With our orientation to Harlaxton life complete, it was time for the first college trip and orientation to city life in London. Although Harlaxton is only a couple of hours' train ride away from the capital of England, we went by coach, which I'm sure was far more economical and had less risk of losing a 20-something-year-old in King's Cross while they searched for Platform 9 3/4.
We left after classes ended on a chilly rainy day, arriving in London with just enough light left over for a short coach tour around the city. Excitement buzzed through the car as we drove past sites we had only see in photographs - the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and more. Talk soon started among friends groups about what they would do Saturday, as we had the day for our touring pleasure. In the hotel, we finalized our plans, then went out for dinner near Piccadilly Circus and to see what tickets were available for a play the next evening. We ended up with tickets for an evening showing of The 39 Steps, a parody adaptation of a novel of the name written by John Buchan and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film. Having never heard of neither the book nor the film, I read up on it back in our hotel. For those wondering about the play, the following promotional video from an Australian theatre group may be of interest:
SATURDAY we spent on a walking tour of the city. We started at Trafalgar Square, where the pigeons attempted to steal our breakfast, before walking to the Palace of Westminster and Houses of Parliament. The morning had started very overcast and a bit rainy, but by the time we had started walking, thankfully, the weather had cleared up. This made our trek a bit more pleasant. Unfortunately, sections of the Parliament building were under restoration, so we didn't get as many good views as we hoped, though we did manage to get a couple of shots through the gates of the statue of King Richard III and Big Ben. From there, we walked past St James's Park to Buckingham Palace. Although we missed the changing of the guard, we did enjoy posing in front of the gates. I remember being a bit in awe at the Palace's splendor and a tad nervous about getting too close. I suppose it was partly the intimidating guards, but also perhaps American culture. We were, after all, much closer to the building than you can get to the White House.
Moving on from Buckingham Palace, our feet and stomachs were telling us it was time for a break. I would have loved to have wandered a bit through Hyde Park, but the friends I was with preferred to explore a park of a different sort - Harrods. We ate a quick lunch and browsed the department store for a bit. I, personally, tired of this rather quickly - a broke college student can't afford anything in Harrods anyhow - and was grateful my friends wanted to see more of the city before our play began at 7:00. So, we left behind the designer brands and headed for the Underground, getting off by the Tower of London. We had missed the next available tour and so instead walked along the Thames to London Bridge, which we crossed twice to get some good shots of the famous Tower Bridge.
Next, we went back indoors and visited St. Paul's Cathedral. We would return later in the term with our British Studies class, but today the plan was to go up to the roof. Well, rather, it was my friends' plan. I stayed inside the cathedral; I'm terrified of heights, and spiral staircases are especially panic-inducing for me. Still, I enjoyed the quiet serenity of the white stone and the view of the knave and dome from the balconies. From the balconies, you can sometimes get a clandestine photo of the gold interior of the dome, but I was not so brave as to attempt it. Now that it has been quite a while since my time in England, I sometimes regret not having sneaked even one photograph.
With daylight fading and our feet aching, we got back on the tube and rested up in our hotel before venturing out for dinner in Chinatown and our night of the theatre in Piccadilly Circus.
SUNDAY morning, the college had arranged an optional tour of Westminster Abbey. So, those of us who hadn't gone out to a pub the night before got up early and boarded the coach to the Abbey. Though we didn't have time to attend services before leaving London, we did have time for a quick guided tour of the grounds. It was another cloudy morning, or a typical January morning, bringing out the age of the stonework on the cathedral that seemed to transport you to somewhere outside the city.
After our walk around the Abbey, we left London, stopping at Hampton Court Palace on our way back to the manor. Although the sun had finally come out, the wind had as well, and so much of our tromp through the palace gardens and the hedge maze consisted of bundled walks shoulder-to-shoulder with our hands shoved in our coat pockets. Being also tired from my early morning tour of the Abbey, I was ready to head home, and I promised myself that I would come back to Hampton another day to truly absorb the sight. I still have yet to keep that promise.
We arrived back at the manor in the early evening weary from our packed two days of tours only to remember that tomorrow we had class - and I was behind on my reading of Pamela for British English. We, therefore, trudged back to our dorms to shower and begin a night of homework.
