Bath

So far my favorite place that we have visited has been Bath. I really felt like we had left England and were in Italy because the town itself was built by Romans when they invaded Britain and you can just see it in the architecture everywhere. It honestly is probably the most beautiful place I have been. The picturesque town was so quaint and cute! We were lucky enough to also tour the great Roman Baths. This was basically a spa for the Romans to go and relax and have a little vacation. I could feel the presence of power when we entered the baths because all around there are these great Roman statues that encircle the main bath. Age also plays a big part here because these baths have been preserved for thousands of years and you can just tell by looking at the stones. I had a great time going through the baths but really wish we could have explored more of the actual city of Bath. I would definitely LOVE to go back. It was just such a beautiful place, I don't think the pictures even really do it justice, but still, here are a few!

Westminster Abbey

This is the famous Westminster Abbey cathedral. This is where they do the coronation of the Kings and Queens as well as a burial site for many famous English/British monarchs, and let's not forget where William and Kate got married. This was our second official field trip and a good one in my opinion.  It was cool to be able to be somewhere where so many great people have been in the past such as Kings and Queens among many other royals. I think two themes that fit this well are religion and class. Religion obviously because it is a cathedral and you can see the different religious decorations inside and out such as stained glass, religious figures, intricate details in everything etc. I also chose class because Westminster was not a cathedral for just anyone. It was mainly used by royalty to crown Kings and Queens and for the royals to marry in, as it is used today too. The Abbey is also used as a burial place, not anymore today as there is no more room, but it houses some of the most famous people in history such as William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Charles Darwin among many many kings and queens. Today, they actually hold services in the Abbey along with tours, so it is open to the public but you just aren't allowed to take pictures unfortunately. It honestly was such a cool experience. I have always liked history and liked learning about different cultures and their histories, so to see so much history all in one place and up close was really great. I would definitely recommend a visit. 

Here are a few pictures that were sneakily taken while inside ;) 

           

          

The Audience

For our first outing as a class we went to go see the play "The Audience" with Helen Mirren. The play is basically about how the Queen of England meets with her Prime Ministers every week to discuss what's going on. Since this meeting is private, and neither party is allowed to discuss with anyone else what was said during, it's interesting to see how she is portrayed in the play. Helen Mirren, who has played the Queen before, did a really great job throughout, although that should come as no surprise because she's a fantastic actress as well as a very nice person. We got the chance to see her come out of the theater after the performance and she was kind enough to sign autographs and take pictures with people. It was my first time ever seeing a play and I really enjoyed the whole experience. At times I didn't really understand some of the humor because I'm not that familiar with British history, but it was quite entertaining. Themes that I found while watching the play were those of tradition and power. I chose tradition because this play is based on something that has been going on for decades since before the Queen came into power and speaking of power, the whole play is based on the Queen's reign. I did come to find out however, that she does not necessarily have as much power as you would think being that she is the Queen, but she still has a lot of influence over her people and they really do love her. Overall it was fun and I'm glad we had an opportunity to go and learn a little bit more about the British culture. 

Hi all! 

I'm very excited to say that I will be traveling abroad this summer for a great opportunity to study in the wonderful city of London. As a graduate in Business and Communication I will also have the chance to be interning with Pure PR, an agency that specializes in beauty and interiors (right up my alley) so I can't wait! I am looking forward to take in as much as I can from this experience and grow as an individual. Of course I'm also excited to be visiting so many great places, but right now everything seems very surreal.

I have created this blog for everyone to follow me through this amazing journey as I explore London, Scotland as well, and hopefully other wonderful places, for the next seven weeks. I hope everyone enjoys. Wish me luck in my foreign travels!  

Yvette