Second Star to the Right: Capes and Superheroes

I was walking down the street just outside the BYU center and I just had to stop and marvel over the fact that I am in London. It sounds sort of silly considering that I have been here for two weeks already, but sometimes I feel that we keep so busy that it doesn't really set in. This is something that I have wanted to do for so long, and it is actually happening. Right now. Every day I am so grateful for the adventures that I get to have!

Today we had classes early again (as opposed to Thursday) because we will be going on our personal trips this weekend. We were all franticly doing more homework last night and this morning to prepare for class. Wade likes to give us lots of reading and has a quiz every class on the reading. Fortunately reading is not a problem. I managed to get the assigned reading done and then read for pleasure afterwards. Also, we had waffles for breakfast. They were fantastic.

The entire group went out together to travel to Hampton Palace. We took the tube further out than we have before, and then transferred over to a train to take us out to Hampton. The palace was enormous and was really fun to explore. Right when we walked in they gave us the personal tour devices and let us where tunics/cloaks while we walked around! It was kind of random, but I am not complaining. It was very fun to run around the old time setting wearing clothes that make us ridiculous! We got to see the chambers of Henry VIII, explore some of the gardens and many of the artwork that was in the building. There was also an enormous ballroom with paintings running up the walls and the ceilings. It made me think of the ballroom in Beauty and the Beast. They also had people walking around the building in old fashioned clothes and they acted like they were from the time of Henry VIII. It was very entertaining to watch them walk around and they had some interesting conversations with us. (Apparently all the girls are much too thin, and need to work on their double chins). We were given full reign for about two hours and then had to make our way back to the center.

For dinner Thais made us some delicious chicken and mashed potatoes!!! I was so excited! (For those of you out of the know, that is my absolute favorite food). We eat at five different tables, and when the meal was done I went around to all the tables to see if any had potatoes left over for Jace. Fortune was kind and I was able to eat many potatoes and I was very pleased.

In the evening I went with a group of people to a local theatre called The Coronet. It used to be an opera house but was converted into a cinema. I mentioned in an earlier post how expensive movies are here; well this cinema has an amazing deal for students on Mondays and Tuesdays. On these days, as long as you have a student ID card, tickets only cost £3.50 on new release movies. We went to the theatre and got really cheap tickets to see The Amazing Spiderman. It was really cool to watch a movie in such a grand feeling building. There were balcony seats and boxes that were open for anyone. It was first come, first serve, which we will have to keep in mind later. Arriving five minutes before won't do next time (we are fully intending to see The Dark Knight Rises here). We purchased some British candy and enjoyed a very good film. I justify this adventure since the guy playing Spiderman, Andrew Garfield, is actually from England. So there. Also, we are just trying to get to know the social life of a teenager living in London. Meh, who cares. I went to have fun and I had lots of it. I liked the film a lot!

It's now quite late, though most of us are still awake and watching Henry V in the classroom upstairs. Tomorrow we are having another day trip and we are making our way over to Oxford! I feel smarter already!