Blending in with the Londoners

So its been a little over a week since I last posted. I'll break what I've done down by day.

Friday 1/27

I don't have class on Friday which is really great, so I met a friend of one of my friends from Clemson who is studying abroad this semester in London also. We went to a place in Charing Cross called Byron Hamburgers where I had literally the best burger I have ever had in my life. You may or may not know this, but I take burgers very seriously and rank the best ones I've had. This one was 100% the best and I can't even explain why, but the old English cheddar may have had something to do with it. So after that, I met up with some friends with East London. We went to the markets, ate at the Jack the Ripper pub and hung about. It was a fun day.

All 5 of Jack the Ripper's victims were seen coming out of this pub before they were murdered.

Saturday 1/28

This was a wonderful full day of sightseeing! We went and saw Abbey Road which was really entertaining because we watched these teenage girls almost get hit by cars. I not a huge Beatles fan, but I like some of the songs, so it was neat to see it.

Abbey Road!

The Studio

After that however, I was pumped because we were going to see King's Cross station!! I jumped around and finally we saw Platform 9 3/4! I was a little let down, because they moved it to nowhere near where it should be, but I took many pictures nonetheless.

Beautiful.

After King's Cross, we went into the British Library. I was not prepared for what I was about to see. In the "Treasures" section were the following:

-Jane Austen's desk, glassed, personal copies with handwriting of Pride and Prejudice

-Original manuscripts of Shakespearean plays

-Speeches written and signed by Queen Elizabeth I

-handwritten notes from Mary, Queen of Scots

-The Luttrel Psalter

-original copy of the Bible

-Handel's Messiah handwritten and sheet music

-many other freak out worthy pieces

I literally just stared at Elizabeth's signature for a good 5 minutes. I was just so pleased to know that all these things had been preserved for so long.

Sunday 1/29

This was a quieter day of doing a bit of reading, homework, and going to church at night!

Monday 1/30

Literally class all day. Mondays are not too fun.

Tuesday 1/31

I did absolutely nothing but read and it was wonderful.

Wednesday 2/1

Much busier. I went to the Museum of London which was great! It tells the history of the city from prehistory to the future. I particularly enjoyed the exhibits on London during the Civil War and fire, Georgian London, and Victorian London. They had a lot of different types of exhibits like traditional ones with artifacts and text panels, interactive things, touch-screens, and videos. The coolest things were the Georgian Pleasure Garden which showed different outfits people wore all in an actual garden with benches, trees, flowers, a starry sky, and a full size video of people moving about and talking in the 1700s style. It was great. The Victorian London shop set up was similar with storefronts to peruse. I did particularly enjoy this museum.

After this, I had to get ready for a play I was seeing that evening called Lovesong. I absolutely hated the show. It was about a couple when they were young and old going back and forth. They could not have children, cheated on each other, and in the end the wife took too many pills on purpose. I don't know if I missed something, but I did not like it at all.

Thursday 2/2

A good day indeed! We went on a tour of the Globe Theatre with my theatre class. The Globe was really cool, but what was better was the museum of Shakespearean artifacts, and the Rose Theatre which was the actual foundation of the theatre from the 1500s. I did really like the Globe because I've always loved Shakespeare.

We also saw the Millennium Bridge! This is the one that the death eaters destroyed in the beginning of HP6. We also walked around St. Paul's Cathedral which was neat. Definitely not as exciting as Westminster Abbey in my opinion. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren as the original burned down in the fire of London in 1666. Diana and Charles got married here in 1981.

Me in front of St. Paul's Cathedral

Shakespeare's Globe

Millennium Bridge with Tower Bridge in the background

Friday 2/3

We went to Trafalgar Square and toured the National Portrait Gallery. I do love the Potrait Gallery because I just like to look at all the people who I do enjoy learning about. Especially the monarchs.

Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery, fountains, and Olympic Countdown all in the background

Saturday 2/4

We hadn't done any real shopping, so we ventured to the Burberry outlet store! We took our first bus ride out into East London and were excited to go in. However, the prices were not what we thought they would be. Needless to say, we left empty handed. We then went to the Camden Market in Camden and looked at things that were more in our price range. It was a lot like Chinatown actually. Then we decided to blend in with the locals and go to the trendy bar called World's End. It was something all right, lots of punky looking people. Rugby was on England vs. Scotland so that had people riled up. It was fun though and a good atmosphere. When we came out of the pub it had started snowing (yuck) and we got the tube home!

