Sunday 3/9/14: Canterbury Cathedral

This was one of my favorite days of the trip. Canterbury was a very quaint English city and was very cool to visit, but the cathedral itself was incredible. It exceeded my expectations by a long shot and I was absolutely awestruck when I first laid eyes on it. I spent a lot of time outside the cathedral taking pictures and just gazing at the impeccable architecture. Once inside, a little bit of a history lesson came with sightseeing. After reading the names of all the Archbishops of Canterbury from the 13th century to the present and seeing some of their tombs, I spent some time admiring the stained-glass windows and high ceilings. As a group, we had the opportunity to attend a Matins service inside the Cathedral, which was a terrific experience. While most of this day was spent traveling, it stands out to me because of the Cathedral and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

— Sam Elkins

Saturday 3/8/14: St. Paul and the Tower Bridge

On Saturday morning, we woke up early in London and ready to start the second day of touring. We loaded the bus and headed towards the Westminster side of London. During the guided tour, we saw Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. That afternoon, the group split up.  Some revisited Tower Bridge, a few went shopping on Oxford Street and others took the ‘Tube’ to Piccadilly Circus. After an afternoon of adventure, the group met up again to have the classic British meal of fish and chips before returning to the hotel in Northwest London on the train.

— Kneeland Gammill

Friday 3/7/14: Leicester Square

After traveling for many hours by plane and bus we dropped our things off at the hotel and took the London Underground Tube to Leicester Square. This was also the first time we rode on the underground or the subway. Simon (our tour guide) was very patient with us but we mastered it fairly quickly. It was an interesting experience to see how the underground worked and to navigate such a complicated system.  After the underground we hopped off in Leicester Square. Here we got to have some free time and walk around. A smaller group of us got to watch a very entertaining street performer. Later that evening at Bistro 1, we had chicken, peas and potatoes. We also had cheese cake to celebrate Anna Burress’s 18th birthday. It was a really fantastic first day in London with lots and lots of fun.

— Jane Shelby

Spring Break 2014: London, Paris & Normandy