The Tower of London & Tower Bridge

While in the heart of London, there are so many restaurants within walking distance from the hotels. One morning a couple of friends and I walked to a local breakfast place to get some English bacon and eggs.  After breakfast we headed off on the London Tube for Tower Hill. That’s the great thing about London, there are Tube stops everywhere.  

After being in London for a few days, I mastered the Tube.London Tube Tickets It will surprise you how easy it really is to use. We took to tube from Piccadilly Circus and got off a Tower Hill. A small group of friends and I went on a tour of London Tower. I learned the history of London Tower and the historical relevance of it. I highly recommend going to London Tower.  During the tour we went through White Tower and saw a lot of old kings amour. I was surprised to see how small some of the amour was. It was very interesting how a bunch of important people were executed at The Tower of London. During the tour, you will learn that Lady Amberlon, wife of King Henry the eighth at the time, was be-headed there in White Tower. After we went through the White Tower we went to see the Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels were so beautiful. Crown Jewels Tour InfomationThe line was a little long but I recommend you get there early in the morning. After we finished seeing the Tower of London, we went to Tower Bridge and took some pictures. 

That night we all went to O’Neal’s and had a really good time out in London. I highly recommend this bar because there is many floors and a lot of things going on. We also went to the famous bar called Tiger Tiger. Tiger Tiger Reservations There was awesome entertainment there and great food. Also, always remember to be aware of your surroundings while out in London.  I really learned to be more aware of my surroundings today.

The next day I remember we were so tired from the weekend. I remember waking up and noticing how many different languages I heard while getting ready in the bathroom area of the hostel. After breakfast at McDonalds again, because it was cheap and we were all out of money, I remember we rode the Tube to Tower Hill again and relaxed in a park for a couple hours. It was nice to relax and I thought it was very interesting lying on the grass feeling the ground moving underneath me because of the Tube. After a long extended weekend nothing felt better than relaxing in a beautiful park in the heart of one of the most famous cities in the world. 

A Typical Busy Day Abroad.

While studying in Europe, especially with a summer program, you will most likely have a really really busy schedule. First, a school, we watched a video called Eye of the Storm. The main focus was on communicating across cultures. I remember us learning about discrimination, as well. During the afternoon, we went to this worship place, called the Octagon, on campus and split up into groups and gave presentations. We listened to a brief description from a pastor called A Question of Faith. Being American students, we all thought it was very interesting how they had a worship place on a public campus. At the UWE Octagon, students can come and get help with school, go and relax in the quiet room, practice yoga, or just come in and practice their religion. I thought it was very cool how UWE had an organization like the Octagon. I think it would be so nice if my University had a place to go and relax. While in a study abroad program, you will have to do many group presentations, which are fun and engaging. Our presentation was composed of our answers and suggestions to three questions on how students, alumni, and faculty more aware and involved in the Octagon. I remember a few of my group’s suggestions were that they should elect student ambassadors to walk around UWE and talk to students about the services that the Octagon provides.  That night at dinner, with the my host family, we talked about the laws in the UK and how they are different then back in the U.S. I thought it was so interesting and awesome that it is not against the law to have an open drink, on most of the streets throughout Bristol, England. I remember talking about how most of the countries, around Europe, have a very young drinking age compared to America. When staying with a host family, I recommend you talk with them a lot, because it was very interesting 

Irish Countryside

While we were in Dublin we decided that we wanted to see the Ireland countryside.  My group of 12 headed off on a day tour to Wicklow Glendalough; which is the best of the gardens of Ireland. This tour was on a coach and included villages were monks lived, skinny roads along mountains, waterfalls, and lakes. First, due to the rain, I remember us seeing  the Avoca hand weavers in Ballykissangle. We were given the opportunity to Ireland’s oldest mill, established in 1723. This mill made me think of the movie Wanted because they had the same weaving machines.  After the mill, the tour bus took us from little village to little village. The cliffs were just spectacular. I highly recommend you go on a tour to Ireland’s countryside because it beautiful.  I thought it was really cool how the road we were traveling on was pretty much empty. During this tour, I remember us going to Sally Gap, where the movie P.S. I Love You was filmed. After those small villages, we arrived at Glendalough where we had a self guided walk through 6th Century monastic settlements. We were given the opportunity to visit the valley of the two lakes, where a  wedding scene in Braveheart was filmed. When traveling to the Irish countryside, I highly recommend you to a traditional Irish lunch. We had one with potatoes and soup at the pub where Leap Year was filmed.  This tour was cool because we also stopped at Guinness Lake. Guinness Lake is black because of the sand they brought in on the private estate. During the end of our tour, I remember us driving past some of the private estates that Michael Jackson, Tiger woods, and many other famous stars have stayed at. All in all, during this tour, I think we saw the best of Ireland's country side, so I highly recommend it.
After the day tour, we went to out to dinner at Fitzsimons. Fitzsimons is a club on Temple Bar Street. While in Ireland, I recommend you have delicious Irish burger.  We ended up staying there all night because it had five floors. Each floor of Fitzsimons had a different theme so it was like we were going to different places.  I recommend you check out Fitzsimons while in Dublin.