Freed of London Factory Tour

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we visited the Freed of London factory in Hackney. We had to split the group over two days because we are too large a group to visit all at once.

Tuesday's Group

Wednesday's Group

Dr. V-P and I met the students at Courtfield Gardens and then made our way via tube and overground to the Freed factory.

Both days James greeted us and welcomed us to Freed. He gave a brief history and then we separated into the pointe shoe side of the factory and the theatrical side of the factory. On Tuesday, James showed us the pointe shoe side and Jerry showed the theatrical side. On Wednesday, James showed us the theatrical side and Gary showed us the pointe shoe side.  We got to see the entire process for creating both kinds of shoes--from the design to the final product ready for shipping. They shared the ordering forms, daily work logs, and quality control process.

The tour was interesting, educational, and directly related to what the students are working on in class. It was exciting to see the handcrafted work. We feel so lucky to have talked to some employees and to hear how proud they are of their work. It was an honor to visit Freed and see shoes being made.

Fuller's Brewery Tour/Site Visit

We enjoyed a day at Fuller's Griffin Brewery for a behind-the-scenes look at how beer is made.

Fuller's has been brewing at this location since 1845; however, there has been a brewery in that location for almost 400 years. Our tour guides shared stories and walked us through the process of making beer.

London Pride beer named for a flower

Ben's Comments: I think my favorite part about the brewery was just being able to talk to the tour guide about all the beer they make. He was very passionate about this beer and he loved talking about the differences in all the different ways to make it. I never really saw beer brewing as some form of art but that is definitely how he saw the process. It was a very cool experience and I am very glad that I was able to go on the trip with everyone.

Leadenhall and Spitalfields Markets

Markets are known for selling unique items. The best markets are known for selling unique items at a low cost. Ever heard of Leadenhall Market? No? That is probably because Leadenhall is not a cheap market. A small group of three of us ended up at Leadenhall Market on accident. We were wandering through the city after stopping by the London Tower, and asked a local walking by where the nearest market was. We were looking for Spitalfields or Petticoat Market, but couldn't remember the names of them. The local gave us directions to Leadenhall Market instead, as it was the closest market to us. We had hoped to find some cheap souvenirs to take home to friends and family. The only cheap souvenirs at the market were unique candies and shot glasses. Besides those souvenirs, there was expensive art and shops with high end clothing like Barbour. This was all fun to look at, until you saw the price tag. Needless to say, we did not spend long at this market. 

As we were leaving, we talked to a local sitting outside of a pub. He asked if we needed directions or were looking for anything - I guess he could tell we weren't from around here. We asked about any other nearby markets or other things to do in the area. The man was very helpful. He gave us directions to Spitalfields Market, recommended a building with an amazing view of the city, and informed us that we were standing outside of a pub used in the filming of one of the Harry Potter movies. So our trip to Leadenhall Market was not for nothing.

Spitalfields Market is a more commonly known market, and I can see why! There were a lot more tables set up with unique items, like jewelry, hats, clothing, bags, cards, and other unique souvenirs. One of the random souvenirs I saw were boxers with the tube map printed on them. There were also many food trucks set up - the smells coming from the trucks were amazing. The prices were also much lower at Spitalfield, making the unique merchandise that much more appealing. Samira was even able to bargain with one of the vendors to get a deal on a few items. We did not have a lot of time there, so I did not spend any money, but I do hope to go back to Spitalfields Market before I go back home. The markets are a great way to see new parts of London and find unique items and food. I hope to get a chance to check out that building with a view before I leave, as well. ~Sedona

39 Steps

I went and saw a play called the 39 Steps at the Criterion Theater. It is a comedic adaptation of an Alfred Hitchcock film which was originally a novel by John Buchan. This play’s concept is to have the over 100 characters played entirely by only 4 people. This adds to the comedy of the play. The decision to go to this play was pretty last minute and it was my first professional play I have attended. I dressed business casual because I did not know what to expect but many people were wearing much more casual clothing. At first I wanted to purchase tickets online, but I called the theater and they had a student discount of 15 pounds when the show time is near. I caught the last tube to Piccadilly Circus just in time. This was the beginning night of the tube strike so I was lucky to have caught a train. While I waiting outside for the show to start, there were many street performers dancing and playing music to draw the attention and money of the crowds around the square. When I entered the theater, I was surprised at the size of the stage and theater. When I looked at the seating charts online, it seemed as if the theater was pretty large, but it was not.

