Voices from Europe: May 5-29, 2008

Fifteen Shorter students are traveling in England and Russia to earn 12 hours of class credit during Shorter’s Mayterm. The courses include “Field Experience in Study Abroad,” “Directed Study in Global Awareness,” “Theatre Appreciation” and “Business and Culture”; they are led by Dr. Robert Darville, dean of the School of Business Administration and professor of accounting, and Dr. Brian Nedvin, assistant professor of music. While in England, the group is based at Regents College in London. In Russia, the group will travel to Moscow and the Golden Ring area.

Below are excerpts from student updates.

Click here for days 5-8.
Click here for days 9-12.

Day 4 (May 9) Excerpts:

Today, we heard a lecture on King Lear by one of the faculty here at
Regent's College. It was interesting. Then, we went to Covent Garden and Dr. Nedvin gave us a little of history about that area. We visited Chinatown, which was a disappointment.

Our big event of the evening was going to see Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre. The boy who played Billy was an absolutely incredible dancer. I was amazed at his skill. Another of my favorite moments was snow falling. It looked very real and made me happy.

- Nicole Hill, a junior accounting major

So today was a wonderful day, until this evening. We went to see the musical Billy Elliot. Where to begin I don't know. The basic plot is about a boy who wants to be a ballerina but his father doesn't want him to be one. The musical had a ton of foul language. ...I can tolerate a little bit of vulgarity, but this was way over the top…

But then again, the weather was wonderful, yet again. Londoners are even surprised at the unseasonably warm weather. In fact, the London Times said this is the warmest it's been all year. Other than the wretched play we saw, I have no qualms. Tomorrow is Bath and Stonehenge, which I am definitely looking forward to. Maybe class will be restored to this city by tomorrow…

- John Jarvis, a junior accounting major

Day 3 (May 8) Excerpts:

Today was our third day in London.  We started off by visiting the Palace to see the changing of the guard (and, it is true, they really don’t smile). Next, we took a walking tour of Old London.  It was fascinating to see the old buildings and hear the rich history that each of them had.  We visited St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Museum (which had a lot of information about the fire), and some other old churches. Our guide was very helpful.

This evening, two other students and I treated ourselves to dinner at the number one hotel in the UK (the Milestone).  That was absolutely
incredible.  Not only was the food amazing, but they also let us tour some of the rooms.  Granted they ranged from £299- £799 (double that for U.S. dollars), but they had the awe-factor down pat.  All I could say when I walked in was WOW!!!  They had one modern room that was done in black and white... it was gorgeous!!!

-Nicole Hill, a junior accounting major

There are four words that describe this evening: refined, elegant,
classic, timeless. A small group of us went to the five diamond award-winning Milestone Hotel and ate at their signature restaurant. It has been one of the highlights of this trip. We deserved it after our long day. We spent a large portion of the day walking all over Old London on a guided tour led by Ms. Sue Gil.  She was professional and knew a lot about the history of London.

It just amazes me how I will not even be able to scratch the surface of London.  We continued to stick to the classics today by attending Buckingham Palace.  The down side was we were too late to actually see the changing of the guard.  Basically it means one guy is punching in and another is punching out. We also went through the London Museum to look at various artifacts from London's past.  The tour was interesting, but the duration was a bit too long.  I was getting quite tired.  I got to see the burial area of the poet John Milton.  I learned a bit about the Great Fire of London in 1666. A crew is working on restoring the monument to the victims of the fire, so it is less appealing than it normally would be.

The last part of the tour was viewing the exterior of St. Paul's Cathedral.  It saddened me that the front entrance where the steps are located is a dump site.  There was rubbish such as drink bottles and newspapers covering the front area.  It did not have that wow factor I was looking for.  I can't wait till tomorrow; however, I am not looking forward to our morning lecture.  Maybe it will be beneficial.

-James Jarvis, a junior history and political science major

So everything that happened this morning and afternoon have been forgotten. What I will remember most about today was the meal I ate at the Milestone Hotel’s restaurant Cheneston’s. Oh my. The most elegant, refined, timeless meal that I will remember for the next 50 years.....

75 years, I will remember this meal for the next 75 years. Absolutely incredible. We ordered an entree and dessert, however the chef gave us his starter compliment for the evening: salmon with some sort of cheesy pesto sauce and asparagus. After the meal I asked to see what a room looked like at the hotel. Karl, the butler, showed us two incredible staterooms starting at £800 a night (that’s $1600 to you and me). And then there was the conservatory, the bar, the steamroom and sauna, and the most incredible gentlemen's lounge. I could go on forever, or at least the next 75 years. Granted the meal wasn't cheap, but it will be the most memorable experience in London, and quite frankly, for years to come.

