A Few Days in London Town!

Greetings all!

Sorry for missing last week, but I only had internet access for two out of about 10 days... I wanted to make sure I had ample time to do justice to my blog posts about my recent trips to London and Paris. Rachel, Maggie, and I left for London the morning of Saturday 7th, and arrived around 10:20 am. We made our way to a hotel where a bus trip to Stonehenge was leaving, and made the 2 hour bus trip to the famous historical site. I really enjoyed walking around the henge and listening to the audio guide describe what little they know about Stonehenge's past. It's hard to believe how big some of the stones are, and how they managed to set some on top of others to form bridge like structures. I am really happy that we were there during sunset because it is a very pretty place when the sun is shining through the rocks and casting long shadows across the grass. After making our way back into London we explored Leicester square, where we had heard that cheap theater tickets were sold. Unfortunately nothing caught our fancy at the theater, but we decided to try one of the many cinemas around the square and ended up seeing A Christmas Carol. It was quite well done I must say! Next we navigated our way from King's Cross Station (yes we saw platform 9 3/4! for all you Harry Potter fans) to our Travelodge Hotel.
The next morning we ventured near Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey to attend a ceremony honoring England's soldiers. November 11 in England is similar to America's Memorial Day, and the Sunday before that date is always Remembrance Sunday. We had heard that the Queen and the rest of the Royal family might be attending, and it turns out that the Queen, Prince William, and Prince Harry were in attendance! The Queen is quite short, so she was particularly difficult to see, but the fact that she was there is still pretty exciting! We made our way to The Tower of London, and spent a few hours exploring and taking a guided tour. I really enjoyed learning about the Tower's role in English history, and I had never realized how important it has been. Walking in the footsteps of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Edward I was a real treat! That evening we met up with some friends and ate dinner at a restaurant on the River Themes. I enjoyed walking along the river in the evening and seeing the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, and theater houses that line the river.
The next morning we took a free walking tour and were able to see the Wellington Arch, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St. James' Park, and much more! The tour ended near the Houses of Parliament, so we decided to go inside and listen in the House of Lords for awhile. That was really interesting, and I wish we could have gone to the House of Commons as well. After a quick stop at the well known, posh shopping center Harrods, we made our way to King's Cross to catch our train back to York. I really enjoyed the trip and felt like we were able to fit a lot into three short days! I would love to go back someday and spend more time at some of the places we saw!
Thank you all for reading, and for your continued support and prayers. Also, for the birthday wishes, cards, and packages! I had a wonderful 21st birthday, and it meant a lot to hear from so many of you! Next week I'll be writing about our trip to Paris, which was simply fantastic! This weekend I am attending a retreat with the Christian Union that is held in the Lake District. I am really looking forward to spending some time worshiping and reflecting with other Christians in a beautiful place. Please pray for our stress levels as we enter the home stretch, and have to deal with turning in essays and setting our affairs in order.
Thank you again and God bless!
Cheerio everyone!

Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day!

Greetings!

This past weekend was our first weekend in York for quite some time. It was nice to not think about traveling or packing, and just enjoy Halloween weekend! On Friday Rachel and I went to the "York Dungeons" with a group of international students. The "York Dungeons" are part of the same company which has dungeon tours in other cities that are meant to frighten and entertain. This was certainly an experience I will never forget! All of the live actors we encountered were dressed authentically and played their parts very well. They were meant not only to tell us true stories about York, but to give us a good old fashioned scare at the same time! We learned about York during the Bubonic Plague, Guy Fawkes, Dick Turpin, and other figures and events important to York's history, but with a scary twist! I really enjoyed it!

On Halloween, Rachel and I rented costumes from the local theater and attended a masquerade put on by our Bible Study leaders. We enjoyed picking out ridiculous feathered masks and finding dresses to match! We spend a couple ours in the house and listened to Halloween music, then went into town to scope out rest of York's costumes. It was really neat to spend Halloween in the "Most Haunted City in the World!" (York was recently given this title)

I am a member of the Volleyball Club here at York and the girls team had our first game on Wednesday in Bradford. It was exciting to take the train with the team to another university, and wear a jersey once again in competition! Although we didn't win, everyone played really well, and I know we gave them a run for their money! I have really enjoyed being a part of the Volleyball Club and have met some really wonderful people through that experience.

Yesterday, Thursday 5 November, was Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night! I was really looking forward to this because Guy Fawkes was born in York and christened in the church I attend on Sunday evenings. The city was crowded with tourists yesterday, and the local Guy Fawkes Inn and Pub was packed full! Fireworks began around the city as early as 5:00 pm because it is already pitch dark outside by then. Me, Maggie, Rachel, and some of our international friends (Oddbjorg from Norway, Franziska from Germany, and Emilie from Sweden) went to dinner at the Lion and the Lamb Inn. Afterwards we went on a Ghost Walk, which is a popular activity in York. A man with a deep voice, and thoroughly Yorkshire accent conducted, us around to some of the most well known and haunted places in the city! We all really enjoyed laughing, but being slightly frightened at the same time ;)

After the ghost walk we went to a friends house to enjoy some food, fellowship, and fireworks! Fireworks are required for an enjoyable Bonfire Night experience. It has been fun to celebrate a couple holidays here, and I'm sure there are more exciting celebrations to come!

This weekend Rachel, Maggie, and I are going to London! I am really excited to finally go to England's capital city and see some of the most well know places in the country. We plan on going to Stonehenge on Saturday fallowed by Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Big Ben, among others, on Sunday and Monday. Luckily we have a number of connections in London, and we will have help when trying to navigate the city. It should be a really fun time! Next Thursday we head to Paris with the international students, and there are trips to the Lake District and Liverpool in our future as well! It is nice to have so much to look forward to, and my time here is flying by! I would really appreciate prayer for safe travel during our trips, and our overall safety as we go to these immense cities. Also, for perseverance as we tackle large essays and projects. Thank you again for your prayers, and thanks for reading Molly's Meanderings!

Cheers everyone!