July 30th- Broadway Day

Today we had the option of going to Bath or having a free day to do what we please. It's obvious as to what my decision was since the week has been full of very long days. We decided that we would sleep in and go to a Broadway that night. We only have had a few more days left in London so we had to at least experience the entertainment aspect of this city.I am surprisingly not Broadways biggest fan, but I knew coming here I would at least have to see one. Billy Elliot was a show a lot of our group members suggested we should see. After purchasing a deal for obstructed seat tickets I was ready to go. Even though I couldn't see the right side of the stage or their feet, I liked it. It was a really entertaining show, it was funny along with some amusing dancing. Although it was three hours, I am really glad that I went. It was a good show to see, there was a little boy in it that was adorable. Billy was a good dancer and singer for how old he looked and probably was. The story line is based on the like a depression era where his family is on strike and Billy doesn't want to do boxing like others and he just wants to dance ha. His teacher discovers his talent and then he tries out for a ballet school. It had a great story behind it, and it was a good ending to a night. It was also funny to know that the f word to them isn't a swear word. This was definitely used every sentence I had to become numb to it. Also I would never think the actors would smoke real cigs on stage. Since we were in the front row it was all I could smell. Not cool.

July 29th- Rain Rain Go Away

Today we went to the Burghley House. Upon pulling up the first thing I spotted were deer outside on the grass walking in a herd. Since I have been gone, I have definitely been missing being able to pet and squish Lil Will and Rusty. I immediately ran over to the deer to see if they would allow me to pet them. The only way we could get them to come near enough for a pet was to give them a little treat. You could tell they were scared, but one in particular warmed up to us and let us pet him. They were so cute, I never knew that their antlers has fur on them and they were soft.This, besides the great palace in the background was the highlight of my day. I have pet a deer once before, but that's only because it was sick. I enjoyed having them all around me and loved how they weren't completely shy, running away like usual.As we entered into the house we started in the kitchen. It was huge, it was filled with all kinds of pans and different ovens. The thing I thought was funny was that they had tons of different molding dishes for food. Their teeth were so bad that had to mince up all their food and to make it look pleasant by putting it in a mold to shape it. The hallway through each room was really open, I liked that you could see a little of each room just by looking down. The paintings in the dining room were amazing they had a lot of detail and made objects look 3-D. We were able to see the rooms that were filmed in some of the movies done at the Burghley House.The movies that house is in is Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Da Vinci Code. I definitely want to watch these when I get home so I can recognize the places where they are.After seeing the house, we went into the town of Stamford not be confused with Stanford as so I thought. This would have been a lot more enjoyable to walk around if it was not pouring rain. It is supposed to rain here until August 15th. What a forecast right? As for now I hope it gets better, I can handle a little but this is too much to enjoy what we are seeing through an umbrella. We had an hour and a half of free time, which basically meant get off the bus and get soaking wet. I will not be pessimistic about this, ha I did enjoy that while I was in the rain I was in the UK. I also got a great pastery to make up for this. The town reminded me of Oxford and Cambridge, they are all so little and have the exact same feel. It would be a lot of fun going to school in places like these, they also have great shopping which is always a plus. After taking the train ride back home we decided to go to the Harry Potter craze of Platform 9 3/4. I did expect something different location wise, but it was really awesome to see. After seeing the movie, my excitement level for this platform went up ten notches.

July 28th-Secret Garden delight

The Blenheim Palace. After waking up for what seemed like ten minutes that I slept, our "sleep in" day started at 7:50. Train rides are becoming something that I look forward to on the way to our destination, I realize that at least I can get in another hour of sleep although it will not be a comfortable one. The highlight on the way to the palace was the what we rode in, first Double Decker I have been on. We landed back of the bus where five seats fit the fab five perfectly. At times I did feel like I was going to tip over but overall it was a great first experience. The gate that greeted us was huge black and gold, as we made our way in we treked to the palace. The outside was pretty, I didn't expect to walk in and walk out into a courtyard where the palace was on the left usually it is just straight ahead.As we walked in to get our tour started, we made the mistake my taking the tour that gives "history" of the house. What we didn't know was that it was filled with manikins talking and video clips where the doors shut automatically and basically trap you in to listen to each thing. This was a wasted 40 minutes of what could have been used looking at least at the architecture of the house. As we were stuck in this room, we could see our other classmates playing on the beautiful green lawn. As soon as we got out of the trapping doors we made our way to the gardens. The back lawn goes on for miles, it was like a huge golf course. The intriguing part was the sign that said secret garden. We made our way to see what this had to offer. It was a peaceful little garden filled with trees, tons of plants and flowers. The best part was the gazebo, something that I have always loved. I did expect something secret about this garden, but to my disappointment nothing happened. But it was beautiful. We went back inside to see the actual house. We walked through the dining room and other areas mainly the birthing room of Winston Churchill, who is the cousin of the Duke. I learned that the palace only took 28 years to make, which is incredible for everything they accomplish.Since the rest of the day was our free time to spend in Oxford we decided to go into town. It reminded me a lot of Cambridge, just like a college city. We were in search of an Oxford sweatshirt and found many, I still have regrets that I didn't purchase one. After being starving for hours we found a small crepery where I got the best chicken and cheddar delight. Although it was a short day, it was enough to wear us out.We have all been sharing a room for the past week and it has been filled with some great times and some great laughs. It also has been filled with one very noisy bunk bed. Until today I did not realize how much it would suck to climb up and down from this each time. I feel bad for Ash, I told her I would offer up my bed with me but due to the fact that she hates to snuggle this just doesn't work out. We had a joyful time on that bed today as you can tell.

