Royalty: They're Just Like US

1) They build private villages in order to escape the pressures of their jobs.



2) They allow more than 400,000 guests to visit their homes each summer.

Buckingham Palace

3) Their homes have 775 rooms: including 19 State rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

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Today was our last day of activities in London. Most of our group of nineteen students leaves tomorrow. I'm so excited that my 18-year-old daughter is flying from Washington tomorrow. We're going to spend two days in London, two in Paris, and then relax at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland before heading home in time for my commencement and the start of her first year of college.

We wrapped up our visit with a tour of Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside the palace, but you've all seen the highlight (in my opinion) on the television: Kate Middleton's wedding dress is on display in the Ball Room of Buckingham Palace. And it's gorgeous, though not as pretty on a mannequin as it was on her. I particularly liked the giant photos of the "fine British craftsmanship" of the dress. One thing that struck me as funny was the audio tour's pronunciation of applique'. Apparently the British say "a PLEE kay" while I've always said "APP li kay." A replica of the wedding cake was also on display.

While we relaxed in Green Park prior to lunch, our instructor gave out awards. I received the "Person with the Most Permanent Souvenir of London" award. The award was an "I <3 London" keychain, which, ironically, I'm likely to someday misplace.

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The multimedia project on Marie Antoinette's Hamlet is my fifth major assignment for my classes. We've already 1) written a paper and enhanced it with a Web 2.0 component, 2) made a podcast, 3) filmed a digital video, and 4) created a digital story. This assignment was multimedia: use at least two forms of media to highlight a topic. I had planned to do something on Beatrix Potter, but I was so enchanted/dismayed by the French queen's Disney-like village that I just had to do that.

Resources used to make the Glogster project:

Byrne, A (Composer). (2010). The Counterfeiters. On Duff: Music for toy piano [Medium of recording: Audio Download]

Coppola, S (Director). (2006). Marie Antoinette [Web]. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn3tu3ZxCj

The queen's hamlet. (n.d.). Chateau de Versailles. Retrieved August 3, 2011 from http://en.chateauversailles.fr/index.php?option=com_cdvfiche&idfp=F7881CA5-9E99-29D7-1BD1-A7E76244CCB9

Steves, R. (Producer). France: paris audio walking tours by rick steves [Audio Podcast]. Rick Steves' Europe: Tours, Trip Planning, Travel Guides and Information. Retrieved from http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/france_downloads.htm