Good Day, I'm Off to London!: Boat Ride Along the Thames and Hampton Court

Today was our first full day in London, and I am tired, as I have been on the go all day. We left our apartment at 8:45 this morning for a boat tour along the Thames. On the boat, we had great views of Big Ben, the London Eye, the Parliament, and the back of the London Aquarium. After three hours of sitting on the boat, we got off and explored Hampton Court for about 2 hours. Hampton Court is the palace where Henry VIII lived with his six wives. It was really awesome being able to see the kitchen, dining rooms, bedrooms, common rooms, and all the other places where Henry and the royal family lived in the late 1500's. After exploring the inside of the palace, we (my friends and I) walked around the gardens, which were beautiful and unlike anything I have seen. Because the weather was hot today and we did A LOT of walking, we were all exhausted.

Compared to some of the other people I am staying with, I was not very jet lagged. Unfortunately, my internal clock decided to wake me up at 5:30 this morning (I went to bed at 10:15), which is unusual as I am not a morning person. I tried to fall back asleep, but after doing so unsuccessfully after an hour, I decided to get up. I am living in an apartment with six other girls, and am in a triple with my friends Sam and Kelly. Everyone is really nice, and I have been enjoying getting to know the other people in my program. Tomorrow we start classes, and are going to see Les Mis at night. Since most of the plays we are seeing are for our Shakespeare class, I am excited to see a musical for a change.

Anyways, here are some pictures from today. More later!