Kensington Palace

I spent Friday at Kensington Palace with two of my flatmates Nikki and Liz. Kensington Palace is just a tube stop away from my flat. It is where Queen Victoria lived before she went to the throne and where Princess Diana lived. It was so much fun. They also had a special exhibit about being a debutante in England in the 1950s, the last time they had a formal debutante ball with the Queen. I learned special skills like how to waltz, set a formal table, tie a bow tie, and more. They also had clothing exhibits from the 1800s and a Princess Diana fashion one. Then you got to walk through the state apartments where Queen Victoria lived. Afterwards we went to the Orangery in Kensington Gardens for afternoon tea then walked around the park. It was a great day.

Return to Windsor

A statue in the Royal Residence sectionThe Moat with the Round Tower in the back
Lamppost and a portion of the Castle
St. George's Cathedral and the Round Tower with the Union Jack flying signaling that the Queen is not there
St. George's Cathedral in Windsor Castle
Round Tower
The Main Gate leading to the Royal Residences
Some church in the distance
Arrow Slits in the defense walls

Windsor Castle

I took a day trip back to Windsor Castle. One of my favorite things I saw this time was the Knight Room where the Queen knights knights (that sounds way too redundant). It looks exactly like I pictured it would. There is also a huge hall with the banners of all the knights dating back to at least the 1500s. If you commit a crime and have your knighthood revoked, your banner is replaced with a solid white one to remind others of your crimes. I believe St. George, who the Chapel is named after is the patron saint of the knights.

Thames River Cruise

Our university had a James Bond casino themed night with dancing on a boat that went up and down the Thames for 5 hours. It was fun for about the first 2 hours. Then we all just wanted to get off. Here is me and the three other girls in my flat at the beginning facing the cold wind to attempt to get a picture. You can see the London Eye and just make out Big Ben (the orange blob to the right of the eye).

Picadilly Circus

The "Times Square of London"

I went here with a few people and then went to Sports Cafe for Thursday Wing night. I did not eat wings however due to the fact that they are gross.

English Computers

So the keyboards here drive me crazy! I am not sure if you can spot all the differences but here are a few major ones:

The enter/return key is tiny. I end up typing # instead of enter.
The # is in the wrong spot.
The @ traded spots with "
The Shift key is tiny too