Recent Adventures

Having spent a little over a week in England, I have finally acclimated to my immediate surroundings.  And because no one ever had any adventures or learned any new things by remaining in an overly comfortable place, I dared to branch out from the little BU bubble.  On Friday, a few friends and I threw ourselves full-force into the (somewhat) unfamiliar tube station and east London and (struggled to find) Brick Lane/Old Spitalfields Market.  

Obscured under a maze of sky-scrapers and modern buildings (at least it seems so to a resident of S. Ken), Brick Lane concealed ethnic food stands, vintage stores, and craft stands of varying quality and price.  Although the haggling and heckling men outside the numerous Middle Eastern men tried to entice me into their culinary dens, I selected a simple dish from an Ethiopian vegetarian stand: chickpeas, rice salad, and mixed vegetables.  

Although my adventures of the past week or so have rendered me totally sleep deprived, I managed to drag myself out of my bed and to the meeting spot for the bus to Windsor Castle.  In all honesty, I don't think all of the monarchs, heads of state, tour guides, visitors, and just regular old people who have traversed to the beautiful Windsor Castle have left much to say about this stunning medieval castle; I think it's pretty much all been said.  It certainly rivals Versailles, and I am ambivalent about which is superior.  The Chapel of St. George, (home of the Order of the Garter, burial place of countless royals including Henry VIII!!), interested me most of the whole tour.  The tour allotted only about half an hour there, but I could probably have dedicated the whole day to wandering around St. George's.

After making it through the formal State Apartments, a special exhibition of an incredibly ornate dollhouse (gift to Queen Mary), a gallery of the Royal Collection of drawings & paintings (including several Da Vincis), we sauntered through the town to Eaton College.  Bathed in uncharacteristically balmy and sunny weather, I soaked in the ambiance of the former stomping grounds of countless famous Brits (including current Prime Minister David Cameron and both Princes Harry & William).

Sadly, classes will be starting Monday.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep up this rate of sightseeing throughout the semester.