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London Round Two

One of the greatest things about studying abroad for a year is that I have so much time to do the things that I want to do. I can pick and choose the things that I want to do, and take my time seeing them. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do that when the group took their first trip to London. I went along on Friday, and I have to say that it was nice to already have a sense of the city before I got there. I didn’t have to struggle with the Tube and using an oyster card, and I got to watch other people experience London for the first time, which was pretty cool.

Tower of London

One of the reasons I was so excited to go along on Friday was because the group went to see the Tower of London. I had never seen the Tower before, and had always really wanted to go. I love exploring old castles, and it especially cool to see the Tower because of how many important events occurred there. We saw the Crown Jewels, the green where Anne Boleyn was executed, and the tower where the two princes were supposedly murdered by their uncle, Richard III. Being inside and walking around the Tower made me feel that much more connected to history, and like I was a part of it.

The Imperial War Museum, London

I was also really excited for our day in London because we visited the Imperial War Museum. This museum had all kinds of exhibits from different wars that Great Britain has participated in. I am both horrified and fascinated with the events of the Holocaust, and I appreciated the work that was put into the Holocaust exhibit. Since we are celebrating the hundred years since World War I, the museum had an excellent exhibit about things from World War I. Overall, I was quite impressed with the work put into this museum, and would love to spend more time there.

“Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

But the best part of the day came at the end of the night when we all went to see “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. For those who don’t know, “Wicked” is the story of the Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.” I had never seen “Wicked” before, but I have been dying to see it ever since it started running. I’m a huge fan of Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba in the original cast, and I was thrilled that I got to see this musical that she was once in.

My anticipation and the expectations I had for the play were blown out of the water. I am not ashamed to say that there were times that I cried during the play. It was wonderfully put on and right after it ended, I wanted to see it again. My favorite part was at the end of the first act when Elphaba sings “Defying Gravity.” I literally felt weightless during that song. I love the way that music can move you so much, and because of that, I would absolutely recommend seeing “Wicked” to everyone.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend, and I’m really glad I went along to London with everyone on Friday. I’m really excited about this new group in Cambridge, and for all of the trips we’re going to take together and all the memories we’ll make!

Start of Something New

January 12, 2015 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

Hello everyone! For those of you who don’t know, I am studying abroad for the entire 2014-2015 school year in Cambridge, and I’m back blogging again! I had a wonderful Christmas break in Cambridge, but I am really excited to get back into a routine with classes again.

As the title indicates, a new year and new semester have begun. The new Study Center group arrived last Thursday, and they have been getting settled and getting to know Cambridge for the past couple of days. It’s fun to watch people discover new things in the town. It was also a good conversation starter between the group and myself. If they had any questions about where to eat, where to shop, or anything of that nature, I could answer them.

On Friday, everyone took a guided tour of Cambridge. While everyone was taking their tour, I decided to take a tour of my own. I walked around the market, down past King’s College and Queen’s College, and then walked around the backs of the colleges. It was a gorgeous day and the sun was shining. Walking around on my own reminded me of why I chose to study here, and how even though I’m not new in town like the rest of the group is, I can still enjoy all of the culture and history I have around me.

The back of King’s College Chapel

The River Cam from the Clare College bridge

On Friday evening after their arrival, we went to see a pantomime (or panto, as they call it) of “Aladdin” at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. A panto is the British slapstick comedy play. They only run for a few months out of every year, so we were lucky to get to see one. These kinds of shows almost always feature a man in drag, and include a lot of audience participation. For example, the audience knows that when a character says, “Oh, no he didn’t!”, they yell back, “Oh, yes he did!”, and they boo and hiss at the villain. It also featured many songs pulled from all sorts of genres, including, “One Way or Another” and “Roar.”

Cambridge Arts Theatre presents “Aladdin”

For the most part, I think everyone enjoyed the play, and I know I thought it was funny. It was different from the Disney version of Aladdin we have come to know and love, with the setting in Peking, China, and Aladdin living with his mother and brother and running a laundromat. The night after the play, we all gathered around the TV to watch the “real” Disney version of Aladdin together.

Our next adventure is London this weekend, where we will have a chance to see the Tower of London and the play “Wicked,” which are two things that are on my bucket list. I can’t wait to travel with this group and spend some time in one of the greatest cities in Europe!