The performers in the play were spectacular and did a great job of shifting between the roles they played. At one point, one of the characters had half of a costume on and was having a conversation with himself. Hats played a role in distinguishing between characters, especially when role switching was very fast. There was also clever stage maneuvering to achieve playing multiple roles and it all in all was a great show to watch. Students should definitely go and watch this play. I would definitely go back and see another production at this theater. ~Alex

Liberty of London

For our first free Wednesday of the study abroad program, I could think of nothing better than to go shopping.  Several friends of mine who have lived in London had suggested visiting Liberty of London.  I was under the impression that it was a department store, similar to Harrods, so I took the tube to Oxford Circus to find the store.

The first floor had scarfs, jewelry, and a chocolate shop.  I continued up the many floors of the store until the 4^th floor that was surprising filled with so many things relating to textiles.  There was an entire room filled with gorgeous fabrics, another area dedicated to yarns and knitting materials, and finally more buttons and ribbons than I could count.  I was so surprised by all of the fun things there that I spent about 30 minutes just marveling at the items. 

One thing that Liberty of London had a lot of was premade tapestry kits.  They reminded me of the latch hook kits I used to do when I was younger.  Although I’ve never done tapestry work, I was so inclined to buy one to hopefully teach myself how.  Although I decided against it that day, I plan to return to the store before leaving London to buy one.  I think it would be the perfect learning craft, as well as an awesome souvenir. 

Visiting Liberty of London was so exciting to me.  I expected a department store full of over-priced clothing and ended up finding a textile heaven.  I was inspired by the prepackaged kits to grow in my textiles ability.  Regardless of the fact that this experience related to my major, I so much enjoyed looking at the beautiful fabrics, yarns and buttons. ~Lindsay

Embankment

On July 11, I went on a bit of a leisurely exploration of the Embankment area, beginning with the Victoria Embankment Gardens. The gardens are located right next to the River Thames and in between the Hungerford and Waterloo Bridges. Traveling there is fairly simply, as all you need to do is take the eastbound District Line to the Embankment station, which takes about 20 minutes. The gardens are free to enter, and are extremely busy on the weekends, especially Saturday afternoon, which is when I went. Benches are filled, picnics are abundant, and people crowd the walkways.

The Victoria Embankment Gardens are fairly old and first opened in the 1860s. They contain an abundance of vegetation, mainly trees, flowers, and grassy areas, making the landscape look stunning. There is also a large historical side to the gardens in the form of statues, memorials, and ponds built to commemorate historical figures, which I thought complemented the gardens well. A few of this figures include British philosopher John Stuart Mill, poet Robert Burns, and British philanthropist Lady Henry Somerset. I found walking through the gardens aweing, despite the crowded nature at the time. It is probably the perfect place to relax, picnic, or take a break, and apparently many workers visit the gardens for their lunch break.

After exploring the gardens, I crossed the Waterloo Bridge and walked up and down the embankment to see what kind of interesting things were taking place. There was live music, artists who were drawing masterpieces in the sand, and even a gigantic book sale, with seemingly thousands of books on display. I soon decided to walk along the shore of the River Thames and see if I could find any interesting treasures, as it was low tide. I had also heard about old clay pipes that were smoked and then tossed into the river around the 16th century, but was only going to look briefly, since I planned to dedicate another excursion to pipe searching. I ended up finding a few broken stems and some cool looking bones, shells, and pottery, but nothing too spectacular. Hopefully I can find something significant the next time I go.

Overall, I really enjoyed being able to explore a bit of London with no particular purpose in mind except experiencing the surroundings. The Victoria Embankment Gardens were quite beautiful and the street life near the shore was bustling. I would recommend anyone with some free time to spend a few hours of unplanned leisure around London, as you never know what kinds of interesting things you may experience. ~Tyler

Tea Time at The Orangery at Kensington Palace

On a rainy afternoon, we enjoyed a lovely tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace.

The Orangery was originally built for Queen Anne in 1704 as an elegant greenhouse of various citrus trees. It was eventually transformed into an area for social gatherings and entertainment. Today, it is visited by thousands to enjoy traditional afternoon tea. Our Study Abroad members had tea time at the Orangery on Monday, which was a unique experience for all of us. 

We arrived to The Orangery in early afternoon, and I was pleased to find it was among beautiful gardens near the Kensington Palace. An entire room was reserved for our group and we sat in tables of about 4-6. Tableware was all carefully arranged upon seating, and soon hot English tea and 3 tier platters of small sandwiches, biscuits, and sweets were served. The atmosphere was both elegant and relaxing, and I enjoyed in participating this centuries-old  British tradition. 