July 27th- Wilton, Salisbury, Stonehenge

The Wilton House. The home of now Earl the 18th of Pembroke, who is very smashing as they would say. It's weird knowing that he currently is living there and we are taking tours of the grounds. I loved how we were reminded of who was living here by the modern photos of him and his sisters. Two of which could be identified as boys if you only glanced at the photo. The inside paintings were tons of Van Dyck which was neat to see. The best part was not only the free treats at the end consisting of pasteries and lemonade, but the gardens were beautiful outside. The grass is sooo green here, I love it. There is a small bridge out back that was done by the same person who did the Rialto Bridge in Venice. I loved being able to tell the similarities between everything we have seen.Salisbury Cathedral is where we spent most of the afternoon. We were able to take a grand tour around the church and then go up into the rafters and see how it was built. We also got to look out at the city from the tower. We were also able to see the Magna Carta, which was cool especially for the perfect penmanship. When we were learning about the building of this church I couldn't believe how far they traveled to get the stone they needed. I will never understand how they build the things they do. I found it interesting that they built the first half and put a roof over it so they could hold their sermon while construction was still in process. It also surprised me that they used to separate even in the church by a huge screen according to social classes blocking the frontal east view for the peasants. It was a really cool that what they used for materials have lasted seven centuries and are still holding strong. I did at times feel like the floor beneath me was going to fall down eighty two feet, but it held up. We were up right next to the bell when it started going off, although very loud it was cool to see it happening. I loved that our tour guide being in church swore the entire time through the tour. He was a real treat. I also learned that this church hold the Guinness World record for the tallest spier in the UK.The best part about today was going to Stonehenge. Who would have though a bunch of rocks randomly placed would become so well known? Ha it was really cool being able to see it. It was in the countryside, which I like because then it's easier to focus on just that and not a city around it. This is how I picture most famous sites, I don't know why but I imagine them to be sitting alone on a hill for people just to admire. I didn't really know much about it before going. I never knew that it was used as a sun dial to tell the different months. There are also a lot of myths about how it got there, I sure hope the alien one isn't true. I wish I could have seen it when all the stones were there and set up. I always thought that you could go walk through it and see what it was all about, but you have to stay behind the ropes to look. I enjoyed coming here, it was a great day in Salisbury.

July 26th- A Little Piece of Home

Today is the first time in weeks we have been able to go to church. It was an exciting day, I was not liking the feeling of my inactivity because of this trip. It didn't start until two thirty so we geared up all day for this. The church was cool inside, it had a modern flair to it, which you are never used to seeing. I enjoyed this sacrament meeting despite the fact it was so hot inside. There were three talks followed by words of the Quorum of the Seventy. The British accents were a treat throughout each meeting and I also enjoyed the fact that I got a Bounty bar out of this. A Bounty bar is the great goodness of an almond joy minus the almonds.The one thing about home that I miss is a great sunday dinner. We accomplished this here by improvising what we had to make chicken parmesan. Without a stove top that works things aren't as easy, we resort to having to cook noodles inside the oven and the microwave. The final product was more than excellent.

July 25th- Portobello Market

Our journey began today by going to the Portobello Markets. The interesting part is what we witnessed on our way there. We walked over to the train and since we all wanted to sit together we choose a cart that was pretty much empty. What we didn't know is what they cart contained. The smell was worse than I could have ever imagined. It was like we were inside a garbage can. Soon I began to realize where this rancid smell was coming from, it wasn't hard to suspect who it was when he had flies all around his body. He stood up, walked to get off and all you could see down the back of his pants was brown. Yes they were supposed to be levi's, yet they are now made of flies and maggots. He walked off the train by a pole and decided to pee in the middle of the train station. Showing no shame he walked right back on and sat down. He obviously was numb to the fact that he smelled at all. He made the entire cart empty due to his lack of being able to take a shower ever. I would say I feel bad for him, but I would also say go jump in the next river you find and wash off everything you own. We decided that best option was to move carts and get on with the journey. Once arriving we walked down the street to find millions of markets. I love places like this, except it's better when you can pay with dollars instead of pounds then what you think is a good deal is really not. We were able to find a few good things including a mexican restaurant that we have been craving forever. Although it was so smoky in there our eyes were watery, I got a okay quesadilla but at least it did fulfill the craving. We ended the night by paying about twenty dollars to see the proposal. Even though it was my second time going, it was just as funny. It was an end to a good night. I have also never seen a movie theatre with three floors and a balcony that someone would pay 19 pounds for.The flippers must help him perform at his best, his advertisement states he's #1 at Guitar HeroThe newest advertisementWhat great three purchasesTwo thumbs up towards the movie I'd say