London

On Sunday, August 8^th I took a trip to London!  I had visited London several times before, so rather than dashing around like a crazy person I was able to soak in a small number of things. 

My group’s first stop was the British Museum, which is enormous and completely overwhelming.  I could have spent days in that building, marveling at relics from a huge number of regions and time periods.  Highlights were the Rosetta stone (which allowed archaeologists to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics), statues and friezes from the Pantheon, and Egyptian mummies.

Interior of the museum

Statues from the Pantheon

Next a friend and I walked to Covent Garden (a famous shopping center), which was decked out with flags for the Olympics:

Covent Garden

My friend and I continued along the Thames to St. Paul’s Cathedral.  After admiring it from the outside, we entered the building and heard the organ being played.  I have seen my fair share of cathedrals, but none of them have awoken the same awe as St. Paul’s.

Fun fact: Christopher Wren, the famous architect who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral, also designed the chapel of Pembroke College!

The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral

The front of the cathedral.  Unfortunately, photography was not permitted on the inside.

 Our group finished the day by seeing Shakespeare’s Richard III at the Globe Theatre.  We were “groundlings” and had to stand in the yard in front of the stage for the duration of the play.  Fortunately, the play was enthralling enough that I didn’t notice my legs becoming tired!

The Globe, as seen from a bridge over the Thames

On the way home, our coach drove past Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey, and I got to see how those famous landmarks look when they are lit up at night.  Big Ben was particularly beautiful.

Our coach pulled up at Pembroke’s back gate shortly before midnight.  As I walked sleepily through Pembroke’s darkened gardens, I felt my heart swell with love of this place that has truly come to feel like home.