-John Jarvis, a junior accounting major

Today we woke up and had a discussion about the performance we saw last
night- Spamalot. We had many different perspectives based on majors,
so we got to see different ways of viewing a single performance. I think the
exciting thing that we did today was go on a tour that included St. Paul's
Cathedral, which was amazing. It was much larger than I expected it to be.
We also got to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It was
really interesting to see crowds of people surround the guards as they are
marching up to the Palace. The grounds leading up to the Palace were
absolutely magnificent. The flowers were gorgeous and they were in a
beautiful array of colors.

We definitely have been lucky because we have had wonderful weather. When
you think of London, you think of cold, wet, and foggy. We have had
nothing but clear skies and warm weather. It has been absolutely
phenomenal.

-Mallory Barnes, a sophomore accounting major

Day 2 (May 7) Excerpts:

Today was mainly a typical tourist day. We rode a red double-decker bus (there are hundreds probably thousands in the city). We then took a river cruise along the Thames beginning at Tower Bridge and returning once again to Westminster. Shopping was next on the schedule (which included every souvenir shop in London). And then we window shopped, and window shopped, and window shopped, and... Tonight we are eating in the refectory then going out to see Spamalot.

… Tomorrow is Buckingham Palace along with a study session followed by dinner at the Milestone Hotel’s restaurant Cheneston’s. And once again, the weather is absolutely beautiful. Believe me when I say that we are taking full advantage of staying outside. The temperature is perfect (except I have no idea how to convert from Celsius). But nonetheless, the temperature reading was nothing short of heavenly.

I can't believe I am in one of the most incredible places in the world. I can’t believe I am in THE most incredible place in the world.

-John Jarvis, a junior accounting major

Today was our second day in London, and I am overwhelmed at the commercialization in London.  There is so much advertisement and thrift shops everywhere, on every street.  It is extremely crowded walking around the city, and the trash is awful.  I have always thought London was this glorious ideal city that is picture perfect, but it is not.

… We took the river cruise and a bus tour today, and my favorite was St. Paul's Cathedral. I cannot wait to visit the interior of this magnificent structure.  It just took my breath away. The Tower of London is also quite large.  I never noticed how each tower, built by a separate monarch, was different. Trafalgar Square, another popular center of the city, was wonderful, except for those nasty pigeons that were everywhere.

-James Jarvis, a junior history and political science major

Today is our second day in the crowded city of London. This morning, we took a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of the city and saw all of the major attractions. We then took a riverboat tour of the Thames River and saw Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and several other sites that were along the river. During our free time, we spent more time touring the streets. We visited Trafalgar Square, where we hoped to get pictures on top of the lions, but too many other tourists had the same idea, so we decided to save that for another day. We did a little souvenir shopping, then came back here to Regent's to get ready for tonight.  We are going to go see Spamalot at the Palace Theatre, the ninth oldest theatre in London.

-Nicole Hill, a junior accounting major

Day 1 (May 6) Excerpts:

Today was a long day, but all ended quite well. We landed at Gatwick in the United Kingdom and went for a nice bus tour of the city. I was amazed at the buildings that have been standing for hundreds of years. … A small group of us went to Parliament and the clocktower and then explored the tube and got well acquainted with the underground and feel comfortable traveling on it. The last thing we did was explore Knightsbridge and drop by Harrods, for the first time at least.

-James Jarvis, a junior history and political science major

We arrived in London a few hours ago. So far, I have been to see Big Ben, Westminster, and we took a shopping trip to Harrods- the most exquisite shopping center I have ever been to in my life. Seriously.  I was in awe the entire time I was in there. Life in London is very busy. They do not wait for anything or anyone. When riding the escalators, which move faster than the ones in the States, those who plan to stand, stand on the right so that others can walk as the escalator is moving up or down-- one example of this fast-paced city. … I am very excited to see what this bustling city has in store for me over the next 11 days!

-Nicole Hill, a junior accounting major

Things are going great here. We just got to Regents College, and it's absolutely breath taking!!!!! … I'm so excited to be here and experience the culture... I'm just ready for my first day to begin!!!

-Mary Hutson, a junior theatre major

Well we arrived in London this morning. … Our bus driver, Peppy, was a blast who knows the town well. It is a miraculous city. It’s neat how the River Thames separates classic London from the new.  It is such a complex city. I don't even know how to tackle it. We have an orientation this afternoon with free time the rest of the evening. I plan on learning the ropes to London's tube and then pay a little visit to Harrods. Tomorrow we will have a river cruise on the Thames as well as a lecture on Shakespeare's play King Lear.

-John Jarvis, a junior accounting major

… After we landed at seven this morning, we had to wait about two hours for our bus to even get to the airport; that was fun.  Finally our bus picked us up and took us on a two-hour trip to Regents College. We were able to briefly see Big Ben, Parliament, London Bridge and Westminster.  So far the sites are awesome, and I can't wait for more!

-Hannah Gillespie, a sophomore Spanish major