Clocks of England - London, Brighton, and Cambridge

 A collection of photos of the clocks I saw while in England. I realized on my first day in England that I was taking a lot of photos of clocks, so I decided to make it my theme for the trip, snapping photos of all the clocks I saw.

Day Seven in England - Museum Marathon Madness

Today was the day for our Museum Marathon Madness challenge. In a pamphlet that was in our hotel room, we discovered that there are 11 museums in Cambridge, 10 of which we would be able to go to during our stay (one was only open on Sundays). We made our plans and started on our way to get to the museums.

The first museum we went to was the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. This museum had an interesting collection of pieces that showed many different cultures and what they believed in and the various rituals and traditions they had.

The World's Largest Spider (Replica)

The second museum we went to, which was right next door to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, was the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences. I had researched this museum before the trip and read that the world's largest spider was on display at this museum. I am very much afraid of spiders and knew that seeing the world's largest spider would either heighten or lessen my fear of them. Now that I have seen it, I think it has slightly lessened my fear of spiders, because I know that smaller spiders are not has harmful as something that size. Besides, it was only a replica of what could be the world's largest spider, based off a fossil that was found.

The final museum that was in this general area was the Museum of Zoology. This was an interesting museum that had many skeletal models of animals, as well as animals that have been stuffed to preserve them. I really enjoyed walking around this museum because it was not overwhelming, as it was small in size and seemed to have just enough on exhibition. 

Fitzwilliam Museum

Fitzwilliam Museum

 After the Museum of Zoology, we headed over to the Fitzwilliam Museum. They did not allow photographs inside, so I only have a couple of them from the outside. It had a lot of artwork and porcelain items. It was definitely an upscale and fancy place, where I felt a bit underdressed and out of place.

Day Six in England - Punting on the Cam in Cambridge

St. John's College

Punting on the Cam was a fun experience. We did our punting through Scudamore's punting services. This 5-minute video captures that ride and offers a perspective that shows what it was like to punt on the Cam. The ride was about 45 minutes or so long, and I was able to take quite a few photos of many things. We saw the backs of the colleges that make up Cambridge University. Since it was the exams time when we were in Cambridge, we were unable to tour any of the colleges. It was nice to get a view of them from the back, though, as they are each gorgeous buildings and great examples of the wonderful architecture of England. I found that the architecture in Cambridge fit my expectation of old English buildings. Cambridge is definitely a beautiful town in England and was a much quieter pace than London.

Kings College Chapel in Cambridge

Ironing while Punting on the Cam... wait, what?

Punting Boats

Kings College Bridge

Day Five in England - Blenheim Palace and Sulgrave Manor

Blenheim Palace Gardens

On Tuesday of the trip, we took a coach bus as a group to Blenheim Palace and Sulgrave Manor. Blenheim Palace was our first stop. Blenheim Palace was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. We spent a couple of hours here, taking a visual/audio tour and walking around the gardens. The gardens were gorgeous and there was a lot to see, such as fountains and curved hedges around the paths.

 

I love taking photos of nature and seeing God's creation all over the world, and this was just another example of His beauty. I am always in awe of His creation and Blenheim Palace blew me away with its beauty.

George Washington at Sulgrave Manor

Sulgrave Manor Garden

Sulgrave Manor was the last spot we went to for a tour. Sulgrave Manor is the home where George Washington's ancestors lived. The tour was extremely interesting and our tour guide provided us with a lot of information, such as the fact that if one of Washington's ancestors had not changed his name, our president would have the name George da Heartburn, which I think would be very strange. The tour guide said we should be very thankful because if it had not been changed we would have "Heartburn D.C." rather than "Washington D.C." We also visited St. James the Less Church in Sulgrave, a few minutes walk from Sulgrave Manor.

St. James the Less Church near Sulgrave Manor

British and American Flags Side by Side at the Church

Day Four in England - Day Trip to Brighton

When I got to Brighton I decided to walk around to see what was there. I stopped at a little coffee shop/grocery store and had a chai latte and a homemade brownie for a pre-lunch snack. After making my purchase, I kept on walking and came upon the Brighton Jubilee Clock Tower, which was covered in articles of clothing. I looked up the reason why this was, and came across a website that featured the artist and a tidbit of information behind this work of art. The website can be found here. In doing my research, I discovered that there were many people against this work of art, although I found that it was really neat, although that may be that I was merely a tourist.

