into the streets of London'. It was supposed to look like what people who finally came out of the shelters saw...their neighborhoods destroyed. Their businesses and homes just piles of bricks, wood, and broken glass. I have to admit it was no Universal Studios but it was rather interesting to sit inside the shelter and listen to the sound the bombs falling. At the same time it is very very difficult to really imagine what it must have been like. We knew it was only going to last ten minutes. There was a woman with an Imperial War Museum badge sitting at the end of the brick seats. The sound of bombs was obviously recorded. We could never know what that was actually like. I will never be able to imagine!

After wondering the museum for a while...and almost buying Matt, my fiance, some WWII fudge rations (gross) everyone headed back out and walked the three blocks to the Tube.

The group I was with decided to go shopping. Our original plan was to go to Kensington/High Street I think but the Yellow/Circle line of the Tube was not operating because it was Sunday. We changed our route about 1/2 way through the trip and went to check out the street Harrods was on. I had never heard of Harrods until yesterdays bus tour but apparently its a big deal.

It reminded me of a bigger, fancier, more expensive Watertower Place. When it got dark the whole building was covered in lights! When we walked in the side entrance there were tons and tons of people! The first rooms we entered had shiny glass cases with women ready to sit you down and cover your face in expensive makeup in an effort to get you to buy. The second room had glass cases with purses...expensive purses. There were pristine men and women just waiting on the sidelines waiting to pounce and get you to spend upwards of £200 (about $400 US dollars).



Then we wondered into the food court (if I can even call it that). It was definitely NO college mall food court with Subway and pizza! Before you even got to the regular food there were rows and rows of class cases with some of the most beautifully crafted chocolates I've ever seen. I couldn't resist and spend £1 (about $2 US dollars) on the most amazing raspberry truffle I've ever tasted! (Totally worth it...)

Needless to say that was the only thing I purchased at Harrods. I think Matt would be a little angry if I spent Aprils rent on a new handbag! haha I also didn't purchase anything in the equally expensive stores that lined the rest of the street. Burberry, French Connection United Kingdom (fcuk), and some other insanely expensive stores I'd never heard of.

Eventually we hopped back on the Tube and rode back towards the hotel. I must say we looked like experienced Londoners and didn't seem lost at all. Pretty good for only being here 24 hours!

After 8.5 hours of walking in my rain boots I was ready for pjs and clogs...ready to relax.

We had dinner in a small British pub down the street. I had a chicken and pesto sandwich with onion rings. The others had clubs, salads, and beers!

An intersting thing I've noticed with the pubs is that you seat yourself at any table. Decide what you want and go to the bar to order it. Then they bring it to you when it's ready. It's so different from being served like they do in the US.

One thing that we are all very confused about tipping the servers over here. They don't serve us at all like we're used to in the US. I'm not saying the service is bad...far from it in fact. They are usually very friendly, polite, and very helpful when you ask them what beer they recommend. But it's just so different from the US where in my case we can't get our servers to leave us alone for five minutes. We just don't whether tipping is something you do here. Oh well, we do it anyway even if the servers are confused after we leave...at least we're not being rude by leaving nothing.

Everyone went out on the town tonight, but I didn't really feel like it. I'm tired and did NOT want to talk anywhere except from my room to the computers! haha I told them that I'd go in Paris. It's too early in the trip to get worn down.

Well, this turned out to be quite the long blog post. Wish I could add pictures but I can't figure out where the heck to plug in my USB drive! I will ask later and maybe add pictures soon!

If you've actually survived, not fallen asleep, and read this far...comments are welcome!!!!

First day in London...

So today is our first day here! It was LONG and hectic so I'm going to make it short! We went on a 4.5 hour bus tour and then to the Tower of London.

This is a photo of the part of Tower of London where the Imperial Jewels are kept! One of the pieces queen uses during ceremonies has the 530 ct African diamond in it!!!

I hadn't been there when I came in high school and it was pretty interesting. I have to admit it was almost like 'just another castle' except for when our tour guide tied it into WWII.

It was rainy and cold also today and my coat was still in my suitcase...which was NOT in a room yet because they wouldn't give us rooms till after 2pm. So, wet feet, my dirty white sweats, and poofy curly hair later...haha

The city is unbelievably HUGE! I don't think that I ever imagined that it could be as big as it seemed today. We ate at a small pub down the street from the hotel tonight...wasn't great but it was cheap! Cheap is good!

The area where we are staying is dark narrow streets where cars drive way too fast! I'm constantly having to remind myself to look both ways...but opposite to what we're used to because they drive on the wrong side. The hotel is nice and quiet. But I was a little disappointed in the number of restaurants around it. Even when we walked 2 or 3 blocks in any direction we count' find anything except questionable grocery stores, pawn shops, and money exchange places.

Tomorrow we're going to try to take the tube into the shopping or theater districts for some good food and hanging out during free time. I think that those areas of London are going to be so totally different from the area where we are staying!

Tomorrow is Saint Brides (the unofficial 'journalists' church on Fleet Streets). Yes, that's right Fleet Street...like in Sweeny Todd. Then Saint Paul's which is gorgeous...can't believe I don't remember going there in high school. Then we are also hitting the imperial war museum tomorrow.

I'll write more then...I need to get some sleep!

2 days

We leave for London in 2 days!! I'm pretty excited! I'm not sure about the internet situation in the hotels over there but I will post when I can!

2 days and counting!