Mischief Managed

December 9, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

For those of you who know the series, you would have figured out just from the title of this blog that this is about Harry Potter. Being in the home of Harry Potter, it is only fitting that we would take a trip to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studios just outside of London. For any Harry Potter fan who comes to the UK: GO SEE THE STUDIOS. It was the most amazing thing. My face was frozen in a perpetual smile, and I think I even cried. Seriously, go see it.

I went with three friends to see the studios on Friday. Naturally, since there were four of us, we all had to dress up as a student from each of the four houses. I was the only one wearing green, so I ended up being from Slytherin. We completed our ensembles with chapel robes borrowed from Westfield House next door. We had people stop and take pictures of us because of how dressed up we were.

Our first stop was King’s Cross Train Station, where we stood in line and took pictures at Platform 9 3/4. Since I was from Slytherin, they let me wield the wand of Voldemort. I felt quite powerful, and I’m pretty sure that I cursed a lot of other people in our line. Oh well.

Going to Hogwarts at Platform 9 3/4

The studios themselves were fascinating. There were so many different sets to see. They had sets from Harry’s bedroom, the Gryffindor Common Room, the Ministry of Magic, Harry’s house on 4 Privet Drive, and so many more. They saved a ton of props and costumes from the movies and had them on display as well. My favorite had to be Dumbledore’s office. It was a little bit smaller than I imagined, but other than that, it looked exactly like it does in the movies. Everything was there, including the sorting hat sitting on a shelf. We had a great time taking pictures in front of everything and reliving our childhoods in the days of our youth when we first read and watched Harry Potter. It was truly a magical (no pun intended) day.

Harry’s and Ron’s Outfits from “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”

Dumbledore’s Office

The Great Hall

I felt that the title for this blog was appropriate not only because of its reference to Harry Potter, but because our time in Cambridge is coming to a close. We are nearly through with this semester, and I have to say that I don’t know where the time went. It seems like yesterday that we were all meeting each other for the first time and getting on a plane to fly halfway across the world. I know that I speak for everyone in Cambridge when I say that this has been an unbelievable semester, and that we will cherish the memories we have made here when we return to Valpo.

Stratford, Bath, and Stonehenge

November 30, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

Last weekend, the entire group embarked on our last trip together to see all sorts of castles around England. We also made stops at other places of historical significance. It was a great last trip for everyone to take together, and we had a lot of fun.

First, we stopped and visited Warwick castle. There are many different parts of the castle that were built and rebuilt over the years, some by the Normans, some during the Tudor reign, some much more recent. The oldest part of the castle, however, dates all the way back to the Anglo-Saxons, who lived in England before William the Conqueror and the Normans invaded. It was fun to climb the towers and walk around the outside of the castle.

Warwick Castle

Our next stop was in Stratford-upon-Avon. This was where William Shakespeare was born and lived with his family. We went through the house where he was born, and visited other houses of various family members, such as his daughter Susannah. He was probably one of the most wealthy in the town, because the rooms in the houses were huge (for that time) and had real glass windows. Most people would not have been able to afford glass, so that just showed how wealthy he and his family were.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

The best part of the day was when we saw the Royal Shakespeare Company perform “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” This play is not nearly as well known as many of Shakespeare’s other plays, and was only recorded to have been performed in England three times during the 1800s. They set the story during the early 1900s in England, and had amazing sets and costumes that resembled those of Downton Abbey.

In Bath, we visited the Roman Baths. Bath was a very different kind of English town, because it really didn’t feel English at all. I felt like I was back in Italy, which makes sense, since this was an old Roman city. It’s amazing that the baths are still in such good condition for being as old as they are. They still had the natural hot spring running nicely, and it was cool to get to see something that old and that historical.

Roman Bath House

On our last day, we stopped for a cold and rainy hour to see Stonehenge. After that, we travelled to Surrey, right outside of London, and visited Hampton Court Palace. This was by far my favorite thing that we did. I am especially interested in history surrounding the Tudor monarchs, and was ecstatic that I got to see Henry VIII’s rooms. One of the hallways is said to be haunted by the ghost of Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, and people have reported seeing her ghost running toward the chapel to beg for her life from King Henry, and hearing her screams as she’s dragged away.

Stonehenge

Hampton Court Palace

It is getting right down to the end of the semester, and I think everyone is excited to go home, but sad to be leaving Cambridge. We have done so many things and experienced so much that our perspectives have changed, and we have truly made Cambridge our home. It’s been a thrill so far, and I can’t wait to see what these last few weeks have in store for us!

