Day 4: Westminster Abbey

Kelsi and I having lunch in the park

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

The New Scotland Yard

From the courtyard inside the abbey, unfortunately there were no photos allowed to be taken inside. 

Area in front of the abbey

Today we headed over to Edelman PR Agency. It was an amazing opportunity to meet with London public relations personnel, and get to hear their side of how they operate. Worldwide, Edelman has over 4,000 employees in over 60 offices. The office is amazing; it has a great view with lots of space. They have nearly 300 people employed, and a space for employee events with a bar in the office. They spoke a lot about social media and how they view it in London. They said their bottom line is building relationships and building trust between people. Without those two things, public relations would not work. Then after the agency answered our questions for an hour and a half, we grabbed sandwiches from Pret A Manger (they are everywhere), and sat in a park while eating lunch. It was a really nice day to be outside. Then we went to Westminster Abbey, a church used in London since the 12^th century and even before. It was breathtakingly beautiful as we stood beneath it’s massive front. A few of us spent over 2 hours seeing every corner of the abbey. With so much to see, there were still a few things that the tour didn’t clearly point out; such as Princess Diana’s burial site, which is inside of the church. Also buried there were famous writers and poets buried there such as Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Lord Byron, and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Also the Queen Mother, the current queen, Queen Elizabeth II’s mother is buried there. I stood on the steps where William and Kate said their vows at the royal wedding just over a year ago. I stood 6 inches from the tomb of Henry VIII, Henry Tudor who we hear of so much in movies and television for beheading Anne Boleyn and several other wives. There was so much to see and do, I feel as though I could have stayed all day. Back in the hotel, we had a visit from Nicole Barbosa, who was Texas Tech journalism graduate who moved to England, finished her masters and found a job. She had so many interesting things to say, and lots of suggestions for our next week in London. Tomorrow we head to Paris at 9:30 a.m., and I am thrilled.

Day 3: Tower of London

White Tower in the Tower of London

Tower Bridge

Kelsi and I at the Tower of London

The Diamond Jubilee Crown, the Queens 60th Anniversary Celebration

Tower Bridge

Armored Horse from the 16th Century

Materials used for a beheading prisoners from the tower of London

We wake up to eat breakfast, and leave the hotel promptly at 8:15 a.m. We know we have a full day of itinerary planned so we are ready to go, only to realize that the entire days itinerary is optional. We head out to tour the Tower of London. The history of the tower is immense, with executions such as Anne Boleyn taking place there. There were also many different torture methods used in the tower. Anyone who made the king mad or was found guilty of treason would usually end up there. It was beautiful with one tower holding the crown jewels. Coronation crowns graced the inside with diamonds over several inches in diameter. It was one of the best experiences of the trip. History graced every wall with armory and swords. The Tower Bridge and London Bridge can be seen over the walls of the tower. After the tower we travel to the Oxford area to eat lunch and do some local shopping. After a short stint with shopping around Oxford Circus, we expire back to the hotel for a quick rest before the guest speaker. We go down to the breakfast room in the hotel to listen to Tom Arms speak about his journalism career in England. Tom Arms was born in the United States, and after studying for a year in London during his junior year of college, he decided to move and work in London. He is an exceedingly interesting man with a witty and gregarious personality, and he had so much to say about his career and journalism in the United Kingdom. He reiterated several times that the biggest difference journalism has in the United States and the United Kingdom is the fact that England does not attribute information as much as we do in the United States. The readers expect the journalists to know their information and therefore no attribution is needed. I wonder how far that trust could get you in the United States? It might not go well since trust with the media from the readers is such a thin line, fragile that should not be toyed with. At least newspapers in the United States make an enormous effort to hold their status as reputable entities. With another successful day in London, tomorrow we have a tour of Westminster Abbey and a visit to a public relations agency, and I can’t wait. 

Day 2: London Metropolitan Archives

The jack the ripper tour guide standing in an alley in the area of some of the murders.

Kelsi and I standing in the archives. 

The oldest piece of writing in the archives, dates back to 1067 after William the Conqueror. 

