This Is Not Goodbye. It Is See You Soon.

My time here in London is drawing to a close. The three weeks went by very quickly. It seemed like it took forever for me to get to London, only for the days here to speed by. There are still so many things that I went to do! I decided that I will visit and see the things that I missed on this trip when I bring my family back soon. I really want to go and see east London because I have heard so many great things about it. Today I went to the Queen's home again at Buckingham Palace. I have been there a couple of times on this trip, first at the Coronation Festival and then to celebrate the arrival of HRH Prince George; but I didn't get the opportunity to go visit the state rooms until today. Everything was so regal and beautiful, it was just how I imagined it in my head. I enjoyed listening to the audio tour and taking in my surroundings. The palace tour was by far the highlight of my time in London. I am really going to miss London and my classmates. I greatly enjoyed getting to know each and everyone of them and building great friendships. I am going to miss laughing and having inside jokes with my friends here, and sharing our thoughts and feelings about our experiences that we went through together from climbing the steps of St. Paul's cathedral; meeting the actor from the TV show "Being Human"; late night runs to Burger King; mini shopping trips; trying to figure out the tube; watching my classmate Annette take pictures of beautiful British men; laughing uncontrollably with Kristyn, Lauren and Brianna; complaining about the heat wave; talking about theater life with Carolyn; listening to Liz discuss how to improve school libraries; having Nicole try to explain the world of Doctor Who; giving beautiful Katie the star treatment for our group video; discussing the art form of Scones with Melissa I; keeping up with Martha and Crystal because I knew we would get to our destination safely; the Camden music scene; hanging out with the world's media while waiting for Prince George to arrive; the birth of Prince George; and my personal favorite, thinking it was a good idea to ride a bicycle from Buckingham Palace to our flat on Great Russell along with London traffic. I have so many great stories to tell my family and friends who I miss dearly when I get home. Thankfully, I also have lots and LOTS of pictures that I took of my time here to share with them. I can't wait to see my mom, big sister and dog. I bought them a lot of things over my three week stay here and I can't wait to show them. I had to buy two extra bags. I know traveling through Heathrow will be a pain but I don't regret any of the stuff that I bought them. I am going to miss my classmates a lot. I am grateful that I got to meet really, kind, smart, funny people. I was granted a great opportunity. I would really like to live in London; being here the last three weeks has cemented that fact. I don't know when I will be back, but London I will see you again soon.

Digtial Video

Hello all!!!! Here is my group video about a day in the life of an FSU Londoner. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sky High on the London Eye

It is official, I have to bring my family back to London. The London Eye sold me on it;I really want my big sister to get out of her high powered law office to come see Big Ben from inside the glass case of the London Eye. I saw just about everything from the eye. I am afraid of heights, but when we got to the very top of the eye I had to go and look at the really cool touch screens that were mounted in the case with us. The touch screens had information on the London sights that we were all viewing. I thought that it was really cool and it kind of took my mind away from being so high over the Thames. When we first got off the tube to the eye, we had to wait in a line that seemed a mile long. Surprisingly, the line moved very quickly and we were at the front in no time. I think since I was with my group having funny conversations it made the time go by faster. My classmates seemed to really enjoy the eye,everyone was taking pictures and laughing it was a great time. I feel like my classmates and I have really bonded during our time here. I was so happy that I got to share this experience with them yesterday afternoon.

A Look Through Magic With My Eyes

Hello, Here is a little video that I made of the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I really hope that you in enjoy it. Produced by: Melissa C. Sykes Images: Melissa C. Sykes Background Music: Hedwig's Theme: Composed and Conducted by John Williams Neville's Waltz: Composed and Conducted by Patrick Doyle Hogwart's Hyman: Composed and Conducted by Patrick Doyle Harry in Winter: Composed and Conducted by Patrick Doyle Courtyard Apocalypse: Composed and Conducted by Alexandre Desplat

