Sorry I don't have enough time to write the description of syon house till tomorrow but hear are the pics, contrary to popular belief no I am not eating the flower, I just wanted to show how big it was.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
June 19th blog
I don’t think any of the females reading this will need any explanation to this Picture. Chatsworth has definitely been one of my favorite sites.
This is where they filmed Most of the Scenes of Mr. Darcy’s house Pemberly in the most recent version of Pride and Prejudice.
The most impressive portion for many people though is the gardens. The fountain in front of the house runs on the forces of gravity, and at certain times it can spring as high as two hundred feet in the air. 
We were so determined to find the center of the maze that we spent a good half an hour going in circles, till we finally discovered that one of the passages is disguised as a dead end.
The waterfall going down the side of the mountain was also impressive. It descends in multiple terraced layers, probably 10 feet in length each, which you can wade in to walk up or down the falls. 
The grounds were extensive, and flocks of sheep grazed on the lowlands, exactly what you would expect in such as scene. Chatsworth’s collection of art was also extensive and quite different from most of the House’s and Halls we’ve seen as it contained many modern pieces interspersed with the antiquity pieces.
June 18th blog
Not only did we get to see Blenheim Palace, but we also had scones and clotted cream and found an actual grocery store. my day is complete! Actually I’ve been feeling quite a bit under the weather with a bug that’s been going through the group, but I’m feeling a bit better tonight. Blenheim was opulent, no expense is spared in these buildings. Once again photography wasn’t allowed on the interior, but I did as many quick sketches as I could. The Long Library was my favorite. Most of the furniture was done in a rich cream colored brocade silk. The ceilings were beautifully detailed with their fair share of dentils, guilloche’s with gold leaf, acanthus leaves, husks and every other application you can think of. Hear some of the girls are taking a "break" in the huge front lawn.
I find it funny that during this period the English and the French despised each other, yet the English tried to emulate the French in every aspect. The most known Prime Minister who lived there was Winston Churchill, and I believe Queen Anne lived there for a time.
After we’d toured the palace we stopped in the restaurant where I had a pot of chamomile tea with a cute little pitcher of milk and sugar, and a large currant scone with a pot of clotted cream and some strawberry jam, it was delicious. Everything was trimmed and in its place in the gardens.
There was an italianate garden pictured hear and a secret garden that was much more wild than most of the other areas that was secluded and peaceful. All the fountains and hedges with the classic statues and baulistrads and the greenness of the surrounding is lovely.
June 15th-17th blog
Stonehenge is beautiful! Most of my pictures were taken from the protection of my umbrella, which kept getting blown inside out, but it was still worth it. I wish I had taken more photos of the countryside around it, but it was a bit difficult.
We listened to audio guides about how the henge was built, what materials were most likely used, etc. Its amazing some of the things that were built with so little technology. 
Saturday we decided to go to Scotland for the remainder of our weekend. We left our hotel at 5 in the morning so we could sleep during the five and half hour train ride. We expected the weather to be much like London, perhaps slightly cooler. I should’ve been clued in when I saw the fog so think on the fields that it was a cold morning, but I just thought it was always that way. We definitely weren’t prepared to be so cold we could see our breath, and watch frozen mist blow around the walls of the castle.
The castle was imposing on the sheer cliffs of Edinburgh (of which we tried to climb on a muddy trail, but that’s another story). One thing I did notice, even though we were only there for a short time, is that the castles in Scotland look older than the ones in England of the same age. Perhaps it is because they use a darker stone in most of their buildings, and they seem to have less windows, making the interior dimmer.
After Edinburgh castle we were too cold and tired to do much, so we went to dinner and then back to our hostel to sleep. The next morning we got up bright and early to catch the train to Prestwick and Culzeen castle, but partially thanks to our hotel concierge we were a little behind schedule. Because we were late getting into Prestwick we would’ve only had half an hour tops to go through the castle and grounds, and for 9 pounds (18 U.S. dollars) we weren’t sure if we’d get our money’s worth, so instead we decided to go to the beach in Prestwick. 
Luckily it was the first sunny day they’d had in almost a month, and wading in the water was surprisingly pleasant. I felt like a little kid collecting so many rocks, shells and sea glass off the beach, but it was nice to have a bit of time to relax. I had to put one cheesy “beach running” picture on.
We then headed home, which took almost an hour longer than it was supposed to because of delays on the tracks, but luckily we were able to see some amazing scenery while our train was stalled. Although it wasn’t quite the weekend I expected, Scotland was beautiful and worth the hassle.