 White Chapel

Where several Jack the Ripper victims were seen before the murders

City University

This morning we travel to the City University campus for a quick tour of the journalism department, and to meet other students. Half of the group separated when crossing the street to the tube station, typical when you are traveling in a group of 25. As half of the group leaves, never to be seen again, the other half is left standing in Paddington with no clue where to go. Two of us end up with Dr. Callison as we walk to full length of Paddington, with no clue what train to take or where to transfer trains. There are several girls with no idea where to get off the train, and we decide that it is unlikely that we will see them again when we meet back up at City University. After a grueling 30 minutes of train after train, we take the escalator up as we spot the lost group of girls. As I shout one name out, we start crying out ear-splitting yells in excitement like we haven’t seen each other in years. So excited to meet up with the group, we head to City University. We enter the journalism department, and sit in a classroom. We learn about media outlets in London and the greater London area. With much smaller circulation than national newspapers in America, there are many more national papers in the UK, than in the United States. After a short coffee break with other journalism students, we head to lunch and the London Metropolitan Archives for a tour. It was interesting as they preserve documents from all over London and its vast history. There is even a document that dates back to 1067 with William the Conqueror in power. After the archives, we go to dinner at a trendy place called The Fence, but delicious as it is, we have a tour scheduled in the Aldgate area to learn more about the Jack the Ripper. We arrive just in time to meet our tour guide, a vivacious man with many different personality aspects. He takes us to the sites of several murders thought to be by Jack the Ripper. There are many different theories for the murders as no one was ever convicted for the crimes. With over 100 different suspects in the murders, there are “Ripperologists” all around the world with various opinions of what might have happened. All of the victims of Jack the Ripper were prostitutes of numerous ages. The victims were mutilated and had body parts severed. As gruesome as the tour was for me, as I am really sensitive to blood and gore, it was also very interesting and informative. With such busy days for the last two days, coming back to the hotel was our first thought. We need a full night’s rest for our adventures tomorrow at the Tower of London.

Day 1 - London Bus Tour

Marble Arch

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben at Parliament 

Kelsi, Queen Elizabeth, and I

Big Ben

Kelsi and I in front of the Buckingham Palace Gates

Trafalgar Square

A cool, May morning as we walk to Paddington Station to take on our first day in London. Much of the group, myself included, are experiencing extreme jetlag as we just arrived from the eight and a half hour flight from Texas to London the day before. However, the excitement of seeing first hand the history carved into buildings as we walk along the crowded sidewalks, are keeping us bright-eyed and alert. We join The Original Tour for a double-decker bus view of London.
Our first stop is Buckingham Palace, home to Queen Elizabeth II. It’s a picturesque scene in the morning air, as the sun and morning dew are not yet settled into their places for the day. Guards stand along the front of the palace just inside the courtyard. Tall black and gold gates keep watch around the palace walls. As we join the bus tour once again, our next stop is a wide display of iconic London buildings. 
 Immediately we are faced with the Parliament buildings facing along the Thames River. Big Ben, the enormous clock standing on the Prime Meridian is at the end of Parliament. Around the corner we see Westminster Abbey in all of its glory. Many of us are speechless to be standing beneath the church that we have seen so many times in movies and royal weddings. We cross the bridge to take a closer look at the London Eye, and decide to stop off for lunch. With our 2 P.M. deadline to be back at Trafalgar Square quickly approaching, a few of us decide to take on the tube as we map our route back to the meeting place. We were thrilled to have gained a skill in mastering the art of maneuvering the tube, and also to lose the constant fear of getting lost in this city we are not yet used to. We are taken back for a moment to the fact that we are natural-born Americans as we pass a Starbucks, and do not hesitate to enter for a quick boost of energy. Back in Trafalgar square we are assigned to introduce ourselves of several people, and discovering why they are in London. After the assignment is completed, we are free to go about our afternoon as we wish. A few of us explore the National Gallery as we gaze into the works of illustrious artists such as Monet, Renoir, and de Goya. Again conquering the tube back to the hotel to prepare for our afternoon meeting and dinner. We walk past the United States Embassy and eat at the original Hard Rock Café, located right across the street from St. James Park, making a mental note to visit the park later in the trip to further enjoy it’s beauty. With the group divided, a few of us travel to Piccadilly Circus for a view of London’s miniature version of Time Square. Souvenir shops line the streets as many tourists roam the sidewalks of the area. After a short stop at a local pub, we head back to the room to prepare for our next day of adventure in London, England. Blisters on my feet, a full memory card in my camera, and a heart full of joy to be in such a wonderful place for the next 10 days will carry me through to day two of our journey. Students from Texas Tech University will be taking London by storm for the next few days as we explore, discover, and are amazed at London’s beauty and illustrious history. 

A young Queen Elizabeth and I just hanging out, I'm a little underdressed.

Me in front of Westminster Abbey