Keeping the Magic in My Heart

After a rattling morning of time differences I had enough time for an amazing breakfast at the Bloomsbury Hotel. The waffles, breakfast buffet and coffee were amazing! I highly recommend that everyone who has the opportunity tryout this restaurant. For most of my teens to early adulthood Harry Potter has been a big chunk of my life. From the books to the movies, my friends were all about the magical world of Harry Potter. When the book and movie series ended it was the end of an era, my childhood officially came to an end. Like the characters in the beloved books it was time to grow up. I have heard about the Harry Potter studio tour for awhile now but I never imagined myself there! It was truly surreal to see all the sets in person, it was like a dream. I almost expected to see Harry and Ron running down the halls because they were late for class. My excitement couldn't compare to my roommate Kristyn's excitement. It was like Christmas for her I was surprised/not surprised that she actually owned her own "invisibility cloak". Kristyn was like a kid in a candy shop, no make that a candy factory. One couldn't help but be excited about the tour because Kristyn's excitement was bubbling over. From the moment I stepped off of the bus I was surrounded by all things Harry. I knew that it would be amazing just by the lobby, where they had the film star's portraits. The whole experience brought me so much joy. I felt a little emotional walking through the studio looking at everything that was involved in the movie. As I stated at the outset, it was truly surreal. I just couldn't believe everything I saw and heard. I just wished that I could have somehow used a wand and brought my family and friends here to share in this magical experience.

A King, Low Tea and Fashion Oh My

A healthy future king of England was born and I was there to celebrate with the masses yesterday. Cheers to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Today I got to have my first ever " low tea" at the delightfully beautiful "Orangery at Kensington Palace". The Orangery was something out of a Jane Austen book. The room where we had our low tea was airy and sunny. The walls were a beautiful shade of white with pastels through out. The china set that we were served on was splendid. It was Tiffany blue with detailed flowers. The tea was perfect and I loved the little sugar cubes. I enjoyed the different pastries, but I was slightly scared of some of the finger sandwiches. I can now say that I have had a cucumber sandwich and liked it.

The best thing about today was the " Fashion Rules" exhibit at Kensington Palace. I got to see some of the dresses that were worn by Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana and Princess Margaret ( my mom is named after her ). The detail and craftsmanship on those clothes was amazing and it left me speechless. Some of Princess Diana's dresses I recognized from the countless magazines and TV shows about her. The inner Melissa started screaming "oh my God, oh my God" in her little girl voice. I totally think that Princess Margaret didn't get enough recognition for her beauty and grace. I guess that is what happens when you are the baby sister of the Queen of England.

I AM SLIGHTLY IMMATURE

Today I woke up to the buzz that Kate Middleton finally went into labor. I have been waiting for this since the moment I stepped off of the plane. I am really excited. I even went to the hospital where she was admitted and was somehow able to get where all the world's media was stationed. I think that they thought that I worked there or something, the police and the private guards on duty said nothing so I kept going. I have been looking forward to this day for a while, but it was kind of ruined when others stated that it was pretty stupid to be so excited about the royal baby. I have to admit, my feelings were deeply hurt. I just felt kind of stupid for liking and being excited about something that others deemed silly. That episode kind of put a damper on the rest of the day, and for the first time since I got here I really just wanted to go home to my family and friends, the people who understand me and like me for me. I saw the place where history is everywhere you look. I have been reading about and watching Westminster Abbey since I could walk. I have watched and re-watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, the funeral of Diana Princess of Wales and finally the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Side Note: I wore out my Royal Wedding DVD and I am in desperate need of a new one. End of Side Note: I saw where the Queen Mother first laid her flowers at the tomb of the unknown solider, where Kate walked through the doors to meet her beloved prince, and where Diana went to have her final send off. All of these things both joyful and heartbreaking happened here and I was lucky enough to be surrounded by it all. I got to see the Coronation Chair, the tombs of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I, both are ironically buried together. We also got to see where some of the great poets were buried and the memorial to the great I then endured the heat wave to go to the National Portrait Gallery that housed the paintings of Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, and of course members of the royal family, Queen Victoria, Queen Marry, Queen Elizabeth II and Duchess Catherine, whose portrait was even more beautiful in person than through Google images. I then endured the heat wave to go to the National Portrait Gallery that housed the paintings of Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, and of course members of the royal family, Queen Victoria, Queen Marry, Queen Elizabeth II and Duchess Cathrine whose portrait was even more beautiful in person then through Google images. Today was a good day with a few damp spots, hopefully I can try to make it a better evening and forget my hurt feelings.