Looking for Nessie (or, Our Weekend in Scotland)

November 20, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

It was a nice change of pace from our big trip to Spain and Italy, because instead of there being ten of twelve of us all traveling and trying to go places at once, there were just a few of us. We got to spend a lot of time leisurely walking around and seeing whatever we came across.

We trained up to Edinburgh on Thursday night, which, with all of the train changes, is nearly a five hour journey. We made it in the middle of the evening and had a chance to walk around and look at all of the Christmas lights. Because it was the weekend before Veteran’s Day (or Armistice Day, as it is officially called in England), all of the gravestones at the churches and cathedrals had poppies on them in honor of those who were killed during World War I. It was very pretty and also very moving to see that sort of large scale memorial.

One of the things that Scotland is most known for, besides bagpipes and kilt, is Scotch Whiskey. There are so many distilleries all over the country that brew different kinds of scotch. While we were in the city, we took a tour of a distillery in Edinburgh and got to try scotch from different regions of Edinburgh. We also got to stand in a room that houses the world’s largest scotch whiskey collection. All in all, a fun afternoon.

On Saturday, we trained up to Inverness, Scotland, the city that is closest to Loch Ness. In the afternoon, we took a boat tour of Loch Ness. Our boat’s captain was a very nice old man who let us each take turns driving the boat. He was a member of the Loch Ness Investigation team back in the 1960s, and recorded one of the first camera sightings of the supposed Loch Ness Monster. He showed us a video about all of the work he did, and gave us some explantations for what Nessie could be. It was a very interesting tour, to say the least.

View from Loch Ness

That evening, we went to a pub called Hootenanny’s. This was my favorite part of the entire trip because we got to sit and listen to (or dance to) traditional Scottish music for three hours. The live band consisted of an accordion player and a guitar player. The accordion player is actually pretty well known, because not only is he a musician, but he has his own band and is also a professional athlete in a sport called shinty. The guitar player was one of the most talented musicians I have ever heard in my life, so it was a great night to get to sit and listen to the two of them.

This weekend, we’re traveling as a group to several castles, Shakespeare’s birthplace, and Stonehenge. Hopefully it’ll be a fun way to wrap up our time abroad, which for most, is quickly drawing to a close. We’ll all be back in Valpo before we know it!

Big Break Part 2: Italy

November 12, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

The second part and majority of our ten day break was spent in various towns in Italy. From Barcelona, we flew into Milan where we spent a day. We walked around and saw the Duomo (which is just a really big cathedral), and walked around the city. We didn’t get to do a whole lot else, because our train to Venice was that night, but that was perfectly fine with me.

Venice was by far my favorite city in Italy. When we were planning our trip, I was pretty indifferent about everything we planned to do in Italy. However, I am so glad that I went along because Venice was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It was a gorgeous day outside, and we spent an afternoon eating gelato and taking a gondola ride down the canals of Venice. Venetian glass is one of the biggest , and there were at least three shops down every little street. It was a wonderful day of relaxing and browsing the stores.

From Venice, we visited Florence. We went into the museum that houses Michelangelo’s statue of David, and saw the Duomo in Florence. My favorite part of our day in Florence was when a few of us climbed up to Michelangelo’s plaza, which was on top of a hill that overlooked the entire city of Florence. It was a long walk, but worth the trip, because we got to see the city at sunset and watched all of the city lights come out.

Florence

After a quick stop in Pisa to see the leaning tower, we made our way to Rome. There are a thousand and one things to do in Rome. Everywhere you turn there is some ruin, cathedral, or plaza that houses something of interest. We were quite disappointed, because both the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were under construction and we couldn’t live out our childhood Lizzie McGuire dreams of throwing a penny into the fountain and then riding on the back of some Italian guys motorcycle to go off and become a pop star. Oh well, you can’t win them all :).

We still got to see a lot of things, like the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Hadrian’s Temple, and Trajan’s Market, just to name a few. The coolest thing to see was the ruins of the Roman forum. We had a really good tour guide through the area, and that made it all that more interesting. These ruins are surrounded by modern city buildings, and if they weren’t there, it would have been impossible to know that the Romans had once conducted business there. It was one of those moments where I felt like I was going back in time and stepping into a historical moment.

