Yesterday our group took a trip to York. We left the house at 7:45 to catch a train from King’s Cross to York. When we arrived in York, the Horns (our teachers) issued us York Passes—giving us admission and discounts to attractions all over York. The first stop we made was at the York Minster. The outside was very reminiscent of Westminster Abbey, and the inside was as well. At this point in the trip I couldn’t resist having thoughts that I was seeing something I had seen before. I hate that in my mind these beautiful and elaborate cathedrals have become commonplace. I tried not to entertain those thoughts, and continued my tour of the Minster. After leaving the Minster, we went to lunch at Russell’s where I had Yorkshire pudding in honor of our location. It was delightful. We did some shopping before heading to the Jorvik Center. This is a historical Viking Museum built on the site where archaeological digs revealed evidence of early occupation. Supposedly the city has been formed as civilization after civilization built upon each other. The center was a fun and unique experience as we rode in capsules around a recreation of York at the time of the Vikings. Its appearance was authentic, and unfortunately, so were the smells. We all enjoyed a good laugh. After the Jorvik Center, we walked back to the train station to catch a coach back into London. This was an experience in itself as the coach was 30 minutes late and the ride was over five hours long.
Today I got up and Emily and I went to Lincolns Inn Fields to the Sir John Soane Museum. Soane was a very famous architect. He designed the London phonebooths along with many other important sites. The museum is just his collections of miscellaneous items. There were paintings, sketches, books, sculptures, bones, furniture, jewels, figurines... you name it. I got kinda claustrophobic in there! I'm glad we went though. After the museum, Emily and I split up. She wanted to walk around town some more. I ran to the river and got on the tube and came back to the house where I had lunch. After lunch, Caitlin and I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to study in the National Art Library. I have a big research paper due in two weeks, and I needed to get some work done. We worked there for about three hours before coming back to the house for dinner. Now, I am cleaning, doing laundry, and getting some more work done. A lot of the people are gone this weekend, so the house is pretty quiet!
