The Diamond Jubilee

This past weekend I made my first excursion outside of Cork to London where, despite the rainy weather, I had a wonderful time. I met up with a friend from my dorm back at ND who is studying in London this summer. Gina and I spent all day Saturday at Chatsworth House, the house of the Duke and Duchess of Derbyshire, otherwise known as Pemberley (Mr. Darcy's) House in the newest Pride and Prejudice movie. It was absolutely stunning!! The family members are collectors of many treasures and every room was a masterpiece, most walls being entirely painted by hand. Gina and I both love Jane Austen's works so we particularly enjoyed exploring the house and talking about parts from the movie that we remembered taking place in the rooms.

Chatsworth from afar

Gina and I on our way past the gate

inner courtyard of the house

floor by Michelangelo

chapel inside the home

library

statue room- also in the movie!

                                                   

                                                               my favorite statue in the house

Sunday was a day spent in the city seeing all of the major landmarks of London--Big Ben, Westminister Abbey (went to an organ recital there!), Parliament, Tower of London, London Bridge, the new Shard Skyscraper, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace--and finished up at the Thames River to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. I never realized until looking up her life and history just how inspiring of a woman she was/is. It truly seems like her entire life was devoted to the service of her country. She's been on the throne for 60 years, second only to Queen Victoria (63 years), but I'm sure she'll make it to be the longest ruler. Anyways, I'm a fan of her, she seems lovely!

Thames Diamond Jubilee Flotade--about 1000 boats participated

We finished off the day of celebrations with dinner (fish and chips, of course) at a pub across the Thames River. It was packed with British people decked in red, white, and blue costumes, who were extremely proud of their country and queen. The closest thing I could compare it to was a British-style Mardi Gras mixed with tailgating for a football game because of the massive amounts of food stands right outside the pubs. It was definitely a jubilant atmosphere!

And since my travels seem to depend almost entirely on the food I eat, I made sure to have porridge and tea at a cafe before I left, which was also lovely. The whirlwind of a weekend was definitely a successful trip and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go.

Next weekend is the Mumford and Sons concert in Galway!! 

Until then, good luck Morgan on your DAT (I'll be praying for you) and I can't wait for you to join me in Cork. Thank you to everyone who has been leaving comments, it's fun to read them and I really appreciate the well wishes!

Much Love, Hayley