Food Displays at Harrod's

Desserts that will change your taste buds forever.

And I thought Provo had some good cupcakes.

Another stop on our orientation exploration was Harrod's department store. First of all, Harrod's takes up an entire block. To say the least, it is a LARGE place. There are different rooms for everything they sell (e.g. Perfumery, Sea Food, Candy and Sweets, etc...) The Food courts had me amazed. I felt like I had just entered candy-land or some sort of fantasy.

Lovely London Streets

I really enjoy walking the streets of London. The authentic architecture of every building is quite fantastic. This is just a random picture of a street corner. Each street corner is very different than the last, due to the individuality of each building. Lovely London Town!

Buckingham Palace

Me and Olivia

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II and her “royal court” reside there. It has been a gathering point for the British people during times of national rejoice and crisis. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the changing of the guards, but we plan to do that in the near future. The memorial statues and fountains that surround the palace add to the royal atmosphere. We couldn’t help taking some fun pictures with such a photo friendly background. 

Molly, Me, and Jordan

McKenzie, Morgan, Me, and Molly

Walking: Main Source of Transportation

It's crazy how much walking we do in one day. Even using the Tube you have a long ways to walk to get to the nearest underground station and then to your ultimate destination. I have yet to see an obese person walking the streets of London... now I know why! 

Transport using the Tube

Molly, Jordan, Me and Grace

On Wednesday (Sept. 1st), we got our Tube passes! Our orientation exercise was to explore London by finding specific places that were assigned. By the end of the day we were all pros at using the Tube for all of our transportation needs.

Hyde Park

We went back to Hyde park that night to try and get some reading done. This carrousel was right next to the spot we were reading at. It was tempting to not go and ask for a ride! How fun would it be to have one of those in a park in the U.S.

Below is a picture of the large pond in the center of Hyde Park. The pigeons and swans that surround the pond are so accustomed to people that they don't really scatter when you get close. This could be due to the constant food people give to the birds.

 This morning I took a nice run around the park and when I was running around the pond a flock of birds flew right over my head in formation. It was pretty spectacular. I ducked and prayed that they wouldn't poop on my head.

Princess Diana

The late afternoon of our first day in London, we had spare time to walk around the neighborhood and get acquainted with the area. It was inevitable that we ended up walking straight to Hyde Park. Kensington Palace is adjacent to Hyde Park, so toward the end of our walk we went to check it out. To our surprise we saw pictures of Princess Diana all over the palace gates along with poems, cards, and flowers. People seemed to be visiting to pay tribute and add to the display. We were unsure as to what was going on and why. I finally got the courage to ask a snippy British woman. After a series of questions she filled us in. August 31 happened to be the 13th Anniversary of Diana, the Princess of Wales', unwelcome death. It was interesting to witness the love and admiration that people still have for her. Below is a picture of one of the many men standing by the gate. His attire caught my eye; I felt it appropriate to document the photo displaying his true patriotism for Great Britain.

Arrival in London

I have arrived in London! This is the BYU London Centre; a place to call home for the next few months.   27 Palace Court is a beautiful town house that houses up to 50 students a semester and stands five stories high. Don't let this picture fool you; the Centre is actually very large equipped with living quarters and classrooms. When I got out of the taxi and gazed at the place I'd call home, I felt joy and excitement. It was also comforting knowing that I wasn't going to have to lug my two very large suitcases up five flights of stairs. I only had to lug them up three flights instead. This being my first post, let the journey begin here in London.