I Am Just Not Into To You

First of all let me start this blog posting by saying that I am not "anti-Paris", I am just disappointed in it. I had a little girl's idea of Paris in my head and I personally think that influenced my disappointment with Paris. I got off the Eurostar with very high hopes of shopping, Paris sites, pastries, and more shopping; overall just having a lovely experience. I can never ever ever complain about the London tube or the buses. However, the Paris Metro is a cross between the "red wedding" episode of Game of Thrones and the chaos of the sinking of the Titanic. To get on the Metro it really was the " every man for himself and God for us all" mentality. We also had the added bonus of the " beware of pickpockets" signs everywhere we looked, and I mean EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!! I was so paranoid while walking, when anyone got too close to my backpack I freaked out, usually the person that I thought was a pick pocket was a member of our group. Our first stop was the trip the Louvre. Yes, it was beautiful, yes it was big, yes it is as big as everyone says, yes it really will take a full week to see. Being in the Louvre with no direction is like crying in the middle of Wal-Mart on Black Friday because you can't find your mom. Luckily for me I had Kristyn. We soldiered through, and after an hour we finally saw the Mona Lisa, which by the way is really small and made even smaller by the mass of people peering at it. I loved seeing "Winged Victory", I remember studying it when I was an undergraduate. While running through to meet my school group on time, I passed by a number of pieces of art that I remember seeing in my text book. Most of those pieces where by Rembrandt. After getting some pastries we were lead to the Eiffle Tower. Let me tell you when you walk through the trees and come up upon it, it is truly breath taking. There are no words to describe the beauty of it. It was nice to find a shady spot to have lunch with the Eiffle Tower in the background. The group then had a lovely cruise on the Seine. It was nice to take a break from walking with a heavy back pack in the heat to actually take the time to appreciate where we were. Coming back to London two days early was a roommate decision. Kristyn and I both decided that Paris was not for us. We were hot, tired and on the verge of tears right before the cruise down the Seine. It is safe to say we both had mini melt downs. There was no talking us out of staying, we were two women determined to get back to the civilization of London. We were both more than willing to stay for each other. We didn't want to ruin our time in Paris, but Paris was a no go for the both of us. I came, I saw, and I bought the most delicious ice cream cone I ever had on my time on this planet, money well spent. On the train ride from Paris to London, I had a new burst of energy. I was so happy to go back to my clean flat, wash the Paris dirt off, and fall into bed. I am not saying that I will never go back to Paris, I am just saying that I will when I have more time to explore and am not literally loaded down. So until the time comes I won't be calling Paris for a date. EDITOR'S NOTE: A big thank you to Mr. Harry Everhart. You made me smile through out our time in Paris. You helped keep us safe and I didn't get hit by a car, or worse, get lost. You made sure that we all stayed together and in one piece, I felt like a little baby duck.

Oh What a Beautiful Tower

I officially reached Mecca today. I Melissa Christina Faith Sykes was able to see up-close, the Queen's Jewels. I was speechless after viewing them today at the Tower of London. The jewels were so shiny and beautiful. They sparkled like little stars. It was really weird to see them up close after years of watching them in various royal documentaries. The jewels were more beautiful then I could possibly imagine. Now for the Tower, it took my breath away to look at it. I have watched all of those British shows that used the Tower as a back-drop. The main historical figure that came to mind while looking at the Tower was Anne Boleyn. Just looking at the place where she lived before her untimely death made me slightly emotional. There were places where others like Anne lived and died; so many lives lost. Everything at the Tower was lovely, it was a beautiful slightly cool day. I wasn't about to die from heat stroke, it was great. I got to take the time to sit on the bench and people watch. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I am really enjoying my experience here. I honestly can't believe that my time here is almost up. It is going by too fast. Tomorrow we leave for our weekend in the Paris. I am a little scared, but very very excited.

