Buda castle

Zach and I on our way up to the top of the castle. Great view of Budapest! Bate with me on the quality of the photos. Remember, this is all from my phone. more photos to come when i return to the UK!

Fall break!

I know its been a while since my last post, but finals are officially over and we're (Zach and I) now on our way to Budapest. Well, Luton airport. Then Vienna, Prague, & last but certainly not least Berlin!

Museums

With over 240 museums in London, there are museums on a wide range of topics. There are the traditional museums which focus on the preservation of historical artifacts, the museums which typically focus on artwork, both modern art and ancient art works, and then there are the entertaining museums. Nevertheless all museums no matter what size serve a very important function. It amazes me how I am able to go to all different types of Museums in a single day. Below are some photos I took of class visits to the British Museum, the Museum of London, the Imperial War Museum and many more.

British Museum

Museum of London-Greenwich
     I really enjoyed the slavery exhibit at the Museum of London in Greenwich. It really hit home being in the same place as one major point on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I have been to several exhibits on slavery but nothing like this one or the one in Liverpool which will be in a later post...

Tools that were used to dehumanise the slaves and get them to work "more efficiently" included the separation of families, the removal of their names, removal from their homes, native land, even their language was forbidden and much more. 

One thing that is often used in exhibits here in London are videos. It is interesting how much more prevalent technology is inside museums here in London compared to Chicago. It is definitely a useful tool as the spectator is further engaged. 

Royal Naval Academy of Greenwich

     All i can say about Greenwich is that it is definitely one of the more beautiful places I have visited since being here. It is only about 30 minutes away on the DLR which is an above-ground train operated without a conductor.

There is detail everywhere in London. No wasted space. From the ceilings, to the floor tiles, centre pieces, just everywhere is a site to see!

Imperial War Museum

Oxford

Sorry for the wait! I know it's been a while since my last blog, thanks for being patient with me. Since it's long over due, this update will be rather long...

A few weeks ago we decided to take our first independent excursion. We journeyed by bus from London to Oxford. From there we went on an 8 mile bike tour around Oxford. This allowed us to the the rural and country side. I really enjoyed getting outside of the touristy area of Oxford and exploring the country side. We were able to what was left from some actual castles. Needless to say, it was definitely worth the trip... Bare with the photos as I took a lot of them on a moving bike...

Me on my bike!

Lorraine, Callie, Me, Maddie

Tour Guide

I was rather intrigued to see just how prevalent the boating community was around Oxford. I learned that it is a choice and preference opposed to a forced lifestyle. People do not choose this life style for financial reasons but because it's how they prefer to live life. 

Reststop...

Cheers!

All of the houses in London with a blue plaque commemorate a famous person. This one belonged to
J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings.

Thought my mother wouldve like this statue thing...

Reminded me of Sue at the Field Museum

In case you were wondering... apparently Oxford tortures animals...

First coffee shop in Oxford, or England...

Some of Harry Potter was filmed inside...

Recognise these stairs? (So weird how everything is spelled with an "s" and not a
"z" here...)

Decided to explore even though it was closed to tourists... Nice courtyard. 

The hill Lorraine & I climbed...