The British Museum and Baking

Today, a few off us went to the British Museum. We took our time and slowly made our way there. We found the museum pretty easily and were ready to start our visit. Outside there were a ton of trucks with lighting equipment and there were signs everywhere telling people not to use flash photography. You see, today the crew for Night at the Museum 3 started filming. Unfortunately, we didn't see any one or anything important but it was still cool knowing what was going on. The museum was amazing. I was entirely too big for just the few hours we were there but we got to see some pretty cool stuff. Some of the more famous things we saw were the Parthenon sculptures and the Rosetta Stone. There was just so many artifacts that it's hard to tell you all about everything we saw. Also, Jill and I had entirely too much fun in the gift shop.

The Rosetta Stone.

After our adventure out, Jill and I tried to bake. We would have done an amazing job if the kitchens weren't so fussy. The first thing we made was Peanut Butter Cup Crack Brownies. The first step was to make brownies. That seemed simple enough until the oven decided that it wanted to burn the corners of the brownies while leaving the middle completely uncooked. We continued however and put broken peanut butter cups on top of the brownies and put them back in the oven. As the Reese's cups started cooking, rather than just melting, the brownies still refused to bake. We continued the recipe and finished with a mixture of chocolate, peanut butter and Rice Krispies on top. We aren't entirely sure if it all worked because we haven't been able to eat them yet. Tomorrow though, we will have a verdict. Then we made Rice Krispy Treats, or Marshmallow Fluff Treats as they are also known. After a lot of butter and weird smells coming from the microwave, our desserts were complete. The Rice Krispy Treats turned out pretty good so I have high hopes for the brownies.

JessLynn

Parliament Day!

Today I had one class, Modern British Politics, and we got to visit Parliament. I walked down to the tube by myself ready for my first solo tube ride (I realized today that I have always been with at least one other person on the tube). When I got to the platform, I found Mitch and Becky and joined up with them. We took the train to Westminster to meet everyone. We waited a few minutes for everyone to get there and then headed across the street to the Houses of Parliament.

Me, Becky, Professor Fosdal and Caitlin at Westminster tube station. (Photo cred goes to Caitlin on this one)

We went through a security check at the entrance. Our picture was taken and put on a visitor tag that we wore around our necks. I took, what was dubbed by Caitlin to be, the worst picture of our whole group. I have included it for your enjoyment.

Maybe the worst picture ever taken

The first place we went was Westminster Hall. It is a giant room that was built 900 years ago. It originally was used as a market place but now is the entrance to Parliament and used for special events. We then turned a corner and headed in to the dead center of Parliament.

Westminster Hall. This picture really doesn't do it justice, it was absolutely massive.

This was the last place we could take pictures.

First, we went to the House of Commons. They deal with all of the day-to-day issues and debate important matters. We sat up in the Public Gallery which is a balcony above the chamber. Today they were discussing an immigration bill and flaws in their plans for deportation. It was a little hard to follow but it was pretty interesting. I really enjoyed it. We stayed for a bit and then went over to the House of Lords. The Lords are generally much older and not very exciting. The general topic of discussion was Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom. There is going to be a vote in September as to whether or not Scotland wants to continue to be a part of the U.K. so it's a very hot topic right now. The argument we heard was the effects Scotland's independence would have on Great Britain's Olympic team, which was a very oddly specific and seemingly trivial subject. Before we went in to the House of Lords, Fosdal informed us that we all were required to play the game "How Many Lords Are Asleep." Because they are fairly old, and the topics are a little slow and boring, many of them fall asleep. I only saw one but someone else said they found 3. Even though the House of Lords was a little boring, the entire day was fascinating. I really enjoyed going and seeing everything in person.

After Parliament, Mitch, Becky and I went to Pret for a snack and headed home. I've had a really good day and I have an exciting weekend planned so be prepared for that!

JessLynn

Oops.

Well folks, it happened. I skipped a day. It was bound to happen sometime and yesterday was that day. So, please forgive me and allow me to tell you about my day.

Tuesday

I woke up pretty late because I am still sick and just hung out for the morning. At 2 I had Crime Fiction and we discussed Sherlock Holmes. I really love reading the stories and I enjoyed our discussion in class. In the evening a bunch of us met for dinner with our Theatre professor before going to see a show. We ate at Tara Tari and the food was pretty good. We saw Rapture, Blister, Burn at Hampstead Theatre. The play is about two middle aged women who are unhappy with the paths they chose. It was reviewed as being an important feminist commentary on life. I was pretty disappointed however. A lot of other people in my class liked it but I feel it didn't really do feminism any justice.

Wednesday

Today! This morning for BLC we were supposed to go on a walk of Westminster (which is the central borough of London where all of the iconic places are). But of couse it rained all day. So instead of walking in the rain we went to the Museum of London. We explored for quite a while before Jill and I headed back to Metro for lunch. Unfortunately, the tube was insanely crowded so there wasn't a whole lot of time to get back and eat. After really quick cheese toasties (grilled cheese) we ran off to Crime Fiction. In class we watched an episode of a Sherlock Holmes TV show from the 1980s and discussed the similarities of the show and written story. We then got our next reading, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I've never read the story but I know the basics and I can't wait to get started.

