Random Photos

Not all of these came from my camera - in fact most of them didn't. I have more from my camera that I will post soon, but I only had time for these right now.

Me and the girls hanging outside in the Arran House garden

Tower Bridge

Last night in London

Chinatown!!!

All 27 of us at Hampstead Heath

Roman Baths

Day 17 - Oxford & Stratford-Upon-Avon

So we began our day in Oxford......


Then Stratford-Upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and buried.

The house where Shakespeare was born

The tour guides were all dressed in clothing of the period and they hid teddy bears throughout the house as a game for the children. They called them Shakesbears. Yes, I groaned too.

This was just too funny lookin not to include. 

Day 16 - St. Paul's and the Victoria & Albert Museum

We went to St. Paul's once before for Evensong, but this time we actually had a guided tour. We got to see the memorials and tombs of Christopher Wren (the architect who designed St. Pauls), the Duke of Wellington, and General Nelson. But the absolute best part was getting to climb all the way to the top of the dome. It is 365 ft tall. That's about 500 steps. Almost half way up is the Whispering Gallery. If you stand on one side of the dome and whisper into the wall, your friend standing on the other side can hear what you are saying. You can do the same thing in certain parts of Grand Central back home.

Whispering Gallery. Picture taken from http://www.tunliweb.no/SM/English/alb_London_English.htm

After the Whispering Gallery, the stairs leading up to the top of the dome got a little frightening. The were iron spiral staircases and they seemed to go on forever. On the way back down I actually made everyone pause so that I could get a picture. Needless to say there a few unhappy campers. - But I got my picture!

Me going down the stairs right at the tippy top

Looking down on the Great Fire of 1666 Memorial

Later we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is the most amazing and confusing place I have ever been. Dad wasn't kidding when he called it the "things" museum. Unlike every other museum I have been to, the V & A seems to be missing any kind of order. One room has almost nothing to do with the next. A lot of people in my class were complaining that the chaos of it was too overwhelming for them, but I really enjoyed its random nature and found it amusing.

Day 15 - Tower of London

I'm sorry that I haven't blogged in a few days. Things have been getting a little hectic around here. And yes, I did skip Day 14. That day was dedicated mostly to work, but that night a bunch of us went to see Les Miserables. It was a beautiful production, but of course, you cannot take pictures in the theatre, and I know that's what you really want to see.

So let me show you where I went the next day - the infamous Tower of London.

Holly and I at the entrance

This is the place where everyone got their heads chopped off

A small trinket for Grandma

Day 13 - Shri Swaminaryan Mandir

I have been to synagogues, churches, and even a mosque, but I had never been to a Hindu temple. Of course, I learned a little bit about Hinduism in high school, but it was still a very foreign concept for me. Today's experience changed some of that. The mandir itself, or the temple for those of you who aren't familiar with the word, was breathtaking. It is built out of marble and limestone. The carvings are beautifully intricate, ranging from flowers, to animals, to depictions of the gods and religious leaders. Our tour guide said that the mandir's structure is supposed to represent places of meditation. For instance, the columns are supposed to be a recreation of the forest, the shrines symbolize caves, and the spires equate to mountain tops. To give you a little bit of an idea of what it looks like....

Inside the mandir

All of the pictures here are taken from the mandir's website  http://www.mandir.org/index.htm  You can explore the site, or if you only want to look at pictures, you can go to their photo gallery at http://www.mandir.org/photogallery/index.htm To view each of the subcategories of pictures click on the underlined titles next to each image.

Day 12 - Buckingham Palace

I am beginning to see a pattern. You are allowed to photograph the outside of a building, but when it comes to the really interesting stuff (everything else) photography is prohibited. However, I shall not fail you. I will just have to get creative. I'm going to mix a few of my pictures of the outside with the ones I find on Google of the inside.

The courtyard surrounding Buckingham Palace

Me in front of the gate

And here's where we start getting into other pictures from the web......

Throne Room taken from http://www.smh.com.au/travel/the-art-of-ruling-badly-20100218-ohzt.html

Grand Staircase from http://www.albemarle-london.com/Attractions/StateRooms.php

White Drawing Room from http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/object.asp?category=DBTHE+ROYAL+RESIDENCES%3A+INTERIOR+VIEWS&object=8500087&row=8

The long mirror in the back on the left is actually a hidden door that the Queen sometimes walks through.

Blue Room from http://lifesadventures-amb.blogspot.com/2010/08/buckingham-palace-tour.html

That should give you some idea of what the inside looks like. Everything is gold and marble. Except for the Queen's tiara.....

taken from http://www.suite101.com/view_image.cfm/2197411

Now that's some Grandma jewelry. Better start selling your radios now Grandpa.

Back view

Gardens

The lighting is not so great on these because it started to drizzle and the clouds moved in.

Day 11 - Oxford Street & Kensington Gardens

Mmmm....today was our first day off. KQ went back to Norwich for the weekend to see his kids off on their first day of school (he has two, a boy and a girl). This means that we got to sleep in past 8:30. YES.
A few of us went to Oxford Street for a little shopping. They have pretty much the same stuff we have at home except that the clothes don't come in as many colors, and they are more expensive.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Kensington Gardens.

FOOTBALL!!!!

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Italian Fountains

Peter Pan Statue

Isis