St. Paul's Cathedral

By Brittany Cardoza 
LONDON - I felt it was my duty to embrace the tour of St. Paul's Cathedral. My grandmother would want details upon my return to the states. As a cradle Catholic I do always feel at home at a church. However, there are so many lively activities around me. Touring a church paled in comparison. I gave it a go and showed up for the tour. Boy, was I glad I did. As we stepped inside I was blown away by the elaborate but tasteful architecture. It was open and inviting but clearly stated it's importance. Around me were amazing stained glass windows letting just the right amount of light in. I sat in a chair with my audio guide an began listening to the history of this incredible place of worship. St Paul’s is the Cathedral of the Diocese of London. The cathedral is situated at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in London. The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, funeral of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill and the Golden and Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II were held at St. Paul's. The church holds three or four services every day and open daily to tourists. 

As I sat on the floor of the church I couldn't help but look up. The dome was expansive and sat tall above the nave and aisles. It was elaborately decorated with gold and colorful paintings. I knew I had to go up there. So we prepared for the journey up the 259 stairs to the Whispering Gallery. The balcony spanned around the dome and overlooked the naive. It is called the Whispering Gallery because even a whisper can be heard through any wall around the dome. We sat and took in the silence while allowing our legs to recover before the next workout. The next 200 stairs were nothing like I have experienced before. An old winding staircase so steep it made you dizzy sat in front of us. We had no choice but to tackle it if we wanted to reach the top of the dome. So we ventured onward and up. Our hearts raced as we carefully stepped one after the other holding on to the handle with white knuckles. As we approached the top and stepped out the door to the balcony my breath was taken away. The gust of wind combined with the overwhelming view were worth every bead of sweat. As we stood on top of the world I began to appreciate the hugely important history of this city. Everywhere you looked there was bustling activity and traffic. Below me was a city of millions all from different backgrounds and history. It was a moment I will never forget.  

             

Is this London or France?

By Brittany Cardoza

LONDON - Throughout my schooling one word was consistently used. The word became more and more important as the years went by. I was asked to define it in countless courses. I read about it, wrote about it and truly believed that I understood its significance. The word is globalization. More than a word it is really a concept that continues to develop as the world becomes more connected through the development of technology. To better understand globalization and it's importance universities are encouraging students to spend a semester abroad.  Travel becomes a status symbol that portrays well roundedness, wisdom and global awareness.


After just a few short days in London I understand globalization at a much deeper level. I have seen in person the images that were used on power points among the years. Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Huts in London proper, a beautifully constructed portion of town known as China Town and gelato shops on every corner. It is easy to lose sight of the heritage of London itself when the surroundings are so diverse. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am spending the summer living in New York City. Each day I continue to notice the amazing amounts of similarities London and New York have in common. Certain neighborhoods look so much like New York and even share the same names like Soho and Greenwich.

Last night I experienced globalization first hand. Laduree is a French Macaron shop that is in many major cities around the world. Two weeks ago I visited the store in New York City after seeing photos of it on Facebook and Instagram for the past couple of years. The macaroons were delicious but it was really the experience that made it so exciting. Though I have never been to France, Laduree made it feel like I was there.

When walking through Covent Garden I spotted the quaint but elegant storefront and my friend and I went in. We were so excited for our macarons that we asked a teenage girl to take a picture of us holding our macaroons in front of the store. Immediately after we burst out in giggles remarking how funny it was that we were in London of all places taking pictures at Laduree which we had visited just weeks ago in New York City. Both places we had eaten macarons were not even France where they are from!

Today I experienced a totally different element of globalization. While working on my video story I visited multiple coffee shops and cafes in London's Soho neighborhood. Out of the four coffee shops I went to one was very British, one was Italian and two were Algerian. The man working at one of the Algerian cafes explained to me that his customers come from all over the globe. The interesting part of this was that each customer has a very different drink preference. He said that Middle Eastern customers prefer lattes, Italians prefer espressos and British prefer tea. He however told us he prefers Starbucks over any other coffee brand or shop.