We listened to audio guides about how the henge was built, what materials were most likely used, etc. Its amazing some of the things that were built with so little technology.
Saturday we decided to go to Scotland for the remainder of our weekend. We left our hotel at 5 in the morning so we could sleep during the five and half hour train ride. We expected the weather to be much like London, perhaps slightly cooler. I should’ve been clued in when I saw the fog so think on the fields that it was a cold morning, but I just thought it was always that way. We definitely weren’t prepared to be so cold we could see our breath, and watch frozen mist blow around the walls of the castle.
The castle was imposing on the sheer cliffs of Edinburgh (of which we tried to climb on a muddy trail, but that’s another story). One thing I did notice, even though we were only there for a short time, is that the castles in Scotland look older than the ones in England of the same age. Perhaps it is because they use a darker stone in most of their buildings, and they seem to have less windows, making the interior dimmer.
After Edinburgh castle we were too cold and tired to do much, so we went to dinner and then back to our hostel to sleep. The next morning we got up bright and early to catch the train to Prestwick and Culzeen castle, but partially thanks to our hotel concierge we were a little behind schedule. Because we were late getting into Prestwick we would’ve only had half an hour tops to go through the castle and grounds, and for 9 pounds (18 U.S. dollars) we weren’t sure if we’d get our money’s worth, so instead we decided to go to the beach in Prestwick.
Luckily it was the first sunny day they’d had in almost a month, and wading in the water was surprisingly pleasant. I felt like a little kid collecting so many rocks, shells and sea glass off the beach, but it was nice to have a bit of time to relax. I had to put one cheesy “beach running” picture on.
We then headed home, which took almost an hour longer than it was supposed to because of delays on the tracks, but luckily we were able to see some amazing scenery while our train was stalled. Although it wasn’t quite the weekend I expected, Scotland was beautiful and worth the hassle.
Friday, June 15, 2007
June 14th blog
I thought I might just make it through two weeks in England without much rain besides a sprinkle or two, but I’m sitting hear drenched and cold proving that downpours are unavoidable. Despite being sore and soggy today was a very good day. We took the train station at Kings Cross (where platform nine and three quarters from Harry Potter is located) to Cambridge this morning. 
When we arrived there a guide met us and took us on a walking tour of the major sites in the town, such as Kings Chapel one of the most ornate buildings with the best example of fan vaulting on the ceiling I’ve seen yet.
Apparently during WWII they took out all the stained glass because of bombing raids, but they forgot to label where to put it back, and it took them three years to put it back in place after the war. even then there is still a window that is messed up with a mans head on a woman’s body.
When we arrived there a guide met us and took us on a walking tour of the major sites in the town, such as Kings Chapel one of the most ornate buildings with the best example of fan vaulting on the ceiling I’ve seen yet.Apparently during WWII they took out all the stained glass because of bombing raids, but they forgot to label where to put it back, and it took them three years to put it back in place after the war. even then there is still a window that is messed up with a mans head on a woman’s body.
I thought that there was just one main campus and one college, but apparently there are thirty or more small colleges all with the name of Cambridge located throughout the town, they just offer different areas of study. We took a break to have lunch at a local pub that still had graffiti on the walls from American soldiers in WWII. After the tour we were taken to go punting. Most of us assumed this was some sort of sport, but it is actually quite a bit like gondola rides. We had about 12 of us in our boat, and a young college student was our guide, who stood on one end of the boat with a long pole and pushed us through the canal.
It was beautiful, and we were even provided some free entertainment when a handful of drunk college students dressed as pirates swam by on inflatable pirate ships, quite entertaining.
After the punting we spent some time shopping at the open market then headed back to the train. It had been drizzling while we were shopping, but on the mile walk back to the train it poured, and because of my silliness and a stupid souvenir I was drenched by the time we reached the train station. All in all it was still a good day and I throughly enjoy the town of Cambridge.
June 13th blog
Two long days in a row have worn on me. We were supposed to get back from Hardwick and Haddon Hall today before 7, but we accidently took the wrong train almost two hours in the wrong direction, so it is now 11 and we just barley got back to our hotel. Both the halls we went to today were impressive. Hardwick has two halls, old hardwick hall and new hardwick hall. They are next door to one another, but old hardwick hall was abandoned in the sixteenth century because Elizabeth, the owner couldn’t stand her husband, so when she died she took the money and built a new mansion next to the old one. 
