Days Packed Full of AWESOME

Well here we are it is the end of Thursday and I have yet to post of I think the last 3 days, I do apologize. It has been quite busy. And now I believe I am prepared to tell you and show you a bit of it.
We will start with Tuesday our first full day here. We started our day with a visit to BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
It was so beautiful and a whole lot of fun. I learned so much here and upon leaving really wanted to learn as much of British History that I could. I felt so inadequate not knowing some things and was quite proud when I did know other things. After Buckingham Palace a small group of us went to Piccadilly Circus, had a bite of lunch and walked around. Researched prices on some theatre tickets, you know the important things in life. After Lunch, we took a tube and went to Parliament. It was AMAZING. I loved it. We are so fortunate that Parliament will be in session while we are here and I believe that I will actually get to go and sit in on a few sessions. But I thought that I couldn’t learn enough about history fast enough at Buckingham Palace, this was so great. Made me want to come back to the house and get a book and hop on the tube immediately. I love, love, loved it. We had a great tour guide and a really small group; our tour guide, Liz, spent lots of extra time telling us more information than she had to answering questions and making sure we got to see everything, and see it well.
It does seem like weeks ago that we visited Buckingham Palace and Parliament, but it was 2 days ago, there is so much that we did and I still have yet to tell you. Its difficult to remember it all, most places we weren’t allowed to take pictures so its all in our head and all running together.
After this we hoped on the tube again and went exploring our new home. We went up to the Tower Bridge Area. Walked around took pictures of the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and many other things in the area. There was a part of a wall that was used by the Romans, I believe as a protection wall before people got to their fort, but I could be wrong. I do know it was used by Romans, and therefore is really old. It was a beautiful area and I look forward to spending lots of time up there. We later found a great little place for dinner, and got really cheap chicken (or fish) and chips.

For the past 2 days we have had this thing called a London Pass, where we paid some random fee for it and then we get in all these places for free. So we have been running around like crazy trying to do and see all that we could for free while we can.
On Wednesday, we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral which has been there since 604 AD, and this is where Princess Diana and Charles, Prince of Wales got married, as well as many other significant things happened here. We sat on the steps and watched the city for a while and took in our amazing surroundings. We then went in, and walked around; spend a little time in the crypt, which honestly, probably would have been much cooler if we were Catholic, we did see the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren, who built St. Paul’s so that was awesome and then today on our way to another location we saw his house. After the Crypt, we made our way up 530 steps or 280 ft high. And got a great look over the city of London, as well as over the Cathedral at the whispering gallery, which was only like 400 steps up. It was incredible. Here are some pictures ...




(can anyone tell me how to rotate these so you can see them right, everything on my computer has them rotated right but its not working.)

After St. Paul’s, we made our way to the Tower of London, this time to go in. The Tower of London, built I think around 1066 by William the Conqueror, well the white tower part. This site is incredible, it has been worked on by so many different people, and has so many different parts and roles in English history. When just looking at the site itself you can easily tell that it was not all completed at one time. Some buildings look completely different from each other. It really is basically its own little city. There are some really amazing things there currently as well as the awe of how long this structure has been around and who all has been there, lived there, been tortured there, imprisoned there, etc. Currently the Tower of London is the home of the Crown Jewels, and I got to see them. We went through several times and got some very good looks at the 2 largest diamonds in the world; the largest diamond, which is 530 Carrots, it was huge, and beautiful, and amazing. You just couldn’t believe it as your went past on the moving sidewalk. There was a great exhibit on torture where we had a great discussion with an Englishman about torturing prisoners. You could also see the weapons and statues of the horses of the Kings and Queens and their armor.


After several hours at the Tower of London, we headed over to the Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge has been there since 1894, and was one of my favorite things to just sit and look at, maybe because I actually could. We got to go up inside the tower and walk across the bridge, which gave us a magnificent view of the city of London. We also got to visit the Engine Room and see how the bridge used be drawn up and down.

I think this is long enough so I will tell you of today later, for I have to get some sleep some time.

As I look back at pictures it doesn’t seem real. We really saw all of this and experienced it and we still have weeks left to do more. I have so many more pictures but its taking so long to load them. I'm working on somewhere for those of you who don't have facebook to look at pictures and I'll let you know where that is when it happens.

An adventure that seems like it started this morning yet so long ago.

Some pictures taken while driving from the Airport to our House.




Well this is a day late but I didn't have internet yesterday... so here it is....

I can’t believe it really happened; that I’m really here.

We have arrived and spent our first day in London, our new home. This is crazy. As we walked the streets, learned to shop in the grocery store and learned about the tube in our new home the feeling was all too unreal. We got on a plane in Georgia, at what seemed like this morning; in all actuality this day has been going on for 48 hours.

