Day Two: Beatles Mania

Self Discovery: 30/4/2014

Today was a day of  firsts for me, and it was great! I have been so nervous about this trip. Traveling to Europe on your own is terrifying especially if you are a worrier like me. There were so many things that could go wrong and all of those worries crossed my mind at least once. What if I don't make friends on the trip? How the heck am I to navigate a huge city by myself and with no cell phone? Its safe to say I have been panicking. Today was the day to really face those fears head on.

We started the day off walking to the British Library. Now I have always loved libraries but none are quite like this one. It was beautiful, I wish I had more time to explore the whole library. The Library had this great exhibit with so much history packed in to one room. They had original handwritten scores from Mozart, Handel and Beethoven. On display was the personal writing desk of Jane Austin. Leonardo da Vinci's Codex notes were on display. For all the Beatles fans out there they also had actual Lyric sheets written by the Beatles. To see those was a dream come true for me! I was probably more excited about seeing those than I should admit to. If there was an exhibit that screamed you are inadequate that would be it. These people accomplished so much and changed the world as they knew it. What have I done? Nothing that can compare for sure! And for right now that is okay, but I need to work a little harder in life to at least try to compare to those legends! One day, hopefully, people will be admiring my writing desk, or drooling over my notes. Watch out World, one of these days Mary will be a name to know!

Best Library in the world! 

It is really an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so much history. It is hard to explain what it feels like. It may just be that I am a history major and much more conscious of the surrounding history. But with each new area we explore my thirst to know more about the city's history grows. After a sufficient amount of drooling over the amazing history this city has complied, I was free to roam the city. This very thought scared me to death. How was I to navigate this foreign city by myself? I didn't trust my navigation skills one bit! That had to be what scared me the most when getting ready for the trip. I had hoped for a lot of group activities so that I wouldn't have to worry about navigating the cities. I'm here to report that I am still alive! I hopped on a bus and let it take me wherever it was headed. I explored the city with Chance, Breck and Rhett and we made it back alive. I was amazed. I knew where we were and we made it back to the hostel just fine. This was a great experience for me. It definitely boosted by confidence, I'm not to worried about navigating the cities any more. I can handle it.

Day One: Welcome to London!

Cultural Awareness
London is amazing! I love walking around the city and just taking in the people and the culture. I had so much fun just sitting in Trafalgar Square and people watching. It is surprising to me how similar yet different our cultures are. The city is much older than New York City. It has so much more character than any city I've been to in the US. I was amazed at how many cathedrals there were in the City. I am just fascinated by the unique architecture of the city. You can see how old the city is by the different architecture. There is Romanesque architecture and Gothic architecture. The little side streets are my favorite. The buildings look like you've jumped back into the late 18th early 19th century. I wish the cities in America had character like London does. Walking these streets you can just feel the history. It makes me want to learn more about the city, where it came from, all the events that happened there. I feel like our big cities like New York or Chicago don't have that allure. All they have are giant metal skyscrapers. Which are an architectural feat but they don't entice the visitors to learn more about the city and its people. There is just something about London that makes me want to learn everything I can about it.

Panorama of Trafalgar Square

Today was a blast for sure. We got to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace and eat in the Crypt of a church. I found it a little odd that they placed a cafeteria in the crypt of a church. I feel like we were desecrating the dead a bit. The food was good though even if the location was odd. Today was also a first for my Hostel experience. I'd never experienced a hostel before. Our hostel in London will sure be an interesting experience. I'm ready to expand my horizons though and try as many new things as I can on our trip. I want to experience different cultures and grow as a person on this trip.
Today was just magical. I have been dying to go to London for so long and I am finally here. I love everything about the city so far, I can't wait to explore the city further.

Buckingham Palace at the Changing of the Guards

Changing of the Guards

I just love the architecture of London. It has so much character!

Even across the Pond you can find American Culture. 

Found William Shakespeare

Stumbled upon Platform 9 and 3/4, my inner Harry Potter nerd came out!

National Gallery in Trafalgar Square