She made a habit of marrying rich then inheriting her husbands money when they died. Even though the old hall was in ruins, parts of it were still intact and the view from the moss covered stones of the fourth floor were incredible.
New Hardwick hall was also impressive, but like so many of these great halls photography wasn’t allowed inside and so I’m afraid I won’t be able to remember much. The Great Hall and Long Gallery were beautiful, perhaps the best examples of Elizabethan architecture and interiors that I’ll ever see. Wonderful tapestries depicting Odysius and Penelope’s lives covered the walls in the great hall, and bookcases and impressive fireplaces and leaded glass windows lined the gallery.
After Hardwick we traveled by bus to Haddon Hall. I wasn’t really looking forward to it, but surprisingly it was one of my favorite sites yet. Small in comparison to some of the other halls (yet immaculate by our standards) parts of the hall date back to the 13th century, and it is a wonderful representation of Tudor design. Many films such as the Princess Bride, Jane Eyre, and select scenes in the most recent version of Pride and Prejudice were filmed at Haddon hall. There is even a famous love story about Dorothy, one of the daughters of the Duke in the sixteenth century who eloped with a gardener that many books and films have been written about.
The Gardens were drenched in roses and climatis flowers, and the pastoral landscape beneath the hill, dotted with flocks of sheep and quaint stone bridges was like something out of a fairy tale.
Its too bad that the day couldn’t have ended on a better note, but at least we’ll have something to laugh about in the future.
She made a habit of marrying rich then inheriting her husbands money when they died. Even though the old hall was in ruins, parts of it were still intact and the view from the moss covered stones of the fourth floor were incredible.New Hardwick hall was also impressive, but like so many of these great halls photography wasn’t allowed inside and so I’m afraid I won’t be able to remember much. The Great Hall and Long Gallery were beautiful, perhaps the best examples of Elizabethan architecture and interiors that I’ll ever see. Wonderful tapestries depicting Odysius and Penelope’s lives covered the walls in the great hall, and bookcases and impressive fireplaces and leaded glass windows lined the gallery.
After Hardwick we traveled by bus to Haddon Hall. I wasn’t really looking forward to it, but surprisingly it was one of my favorite sites yet. Small in comparison to some of the other halls (yet immaculate by our standards) parts of the hall date back to the 13th century, and it is a wonderful representation of Tudor design. Many films such as the Princess Bride, Jane Eyre, and select scenes in the most recent version of Pride and Prejudice were filmed at Haddon hall. There is even a famous love story about Dorothy, one of the daughters of the Duke in the sixteenth century who eloped with a gardener that many books and films have been written about.
The Gardens were drenched in roses and climatis flowers, and the pastoral landscape beneath the hill, dotted with flocks of sheep and quaint stone bridges was like something out of a fairy tale.
Its too bad that the day couldn’t have ended on a better note, but at least we’ll have something to laugh about in the future.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
June 12th blog
If every day continues to be more amazing than the previous, I can’t wait to see what is next. We woke up bright and early this morning to catch a train to Salisbury. After the hour and a half train ride we arrived and took a bus to Wilton House. Riding the bus was an experience in itself, two way streets were only wide enough to be one way, so when two cars met there would have to be a standoff to see which one would back up to a driveway or some other side escape and let the other pass. The interior at Wilton House was beautiful, the 18th Earl of Pembroke currently resides there so we could only see a portion of the house, but it was definitely impressive. They have a very extensive collection of antiquity sculpture and Renaissance artwork, and many beautiful Chippendale and Kent pieces in their furniture collections. Upon our arrival we were served tea and cookies, or lemonade and danishes in our case. The grounds were beautiful, they apparently used to be in the French, highly manicured taste, but the ninth Earl of Pembroke preferred the Italianate styles of more wild gardens, so the grounds were changed into how they are at present day. 
We all enjoyed the children’s park on the grounds that had many tree houses, huge slides, a low zip line, trampolines etc, all the “fun” toys you don’t get to play on in America any longer.
I wasn’t expecting much from Salisbury Cathedral, churches hear just seem to run together a bit, but I was pleasantly suprised.
When we entered the cathedral the wide open space was impressive, unlike most of the other cathedrals this one didn’t have a partition separating by caprice so you had an uninterrupted view. 
We were then taken on a “rooftop” tour of the cathedral attics and it was amazing. I learned so much about medieval architecture, and it made the building and the sacrifice of the people that much more significant.
