Chelsea - the Land of the Famous

So we decided to take a walk around Chelsea, a part of London where some of the more famous writers and painters of the past lived. It was pretty cool!
We saw the Michelin House (the office of the Michelin Tyre Company).

And the Nell Gwyn House (named after the actress & mistress of Charles II).


We came upon the homes of Sir Laurence Olivier, the famous actor, and Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, next.


The hospital we saw caught my attention. It was either built for the soldiers, after Nell Gwyn was approached by a begging veteran and had sympathy on him, or it was built by Charles II after he had seen something similar in Paris.
The Chelsea Pensioner's Hospital


As we came to the Thames, we saw the Chelsea bridge...


And I saw this across the river! I thought it was pretty!

We all thought the Chelsea Physic (Medicinal) Garden was gorgeous. It was designed by the Apothecaries' Guild back in the 1670's.


I love walking around the city! There are so many things to see and so much history! I am just lovin' London!

Whitehall and the Mall

Marissa, Stephanie, and I went for a walk and saw Buckingham Palace, the Horse Guard Parade, St. James' Park, the Banqueting Hall, and some other cool things.

One of the many statues/monuments we saw!


This was my favorite one! I'm all about power to the women!!


Us and the horse guard! Since he is wearing blue, he is a Royal Guard.


Later on, we saw them line up in the Horse Guard Parade! Notice these are Life Guards because they are not wearing blue, but red!


Steph and Marissa in front of Admiralty Arch!


I just thought this phone booth pic was perfect because you can see Big Ben in the background :)

This is as close as I could get to one of the guards! I was pretty excited!

The three of us in front of Buckingham Palace!!

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE SOMETHING GREEN!

Yesterday we took a class field trip outside of the city and into the english countryside! And let me tell you, it was so so so green! I couldn't believe it! We went out to the middle of no where and saw the famous stonehenge, which was pretty amazing. Although, after walking around it a few times, taking some creative pictures, and looking at all the sheep, I was ready to move on.

My favorite part of the day however was the Wilton House (where they filmed Pride and Prejudice, The Young Victoria, and some other movies). It was pretty big. Actually, what am I saying? It was huge!! And not only was the house and property around it beautiful, but the Earl who lives there was quite beautiful too! Let's just say he was the talk of all the girls!



The sweet zipline in the backyard! Sooo fun!!

And finally we went to Stourhead gardens a.k.a. paradise! No, you think I'm kidding! I am dead serious! It was absolutely gorgeous! I'll let the pictures speak for itself!




All the girls in the program! Our director's son...what a cutie!!

I just thought these ducks/lily pads were cool!
So that was my day! I'm lovin' London more and more!!

A Harry Potter Adventure

So I'm tired and I want to go to bed, so this is going to be short and sweet!!
Today I went to Buckingham Palace! It is huge!! I didn't get to see the changing of the guard so I will have to go back! I also went to Kings Cross Station and officially found...drum roll please...Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4!!! Kate and I almost made it through the wall (see pic below) haha just kidding...I wish!! How cool would that have been!! This city is full of surprises!! I'm lovin London more and more each day!!

Believe it or not, they now apparently have elephants in Hyde Park!!


The craziest department store ever and the cool hats we found inside!!


The yummiest Belgian Chocolate Waffle I've ever had!!



My neighbors <3

Westminster

We had so much fun going to see Westminster Abbey and Big Ben and Parliament. I love all of the architecture of the buildings around there. Unfortunately we didn't go inside the abbey due to time and money restraints, but I believe we get to go there next week with the whole study abroad group!! As for Parliament...well...it's HUGE! I learned that a flag on Victoria's tower during the day and a light on Big Ben at night means parliament is in session. We also saw the London Eye and the Aquarium, which I definitely want to go back and see more of. And we walked through Victoria gardens. I'm not trying to be a creep or anything, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute couple sitting on the lawn just enjoying the afternoon. They were absolutely adorable!
And yes...I even found a sign for my girl, Florence Nightengale, when we were walking by St. Thomas' Hospital and I couldn't resist taking a pic to celebrate the founding of nursing!!