Portobello Road and the Tower of London

Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted hasn't it? Truth be told it's been a pretty quiet, low-key week here in London. (I know shocking, right?) This week consisted mostly of going to class, fulfilling the "study" part of study abroad, you know. Though I have to say I am enjoying my schedule so far. Class 3 days a week just isn't that bad. However, adjusting to the education system over here is a little weird. I don't believe I've talked about this yet, so I'll give you a brief run-down of how academics operate over here for those of you who don't know. In the UK, your learning is more on your shoulders so to say. We have each of our classes once a week for about 3-4 hours and your entire grade is based on two assignments. That's right, two. For those of us who are used to the homework due every class, multiple tests/essays, participation grade kind of system, this idea is slightly terrifying. We have assigned reading due every class here, but you are also expected to seek out additional reading on your own--a lot of additional reading apparently. And their grading system is different as well. There is no such thing as a "100" here. This stems from the idea that if you are getting "perfect" marks on papers and tests you should either be an expert in the subject who writes academic journals on the topics or teaching the class. Therefore a "70-75" here is considered a very good grade and is equivalent to an American "A" or anywhere from a "93-100." So, Mom and Dad, when I get my first grade back and tell you I got a 70 on my test/paper don't assume I am slacking off!

One class I am particularly enjoying is my Creative Writing London class. (Another shocker, right?). It's nice to have a "fun" class where the atmosphere is relaxed, and I get to do something I truly love. The teacher is slightly scatter-brained, but I really like the class and assignments. One of our on-going assignments for this class is actually to write a blog about living in London. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to use this one as the teacher would like the blog to be less "touristy" and more about getting to the creative heart of living in central London, so I will have to create another one. If anyone is interested in reading that blog as well I will include the link in the next post!

Anyway, on to the weekend. We stayed in London this weekend to check out more of the local scene. Friday, Lisa, Katie, Emma, and I went to Portobello Road where one of London's most famous markets runs through Notting Hill, the area of London made famous by the film. Portobello Market was even bigger than Borough Market--it literally went on forever! (The name also reminds me of mushrooms but that's beside the point). We were there for nearly 4 hours and all of us felt we had barely scraped the surface. The market is built into the street shops so there are stalls as well as actually stores all throughout the area, creating a sort of double-layer market that you could spend all day wandering through. Our first stop was at a crepe stall, highly recommended by a friend. And let me tell you, the crepes were amazing! I got a strawberry/nutella crepe and after I was finished I just wanted another, though I restrained myself. We also got some homemade challah bread from another stall that was delicious! Let's just say it's a good thing we do so much walking around here. We meandered around for a while, taking our time and checking out the different foods and wares. I honestly couldn't believe how many different stalls there were selling all sorts of jewelry, clothing, trinkets, and the like. I did end up buying a scarf and necklace--though for 12 pounds total it wasn't a bad deal.

Saturday was a slow day-- we didn't do too much other than hang out. But today our program took us to the Tower of London! It was much bigger than I thought it was going to be on the inside, but it was really cool! We got to walk around the tops of the walls from one tower to the next and learn about the history and the different purposes of each area within the Tower. It was so weird to imagine some of the rooms holding actual prisoners, even with some of their etchings in the stone walls still preserved.

The Bloody Tower had the most interesting if tragic back-story to it as it was the place believed to be where the Princes of the Tower were murdered by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, though it was never proven. We also got to see the Crown Jewels, which was really neat. Of course we weren't allowed to take pictures of them though. There was a very interesting piece of the collection that was a 3-foot-wide punch bowl that could hold 144 bottles of wine! Talk about a royal party. The Crown Jewels themselves looked almost fake in a way because we couldn't believe the diamonds and gems were actually real!

There was also a bunch of little museums throughout the Tower with artifacts and literature on everything from weaponary and cavalry to the Royal Menagerie. One of the kings actually had a polar bear they would tie to a rope so it could go fishing in the Thames! There were also traditonal guards stationed around the Tower so, of course, we tried to get a picture with them. All in all it was a very interesting place.

On the way out of the Tower, we also stopped at a pub for a late lunch/early dinner to try some real English pub food. I got steak and ale pie on another recommendation from a friend and, weird as the name sounds, it was delicious! Definitely another great day in London. Until next time, cheers!