Sunday 2/5

As usual Sundays are for schoolwork! So I've been reading King Lear and watching a movie about Paris because I'll be there in 2 weeks! :)

Until Next time!

"Be sure to avoid the crumbly old coffin dodgers!"

So it's been about a week since I last blogged and quite a lot has happened! I'll break it down by days for my sake and your sake!

Friday 20/1/12

(the Brittons do it with the day than the month) confusing if the day is lower than 12!

I don't have class on Friday, so I slept in which was nice, and then went off to tea time and shopping at Harrods!! Harrods is absolutely THE BEST department store in the world, not just London. It is world-renowned and certainly deserves this reputation because it is gorgeous and very fancy inside. So my roommate and I walked around a couple of the sections and saw all the fancy and expensive labels like Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Alexander McQueen, and saw some American ones like Tory Burch! Then we found the Hunter boots sections! The iconic rainboots are UK made and perfect for the weather! They were pretty expensive, so I found some cheaper ones later. The food court in Harrods is ridiculous. All types of full restaurants inside and the seen-and-be-seen tea shop. So we went in and had a proper English tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream! Here is a picture:

Raisin scones with jam and clotted cream!

Inside of the Patisserie

So Harrods was a big success! I didn't have money to buy anything in there, but maybe when Susan comes to visit! ;)

After Harrods we came back and relaxed a little then went out to dinner! I must say, I am being very adventurous with my international foods, because Gabby and Rachel wanted to go to a Greek restaurant. I must say, Greek food doesn't really interest me much and always seemed kind of gross, but I went anyway, just to find that we couldn't find it. So we had a choice of either Italian of French. I opted for Italian, but I was voted against and we went to a French place called Ratatouille!

But it had nothing to do with the movie. However, I did order the Ratatouille! It was really good and was definitely a much needed serving of vegetables. After that we turned in early because the next day was going to be a very full one!

Saturday 21/1/12

We woke up at 7:30 the next morning and boarded our bus for Stonehenge and Bath! Our program, CEA, provided a chartered bus and tour guide for the day, and I was glad to have the man because he was very knowledgeable and pretty funny. The title of this post is a quote from our guide who kept going on and on about all the old people he works with and how he was glad to see some young faces. He told us all about the differences between English English and American English. We learned that some words and gestures that are completely normal for Americans are actually really offensive to the English. (You can ask me about them if you really want to know) We also learned a lot of history about Stonehenge and then we pulled right up to it!

Trust me, I would tell you the history of Stonehenge in a heart beat, but the thing is, no one really knows it! It is one of the world's mysteries and wonders. But what I can say is that it is estimated at over 2,000 BC and built by nomads who were switching from hunting/gathering to stationary living. Archaeologists just found out that the stones are hand carved and from cliffs in Wales! So whoever built it must have cut the stone and carried it over 100 miles. Keep in mind, the only tools they had were made of stone also. It is a calendar type formation that tells time and the season. Whoever built it must have been pretty smart. Truly a wonder!

It was EXTREMELY windy when we went hence my hair and scarf, but it was great seeing it again!

Then we went to Bath which is also in the western part of England. But we needed to pass through this absolutley GORGEOUS English countryside before getting there!

Bath is a gorgeous city! It is the home of Jane Austen and some very enthusiastic Rugby players. The streets look like this:

Beautiful architecture and very clean! So it was about 2pm when we arrived, so finding a pub to eat lunch in was very important. I decided I should try some really English food so I got bangers and mash.

Its just a fancy way of saying chicken sausages and mashed potatoes in a mushroom gravy sauce. It was pretty good actually but I couldn't eat it all. Afterwards we walked around a bit and saw Bath Abbey. Most major cities in England have a large abbey, and this one was particularly pretty!

So maybe you are wondering why the city is called Bath? That is a very good question, and just when you thought you would make it out of here without another history lesson I've got another! This is very brief though I promise.

The first documented people to actually settle in England were the Romans. They came over from London to Bath and set up a town here with this large Roman bath! It fills up naturally from a hot spring below into the Earth's core. It is the only Roman Bath still in existence to have water continuously move through it. Not even the Baths in Rome still do this. It dates back to about 100AD or so. Very neat to see the actual Roman's handiwork around here and in the artifacts on display.

