Day 17

This is our final weekend in England, so we decided to explore some sites of interest at our leisure. Most of the group spent Saturday going to the Britain Museum where they saw remnants and artifacts from all over the world. They saw mummies from Egypt, part of the Parthenon from Greece, Asian china, and the Rosetta Stone. Nicole and Kay also took the tube to Oxford Street for some shopping where they found some great deals at a Primark store. Julien and Kate spent the rest of their day shopping for souvenirs as well.


Cheryl and Emily woke up early to catch a train to the South Western tip of England in Cornwall to explore the Eden Project. Home to the largest indoor rainforest in the world, the Eden Project is an educational charity consisting of global gardens where people can learn about nature. Although the train from London Paddington to St. Austell was over 4 hours both ways, the last couple hours of the trip were along the southern coast of England and the views were beautiful. Cheryl and I used our student ID cards and rail pass and received a 50% discount on the entrance price for being students and using public transportation.

We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed for the rainforest biome. The temperature was 32 degrees celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the biome, so it became uncomfortable quickly, since we were dressed for the damp cold weather outside. But we saw tropical plants and wildlife that are only found in the rainforest. We even climbed up the suspended staircase to a platform at the top of the biome that is used for scientists to overlook the gardens. We tried some freshly made banana smoothies on our way out of the rainforest biome and then headed straight for the Mediterranean Biome.

The temperature was much more bearable and the plant life was very different. Instead of banana and coconut trees and bamboo there were cacti and ferns. There was a station in the Mediterranean biome to roll-your-own garlic dough and have the workers cook it over a stone oven to make garlic pizza twists. Cheryl rolled us each a twist, and after about 45 seconds cooking, we dipped them in fire roasted tomato sauce and they made delicious snacks. Both of the biomes were very unique and unlike anything we have ever experienced before. After a quick trip on a land train to see every angle of the biodomes, we hopped on a bus back to the train station and ended up back at Regents safely at 10 pm. Almost everyone ordered pizza from Delta Pizza for a late dinner.