A Day At The Dahl

Wednesday, 17th, July

My inner child burst out today with wild enthusiasm. I got to take a morning trip today to the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Center which is in Great Missenden. The museum is for the author Roald Dahl who wrote some of the most beloved classics such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, and James and the Giant Peach. Great Missenden is the town where Mr. Dahl lived and was buried after he died. The village of Great Missenden is very picturesque and the people here are very helpful and kind. So far, I have enjoyed this tiny museum the best out of all the museums we have visited. I enjoyed reading about the life of Roald Dahl. Every part of the museum was colorful. There were children old and young visiting today and enjoying what the museum had to offer. I personally partook in the room that was for arts and crafts. I colored and bedazzled a lady spider. I even hung it up along with the other children. I thought that the museum was just perfect; it was an interactive experience. The museum stressed the role of creativity, and the museum director talked about the importance of using your imagination. I firmly believe that as you grow older, you should never lose the ability to be creative and to use your imagination. The class went and saw another fabulous play this evening, it was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I loved it. Everything was a spectacle, from the music right down to the costumes. The colors for the stage back drop were very vivid and it brought the audience joy to watch. I greatly enjoy going to the theater here in London, it is nice to dress up a bit and to a enjoy a well put together production. My mother was correct when she told me that theater productions are better than films. There is very little chance of the audience getting bored. The actors keep you enchanted so that you have no option but to let their hard work consume you for that brief period of time.

Multimedia Choice Assignemnt

Hi All, I did my multimedia assignment on the really cool website for making comics "pixton" I had a great time and I hope everyone enjoys it.

www.harrods.com

Oxford Blue

Today's adventure took me to the wonderful land of Oxford. I had a totally different image in my head of Oxford. I pictured cows and horses everywhere with farmers in overalls. But I was greatly surprised! Oxford's country side is very lush and beautiful. This may sound strange but the country side looks healthy, what I mean by that is there is no traffic, people aren't in a rush, no pollution. Overall people appear to be maintaining a healthy way of life here in Oxford. After a soothing train ride to Oxford Station, we went for a walk around Oxford before going to the Bodleian Library and Radcliffe Camera. Oxford University has one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. Everywhere you looked there was something on the building or the grounds to see. The details on and in the buildings was astounding. We had a lovely tour guide that took us to the " Camera Room" which housed some of England's oldest books. One of my favorite things on that tour was the chair that the librarian sat in that looked liked a throne. One of the tours that I greatly enjoyed was at the Christ Church Cathedral. The main attraction was the great hall which is a dinning hall. That was a favorite of almost every visitor because the great hall was used for the Harry Potter movies. There were so many people pushing and shoving to get a picture of a piece of movie history. I also liked the stained glass windows that told different stories through the art work on them, it gave me goosebumps when an all girl choir who was also visiting started to sing a hymn. Some classmates and I decided to sit down and enjoy our unexpected entertainment. It did me good to see a college environment in a different country. There are some clear similarities and differences that I noticed. What I took away from this trip is that no matter where a person comes from, there is always a deep desire to learn and do great things with the opportunities that are granted to them.