So after our tour we wandered around a bit more and headed home to London! It was a great little trip!

Sunday 22/1/12

Sunday was a pretty chill day, but I did go to a Hillsong Church! It was held in a theatre and had their touring Christian rock band play a bunch of songs I knew from FCA and CC4G! And the Australian founder of the church spoke which was pretty cool. One month til my birthday! Too bad nobody cares about being 22 :/

Monday 23/1/12

CLASS ALL DAY 11:30-6:30 a long day indeed.

Tuesday 24/1/12

SHOPPING!! I don't have class on Tuesdays, so I was on a mission. I found out that my duck boots were not always the best for London rainy days, so I needed to find some suitable rainboots. I went to a couple places, but then ended up at Primark. I bought a tall navy Hunter-esque pair and a Union Jack Cath Kidston pair! Now I will be very prepared for the weather. Also, I may have done some damage in there buying a couple tunics and sweaters. I mean when a solid v-neck sweater costs 3 quid it is literally asking for me to buy it. Why wouldn't I?? I also got a cute quilted satchel, yes satchel, so I know the Wolfpack would be really proud of me. Adding to the list, I got my WP girls their London presents! After a very successful Primark trip, I went to Cath Kidston!! Like I said earlier, CK is basically England's Lilly Pulitzer/Vera Bradley. So OBVI I had to get something!

How cute and positively Londony? Everything in there is floral printed and she makes kitchenware, bags, totes, wallets, cutlery, clothing, quite a lot.

I also got some really touristy London gifts for people and some postcards! Let me know if you want one! I also got a Paddington Bear!! Who can say they didn't love reading the books as a child?

Wednesday 25/1/12

Yesterday was a very big day! My museum studies class went on our first museum trip. I went to the Natural History museum which was really cool, but honestly it was no different than the ones in NYC and DC. But I learned that Narwhals are real!!

This is the outside of the museum. Really pretty, huh? Apparently it was designed like this on purpose as a sort of "Church of Science", not sure what to make of that, but the museum was really great nonetheless. There were just wayyy too many schoolchildren. However, their English accents made up for their loudness.

After that I decided to go across the street and have a look at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It is probably the best museum I have ever been to in my life. It has clothing, furniture, sculptures, art, pottery, decorations, and imagery from all over the world from the years 800-1900. It was organized brilliantly by time period and continent (that's the museum studies talking) and I couldn't get enough of it! It had the perfect mix of artifacts and text and was fascinating. I will DEFINITELY be going back to look around some more. My favorite piece inside was James II's wedding outfit! I think I stood there looking at it for 5 minutes. The building was also very pretty, but its the inside of it that had me freaking out for sure. Sorry for being a history nerd!

After a day at the museums, I went to my first show on the West End! I saw Woman in Black with a couple of kids from my theatre class. We went to a pub in Covent Garden called the White Lion right before which was great. The play was a sort of thriller mystery with only 2 actors playing out what had happened to one of the characters. A play within a play. It was really good, certainly startling at times, but some of the audience found it necessary to scream bloody murder. I was not pleased. But the show was great!

So I know that was really long winded, but I've had an eventful week! This weekend I plan to do some more sightseeing, possibly Abbey Road and some palaces, and the Camden Market!

Cheers!

Oh yeah, I forgot I had to be a student..

So not too much has happened since I last posted. Nothing except the actual reason why I'm here:

Classes.

On Monday I had a very long day. Modules (what the English call classes) are set up in the block format where you have a module once a week for 2-3 hours. So at noon I had my Shakespeare class where we discussed the origin of the theatre and what Shakespearean drama was like. People often forget that Shakespeare's plays are meant to be acted out on the stage and not merely read on a page. (I'm quite pleased with my little rhyme there) We discussed the history of the theatre and how it was a frowned upon occupation because people were not being themselves, therefore insulting God's creation. Really interesting to think about. Also, the theatres were very different than how they are set up today.