The Colosseum

The Roman Forum

We also spent a day in Vatican City. The Sistine Chapel was beautiful, but the best part was seeing St. Peter’s Basilica. First of all, this church is massive. I have never seen a church so big in my entire life, and I have seen quite a few cathedrals. Second, it was absolutely stunning. The painted ceilings were so intricate and well kept, and the statue of Mary holding the dying Jesus is also there.

Our trip was definitely worth the time and effort we put in to planning it. Coming soon is our weekend trip to Scotland, to Edinburgh and Inverness!

Big Break Part One: Spain

November 3, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

It has been a long ten days of vacation. Yesterday, many of us living in the house returned from our second big break. We all went to Spain and Italy and visited six cities in ten days. It was a very busy week of traveling and sightseeing, but it was worth all of the planning and money we spent, because I had a fantastic time. Because of the amount of things that we did, I can’t possibly fit it all into one post, so I’m going to focus on the first part of our trip in this post.

After classes ended, we all flew from London to Barcelona. At our hostel, we met up with our Valpo friends Caitlin and Bethany, who are studying in Grenada, Spain, this semester. It was nice to meet up with them, and be able to reunite with some people from Valpo!

The next day, everyone except me went on a bike tour of Barcelona, and I heard nothing but good things about it. I don’t really enjoy riding bikes, so I spent five hours wandering around Barcelona on my own. I walked down to the pier and saw a statue of Christopher Columbus. I also stopped in at a very beautiful cathedral and sat in the courtyard and read a book. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon because I got to see the things that I wanted at the pace I wanted.

Pier in Barcelona

View of Barcelona

On Saturday, a few of us went to Sagrada Familia. This cathedral has a really interesting history. The architect who designed it was born in the early 18oos. The cathedral has been under construction since the 1800s and is set to be completed in 2026. It was my favorite place that we visited. The cathedral is unlike any other cathedral I have ever seen. The designs on the ceiling look like suns, and the pillars inside create an optical illusion that makes you think that they’re standing up straight, when they really stand at an angle. And the stained glass was absolutely stunning. I would love to be able to go back and see the cathedral in 2026 when it is finally finished, because I know it will be that much more incredible inside.

Stained glass windows in Sagrada Familia

One of the angled pillars inside Sagrada Familia

The weather in Barcelona last weekend was absolutely beautiful. Temperatures were between the upper 70s and lower 80s, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Because the weather was so nice, and we were all on vacation, we went to the beach our last afternoon. I laid on the beach for literally six hours and just enjoyed lying on a blanket, soaking up the sun and sleeping. It was a perfect way to end our time in Barcelona.

Next to come: Italy!

Barcelona Beach

The Amber Army

October 22, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

On a cold and windy Tuesday night, we all joined the Amber Army. Everyone went to go see Cambridge United Football Club play. Their colors are amber and black, and their supporters are called the Amber Army. Even though we’ve only lived in Cambridge for a few months, we jumped right into the action just as if we’ve always lived been here.

It was a fantastic experience to get to go to an English sporting event. First of all, I love football (or soccer, if you prefer). I was a manager for the girls’ soccer team in high school, and took stats for all of their games, which means that I understand what’s going on, and I enjoy it. Second of all, I am a big sports fan, and have missed the sports in the United States. It was nice to get to go to a sporting event again and cheer on a team.

In football, there are different levels of play. The ranking system is comparable to that of baseball. In baseball, there are the Major Leagues, AAA leagues, AA leagues, and so on. In England, there are different levels. Cambridge United is a Level Four team, which is lower down on the scale. That meant that the stadium was smaller, the game was much more low key, and we got to sit one row up from the field. The smaller scale definitely made the game much more intimate because we were so close to all the action, and so tightly packed with all of the other spectators.

The football culture in England is like a cult. Football is the new religion of England. Everyone goes to games, and everyone is a fan. The English take their football very seriously. The fans are way more vocal than they are in the United States. They chant cheers constantly, sometimes even chanting back and forth with the opposing team’s fans. There was a drum that was drumming out a beat from time to time, and at one point, I think people were singing. None of us knew any of the chants, but we quickly picked it up. Cambridge United ended up losing the game 2-1, but I would say that the overall experience was a success.

Tomorrow, we all head off to Spain and Italy for our second break! We’re headed to Barcelona, Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. When we get back, I’m sure I’ll have lots to say about the things that we did!

Religious Culture in England

October 18, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

Like much of Europe, England is home to many very old, very large churches and cathedrals. This just goes to show you how important Christianity was many years ago. The spread of the Christian faith was so vast, and extended to all parts of the world. This past week, we were exposed to several different ways where the influence of Christianity remains.