Authors and Vampires

Monday, July, 15, 2013 I have to say that today was a very relaxing day. There was no rush to get my morning coffee to wake me up and my lovely group took a short tube ride to Camden to spend the morning on the river. It was a very pleasant experience. The best part for me was seeing the giant mansions on the water. I am not joking when I say that some of these homes were the size of hotels. I found myself wondering what Duke & Duchess, Lord & Lady lived here or there. For all I know we probably passed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's little home. This afternoon my roommate and I attended the book signing of Charlaine Harris. For those of you all who don't know who that is, she is the author of the "Sookie Stackhouse Novels". If that book series doesn't ring any bells; well you know the television show on the cable network HBO called True Blood? See I knew that would strike a cord, that TV show is based on that book series. The author was in London to sign copies of the last book in the series " Dead Ever After". I don't actually remember the last time I attended a book signing and this opportunity came out of no where. Kristyn (my roommate) and I were walking home from dinner on a quiet little street where we noticed a cute bookstore. The bookstore had an advertisement for the book signing. We knew that it was something that we couldn't miss and decided to go. It was a really great decision we had a fabulous time. And I got to meet the woman who brought the beautiful vampire "Eric Northman" into my life. I have I had a crush on him since the beginning on the book series. I am such a "fan girl" when it comes to the Sookie Stackhouse series. I watch the show True Blood and get into debates with my friends when I tell them that the books are better than the show. Over all today went very well. The heat wave here wasn't as bad and I even got a little nap. Tomorrow we are off to Oxford. I can't wait for that little adventure.

The Queen's Gardens

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Every Dark Cloud Has a Sliver Lining

Sunday, July 14th, 2013 The weekend here in London has been very lovely, hot, but lovely. I took it easy on Saturday and made my way to the Knightsbridge/Chelsea area, and it was just as beautiful as I imagined it.

Everything was beautiful, but very busy because of the weekend. I decided to come back on a weekday to enjoy it better, plus I haven't been inside the world famous Harrod's department store. My Shih Tzu's birthday is coming up soon and I am sure that I will find him a gift there.

Now on to the British Museum that is three floors of nothing but beauty. The museum is vast and you can't see everything in one day to really enjoy it. Therefore, I broke my visit up into two days and it was a good decision, I didn't feel rushed. I took the opportunity to take as much time as I needed to enjoy everything that my eyes found, and it was well worth it. I loved the fact that I packed my I-pod and listened to music while I had a look around at all the art. It was very relaxing and I highly recommend that you do that when walking through this museum. My photography assignment was to pick a color and find it in the museum. I decided on the color sliver because of the old saying " every dark cloud has a sliver lining". It made me smile and feel good after reading the recent news events of the status back home in America.

Everywhere I look there is beauty

Friday, July, 12, 2013 Today's adventure was pretty low key. I got to go to Regent Park and look at all of the pretty flowers. They were so well kept and remarkably beautiful, I almost couldn't look at them. There were children everywhere playing, people with picnic blankets eating and just enjoying themselves. No one seemed to be in a rush at all. I liked the fact that they were taking the time to just enjoy the world. I am not big on nature. However, I found myself enjoying the outdoors. I flew a kite, well I tried to fly a kite. I had a good time sitting with my classmates talking, and just like everyone else there, relaxing.

The Formal Life

Thursday, July, 11, 2013 Today I was in charged of one of the classes group pictures. I think that I have a good looking group!

One of the many exciting things that I did today was bring out my inner Harry Potter nerd by going to Platform 9 3/4.

The British Library has to be the most beautiful library I have ever been to. It was something out of the movies. Everyone was so nice and helpful. What blew my mind was the Library's "treasure room". My favorite things were John Lennon's letters and original Beatles work. My day ended by going to the theater to see the award winning play Les Miserables. I loved getting all dolled up and walking to the theater, it made me feel very British for some reason. The cast of Les Miserables was awesome. They invoked emotions me in that were so overwhelming. My mom is a theater actress, so I got my love for the stage from her. While the actors were moving around on stage, I can hear my mom pointing out to me they're going down stage, up stage, stage left, stage right. It made it all the more enjoyable picturing her sitting next to me.

By far the absolute hi-light of my day was getting to meet Russell Tovey. He is one of the stars of the awesome science fiction show "Being Human". I think that I was the first person in our group to recognize him. He was walking his dog, and a girl in our group stopped to talk to him about said dog, and then I proceeded to lose my mind over him. He looks better in person than on TV, and I believe that is a hard thing to do. He was very very nice to us.

