Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Guard

Last weekend, I went to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. It was really crowded and I had trouble seeing past the tall people but it was an interesting ceremony. There was a man on top of on one of the columns beside the gate the whole time. He was protesting about something but I'm not sure what. They still went on with the ceremony as usual though. Afterward, I spent a few hours just walking around that part of London and taking in the sights. I stumbled upon Westminster Abbey. I didn't go in as the line was too long but I got some great pictures of the outside, which is absolutely beautiful.

Westminster Abbey

I took a close up of the front because the detail is just stunning:

From the above picture, I made some alterations in Photoshop and I'm really pleased with the result. I think it looks even more beautiful, if that's possible. I'm thinking about taking some more of the pictures I take and fixing them up like this. What do you guys think?

Until next time,

Duchess

Introduction

Hello, everyone. I suppose first off I should introduce myself to those of you who don't know me.

My name is Jessica. I am studying for my MA/MSc in Library Science in London, UK. I am originally from the US - Georgia to be specific. I come from quite a small town so, as you can imagine, moving to London was a big change for me. It's my first time out of the US as well. I want a way to keep in touch with my friends and family back home and I also need a blog to do some of my coursework, so I'm able to do the whole two birds with one stone thing here.

Why "Duchess in Wonderland"? My friends and co-workers back home gave me the nickname Duchess before I left and it kind of grew on me. I'm having to use "Duchy" (for short) in the actually URL, as you can see. Wonderland because I am amazed by being here on a daily basis and I'm constantly soaking in the wonders of a new city (a big city), a new country (which I've dreamt of seeing since I was a child), and new friends. Everything is different and exciting, although sometimes frustrating as it is all so unknown. I, like Alice, am still not quite sure how I managed to finally get myself to this place. I, too, am learning to navigate a somewhat unknown and strange world. This is a way for you all to be more a part of my journey and I hope you enjoy it.