During my trip to Brighton, I had the pleasure of seeing the ocean for the first time in my life. I was disappointed that it was cloudy on the day I went, but I was still able to get some good pictures of the water and the pier. The area was real quiet in the morning and early afternoon, when I spent the majority of my time at the pier, and it was incredibly beautiful to see the calm serenity of the ocean.

Brighton Pier

Brighton Wheel

 

I also tasted my first ever fish and chips. I thought it was very fitting to try out the English classic while on the beach, figuring it would make the fish more "fresh." Not usually a fan of fish, I found the fish and chips quite delectable. I even enjoyed the mushy peas, which I dipped the "chips" in. 

While in London, the phrase "mind the gap" on the Tube was very common, and when I saw this sign that read "Mind the Seagulls," I had to laugh and take a picture. The Seagulls were all over the beach, surprise surprise, and they were all over everything. I found them quite amusing, rather than annoying like I do when I see them at home in Oshkosh.

The Royal Pavilion

Squawking Seagull on the Beach

 

There was a seagull on the beach that I found quite amusing. It was squawking up a storm and I wanted to capture that hilarious moment on camera. After I had spent several hours at the beach, I headed back toward the train station to see what other sights I could find. I came across the Brighton The Royal Pavilion and found it very architecturally appealing. After taking a few pictures of the The Royal Pavilion. I grabbed some food for dinner from Sainsbury's and then hopped on the train back to London. My day trip to Brighton was incredible and if I ever have the opportunity to go back there some day, I will definitely jump on the opportunity.

Day Three in England - Seeing the Main Attractions

 

Today was the day to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. I had been looking forward to this, because it is the tourist thing to do while in London. The event was much longer than I had imagined it being, and seemed even longer when you are pushed up against a fence by mobs of people who want a view to get good pictures. I was fortunate enough to arrive early to get a spot by the fence. I was able to record several videos to capture the moments of the grand event. The video of the actual changing of the guard can be found here, and one of the songs played by the band (which sounds like a secret agent theme song) can be found here. The Changing of the Guard is up there on the list of my favorite things I saw in London, and I would recommend it to anyone touring in London.

My friend Jenni and I went up to Abbey Road to see where the Beatles were and sign the wall. The wall was a very interesting thing to see, as there were signatures from all over the world; it was hard to find some from the USA. I am not a huge fan of the Beatles, but it was fun to see and now I can say that I signed the wall!

Our next stop was the Tower of London. The Tower of London is much larger than I ever imagined it being. There were so many walls around it, it definitely would be difficult for someone to get in if they were trying to sneak in. It was great to just sit and take in the sight of this old, beautiful piece of architecture.

 

From Tower of London we went to see Tower Bridge and walk across it so we could see the attractions south of the river Thames and make our way over to the London Eye and Big Ben. I was in awe at the beauty of Tower Bridge, so much so that it felt like I was dreaming and any second I would wake up.

The London Eye was incredible. The views were absolutely breathtaking and I was not as scared of the height as I had anticipated I would be. I am deathly afraid of heights, especially when in a group of people, but because the London Eye was enclosed, I felt completely safe. For anyone who wants to ride the Eye, but may have a serious fear of heights, try it out because it is not as scary as it may seem and you will never forget the incredible views you get from the experience. We rode it just before sunset, so the sky was beginning to get gorgeous, minus the many clouds that tried getting in the way. By the time our ride was over, the lights around the city were beginning to turn on and we were able to get pictures of the Eye and Big Ben at night.

The London Eye at Dusk

 

Big Ben had to be my most favorite part of the entire trip. I have acquired a love for clocks, and Big Ben was the winner. I knew the clock was large, but seeing it in person makes it really feel like Big Ben. The timing of the sun going down was perfect, as I was able to get pictures of Big Ben before the lights turned on and after the lights turned on when the sky was dark. It was absolutely beautiful and showed the craftsmanship of God's work and how he equipped men to build such gorgeous things.