JessLynn

Sick Day

Being sick is the worst. I had two classes today, Politics and Theatre. They were both good and our discussions were interesting. I'm sorry I'm not really going to write a whole lot today. All of my muscles hurt. My legs hurt. My arms hurt. My face hurts (Dad, don't even think of making the "it's killing me" joke. You've been using it for at least 20 years now).  So now, I'm going to sleep. And I'm going to sleep for a long time. I will hopefully get over this cold soon and have more exciting things to tell you all about.

JessLynn

Breakfast and the National Gallery

This morning Caitlin, Becky, Mitch and I went to a pub for a full English breakfast. I quickly realized that I only eat half of the parts of a full English breakfast so I got eggs, bacon and toast (with a side of hash browns, which was really just a large tater tot). It was really good and a nice start to a rainy day. We spent a while just talking and hanging out at the pub. I absolutely love pubs. The really cool thing is that they won't try to get you out of your table. Once you sit down, the table is yours until you decide to go.

After breakfast, Caitlin, Becky and I went to the National Gallery. Caitlin and I are both sick so we knew we wouldn't last too long. We focused on the more modern art at the museum. After a bit of wandering, Caitlin decided to head back while Becky and I tried to find another museum to check out. We wandered for a bit and found ourselves in Piccadilly Circus and since it was raining, decided to head home. We would find out when we got off at our stop at Gloucester Road that we had gotten on the same tube carriage as Caitlin and didn't realize. The three of us stopped at Boots (a pharmacy) to get some cough drops and medicine and then walked back to Metrogate.

Our adventures were short but it was nice to get out of the dorm for a bit. I'm really hoping to be over this cold soon because it is not fun at all.

Finally, I leave you with an interesting billboard Becky found at the underground station. It's definitely persuasive.

JessLynn

Very Lazy Day

So today I didn't do anything. Really. Nothing. I woke up with a scratchy throat and Jill was also sick so we cancelled our plans. I sat around my room and lounged. I listened to some Trivia and started a show on Netflix. Mr. Selfridge to be exact. It's a dramatization of the life of Harry Selfridge. He created Selfridge's, which is a very famous department store just over a few blocks from where I live. I like it so far. I would recommend it. Today has been really good. It was really nice to sit around and do absolutely nothing, especially after our stressful ending to yesterday.

Well I'm off to go space out some more. Night folks!

JessLynn

Making Plans

Good evening!! It's been another exciting day here in London!

This morning, Jill and I went back to Speedy's for some lunch. We wanted pictures of the shop with when it was open and people were there. We took a couple pictures and headed inside for some food. We were insanely overwhelmed so we decided take away would be our best bet. I unintentionally ordered the most complicated sandwich that has ever been made. Below is a little snippet of the conversation between me and the woman behind the counter (who had a very thick accent and in quite a hurry even though we were the only people at the counter).

Me: I'll have a roast beef sandwich on a roll.
Her: We don't have rolls, just the big ones.
Me: Oh, ok that's fine.
Her: Do you want horseradish and salad?
Me: Ummm, (completely confused as to what "salad" is) no. Just mayonnaise?
Her: So you just want mayo and roast beef on a roll?
Me: (staring blankly) No, I'll have salad on it also, sorry. (still uncertain as to what that meant)
Her: (looking at me like I'm insane) ok, do you want salt and pepper too?
Me: Yes please.

Writing it out really doesn't do it justice. You're all just going to have to believe me that it was quite and interesting moment. I was totally ok with whatever she was going to make me. All of the questions really weren't necessary and they just confused and flustered me. It was kind of a mess. Jill witnessed the whole thing and when we walked out we couldn't help but start laughing. I asked if she knew what "salad" was and she assumed it was coleslaw, which is what I was thinking also. We walked down the block a bit and sat on the side of a short wall. It turns out that salad is lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. (And there was no mayo). It was still pretty good and I would go back, this time a little more prepared.

Speedy's is open!

After lunch we decided to check out the Natural History Museum. It was huge. The building itself is massive and absolutely beautiful. The exhibits are all scientific, which isn't necessarily my favorite but it was still really cool. The dinosaur exhibit was especially fun.

The inside of the Natural History Museum with a statue of Darwin in the back.

One of the last things we saw was the "Giant Sequoia." It's a section of a giant tree that was cut down in California in the 1880's, if I remember correctly. It began growing in 550, so it was incredible. We walked up the stair and Jill or I made a comment about going to check out "the big tree." We both chuckled until we found the plaque below. Apparently the tree is known as the big tree, which amuses me very much.

Giant Sequoia.

