cambridge...

the weekly wednesday day trip was a success! first we went to the cambridge american cemetery and memorial for WWII. this cemetery contains the remains of 3,812 of american soldiers, and 5,127 names of those whose bodies were never recovered are recorded on the wall of the missing. right when we got there, i saw old glory flapping in the wind- it was very refreshing. the architecture of the place reminded me a lot of washington dc- i place i want to go back to. we heard a lot of amazing stories, and i especially loved the one about joseph kennedy. we were pressed for time, so we couldn't hear a ton of detail, but i would like to read more about the men and women on the wall of the missing. we ended in the chapel, and it was amazing. the cieling was my favorite part. it was all mosaic, and had this great message around the perimeter:

"IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE MEN OF THE UNITED
STATES ARMY AIR FORCE WHO FROM THESE FRIENDLY ISLES FLEW THEIR
FINAL FLIGHT AND MET THEIR GOD. THEY KNEW NOT THE HOUR THE DAY
NOR THE MANNER OF THEIR PASSING. WHEN FAR FROM HOME THEY
WERE CALLED TO JOIN THAT HEROIC BAND OF AIRMEN WHO HAD GONE
BEFORE. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE."

this really was a sobering experience. i am so grateful for my forefathers who fought and died to make it possible for me to live in a free country. if it weren't for their service, i would probably not be here in london learning and experiencing the things that i am. i am grateful for my grandpa- my favorite veteran ever. i can't wait to get home from this wonderful experience and read his accounts from the war, and talk to him more about it. he is my hero. the most important thing i realized, is that there are still men and women today, and the very second, minute, and hour fighting for freedom. they are all heroes- i have so much respect for them. to be honest, it inspired me to get more involved- i can't join the military right now... my mom would probably not love that idea, but if it really came down to it, i can honestly say that i would have no problem enlisting to fight for freedom. this was one of my favorite experiences, and a day and a feeling i will never forget.


after the cemetery, we went to cambridge university. i loved it so much... way more than oxford. it was so beautiful. it wasn't as commercialized as oxford, and the town just had a better feel to it. we went to king's college cathedral that is part of the university. it was beautiful inside... the ceiling was amazing. it has the largest van vault ceiling in all of europe. after, we went to a museum full of impressionist art (thanks to paris i know what that is) like monet and degas... it was great. after the museum, we went to lunch/dinner and a great italian place. it was a beautiful day so we ate outside... it was fabulous. then, we went "punting" on the river that runs throughout the campus between all the different colleges. it was so so so cool. we had a nice tour guide that told us all about the buildings and traditions at cambridge. i would love to go to school there... it was so awesome! this day trip was just a huge success... probably my favorite one- a perfect way to end the trip! (3 weeks left :( )

{kings college}

{checkout that roof!}

{anna, karalyn, jen, me, maddy, mary, tori, and arrin}
{king's college}

{punting}