England: Iris Bastiaens (Interact)

Program: UW Global Launch in London, Academic Year

Last week, a couple of my cohorts and I toured Buckingham Palace as part of an FIE activity. I never knew I would have the experience of touring inside Buckingham Palace, as I did not know this was something that was offered. I remember walking to the palace and not knowing what to expect. I had only seen the outside of the palace through news articles, so I could not even imagine what the inside would look like. Despite this, the inside exceeded all of my expectations. 

Buckingham Palace was plated with gold all over. There were hundreds of paintings. The detailing within the palace was so precise that I believe it would take an entire lifetime to study all of it. The most logical thing to do to describe the palace would be to look at specific rooms. In that case, my favorite room was the ballroom. I remember walking into the room and immediately looking at the organ. The room was covered up due to renovations in the palace, but it was still one of the coolest rooms on the tour. The organ is so gigantic that it immediately makes you think about what it would be like to participate in a dinner party at the palace. 

That is the interesting thing about the palace: the second you walk into a room, you can feel the significance of it. From the Throne Room to the State Rooms, every room has such a clear and distinct purpose. Whether it is an important political room or just a room for hosting, Buckingham Palace showcases so much of British history. 

By the end of the tour, I can definitely say that I had learned so much more about the history of Britain and British culture. It is definitely an experience that I am so grateful to have had because I do not know any other time when I would have this opportunity.