There is Castle on a Cloud...

Sunday we took a day trip to Windsor Castle.  A real castle!

We didn't take the tour since it cost £15 (about $23).  

But we hung around the beautiful building, people-watching and relaxing.  Some in our group went on a walk or boat ride. 

We weren't alone, the Queen was there! Well, she is every weekend. It's the Windsor castle. She's part of the Windsor line. 

At 5pm, we queued (lined up) for Evensong in the St. George's Chapel. This was the one time we got to enter castle grounds.  We felt pretty special.  This was one of my favorite evensong services of the trip.  The chapel was beautiful and the choir was fantastic.  For the second (New Testament) lesson, the priest taught the parable of the sower, which I studied in class this past semester.  It was interesting to listen to it again and learn about all the types of people who accept/reject the word of God.

Monday we had class with Simon Berridge, a member of Harry Cristophers' Sixteen.  He is also a converted Latter-day Saint, so we asked him questions about how he balances his faith with singing Anglican music and being involved in choirs in England.  We also got to sing, which was unbelievably refreshing.  We have hardly sung on this study abroad, and that has been the greatest disappointment. We pulled out a few pieces and he coached us and taught us a few things.

Today (Tuesday) we are taking another day trip to Cambridge. I can't believe there are only a few days left of this trip.  I am definitely going to live them up.

B.O.C.I.A.R.

B. Blues Bar
Monday night some of us went to a Blues Bar on our day off.

It just so happened to be open mic, so Jonnie signed up with Julien, a new friend we made at the bar.  The music was fantastic, and it got even better when the two boys went up.  I really loved the atmosphere of the place.

O: Opera.
Wednesday night we went to Tosca at the ENO,  and I loved it, although it was depressing. Operas are super dramatic. When I had unrequited love at age 13, I'm sure I would have related much more to the characters.  Now I just sighed and rolled my eyes thinking, "Relax!"  Haha really, it was beautiful.  The singers were incredible, the orchestra magnificent, and the story intriguing to follow....after the first act.  The story is about Mario and Tosca, two lovers.  With some bad luck, Mario is arrested, and to prevent him from dying Tosca must give herself to slimeball Scarpia.  Well, the third act is full of surprises, and let's just say it's not sunshine and butterflies.

C: Canterbury.
Thursday we took a day trip to Canterbury.  I've been in lots of cathedrals this trip, but this was one of my favorites.  It was massive and full of history.  We attended eucharist there that evening, and Christiana and I went up and received a blessing.  It was a neat experience participating in the service.

We got lunch and did some shopping around as well.  I finally got to eat one of these: - click the link. They don't have them in America. They are fantastic!  And Randi, they are now £1.09.  Then we had another punting experience.  It was more quiet and relaxing.

I love this picture.  The willow tree, the sun rays, the bridge....breathtaking.

We also saw the ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey.  It was a really good day trip!

I. Imperial War Museum
In light of studying the the World Wars, we went to a museum Friday after class.  When you first walk in it looks like it will be a crummy museum (wow, three planes and a few tanks, cool...). The place was loaded with exhibits and plenty of things to look at. I feel I hardly scraped the edge of what I could do, so I vowed to go back when I return to Europe.

A.bbey R.oad

By George said Paul as he sat on the John, where did my Ringo?  Today, I walked barefoot across Abbey Road, McCartney style.  I like this shot because of the double decker bus.  And I'm barefoot.

We also skipped across

Here's the winning shot.

It was a highlight.  And it was free!   Haha there are plenty of free things to do in London.

We relaxed outside the tube station and purchased some memorabilia. 

After this epic experience, we went to Covent Gardens to some really cool open markets. I LOVE open markets. You can always find unique, antique, and homemade things you couldn't find elsewhere.  My lunch was fantastic.  I got a crepe with turkey, spinach, cheddar, and cranberries!  It was from this place:

If you want to market to Rycee, definitely use pink and black polka-dotted decorations.  

Tonight we are going to another concert at Cadogan Hall.  I can't believe I will be back in Utah a week from today. Phooey!