Although we learned a bit about the history of The Orangery from staff, I couldn't help but think of more questions throughout the sitting. Is this tradition still relevant or appreciated mostly by tourists and visitors? Is tea time a young, old, casual, or formal occasion? Do most young people like myself here still go for tea, or just drink it at home? The context of this whole tea time thing was a bit baffling, and again I was reminded of the complexities of culture. There are so many little components to a culture, such as tea time, that compose entire lifestyles and ways of thinking. These are the social constructs under which business operates, and so then I saw why even us as engineers should think about something as seemingly insignificant as tea time. 

I would highly recommend visiting The Orangery for afternoon tea if you have the opportunity. Whether with a large group or a few friends, the unique atmosphere is worth experiencing at least once. Opportunities like this are what define the Study Abroad experience, and I am looking forward to the many more that London has to offer. ~Kali

Landmark Pictures

Kali's Big Ben

Jake's Eiffel Tower

Alex's Eiffel Tower

Qian's Loch Ness

Lauren's City of Bath

Great Orme Copper Mines

On July 11, 2015, we visited the Great Orme Copper Mines. They are one of the most important archeological site in Wales and the largest Bronze Age mines in the world. Over the last 30-years, archeologists have uncovered and surveyed over five miles. The tour around the mines was self-guided walking tour, and it takes approximately forty-five minutes. The route across these mines is about 200 meters. A tour through the Great Orme Mines is both educational and thought provoking.

The tour around the mines is breathtaking due to the nature of the tunnels and the informative bit on the excavation of copper. A ticket to the mines costs £7.00 for a student, but it is worth it. In the mines, we had a chance to learn about the various methods used during the Bronze Age to mine Copper and compare them with the modern methods. Most of the methods used during the Bronze Age are outdated and dangerous. The extremely narrow nature of the tunnels suggests that children of about five years took part in the mining. It was really interesting tour for me, as a materials science and engineering student.

It was really interesting for me to experience what I am studying about the materials’ properties. Color is a significant physical property of copper. It has a distinctive reddish brown color that is easy to identify. However, heat can alter the color of copper depending on the degree of hotness of the flame and the level of available oxygen. Early humans had discovered this characteristic of copper and used its different shades to make jewelry. Other uses of copper during the Bronze Age include making of weapons, and tools.The tour encourages me to imagine how life during the Bronze Age and appreciate the technology that makes our lives easier today! ~Zainab

Tower of London

Once we got in the tower we stood in the once moat and waited for the tour by the beefeater. He took us around the tower and into the center where he described the history of London and the tour and how they tortured traitors of the kingdom. This information was very interesting and entertaining but our group was so big that we ended up in the back and wasn’t able to hear our tour guide. After coming to a decision, we broke off from the group and went to see the Crown Jewels! This was by far my favorite part. We waited in line for about 20 minutes, and it was definitely worth it.  We saw many crowns and a ton of gold items used for coronations and weddings. I had never seen jewels as big as the ones in the tower, and I believe they live up to their name. The Crown Jewels are definitely a must see on a trip to London. After the jewels, we went to other parts of the tower and saw knight armor and torture devices that were very interesting and worth seeing.

Overall I had a great time at the Tower of London! ~Lauren

Kew Gardens

Quite on the spur of the moment, on the 11th of July, 2015, I bravely traveled outside of London zone 2 on a grand adventure. My travels took me to the lush plant-zoo that is Kew Gardens. A ticket to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew costs £13 for students who order their ticket online, and £15 to full-price guests at the gate. I would highly recommend buying ahead of time, as the lines to the ticket booths were long, and an online ticket let you just walk right in. Tickets are good for any one day within a 30 day period after you buy it. 

After a short walk from the tube station through the well-kept village of Kew, I arrived at the crowded main gardens gate. I hesitantly entered through the un-queued portion of the gateway, my online ticket printout in hand. The attendant at the entrance glanced at my paper, handed me a map to the gardens, and ushered me further inside. Just like that, the park was mine!

Everything (save for food and merchandise) within the grounds is free to access once you are inside the gates. Map in pocket and feet ready for wandering, I set off toward the largest of the Botanical greenhouses. On the way, I stumbled across two of the Greek-style temples that are speckled across the garden(Image 1). Compete with potted orange trees and other Mediterranean fixtures, the temples seemed right at home in the sylvan landscape.

