London Calling - Day 3

Oxford, Oxford, Oxford!! 

Today, we traveled to Oxford. Oxford inspired many of the sets for Harry Potter, and was home to many great writers like Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. We got so see so many places that inspired the stories written by these great authors. (And, I may have found a future place of employment!)

Oxford is huge! We went to Christ Church, which inspired the Hogwarts steps and great hall. It was like walking into Hogwarts! We also got to see the doors that led to Narnia and Wonderland. I sat in the Eagle and Child and had coffee. This is a local pub where a group called the Inklings used to sit and chat about books. Members of the Inklings included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. 

I wish we had more time to spend at Oxford, and if I return to London, I will spend more than a day there. The buildings are beautiful, the town is charming, and the history is astounding. 

After a full day out at Oxford, we were tired. We still wanted to do something, so we ventured down to Baker Street to see the Sherlock Holmes' apartment. There is a small museum, but it was closed. :( 

London Calling - Day 2

Our first day in London was so wonderful! I couldn't imagine things could get better, but they did! 

Day 2 - St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey

This was the day of history and cathedrals. We had an amazing tour guide with our group who told us all about the city as we made our way to our destinations. The English love their history, and I can now retrace most of the monarchy! 

Our first stop today was St. Paul's Cathedral. It is beautiful and you are not permitted to take pictures inside as it is a place of worship that is still used today. The inside was breathtaking. What I was most surprised at was a special memorial located inside the chapel for the American soldiers how lost their lives fighting in World War II. I definitely got teary walking through this memorial and felt so blessed to be an American. It was even more inspiring to see the appreciation from the English for what the Americans did. 

As I've mentioned many times, I love the view from the top of a building. At St. Paul's Cathedral there is an option to climb to the the very top! Actually, there are three stops. The first stop is the inside of the rotunda that views the inside of the entire cathedral. The second stop is higher and a small area outside the cathedral. The final stop is the tip-top of the cathedral. Count me in!! Except, you have to manually climb the stairs and they are very tight. There is no lift! The tour guide told us it was over 500 steps, which didn't sound too terrible to me! (To put that into perspective, I climbed the stairs to the second floor of my work building this week. It was 30 stairs...which would equal 16.67 stories!) Only a few girls and the two instructors made the trek. By the time I got to the top, my legs were shaky, wobbly, and weak and I was sore for several days after. BUT, the view was WORTH IT! 

After visiting St. Paul's Cathedral, we traveled over to Westminster Abbey. We had a long tour there, for which I am so thankful. I loved every second of it. Again, this was one of my favorite things we did. My favorite part of the tour was getting to stand in Poet's Corner and see where so many great writers are buried. What a special experience! 

And, our final stop for the day was to Paddington Station! The birthplace of Paddington the Bear. 

London Calling - Day 1

I have returned from my European adventure!! 

I realize that many people travel out of the country, but this was my first international trip so I am very excited about it. It has been the trip of a lifetime for me. I left London feeling inspired, rejuvenated, and ready to take on the world. I've never had such a connection with a city and truly loved the entire experience. I cannot wait to return! 

I was the graduate assistant to a professor leading a study abroad to London. The trip was a week-long Literary Tour of London. My literature-loving heart could not be more excited. Our days were jam packed, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 

Day 1

Technically, our first day consisted of travel. We had to drive to Houston, get 30 undergraduate girls checked into the flight, and then flew overnight to London. We arrived at 7:30 in the morning to begin our adventure! 

Windsor Castle and St. George's Chapel

Upon gathering all of our belongings, we first headed to Windsor Castle and St. George's Chapel. This is the springtime home to the Queen, and we just missed her (she moved out in late April). The only rain we got all week was within the first 30-minutes of visiting Windsor Castle and we got soaked, but didn't care. The castle was beautiful and breathtaking - what I always pictured an English castle to be! 

The Globe, London Eye, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace

As I said, most of our time was accounted for, but there were a few moments of "free time". After Windsor Castle, we checked into the hotel and had the rest of the day free. The other instructor and I took this opportunity to cross some items off our to-do list. We had a VERY busy afternoon. 

First and foremost, my literature-loving heart had had had to go to The Globe theater. I would have loved to see a show but that didn't happen. I got the next best thing. We did a tour of the Globe and were fortunate enough to go during rehearsals for the show later that week -Antony and Cleopatra. Seeing rehearsals was as good (in my mind) as seeing a full show. It was everything I could expect and more. While watching one scene and sitting in the theater, I got a bit emotional and realized just how lucky I was. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me - though I cannot possibly choose just one favorite! 

After the Globe, we hoped over to the London Eye. I am a sucker for a nice view and this fit the bill. It was a little damp from the rain, but we didn't care. We got a birds-eye view of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the rest of London. As an added bonus, the rain caused a double rainbow over the entire city. It was a great view and so beautiful.

After the London Eye, we walked by Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and all the way over to Buckingham Palace! It was quite a trek and after a full day of travel, we were exhausted. But, you only live once!

And that was Day 1! :) 

Philadelphia

This post is LONG overdue! Back in April, I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the first time. My main objective in traveling there was to attend a statistics workshop and present at my largest venue yet, but I got to do a little sightseeing as well.

The workshop was very informative and my presentation went extremely well! :) 

In sightseeing, I got to go to the top of City Hall! (I love the top of buildings!) Philadelphia is a beautiful city and everyone was so friendly. I enjoyed it. The top of City Hall was a great panoramic view of the city. I also toured Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell. Toured the Constitution Center and saw the U.S. Mint. :)

Summer Reading List 2014

Wow! I cannot believe June is nearly here - where has the time gone! 

I have been a busy bee successfully defending my dissertation proposal at the beginning of May and completing a week-long trip to London directly after. I am slowly getting back into my regular routine - I mean my routine before proposal. Things have not settled down in far too long. 

Despite the fact that I still have many writing projects, teaching commitments, and other work-related tasks to complete this summer, I am excited to have more time for pleasure reading. Usually I have read far more books by this time of year than 2014 has allowed me. Granted, I've been busy! :) 

The following list is just the beginning of my summer reading list. Once I finish these books, I will add more to the list.

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 

2. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

3. We Were Liars by e. lockhart

4. The Witches by Roald Dahl

5. Walking Dickens' London by Lee Jackson

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

7. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

8. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

9. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

10. Whisky Beach by Nora Roberts

Happy Reading!