In total we went up over five hundred steps or something like that, on four or five very narrow spiral staircases, and more than a few of us had to be careful not to look down or else you might just get a little too scared to go on, but when we reached the top it was worth it.
We all enjoyed the children’s park on the grounds that had many tree houses, huge slides, a low zip line, trampolines etc, all the “fun” toys you don’t get to play on in America any longer.
I wasn’t expecting much from Salisbury Cathedral, churches hear just seem to run together a bit, but I was pleasantly suprised.
When we entered the cathedral the wide open space was impressive, unlike most of the other cathedrals this one didn’t have a partition separating by caprice so you had an uninterrupted view. We were then taken on a “rooftop” tour of the cathedral attics and it was amazing. I learned so much about medieval architecture, and it made the building and the sacrifice of the people that much more significant.
In total we went up over five hundred steps or something like that, on four or five very narrow spiral staircases, and more than a few of us had to be careful not to look down or else you might just get a little too scared to go on, but when we reached the top it was worth it.
June 11th blog
As much as I thought I loved modern art, some of the things I saw today just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The Design Museum, featuring the designer Colani was small but interesting. I respect designers who can take their inspiration from nature. His designs for aircrafts were based on various sea creatures including a kind of a shark that has an aerodynamic build.
On our walk to the next stop we saw a cathedral that was open and organ music was being played, so we strolled in. It looked like they were getting ready for some event or else they were just doing some housecleaning/maintenance, but either way their weren’t very many people besides ourselves. Apparently we weren’t supposed to be there, but we didn’t find that out till after we’d listened to the organ music and taken a few pictures, oh well.
We then walked to the Tate modern art center. While some of the pieces were beautiful, others mainly seemed an excuse to display pornography. Right now were sitting in the park at Leicester square trying to connect to the internet, but its not working, however the opening of Shrek the third in England is going on a few hundred feet from us and so there is lots to see. Apparently it’s a red carpet event, but I haven’t seen any actors yet. I’ve decided that England smells like beef stew and old people.
On our walk to the next stop we saw a cathedral that was open and organ music was being played, so we strolled in. It looked like they were getting ready for some event or else they were just doing some housecleaning/maintenance, but either way their weren’t very many people besides ourselves. Apparently we weren’t supposed to be there, but we didn’t find that out till after we’d listened to the organ music and taken a few pictures, oh well.
We then walked to the Tate modern art center. While some of the pieces were beautiful, others mainly seemed an excuse to display pornography. Right now were sitting in the park at Leicester square trying to connect to the internet, but its not working, however the opening of Shrek the third in England is going on a few hundred feet from us and so there is lots to see. Apparently it’s a red carpet event, but I haven’t seen any actors yet. I’ve decided that England smells like beef stew and old people.
Monday, June 11, 2007
June 9-10 blog
I made it through my first weekend. Saturday wasn’t too exciting, we went shopping on Portobelo and Oxford roads, but prices in England are ridiculous so I just looked. Sunday a group of us got up and went to church. I saw Jesse Randall a boy from my home town (also a fellow USU student) and his wife at sacrament, they’re doing an internship in Belgium and were just in London for a few days. It’s a small world after all. After church I got on a train with a few fellow students and we rode the hour and a half to Bath. The remains of the Roman Empire hear in England are a tribute to their power. 
The museum displayed models of what the Bath complex would’ve looked like during the time of the Romans and it was extremely large. Columns, alters, elaborate carving. 
The floor and foundations with some aquifers were all that was left when the baths were excavated in the mid 1800's. 
a complex in the roman style was built on the site later in the century and a museum operates their today. Hear I am attempting to look Romanesque in front of the main bath. 
After the baths we walked to the Royal Circus, semicircular buildings used for lodging and the Royal Crescent. Both were beautiful, but I couldn’t remember much about them, I wish I would have been able to review better before my trip.
The museum displayed models of what the Bath complex would’ve looked like during the time of the Romans and it was extremely large. Columns, alters, elaborate carving. The floor and foundations with some aquifers were all that was left when the baths were excavated in the mid 1800's. a complex in the roman style was built on the site later in the century and a museum operates their today. Hear I am attempting to look Romanesque in front of the main bath. After the baths we walked to the Royal Circus, semicircular buildings used for lodging and the Royal Crescent. Both were beautiful, but I couldn’t remember much about them, I wish I would have been able to review better before my trip.
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