Finding that the large greenhouse was temporarily closed off for major renovations and improvements, I wandered instead toward the nearby alleged "tree walkway." Not far down the path, I began to notice the large metal supports for the raised walkway through the trees. While I enjoyed climbing the spiral stairs 60 feet into the air and strolling amidst the treetops, I had expected it to be a more extensive path (at least going from one location to another, rather than in a circle).

I spent the remainder of the day exploring the various other attractions and garden areas that Kew has to offer.

The grounds at Kew look sprawling and vast on the map, but can easily be walked thoroughly in a matter of hours. Parts of the gardens look a bit like Kensington Gardens, with trees and tall, yellow grass. There are several major attractions that are free-to-visit with a ticket to the gardens. These attractions include three greenhouses, the Palm House, and the Princess of Wales Conservatory), and several royal buildings such as the Kew Palace and (on weekends) the Royal cottage, complete with thatched roof. ~Winston

Stirling

I took a train to Stirling on July 12^th. This is the place where the movie Brave Heart was filmed. I have watched this movie when I was a child, and I was impressed by the courage of the character William Wallace. That’s the reason I choose this place as a destination.

When I arrived in Stirling. I was shocked by the city. The whole city was built on a mountain. Sometime it is hard for you to just go up because it is so steep. This might because Stirling was a important place for military, so the city was built as a fortress that easy to defend but hard to attack.

The Stirling castle was built on the top of the mountain. It has a great view for the city. In front of the castle, there is a stature of King Robert of Bruce. He is the actual person in the history that helps Scottish gain the independence. People remembered the great warrior of the Scotland, William Wallace, and built a monument for him. ~Jeff

Bath

The Day Tour of Bath through AIFS was probably my favourite excursion that I have done thus far. It was relatively inexpensive for what we were able to do in four hours we were there. Mesmerizing architecture, stunning Roman artefacts, and beautiful scenery surrounded us through every street and neighbourhood. First we went through a self guided tour of the Roman Baths. The baths themselves were beautiful and it was amazing to hear the origins behind their construction and social uses. Drinking the water was also an interesting experience, its strong metal taste reminded me of when you bite your tongue and taste blood (from its iron content). The artefacts in the museum I found most surprising were thin sheets of metal where Romans wrote who they wanted cursed, and for what, and threw them in the baths. It was fun to learn so much so quickly about the religious, engineering, and political aspects of culture that made Bath what it is today. I was also very happy that in the gift shop I was able to buy a sculpted replica of the Gorgon that was made from the dust of the original Bath temple. The rest of the day was free time, and spent wandering through various neighbourhoods and eating lunch at a local cafe.

I would highly recommend visiting Bath for anyone in the area, there is so much offered for people interested in anything from night life to political history. My day trip made me want to research more on Roman history, specifically on methods and accomplishments of its engineers. My Italian heritage also seems to tie in to this interest, and I am excited to learn more when I travel to Rome after our Study Abroad program. This excursion gave me a whole new appreciation for engineers throughout history, as well as the diverse origins of the UK as a whole. For anyone wondering, here was a loose expense summary of my day:

£20 Tour Fee (subsidized through AIFS)

£10 Lunch

£12 Gift Shop Purchase

£2 Local Ice Cream

~Kali

Stamford Bridge

On July 10, I toured Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC’s soccer stadium and grounds. Chelsea is one of five London clubs in the Premier League, England’s top division of soccer. They were also crowned champions of the Premier League this past season, winning the league comfortably ahead of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United. While I am not a Chelsea fan, I am a fan of anything soccer related, so I could not pass up the opportunity to visit one of the stadiums I have only ever seen on TV. The stadium itself is not far away at all, only two tube stops on the westbound District Line towards Wimbledon, and you can even just walk around the outskirts of the stadium for free. Costs for standard tours are about £25, but I only had to pay £8 through AIFS.

The tour begins with you getting to sit in stadium seats, only a few rows away from the field, while the tour guide quickly introduces Chelsea’s history. You then transition to the press room, where upwards of 100 reporters and journalists sit after matches to ask the manager and players questions. The away lockers rooms are introduced, and you really get to see how Chelsea designed them to put their opponents at a disadvantage. They are not air conditioned, are cramped, have small lockers, and the tactics board is placed right next to the door, which has to be kept open at all times for “safety reasons.” Chelsea’s luxurious home locker rooms are then shown for comparison. They are spacious, air conditioned, have nice showers and bathrooms, and their tactics room is larger than the entire away dressing room. Probably the coolest experience was walking out of the tunnel and onto the field at the halfway line, just as players do on match days. After the main tour, you can explore the Chelsea Museum and learn about the history of the club and see all the major trophies they have won, which was awesome.

