Temple Owls Take On The United Kingdom

8.19.24 | General

Follow along with the Owls on their trip to The United Kingdom.

Oxford, England

Women's rowing's Sophia Manning details her time in Oxford.

We started our morning bright and early with a traditional English Breakfast in the breathtakingly beautiful Mansfield Chapel. Dr. Gratson discussed with the group our itinerary for the day, where we then split into three groups to learn about different pieces of history and cultures that surrounded Oxford University. We first strolled the streets of Oxford, highlighting High Street, St. Giles and Christ Church Street. On High Street, we could not help but admire the bustling shops and restaurants that filled Oxford with life. In addition, we were astonished at the ages of some of the churches and monuments that make Oxford the beautiful campus it is. For our second tour, Dr. Gratson gave us some incredibly eyeopening intel on the hidden meanings and patterns displayed on some of the most famous buildings in Oxford, in addition to the eccentric statues around campus. For our last tour, we visited two museums: The Natural History Museum and the Ashmolean Museum, where we explored countless pieces of art that were true to the culture of Oxford. When our group activities ended for the day, we were given time to explore Oxford to find some lunch and to reset before our next big event of the day: The Oxford Picnic Cruise. On this boat ride, we saw beautiful green spaces of Oxford, horses, cows and locals walking their dogs. It was truly a peaceful experience, where we were able to sit back, relax, listen to some jazz and enjoy the simple countryside. Our boatmate, Joe, who was driving the boat, was a fun local who not only taught us many cool facts about Oxford but the fun places to check out during our stay. After the boat tour, still mesmerized by the beautiful scenes of Oxford, we strolled the streets once more as the sun set and explored the fun, local-filled nightlife that Oxford had to offer. Another great day in the UK for the Temple Owls.

PHOTOS (L to R): Sophia Manning and teammate, Isabel May, enjoying fish and chips.; Amanda Morelli posing in the Natural History Museum.

London, England

Dalia Dubin of women's rowing details her time in London.

After exploring London the day before, Sunday allowed for more time to soak in the essence of the city. Members of the Women’s Rowing and Fencing team ate brunch together at a lovely restaurant filled with all types of plants and natural materials. It was beautiful to see the modern interior contrasted with the historic exterior of the building. London is filled with so much interesting architecture which made exploring the streets such a great experience. After we finished brunch, we traveled to Regent Street to explore the shops and take in the bustle of the city. Once we had finished there we took a taxi to the Tate Modern where we saw all different types of art. Some of the art pieces we saw included themes of immigration, social uprising, family, and cultural identity. One piece that stuck out was an array of skin tones that a person saw throughout their family and how they could feel that those differences linked them together. After finishing at the museum, our whole group headed back to Paddington Station and took the train to Oxford where we would be spending the next three days. After arriving in Oxford, we got settled in our accommodation at Mansfield College and began to explore the city with Dr. Gratson as our guide. An hour later we attended a musical performance held at Essex College. To end our night we took pictures together down the corridors and stopped at a local pub to talk together and reflect on our day.

PHOTOS (L to R): Student-athletes enjoying the Old Spitalfields Market.; Group shot on the steps of Oxford.

Edinburgh, Scotland - London, England

Jack Hanson of men's crew details his time in Edinburgh and London.

After a wonderful time at the Royal Military Tattoo, our time in Edinburgh came to a close. We rose with the sun for our final morning in Scotland. Bags in hand, we traveled to the airport and made our flight to Heathrow airport by the skin of our teeth. Upon arriving in London, we took the train to the stunning Paddington station and experienced the London taxi experience en route to Astor college where we would be lodging for the night. After most of the group caught up on some sleep at our housing, it was time to experience the grandeur of the Thames. Gathering on the river walk and soaking in the beautiful London skyline, we prepared to embark on a high speed boat tour that made us feel as if we were in a Bond movie ourselves (proper theme music was provided during our wonderful experience). Upon disembarking from our tour of the Thames river, it was time for us to explore the city. My group consisting of my crew teammates and members of the golf team wandered the streets of London, soaking in all of the beautiful architecture as we strolled to St. Paul’s cathedral. As the sun set, the city lit up, making for some incredible scenes as we strolled along the Thames. We regrouped with the rest of the students including athletes from fencing, women’s rowing and lacrosse. We found a fun modern spot by the London eye and danced the night away having an absolute blast. As the clock approached midnight, we all began to make our way to the famous Globe Theatre for a rendition of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. The liveliness of the actors and the crowd made it an incredible experience as we laughed and soaked in the historic atmosphere of the play. After an incredibly long day spanning from 4 am to 2 pm, we all received a wonderful gift to end the night; some much needed rest.

PHOTOS (L to R): Student photo taken from the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh.; Students enjoying boat ride on the Thames River in London.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Riley Horoshko and Sabrina Martin of women's lacrosse blog about their time in Edinburgh.

After arriving in Edinburgh around 10 am, we enjoyed a free day around the beautiful and scenic city. We started by walking up the royal mile and stumbled into a cute coffee shop, then continued our journey through the cobblestone roads and quaint side streets. The buildings were old and had so much character and designs etched into the stone showing the amazing history, including lots of thistles, which are very significant to the Scottish culture. We continued walking into the Fringe Festival, which is a huge event with lots of performers and was very interactive. After watching the festival, we bought jeff caps together to commemorate our time in Scotland. We had an amazing lunch with Dave Gerson and some members of the rowing team. Then we had some down time in our student housing and enjoyed the amazing views of Author’s Seat, which is part of the Scottish mountain range. Then we continued to explore the city at night with our new friends from rowing, golf, crew, and fencing.