Here is one of the only original pictures we have of what the actual Globe theatre looked like. "Groundlings" or "pennylings" paid one pence to enter the theatre and stood on the ground to watch the show. Often times there would be fights and riots on the ground and most people in this section were illiterate bums. The theatre was not just for the uneducated though. Elizabeth I herself loved the theatre, and the aristocracy and nobility would often attend these performances and sat on one of the upper levels because they paid more money. The view was definitely not as good of the show, but people more came to be seen then see the show. London used to be a walled city and the Theatre district was outside the wall on the opposite side of the river, the "seedy area". The east end was also known for being one of the bad parts of London where Jack the Ripper operated. I will talk more about this in detail later!

After that we discussed the play Henry V which we had read for this class. Long story short, The Lancastarian King led his troops to battle at Agincourt in one of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years War. To see the most famous speech of the play click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM

You'll notice Henry V is played by our very own Gilderoy Lockhart! Quite a riveting speech, I would certainly want to go to fight with him! The English are outnumbered 1:5 against the French but despite this they win huge and only lose 30 men to France's 10,000. Seems highly unlikely but I guess Henry V was a phenomenal ruler and having the longbow on their side certainly helped.

So for next time I have to read "As You Like It" and "Taming of the Shrew". After that I had to wait an hour then I had my The Great Wen: Victorian London class.

We learned a lot about the history of London up to the Victorian era and how it was a city built by the Romans on the Thames River. The picked this spot because it was on higher ground for good defense, but with an excellent proximity to a relatively large flow of water. I'll save you all the history, but it was later occupied by the Vikings until Alfred the Great chased them out and contained them to the North. In 1066 everything changed when William the Conqueror and his Normans invaded from France and won the Battle of Hastings. He was crowned King in the same year in Westminster Abbey built by the previous king, Edward the Confessor. Here's a wonderful depiction of what happened based on the Bayeux Tapestry, a hand-stitched 70 meter long cloth that depicts and explains what happened in the battle. No one really knows who made it or its real origin. I'd really like to see this in person in France!

Bayeux Tapestry

Okay so again sorry for all the history but I really love it, London in the Middle Ages continued to expand into the walled city with twists and turns for lanes and the poor living among the rich. The Lord Mayor acted as governor, and the King lived primarily in the Tower of London among other castles. The plague struck the city hard in 1348 and again in 1665. I've already discussed a little about Elizabethan London, but later in the 1600s London was torn apart by Civil War and then by the Great Fire of London in 1666. After all the rebuilding mostly by Sir Christopher Wren (designer of St. Paul's), London grew rapidly to the other side of the river, and into two separate cities, The City of London and The City of Westminster. The reason the class is called the Great Wen, is because a wen is a boil that is continuously growing and swelling. Although a gross metaphor, its pretty accurate in terms of how London grew in terms of people, buildings, and power.

After we sat in lecture for an hour we departed for our seminar. In the UK system, Lecture is just as it sounds with the professor talking and students taking notes, but Seminar is where the class breaks into smaller groups and has discussion. So our seminar group went and had a walking tour of London outside! We examined different architecture styles and compared how they were similar and different. This is what really makes London cool because you have old Tudor buildings next to Georgian style, Victorian style, and even super new buildings constructed in the last 10 years. Everything has a story behind it and a history.

That's enough history for now, hopefully this hasn't bored you! So anyway, on Tuesday I did not have any class, so I did a couple of things. The first thing I'm going to tell you about is English groceries. So it seems like a very simple thing, going grocery shopping, but it is not. First of all, the food here has no preservatives. So unlike our wonderfully chemical filled foods at home, stuff here has a pretty strict expiration date that only lasts about a week. Grocery shops here are much smaller, so no Walmart type establishments. You have to go grocery shopping much more frequently because of the expiration dates. But stuff is pretty reasonable. A loaf of bread is only 60 pence! The exchange rate is about $1.55 buys you a pound. I can't do the pound symbol on here but it looks like an L with a slash through it. So even with the exchange rate stuff is still reasonably priced. There are always sales on things that close to expiration, so that's the way to get the best prices. Our kitchen isn't too exciting, so its been a lot of sandwiches and apples for me. So anyway, Tuesday I ordered some groceries from Sainsbury's online and had them delivered! Now I have enough food for a month yay! I got pretty standard American things like soup, ham, cheese, apples, vegetables, pasta, chicken. But the most exciting is NUTELLA! Its wonderful on toast. And English candy is awesome. Home of Cadbury?? Pretty tempting. I'll be sure to bring lots back home with me.

