Blenheim Palace

Day 6

Blenheim Palace is awesome!!  The gardens are gorgeous!  More to come!

I've been to Oxford!

Blenheim Palace!

The Entrance

They had a gorgeous rose garden.

The flag flying!

The ground here were incredible!!

I absolutely loved the color of the stone! 

This is in the Secret Garden. Mom, this one's for you! Isn't it amazing. I'm going to have a garden like this some day.

Another shot of the palace.  I wish we could have taken pictures inside!

Burghley House

Day 5

Oh how I love Rainy Mondays!  Today we took the Train to Burghley House.  It is considered the finest Elizabethan Manor in England, and it is fantastic!  You'll have to look up pictures because we weren't allowed to take pictures inside.  It was built in the 1500's.  I was so impressed by the beautiful fabrics, the intricate detail in the plaster work and carvings, the amazing furniture, and the many paintings and artwork.  Plus, our tour guide was awesome, jolly good! :)  Burghley House has featured in recent movies such as Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly and The Da Vinci Code.  It is amazing.  The gardens are incredible too!  After our tour, we preceded to visit a little town nearby called Stamford.  It is darling!  With cobblestone streets and an intimate feel it is precisely what I think a European town should be.  OH! I failed to mention, we also had lunch at Burley House in their little cafe...  I tried Scones and Cream! Oh my goodness... It was fantastic!  They are little biscuit type things and you spread thick cream and jam on them.  Mmmmm.  All in all, a fabulous day!

Burghley House 

Pretty huh?

Lookin' Up

hahaha

Stamford under my umbrella!

Steph and Dani - We had a mini photshoot. haha

Mmmm, a little rest and relaxation!

Day 4

We had a day off today.  Thank goodness! We went to church this morning.  It was stake conference, and it was awesome!  The building is pretty too!  I got to take a nap afterward! It was wonderful, and I think it was about 5 hours... haha. Yay for naps!  To add to the relaxation I went to the Kensington Park.  It's beautiful. I walked around, sketched, and did a little watercoloring.  I'm definitely rusty in my painting skills, but it was fun.  Tomorrow will begin early, so I'm grateful for the extra sleep.  Now for some pics!

This is a cool structure in Kensington Park.

This is the little building I sketched.

Some swans on the river that runs through the park.

I thought you would want to see where we're staying!  Neat huh?

And this is where I sleep.  :)

Victoria, Albert, and Tate... Oh, and a bit of Shakespeare.

Day 3

Today was fantastic!  We started by walking to the famous Victoria and Albert Museum, just down the street from where we are staying.  It was amazing! The building is gorgeous and they have a fantastic collection.  We then proceeded to walk through a bit more of London, and made our way toward the London Bridge and then toward the Tate Museum of Modern Art.  They have a great collection too!  This trip will definitely help with inspiration for many years to come, especially since I've probably already taken at least a thousand pictures...  Then, my favorite part of the day!  We saw Shakespeare's "All's Well the Ends Well" at the Globe Theater.  It was fabulous!  The costumes were amazing, the acting was spot on.  I loved it!  And the theater reminded me of home. :)

Victoria and Albert Museum

Pretty!  At the V&A.

This is the monument that stands where the great fire of London Started in 1666.

The London Bridge!  Betcha didn't know it looked like this. haha

An installation at the Tate, it's a staircase... Crazy.

The Globe Theater!  Isn't it cool!

A little insider shot at the Globe Theater.

Hampton Court

Today was fantastic!  We continued our walking tour around London and then proceeded to Hampton Court, one of King Henry IIIV's palaces. It was amazing!  I've never seen a building so old, and still so structurally sound.  I can't imagine building something like that without the modern day tools that we have. Each room was amazing! I loved the window treatments, the paintings in each room, and the attention to detail.  The gardens were amazing too.  It was lovely!
Things are going well.  I adjusted easily to the time change, and I have slept like a rock so far.. That's the best part of being exhausted! :) London is great!  I love the challenge of figuring out the tube system and getting around.  I'm so glad to be here! I love it!  So... Here are some pictures from the day! Enjoy!

These are olives in Covent Garden... Delicious looking huh?!?

The telephone booth!

Instead of exit, they say "Way Out" in London.

The cobblestone here is incredible.

At Hampton Court.

The attention to detail is fantastic!  I love this one!

Oh yeah baby! All mine! :)

I love this quote!  This is at the pizza restaurant we ate at for dinner.

Exhaustion!!

I made it!  London is fantastic.  I'm so tired right now, so you're going to get the short version.  The flights went well.  I've been finishing up the Harry Potter series, which kind of made me all the more excited for London! I was surprised that the airplane food was pretty decent.  We got into London a bit after 9am.  We ended up at the airport for like 7 hours... It's been a long day. We took the tube to our flats, settled a bit, and walked to get groceries... in pouring rain!  It was quite the experience shopping because everything is in pounds, so it's hard to decide how much you're really spending.  Later, we took a quite tour around London, including Westminster Abby and Big Ben, the gate to Buckingham Palace, The National Gallery, and lots of other things... I don't even know the first of it!  Time to figure out London!  :)  Anyway, the architecture is fantastic, the rain is crazy, my flat is awesome, my roommates are super cute, I'm totally exhausted, and ready for more!  Now for some fantastic pics:

This is the Ferris Wheel across the way from Westminster Abby.

Me, in front of Westminster Abby.  Look at the cool taxi cab!

Outside the National Gallery!  Get it, one foot, two feet. hahaha!

A huge ship in a bottle outside the National Gallery.  Way cool!

I think this was by Westminster Abby too.  I love the design!  I feel like being here has opened my eyes already!  Lots of ideas and design elements to consider! :)

-M

Getting Ready!!

Tomorrow is the big day!!  Granted the volcano cooperates with my travel plans, I'll be leaving for London tomorrow at 11:00am!  Tonight... going crazy getting everything ready.  I'm excited!! Comment if you have any good tips or anything. I'll have to post a pics of the packing frenzy later... If it doesn't get too out of had.  Wish me luck!