I chose to visit Stamford Bridge because I am such a big fan of the Premier League and soccer in general, and the tour did not disappoint. To physically experience one of the stadiums that I had only every seen on a screen was a surreal experience for me that I will never forget. I highly recommend any fan of soccer to go on a tour or at least just visit the stadium, as you get to truly understand the sporting culture of England and how large of a role soccer plays in the locals’ lives. While the tour may not directly appeal to an engineer, as with the V&A, engineering can be found if one looks hard enough. The structural aspects of the stadium are impressive, the logistics behind the design of the locker rooms and press room are fascinating, and even biomedical aspects of engineering can be appreciated when considering how team medics and physios have to keep players at the highest level of fitness at all times. ~Tyler

BMW Mini

On July 8th, 2015, the Engineers in London group took a trip to the Mini Plant in Oxford. We boarded our coach around 7:00 A.M. on that Wednesday morning and began our tour at 9. This trip was my first in-person exposure to a manufacturing environment so I was really looking forward to learning about the process.

As an Industrial Engineering student, many of my peers pursue a manufacturing career. I, however, did not feel as though a manufacturing facility was where I pictured myself working. My idea of it, which was only based on talking to people and not my own experience, was that it was a monotonous environment, regardless of what was being produced or who was producing it. After visiting the Mini plant, though, my feelings changed. I found the whole plant tour to be extremely interesting and have started to think about it as an option for my career. 

What stood out to me the most was the plant was huge, but it was organized, modern, and smart. There was tape on the floor for where carts or shelves belonged, and display boards showing progress and updates. There were robots that did the work of five people and did the majority of the bodyshop work. The plant itself took advantage of the height of their buildings and had multiple levels within the building to allow for more space. I also liked that what was being produced was tangible. Often times I, as a student, learn about processes that are not tangible or are not as simple as starting with a batch of material and creating a product with that material. Clearly seeing the sequence of events and the final product, a Mini Cooper, being driven out of the shop really changed my perspective about manufacturing and showed me that I have an interest in automobile manufacturing.

If this plant had not been as sophisticated or if it produced something I was not nearly as interested in, such as computer parts, I may not have had quite as great of an experience. However, the Mini plant impressed me. I am really glad that tour was arranged because I was able to form my own opinion on manufacturing as a career option. It could not have been better timing because in the fall I will begin my job search!

Here is a picture of Kady in the driver's seat of a Mini Cooper at the Mini Oxford Plant:

Louvre

The day after I went to the Eiffel tower I went to visit the Louvre by myself. Now, if there is one thing that everyone should know before going (and that I wish I had known) is that this place is huge. I was there for nearly three hours and didn't even get close to seeing half. I went in there with expectations to see most of it but disappointed myself at how i was unable to do that. It also took forever to get in because of the line, even though I got there an hour before it opened.


I know most people talk up La Joconde (Mona Lisa) like it is a huge and crazy painting but it really surprised me. It was tiny compared to what I expected and there was still a massive crowd around it. Also I didn't know that the real name of the painting wasn't the Mona Lisa. I went straight to see it and after that wandered around from room to room trying to find the coolest things I could. One of my favorites was the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue which is one of the first things that a person might see when going into the museum. It was one of the only statues that I have ever really been amazed by and it was nearly 2000 years old. I also got to see the Code of Hammurabi which I had never heard of until I saw it. The COH was almost 4000 years old (if I remember right) and was one of the oldest writings that we can decipher. I thought that that was so cool when I could just wander around and find something as amazing as that without any prior knowledge.


Overall though,I think that my favorite part about the Louvre was the ceilings in the building. It used to be a medical castle, and was the home to French royalty, and is now a museum so the parts of the building differ. However, the ceilings were always very beautiful and people rarely looked up in each room to see. Nearly everywhere you went, there were extremely intricate and wild murals painted on the ceilings. I think that it is impossible to appreciate all of the art in that building because it is nearly impossible to see it all. However the things that I have mentioned are definitely worth seeing and I think that someday I would like to go back so that I could appreciate them a little more. -Ben