London

I was so excited to go to London; I didnt even care that I had to get up at 4:50 A.M. Yes.. 4:50. In. The. Morning. We had decided to go through a company because we thought it would be easier to get around London; get through customs, and that there would be help if anything happened. When we got to the company, we learned that we were an hour and a half earlier than we needed to be. That went over well with everyone, especially since we weren't tired or anything (sarcasm..). Thankfully there was a restaurant open which is VERY rare in Paris at 7 A.M. I ordered another crepe- this time with a banana and Nutella on top. :)

We then got on the bus and went to the train station.The train took two and a half hours so I had plenty of time to catch up on my missed sleep. The train passes under the English Channel for 20 minutes; which I though would be cooler than it was, but it just felt like we were back on the Metro- not a good thing.

Arriving at King's Cross, a guy from our tour was waiting for us and I quickly found out that the London Eye was closed for repairs. I was more than disappointed. Anyways, the bus tour took us past Madame Toussaud's, a place where they filmed scenes from Harry Potter, and where Sherlock Holmes solved crimes according to the author. We also got to see Buckingham Palace and the Gardens where the queen has tea parties in the summer. I thought this was interesting because the gardens are blocked from view and are topped with two types of barbed wire. After that we hopped on the bus and headed for Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliment. We kept going and stopped by the Tower of London and Shakespeare's Globe.


Fun Facts about my Arc de Triomphe Project for the class I am completing while abroad:

Arc de Triomphe

-The squares with shields in the center name battles Napoleon won (30 total)

-Made after soldiers won Battle of Austerlitz in 1806

-Jean Chalgrin was designer in 1806, but completed by Jean-Nicolas Huyot because in 1811,  Jean Chalgrin died

-Finished after Napoleon's death, 1836

-In 1919, after WW1 Charles Godefroy flew a biplane through arches

-Four columns name other major battles during Napoleon's time

- Unknown Soldier is underneath arch and represents the 1.5 million French Soldiers in WW1

-Flame of Remembrance for WW1 and WW2 inspired JFK's wife to have one at his grave after his assassination