A Saturday in London!

Today we went to visit the House of Parliament. We took a tour through the building where we got to see both houses; the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It was pretty awesome, although it was a struggle to stay awake and pay attention. I think everyday I drag a little more, and look foward to a Starbucks to get some coffee.
                                            
After our visit we went up to Camden Town and went to the market. It was very busy with lots of interesting people but there was shop after shop to buy things from.  For lunch we are Japanese food, which was probably the second best thing I have eaten since I have been in London. I even tried some sushi and liked that! It was a good day.  We came across a store that made me laugh! American clothes, although from the window the clothes didn't look like they were very American.

A long eventful day outside of the city

Friday was a day with lots to do in days time. We left the hotel at 8a.m. and headed to Oxford. We got to visit the city of Oxford and the Oxford University. There are 38 colleges that make up Oxford University. We had a guided tour that took us through one of the colleges called Christ Church. The Christ Church was very interesting because it is the home of the real Alice, the story of Alice  in Wonderland. Alice's father was the Dean of Christ Church.  It is told that he is the character white rabbit is her father because he was always running late. 

 The dinning hall of the college is what inspired the film makers of Harry Potter. They could not film the movie in the dinning hall because of the school, but they wanted the exact same layout so they made one just like it which they used for the films. The students eat three meals a day in this dinning hall.

After Oxford we went to Stratfrod, the town  of the birth place of William Shakespeare. It was a quick stop were we got some lunch and could see the outside of the building.

Shakespeare's birthplace

After a quick stop we then went on to see the Warwick Castle. This is a medieval castle that first appeared on the site in 1068. We got to walk through the castle and go up on the towers. 

After our long day of site seeing my friends and I went to Covent Garden to Meet Erin and Maisie for dinner. Erin took us to a restaurant that had american food. We were all very happy because it was probably the first time we left full after eating in London. Everyone but myself got a chocolate milkshake, it was a nice little reminder of home. 

A day in the sun!

Today was the first day since we arrived that we have seen the sun for longer than 15 minutes. It was really nice because it was our fancy dress day and all the girls were in dresses. Today was a long but very exciting day for us. First we got to go behind the gates of Downing street and see the residence of the Prime Minister.

The police for the residence to the Prime Minister and I

From there we went to the Buckingham Palace, where we got to go behind the gate into the fareham court  to watch the switching of the guards ceremony. This was so exciting because we got to behind the gates like we were very important people, not very many people are allowed past the gate. The police officers that took us behind the gates said they have never even been behind the gate before.We weren't allowed to take pictures behind the gate so I could not get any of the switching of the guards.

The gate to the Buckingham Palace

After Buckingham Palace we then went to the New Scotland Yard. This is the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. The officers gave us a speech about their overview of some of the things they deal with over there. The main things they did last year was the Olympics and the Tour De France. This big events are so big that they don't even have enough transportation for all the officers. On top of that they have to feed all them. At the peak of the Olympics there was 12,500 police officers on duty.  

At the end of the presentation Richard, the officer who has been with our group for a few days gave us each a commemorative Olympic certificate. The officers were all given one, but they had a few extra and we were lucky enough to get them!

Day 3 in London!

Today it was a little nicer out then it has been since we got here. This morning we went on our visit then we got to go out and experience more of the city! On our way to our visit we got to see the clock tower which holds Big Ben the bell.

A telephone booth by the clock tower.

For our visit we went the the Supreme Court. We got a tour of the courtrooms and were educated on how the process works. The Supreme Court is not very old, it was established in 2009.

We got to sit in the the Justice's seats and feel important for a short duration!

After our visit we went to Chinatown and went to M & M World!

Needless to say it was a good time!

I almost got pick pocketed today, I caught a man grabbing my backpack and I quickly turned around and saw him staring at me. I then looked at my back and my zipper had been un-zipped quite a ways. Luckily I caught him just in time. 

Since I have not been a fan of anything I have ate hear so far we gave in and went to Burger King in Chinatown! I hate Burger King, but that burger tasted so delicious. After our adventure in Chinatown we went to the British Museum. This Museum is HUGE! we spent a few hours in it and didn't even get to see very much. The museum is the history of the world. There is a gallery for just about every country.

After this seeing all this I was very tired from all the walking, I should sleep very well tonight. 

1st visit!

Today we went to our first visit, we went to the Westminster Magistrates Court. Here we got to sit in on actual cases to get a better understanding on how the justice study is over here. It was very fascinating to see that the defendant does not sit next to their attorney like they do in the states, rather they are placed in what I would consider a glass box  and then locked in there until their case is dismissed. The two court rooms I got to sit in on both had Lay Magistrate judges, which is where there are three volunteers that have training that make the ruling decisions over the case. Before they make a decision they have to confront the legal advisor to  make that it is legal.

Us getting ready to leave the hotel and head to our visit

Leaving the the court house it was raining outside so we got to use our brollies (umbrellas) for the first time.

Our hotel is the largest hotel in the UK., it is the size of what we would consider a shopping mall. Although it is huge the rooms are not! Here is a picture of what I will be living in for the next 12 days. 

The hotel its self is a huge culture shock. Most rooms have a baday, although mine did not. Some people in our group were not quite sure what they were at first. The bed sizes reminded me of the beds in the dorms. 

The View of our hotel outside our window!

Arrival in London

After a long plane ride with very little sleep we arrived in London to some beautiful weather. We spent our day in Windsor. After exchanging  our money we got to see the changing of the guards. This is a traditional ceremony that takes place at 11 a.m. everyday.

 We then toured the Windsor Castle which is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It was amazing to tour each room in the castle, this gave us a general idea of what it was like living in the castle.

At the end of the tour we got to take a picture with the guard!

 From there we then  went to see one of the most famous schools in the world, Eton college. This is a school for boys age 12-18, where they do secondary school till 16 and then college till they are 18. We did not get to go in the school because it was during school hours, but it was amazing. I was truly shocked when I saw the uniforms, I felt like it was prom. Every boy was suit/tux, but depending on the level of their schooling there were a few features to the uniform. Throughout the day I also was quickly reminded to "look to your right" rather then my left. Our hotel itself is a huge culture shock, three little twin beds and very little room. I think our hotel room was smaller then the dorm I used to live in. So far its been a good experience, but still trying to adjust to the time change.

The Criminal Justice London Group!

The Group I will be spending two whole weeks with in London! Together we will have an experience of a lifetime.