Earlier this week, we traveled twenty minutes by train to the town of Ely where we visited Ely cathedral. One of the most interesting things I found about this trip was not about the cathedral, but about Ely itself. It used to be called the Isle of Ely because it was, in fact, an island way back in the day. It’s a town located in the Fenlands, which is very wet and marshy, and before the marshy were drained, the town was actually an island, which I think is pretty cool.

Many parts of the Cathedral were build by the Normans and date back to the 1100s. It has a beautifully painted ceiling depicting different images of the genealogy of Christ. The painter who painted each section died halfway through, and he was replaced by someone else to finish up the mural. You can tell where one artist’s work stopped and the other’s began–the color blue used by the second artist was a little more vibrant than the first.

As for the rest of the cathedral, it was very plain and not nearly as colorful as the ceiling. This is because the walls were whitewashed during the reign of Henry VIII when he decided that he was going to be the head of the Church of England and went around plundering the wealth of the church. The walls of the cathedral were whitewashed, and the statues either had their heads removed or defaced, or they were completely destroyed. In some places, you can still see faded outlines of fleur-de-lis on the walls where decorations used to be.

On Wednesday, we walked just a few minutes down the road to the Round Church. This church is unique because of it’s shape. Just about every cathedral and church built during the first couple of centuries is in the shape of a cross. The Round church is special for just that reason: it’s round. The architecture also dates back to Norman times, and has seen the town of Cambridge grow and develop from a time when it was a trading town to its evolution into a university town.

Also on Wednesday, we shared common meal with Westfield House next door. Westfield is a seminary, and many of the students that we met were there either for their undergraduate work looking toward church work, or to become pastors. Not only is Christianity’s influence still present in the cathedrals and churches, but it was also present in this tiny group of people from the seminary.

Ely Cathedral

The Round Church

Back to London

October 9, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

During a week when just about everyone is traveling the Continent, yesterday, the few of us left in Cambridge decided to venture to London for the day. We got up early and made our way down to the train station, and in less than an hour, we were pulling into King’s Cross. It still amazes me how easy it is to get places around here. There’s always a bus, train, or taxi going the places you want to go.

My favorite part of the day came first, when we stopped in at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Admission was free, which is always an added bonus for a college student. This museum, first of all, is absolutely huge. It has lots of big columns and marble floors and high ceilings with interesting looking chandeliers. I saw a bunch of marble statues, some from ancient times, a lot that tried to mimic Renaissance style statues. I also really enjoyed a section of paintings, where there were a lot of landscapes that reminded me of the plains and the mountains in Colorado.

The jewelry section was by far the most fascinating section. There were so many pretty pieces of jewelry in that room. As I am fascinated with royalty, it was especially cool to be able to see several different tiaras and crowns. It makes me wonder what it would have been like to wear a crown. I know that there’s a responsibility that comes with wearing a crown, but I also think that it would be really fun to get dressed up and wear a crown for an event every once in awhile. I wish we had spent more time at the museum, because there were so many more things besides what I saw.

After the museum, we went to Hyde Park. Earlier in the morning, it was rainy and cloudy in true London fashion. When we got to Hyde Park, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds, and we got to see a little blue sky and sunshine before it began to rain again. I love nature, and I think it is wonderful that there is a big park like that inside such a large city like London. It gave me a little taste of the country inside the city, and I loved that. I loved the big trees and the little hills, and that we could walk by the water for a little while. I didn’t even mind the geese :).

In the afternoon, we went shopping at Harrod’s and on Oxford Street. For me, window browsing was enough of an experience without busting my bank account. I wonder how much Harrod’s and everything in it is worth, because literally every big name is housed there. Gucci, Prada, Coach, Dior, Louis Vuitton. You name it; they were there. It is interesting to see just what people will spend hundreds of dollars on because it’s designer.

Traveling while abroad is important, because you get the chance to see different historical things and visit places you’ve always heard about, but never seen. But it is also important to explore and get to know the place you are living. I would encourage anyone who comes to Cambridge to take the time to get to know the city of Cambridge, and take whatever opportunities you have to go into London for the day. It is so nice to have that kind of big city so close and accessible, and you should absolutely take advantage of it if you can.

Helen of Troy

One of those interesting chandeliers in the Victoria and Albert Museum

Hyde Park

The extravagant Christmas section in Harrod’s

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