Stairway to Epic

Wednesday, July, 10th, 2013 There are 528 steps from the ground level to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. I am sure that you are reading this and thinking, oh she used Wikipedia for that fact. No, sorry, wrong, I know about the number of steps because I, Melissa Christina Faith Sykes, climbed all of those stairs to the top of the cathedral today. I thought that I was in good physical shape but no bodytone, spinning, or cardio party class has prepared me for 259 stairs. It was a tough climb but with the help of my classmates, I got over my fears of heights and falling down stairs to literally rise to the top. My vantage point from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral was nothing short of amazing both from the outside, where I got to see the beautiful sun shine down on the whole of London and from the inside, the "whisper gallery" to more specific. Looking upon the cathedral was an amazing feast for the eyes. Everywhere you look was something unearthly beautiful. I was in awe of my surroundings there was such fine detail in the structure and our tour guide Janet did a wonderful job as a storyteller whilst showing our class the key points of the cathedral. My favorite parts of the tour were a little bit silly and a whole lot girly, but none the less my favorite parts were the great big doors to the cathedral. I enjoyed the doors because I got to touch the doors that Lady Diana Spencer had to walk through before she became Diana "Princess of Wales". Additionally I loved looking at the throne chairs that HRH Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip and Prince Charles have to sit in during the different services they attend. The little girl in me squealed with unabashed glee.

Looking at the Beauty in Small Things

Tuesday, July, 9th, 2013 Today after class I had the opportunity to do some shopping on London's "Oxford Street". I've never really seen anything like it before. What I saw today wasn't bad or troubling it was actually quite freeing. I saw people from all walks of life on the street today. I hail from Florida, Tallahassee to be exact. Tallahassee is a college town so it has what I had come to believe is an urban atmosphere. The people here today were so beautiful to me. It wasn't just looks based, it was everything about them. It was their spirit. It made me truly happy to be in company with these people. I later ventured to a more quiet area of town. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the busy side walks it was a more calming and peaceful walk back to the study center from dinner. My roommate and I stumbled upon many beautiful lush green parks. Their were families having picnics, senior citizens feeding the birds, young adults enjoying the beautiful afternoon by reading and playing games with their friends. I took the time to admire the beautiful rose gardens at these various parks. The parks were in the middle of all of these historic buildings. When walking by the buildings I thought that it would be wonderful to wake up to the view of these lovely parks everyday. Maybe one day I will know what it feels like.

Welcome to London!!!!!!

Monday, July 8, 2013 After traveling to Miami,Florida, being delayed in Miami for close to three hours, and having a very very bumpy 9 hour flight, I finally made it to London safely and slightly weary. I thought that I would know the scale of Heathrow Airport but boy was I wrong. It seemed that I walked for miles after exiting the plane on my way to be cleared for entry. After I got my passport stamped, I was on the hunt to find my bags. Luckily for me they were safe and in plain view for me to get them. Then it was off to find transportation to the Study center. I had a wonderful cab driver who got me to the study center in one piece. While en route to the study center, I couldn't help but notice the differences in UK and American ways of life. For example the cabs, the cabs in the UK are massive inside and they have WiFi! I was so excited to see where I would be living for the next three weeks, and nothing could have prepared me for the beauty of the study center. It is so regal and it looked like something off of a British television show. When I got into the building I was very happy to see most of my classmates who arrived minutes before me. My happiness didn't stop there, I found out that one of my classmates who I have been talking to via Facebook for the last month was my roommate. She is wonderful and extremely funny, we have already had a mini shopping adventure today at a store called "Primark" which is a insane combination of H&M, Top-Shop, and Forever 21. I finally got in touch with my big sister Cecilie and my Mom Margaret. It was great to hear their voices, I was worried that I would be unable to contact them but I did! I miss my mom, sister and Shih Tzu Barry terribly and I wish that they were all here to share this experience with me. I decided that I will bring them all here one day. Words can't express how happy I am to be in London. It still doesn't seem real to me. I have been dreaming about this for years! Now finally my dream has come true. I am in love with this city, everything about it here amazes me. I am so excited to see everything the city has to offer in the upcoming weeks.

Video Exercise

Hello!!! Here is my video introduction of myself.