So after I packed my groceries away, I went for a walk/jog/run through Regent's Park. There are 2 major parks in London, Hyde Park (where Buckingham Palace is next to) and Regent's Park home to some of London's prettiest gardens.

I also ran by the London Zoo and saw some little boys practicing rugby. The park is so beautiful and full of gorgeous English gardens, fountains, and lots of different birds. It was awesome!

That night we went on a Jack the Ripper tour of the East End where he actually killed the 5 prostitutes. He is the world's first serial killer, but people still do not know who he was! The summer of 1888 was when he operated and did all sorts of gruesome things to 5 women. The mystery fascinates people and it was quite something to be exactly where the murders took place. I could go into detail, but let's just say it was really nasty what he did to the women.

So today I had my Public History class. I'm minoring in Public History with my conjunction with my History major, so I'm really excited about it. We are going to go to different museums each week and do exhibit reviews. Basically its going to be awesome.

After that I headed back to good old Marylebone and made a nice lunch of ham and cheese and an apple then it was time to SHOP!!

This my friends is Primark. Its the best thing ever, just like Forever 21 but cheaper and better quality and wayyyy nicer clothes that aren't crazy urban looking. So I bought a sweater, a tunic, and some socks. I will definitely go back when I get my debit card ;) The whole big top with leggings tucked into boots is very in here too! That's what I see all the students wearing. i also got myself a British flag yay! If you skype me you'll see it in the background. Shopping was great and I will def be doing some more in the near future. Next time it will be on to Harrod's for me!

Cheers!

Sightseeing Extravaganza

Skyline of the City of Westminster, lucky enough to call this home for 5 months!

So I've been pretty busy these last couple of days! On thursday I had my appointment with the Westminster study abroad office and discusses my classes and enrollment and so on. Here's my schedule!

On Mondays I have Shakespeare and Victorian London. Tuesday I have no class. Wednesday I have my History of London Museums and Public History. In this class I go to a different museum every week, learn to review it, and see what works and what doesn't. Perfect for my hopeful career in Charleston! Thursday I have a really fun class, London Theatre and Performance. We go see different shows each week and get to go backstage and talk to actors and the director. Pretty fun stuff! I think its safe to say I should know a lot about London by the end of the semester!

After my appointment, I went to get a London bank account. Obviously, I chose my boyfriend, Phil Mickelson's bank of Barclays! Now I'll look like an official Londoner. But actually, not once but 4 times did people ask me for directions to something in the last 2 days. I mean, I don't exactly blend in with my pink overcoat and Lilly Pulitzer scarves, but I guess I gave off an air of knowing? Well, whatever it was, the second I opened my mouth the cat was out of the bag. No longer a sophisticated and knowledgeable Londoner. It was fun for a second though, next time I think I'll answer with my English accent and see if I can still fool them. Maybe I'll trade in my Lilly for Burberry to look more London-esque.

So then on Thursday Evening we went on a boat cruise down the Thames River!! It was realllllyyy cold but amusing to watch the 19 year olds get wasted and sing American songs at the top of their lungs. I got these pictures of the Globe Theatre and Tower Bridge from the River. It was pretty neat to be seeing all these things from the water.

This morning I went on a double decker bus tour of London! It was really cold sitting up top, but very worth it! We began at Piccadilly Circus and went on a huge loop of the city over to Tower Bridge, Parliament, the Palace, Financial District, Hyde Park, and Victoria Station. To see all my pictures, definitely check out my facebook album, but I included some here that I will discuss in more detail. I learned some pretty cool things that I didn't know before. As you all probably know, I am obsessed with all things English (hence the title of my blog being about the life of an Anglophile) so I know a good bit about landmarks and the royals of the past and present. Today was great because I learned even more! I'll explain some of the pictures I took on my tour now.

