Quality Education in the Benedictine Tradition.

search

Bearcats on the Road

Afternoon tea and the Kensington Palace

Posted by Gina McKlveen on Sun, Feb 21, 2016 @ 10:00 AM

Day five:

Friday, Jan. 15, 2016

My Friday consisted of a relaxing morning then an afternoon class. This time I had my communications course. It was called Music, Media and Public Spheres and my lecturer was no other than, Ray Casserly. I had some reservations about having him as a teacher considering he was also the director of our program and I wasn’t sure what to expect from him in a classroom setting; however, he proved to be a very lively instructor. Ray has a doctorate in music and cultural studies and even studied abroad in Pennsylvania at Lock Haven University (small world, right?) Ray also has plenty of musical experience. He has played in several bands and has studied the politics of music in relation to the riots in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The course material he presented on the first day was a little over my head. I don’t know much about the technical aspects of music, so I found it difficult to follow some of his arguments. I think the class might be really challenging for that reason, but I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from taking the course. And I’m excited to learn about new topics that are outside of my majors.

After class, Kenzie and I met up with two other girls in our program, Tori and Korrie, to plan our first trip outside of the United Kingdom. We all agreed that Paris, France, should be our first destination. So we researched trains, flights and bus trips and tried to find our cheapest, most efficient means of transportation. After hours of planning, we had a weekend picked, a flight booked and a hostel reservation all lined up. In a few days, I would be touring Paris! I can hardly wait!

 

Day six:

Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016

Saturday morning was beautiful. The sun was out and it wasn’t as cold as it had been the rest of the week so it was the perfect morning to go on another adventure. I took the Tube from Kings Cross to Kensington Palace with the intention of spending the morning walking around a few of London’s parks, visiting the palace and making a quick stop at the notorious Notting Hill Bookstore.

The atmosphere at Kensington Gardens was very peaceful. The sun was shining through the trees, people were going on morning jogs (I wanted so badly to join them), parents were pushing their children in strollers and playing with them in parks and dogs were running around everywhere. There were so many dogs running around without leashes having the time of their lives. It reminded me how badly I missed my own dog and I wondered what he was doing back home where snowstorms were piling inches of snow on the ground. I continued my walk to Kensington Palace where I was greeted by a statue of Queen Victoria. I learned all about the Victorian Era in my Contemporary Europe class last semester so it was interesting seeing the actual spot where the history I learned about took place. The palace itself was a lot different than Buckingham Palace. Kensington, although it was well kept, still showed signs of aging — the tiles on the roof were moldy, the brick was dull and the framework was under construction. I stepped inside the palace entrance briefly, but decided I would come back for a tour when Princess Diana’s dresses were scheduled to be on display sometime in late March.

 Queen_Victoria.jpg

Queen Victoria at Kensington Palace

Bookshop.pngI continued to walk around Kensington just taking in the sights for another hour and then I started to make my way to the Notting Hill Bookstore. It was a little difficult to find, but Notting Hill was by far one of the cutest neighborhoods I had ever seen. There were so many unique townhouses and colorful markets — I could definitely see myself staying in an area like this since it was much less crowded than Kings Cross and a lot quieter. Once I finally made it to the bookstore it was everything I had pictured it would be except I clearly wasn’t Julia Roberts and the owner unfortunately looked nothing like Hugh Grant. I browsed the shelves of books and picked up a few classics by Jane Austen and Shakespeare.

Later in the afternoon, Kenzie, Korrie, Tori and I went to the Eccleston Square Hotel for afternoon tea. Korrie made reservations the day before. In case anyone is ever interested in having afternoon tea while in England be prepared to pay for the experience. Afternoon tea is not cheap, but it’s one of those things that you just have to experience. Our afternoon tea consisted of a choice of tea (I chose peppermint — excellent choice), a tray of sandwiches, cakes and biscuits, and a glass of champagne. I left the hotel with a full stomach and a feeling that I was officially a tea-loving, biscuit-eating Brit.

 Dessert2.png                            Dessert1.png

 

Topics: study abroad, London, England, Gina McKlveen, afternoon tea, Notting Hill Bookshop, Kensington Palace

About this Blog

In Bearcats on the Road, students chronicle their lives while studying abroad or completing internships away from campus.

Michael Orange

 

How can you study abroad?

Study abroad learn how

 


Join the Community

Subscribe to this Blog

Schedule a Visit

Request Information

Apply Now to become a bearcat


Latest Posts

Bloggers 

Paige Casario

Paige Casario is a junior International Business major with minors in Spanish and Operational Excellence. She is studying Business and Spanish and living with a host family in Sevilla, Spain, for the spring semester. She is very excited for this opportunity and experience and can't wait to venture all over Spain and Europe.

Nicole Reitz

Hi! My name is Nicole Reitz and I’m a junior psychology major at SVC. This spring, I’m studying at Edge Hill University in England.

Gianna Boburka

Hi! My name is Gianna Boburka. I am an international business major with minors in operational excellence and entrepreneurship. I will be studying abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece, this summer for five weeks. In addition to taking two classes abroad, I will be exploring many different sites around Greece.

Theresa Thimons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theresa Thimons is a sophomore majoring in mathematics. She is the proud little sister to nine siblings and aunt to seventeen nieces and nephews. Theresa believes that each encounter she has with another human is an opportunity to better understand the heart of Jesus, as every person is the result of God’s love. In whatever career path she ends up taking, she looks forward to solving problems and hopefully inspiring more people to explore the world of fun that is found in math.

Sam Geer

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Sam Geer. I’m from Murrysville, Pennsylvania, and I’m a junior at Saint Vincent. I’m getting my major in Environmental Science and minoring in Public Administration. I’m a work study at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve and am a member of the Benedictine Leadership Studies Program. This summer, I'll be traveling to Bhutan in the Himalayas of Central Asia, home of the bearcat, where I’ll be studying environmental sustainability and Bhutanese culture. 

Gabrielle Kohl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! Im Gabrielle Kohl, an avid reader who loves to travel around the world! I love to experience new culture, literature, people and food. I aim to make a positive impact in the lives of people with whom I interact in order to make the world a happier place.

Nicole Berry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! My name is Nicole Berry and I am currently a junior studying communication and psychology. I also am minoring in children studies. I am a commuter and currently live in Delmont, PA. I am hoping to graduate in May 2017 and go on to graduate school for my Masters in Social Work and Juris Doctorate.

Anastasia Jaeger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anastasia Jaeger is a junior English education major with a minor in German and a minor in peace and justice. She has always dreamed of being able to travel around the world and is thankful that Saint Vincent College has these opportunities available to students. When she is not at college, she is likely working her part-time job at a local bakery. In the future, she hopes to travel more and do humanitarian work or teach high school students English.