This little adventure has already taken me on a rollercoaster, I can’t imagine what is next; from 7 am on the 26th when I could sleep no longer and hand only slept for about 4 hours, to 11 am when Brooke and I departed our apartment, to about 12 when we realized there was a time change between Birmingham and Georgia, that we had totally forgotten about, to arriving at the airport my friend driving off and me figuring out what line to get in to check in, one bag being 4 lbs over weight and me having to rearrange my packing situation, to the check-in lady losing my passport for the worst 10 (seemed a whole lot longer) minute span of my life, to meeting all my classmates/housemates/travel buddies/ new friends, and going through security with a few of them, to sitting in the airport wondering if they’d really let us take of. I think that pretty much all of my group was convinced that something was going to happen and we wouldn’t get to go, so the arrival this morning was quite an exciting time on the plane this morning. There was an hour and a half delay to taking off while sitting in the plane because of storms, an 8-hour flight that included great movies and great times but not much sleep. Then came the landing in our new home and hoping we didn’t screw something up at customs and not be allowed in. There was a 30 minute bus ride where we got to see and learn a lot about London, and mostly admire the new world surrounding us. There was the arrival the Daniel House, and walking into our new room for the first time, obviously the nice boys carried our luggage up the stairs for us at some point in this. There was an issuing of our new cell phones, and an exchange of numbers with each other. Our first meal in London, and the real fun began. We went and bought oyster cards or Tube and Bus passes, had our first shopping experience and lesson, came back and had about 30 minutes to get a few things settled in our rooms. Then off again we went. Armed with our cameras, “buddies”, oyster cards and tube maps we set off, all we knew was what line we were getting on and where we were getting off, well and where we started. We got a few blocks from the tube stop and were sent out, told to make our way back to the house by 5 for dinner, this was about an hour and a half away. That’s it, no experts, no one who has done it, just us. It was great. We walked a lot; talked a lot; saw a bunch of stuff, and random people doing random things. Sat and people watched in Leicester Square, shopped a little and bought some very cute scarves to being fitting in with the Europeans, as if our shoes didn’t give us away enough. But we did it, figured out some connections and stops we could walk between so we don’t waste tube money, and we made it back with 20 minutes to spare.
And here I am all unpacked, still debating if I’ve packed too much or too little.

It has been a great day, a long day, basically 3 wrapped into one. I think in the past 3 days I’ve slept maybe 4 to 5 hours total but I am still awake and trying to keep myself up a little while longer so I can adjust to the time change.

I love you all and I want to hear how the first days of school went and life in your world.

And yes Kristina, we were here in time for this and actually a large part of our group was at it. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070826/en_nm/britain_carnival_dc;_ylt=AiMmezVnYG7981QEC8oO9iADW7oF

Here we go...

Well, I'm all packed, not as lightly as I'd liked to have been but I can't seem to make myself cut anything out. I'll send stuff back if I need to. Whatever. I'm looking at my pretty pink suite case and my blue hiking backpack and my duffel/carry-on all sitting together... all ready to go. It still doesn't seem like its going to happen. Like at any point before I get on the plane something is going to happen and I'm not going to get to go. And at this moment I don't know how I'd feel about that, disappointed of course, slightly okay with it. I mean I'd get to stay here and not miss being involved in the lives of all those I love. It's going to be great, I know. Its just hard to know what I'm going to miss. It is easy to leave in the summer and go to camp, everyone is gone, everyone else is going to camp or wherever. But leaving in August, when we just moved into an apartment, everyone is moving into their new apartments, or their dorm rooms. Talking about 'dinner on the dirt' and gearing up for stepsing, classes starting on Monday and the bookstore. Its all lame to sit here and think about, but I am. I know its going to be the semester of my life, and I have one more fall at Samford ahead of me. Its just all running through my head.

My Amazing roommate threw a "themed party" tonight. What was the theme you ask? Well it was London/traveling in Europe. We ate food they eat in London, drank tea and wine from Spain, had something else from France. It was great. Watched a movie about London. It was great. I got to see a lot of my friends and just get to sit and hang out. I loved it and it was a good way to get to say 'see ya later'.

So in a matter of hours, theoretically, I'll be boarding a plane and flying over the pond. And my next post shall be from LONDON, UK!

Hot Pink

Welcome all, I leave Sunday to head to LONDON! This is just a page for me to update all of you on my life. Humorous things that happen to me because lets be honest we all know they will. Pictures with my awesome new camera that I'm still learning to use, and keeping in contact with the world. I would love to get comments from you, emails and know what is going on in each of your lives. But this here is my gift to you, my embarrassment wrapped up and tied with a bow just for you!

If you were wondering my email is tdallen1@samford.edu; just in case you didn't have it.

I know we were all sitting on the edge of our seats constantly wondering, "will Tiffany's new luggage arrive in time for her to use it or is life already going to get interesting. Well, I was at the mall today and guess what it is here and it is bright and beautiful. So be nervous no more the packing will commence, well probably not until late because I don't want to right now.

So here we are. I send my love to you through this and you can send your love in comments. ;)