I know that you all know this is Big Ben, but what I didn't know was that it is names for the huge bell that is inside the clock tower. The bell is named after its commissioner, Sir Benjamin Hall. Another little known fact, at the base of each clock face it reads:

DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM This means O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First. Its strange that they would include "the first" there because they don't know there will be another Victoria, so why say the first? I guess they are speculating there will be another and want to make it clear that it is the 19th century Victoria they are referencing. Like the Brits, Big Ben is known for being extremely accurate and timely. Maybe this is where the English get their reputation from? I found this gate particularly interesting. It is called the Admiralty Arch and was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria. It allows pedestrians and motorists to go in between Trafalgar Square and The Mall of Buckingham Palace. BUT you can only go in the sides of the gate, not the middle, because only the Queen can travel in the center when on official royal duties. Must be nice to have something that only one person in the world can do! Close by were some of Elizabeth's Horse Guards. They are mounted cavalry on guard at Whitehall called the Life Guard. Prince Harry served as one!

This is the National Gallery that houses some of the most famous paintings in the world. Some include pieces by: Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Van Eyck, Memling, Reubens, Bruegel, Cezanne, Degas, Pisarro, Manet, Monet, Durer, Holbein, Davinci, Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Picasso just to name a few. Basically the stuff you read about in books, its actually here.

This is for Platte if you're reading this! It was right next to London School of Economics and a very pretty building indeed!

National Bank of England. This is where all the gold and money is kept in vaults, so there are no windows on the bottom floor!

This is Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was acquired by the position around the year 1200. It has been added on since then, and played a role in the Peasants' Uprising of 1381, the Lollard Conspiracy, and The English Civil War. Why a religious man needs a palace that he doesn't regularly occupy is way beyond me. Its a cool building nonetheless.

This building is part of a Kensington neighborhood that costs over 16 million pounds (roughly $28 mil) to live in. It is the swankiest place to live in London and people such as J.K Rowling, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Meryl Streep, Madonna, and many other high rollers.

St. James' Palace! This place was my favorite on the tour (besides the usuals) and had a lot of history. So obviously, I'm going to tell you ALL about it.

St. James's Palace is home to some very important events in Royal history. It has been the residence of Kings and Queens of England for over 300 years and is still the official residence of the monarch, althought since Queen Victoria, the monarch has lived in Buckingham.

The palace was built by Henry VIII in 1536 on the site of the Hospital of St. James, Westminster. Much survives of the red brick building erected by Henry VIII, including the Chapel Royal, the gatehouse, some turrets and two surviving Tudor rooms in the State apartments. Henry VIII's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, whom he contemplated recognizing as his heir, was living in the Palace when he died in 1536 at the age of seventeen. From then on St. James's House, as it was known, saw a succession of Royal inhabitants who lived there while playing their part in some of the more famous events in English history.

Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, stayed there the night after her coronation. Before she was discarded following the birth of Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth, the initials "HA" entwined in a lovers' knot appeared on a couple of Tudor fireplaces in the State apartments.

It was in St. James's Palace in 1558 that Mary Tudor signed the treaty surrendering Calais. Elizabeth I was resident during the threat posed by the Spanish Armada and set out from St James's to address her troops assembled at Tilbury, to the east of London.

The future Charles II and James II were both born and baptised at St James's, as were Mary of York (Mary II), Anne of York (Queen Anne) and James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender). After the destruction of the Palace of Whitehall, all monarchs until William IV lived at St. James' for part of the time.

In 1809, much of the east and south ranges of the Palace was destroyed by a fire, but the State rooms were restored by 1813. At this time the Prince Regent (later George IV) was living at Carlton House, but four of his brothers were provided with houses within the Palace walls. Frederick, Duke of York was given Godolphin House, now Lancaster House, and William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV) was given Clarence House, today occupied by The Prince of Wales.

William IV was the last monarch to use St. James's Palace as a residence. After his death, court functions were still held in the State apartments, which had been enlarged by Christopher Wren, the famous architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, and embellished by William Kent. Some rooms were later partly redecorated by William Morris. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in the Chapel Royal in 1840, and court levées continued to be held at St. James's Palace until 1939. It is also the London residence of The Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice of York, and Princess Alexandra, Hon. Lady Ogilvy. It houses court offices and officials' apartments in addition to being the former home of the Prince of Wales and William and Harry.

Now St. James houses Prince William and Harry's own personal staff which also serves Kate. before this, their duties were overseen by their father's staff at Clarence House. Clarence House, once the residence of the Queen Mother, is now the home of Charles and Camilla.

So I will DEFINITELY be coming back to examine this palace a little bit closer. It was a great day of sightseeing followed by Indian food for dinner again. I learned that I really don't like Indian. I think I'll stick to Traditional English pubs.

Cheers!