First Day of Class

Unfortunately we overslept a little this morning, but somehow still made it to the Anglo American Center on time! It wasn’t without some stress though… We woke up a little after 8:00 and we thought class started at 9:00 and one of our faculty members here told us that we should allow ourselves 30 minutes to get there. We got a late start and decided to take the bus instead of the tube. Well the bus stop wasn’t where we thought it was and when we finally found it there was a HUGE line! We stood behind all the people until the bus we needed stopped, and then drove past us without anyone getting on. Apparently the huge line of people was for an audition for a musical. So then we waited for another #19 bus for another 5 minutes or so and finally caught it. One problem though—it was the right number bus, but it was the wrong direction on the route. So we had to get off of the bus that had taken us back towards our flat near the Angel Tube Station. It was already 9:00, so instead of trying to figure out the bus again we just opted for the tube. We were stressed out and almost running through the station (that was completely packed with people on their morning commute) in order to catch a ride ASAP. When we finally got on we met up with Patrick and Kendall (two of the guys here in our group) and they told us that we weren’t running behind—class started at 9:30. So apparently we had plenty of time and were stressed out over nothing. On our way out of the station one of the massive, incredibly steep escalators that we were on came to a screeching stop and everyone almost fell over on top of each other. We were all packed on there so we had to walk up the whole thing—it’s SO long and SO steep. So after an impromptu morning workout we got to our classroom right across from Bloomsbury Park, where Virginia Woolf used to visit.

First we heard from a Metropolitan Police officer who was very entertaining. Then we got all the official stuff about the Center before our lecture about Le Corbusier (the architect from the Barbican on our first day.) We were all so tired during Susan (the architecture professor)’s lecture, and I know I wasn’t the only doing the falling asleep head-bob.

After that we headed over to the part of town where Westminster Abbey and Parliament are. How did we get there? DOUBLE DECKER BUS!! And you KNOW I rode on the top! It was so fun to see the city from up there. We had a guided tour of Parliament and it was absolutely GORGEOUS! The building is massive and there is so much intricate detail in every single room and corridor. We were only able to take pictures in the Westminster Hall, but not in the actual Parliament building halls and meeting rooms. That hall alone is incredible! It has stone walls over 900 years old and a reconstructed—and amazing ceiling. Inside the hall are plaques on the floor that tell about different trials and convictions that have happened there. I stood where Braveheart was on trial! There are beautiful stained glass windows, and acid etched windows to go along with all the rest of the grandeur. I saw where the Royal Staircase, where the Queen walks up ceremoniously every November to give her address to Parliament. After the staircase she makes her way in the room where Queen Victoria’s throne sits, complete with blue carpet for Her Highness, beautiful paintings and stunning wooden reliefs telling the tale of King Arthur and other heroes of the country. There was even a clock that was given to Anne Boleyn who was eventually guillotined. I can’t even begin to get into everything that we saw there—it would take FOREVER. But we did see the lobby and the “aye” and “no” halls for both the Lords and the Commons. It was awesome! I sat where the Prime Minister sits when the guide wasn’t looking! (Very against the rules.) The guide we had, Elizabeth, was so amazing. She could spit out names and dates like it was nothing! She showed us where the Queen’s private, secret bathroom was! She explained the Royal Arms, the royal family’s crest, to us. I really wish I could have taken pictures—there is so much detail and such beautiful architecture in just about every square inch of the place; from floor to ceiling. I just learned so much history today!

After that we were kind of on our own for the rest of the day. We took pictures of, and with, Big Ben and of Westminster Abbey. That church is incredibly beautiful on the outside, but the inside is just breathtaking. The ceilings are so high in beautiful gothic style with arches and designs on them. We didn’t just want to see it—so we decided to attend Evensong today. It was kind of like a mass, I think, but there was a choir made up entirely of men. A bunch of us girls went, and we each thought we were being inappropriate for thinking that some of the robed men were attractive until we eventually told each other and had a good laugh about it. The service was so relaxing and despite it’s formality, it was oddly comforting.

After that we decided just to get on the tube and head back to catch up/start on some reading that needs to be done for class. I still need to start on that, actually. I’ve almost finished the first book on our agenda: Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities. It’s a really amazing book; the language is just beautiful and it really makes you think about the imagination and how it can work itself into everyday conversation, and it really forces the reader to think about civilization and the ideals that we have about our existence.

But let’s get a little less serious here: I took some really fun pictures today and you should definitely take a look! Tomorrow should be a fun day too—so stay tuned!

Until tomorrow,
Whitney