After a while at the museum we headed home and just hung out for a bit. Then we headed in to the kitchen to cook french fries and plan our 10 day trip. In the middle of our term we have 10 days to travel and explore this part of the world. Jill and I are travelling together to Wales and Scotland. Planning a trip, buying tickets and booking hostels is incredibly difficult and stressful. We spent a lot of time sitting in the kitchen trying to figure everything out. Looking at our plans, it doesn't seem like we got that much done but I am thoroughly exhausted. So, here are our plans so far!

Fri 14 Feb : 1pm train leaves for Fishguard, Wales. Arrive and check in to hostel.
Sat 15 Feb: Day in Fishguard.
Sun 16 Feb: Day in Fishguard.
Mon 17 Feb: 1am train leaves for London (with change at 3am). 3pm plane leaves for Edinburgh.                      Arrive and check in to hostel.
Tues 18 Feb: Day in Edingburgh.
Wed 19 Feb: Day tour of the Highlands with Haggis Adventures.
Thurs 20 Feb: Day in Edingburgh.
Fri 21 Feb: Day in Edingburgh.
Sat 22 Feb: 11am plane leaves for London.

I am so excited and I know that Jill and I are going to have a great time. If anyone has any suggestions for what we should do on our free days in Wales and Scotland, please leave me a comment We would really love some help!!

Tonight I'm a little homesick. Trivia starts tonight at Lawrence. For those or you who don't know what Trivia is, it's a crazy 50 straight hours of trivia and one of my favorite things about Lawrence. I have loved playing Trivia for the past two years and this year my lovely Portia is a Trivia Master. So, obviously I'm a little bummed to be missing it. Luckily, I will be able to listen to it online and enjoy it from afar. Good luck to all the teams this year and I hope you have a great time!!

A day of cancellations.

Today was weird. Plain and simple, weird. 

I made plans last night to go by myself and explore the Natural History Museum a couple blocks away. But when I woke up it was pouring. That mixed with very little motivation meant that the museum was going to have to wait. Instead, I took my time getting ready and made some breakfast. Of course, as soon as I made this decision the skies cleared and it was bright and sunny. For my only class of the day (Modern British Politics) we were going to Parliament. I was pretty excited but the day also had the potential to be excruciatingly boring. I left Metrogate a little early so I could swing by Foundation House and pick up a book I needed to read for class. Christine was in the office and she stopped me to inform me that our class had been postponed to 3 (rather than 2). I debated going down to Westminster anyway and just walking for a bit but decided it was best just to head back home. Once I got back I met up with Mallory and Ben and the three of us headed out together. We met our classmates at Westminster tube station and began placing our bets as to how late our professor would be. (He has been late to a few classes because of the flooding where he lives. A lot of the trains have been cancelled so it's harder for him to get in to the city.) When he arrived, he apologized and thought Parliament was a bit of a lost cause for the day. Instead, we all went to a nearby pub where he bought us drinks (I had tea again!) and we chatted. We also rescheduled our trip to Parliament for next week, when (hopefully) nothing will go wrong. We spent a lot of time in the pub before heading home. I ate some dinner and I'm about to read Sherlock Holmes for homework. I think I'm also making plans with Jill about our 10 day break. I will be sure to share our plans as soon as we make our decisions. 

This week has been a bit of an odd one. It's been interesting but definitely a little weird. Hopefully this weekend will go a bit more smoothly. 

JessLynn

A nice easy day.

This morning we had British Life and Culture. We talked a lot about the monarchy and the Queen's relationship with the people. It was really interesting to talk about. One of my favorite things about Professor Fosdal is a joke that he uses almost every class. He will begin talking about the monarchy and say "America, you could have had this. But, you decided to go at it alone. You preferred your Richard Nixon and George Bush. Just remember, you had your chance to stay." He's said the joke at least 4 times and I still chuckle. Also, he addresses the group of us as "America" which means he walks in every morning and welcomes us with a big "Good Morning America." However, 3 of us aren't American so it is more like "Good Morning America....and Jamaica....and India." And that doesn't have as nice of a ring to it.

My second class of the day was British Crime Fiction but, it was cancelled because Christine wasn't feeling well. So, my whole afternoon was free. First, I just hung out for a bit. Then, Mallory and I went to Fait Maison for tea. I don't usually like tea but I thought I would give it a try. I had mint tea with a pastry with custard in it. It was delicious! I am hoping that means I will start liking more tea. I have always liked the idea of tea, but the taste never rubbed me the right way. But, who knows? That could all be changing!! Mallory and I had a really nice life chat while we had tea. I am really enjoying living with her and we are so much more similar than I expected. We went back to our room (because it looked like it was going to rain) and watched Peter Pan. After watching the play on Monday a bunch of us have had the desire to watch the old Disney cartoon. For the rest of the afternoon I lounged around and didn't do much.

Tomorrow I only have class in the afternoon (and we are going to Parliament, yay!) so I am planning on walking over to the Natural History Museum for the morning. I love living this close to free museums! I'm hoping that tomorrow will be very interesting so I'll have a bit more to write!!

JessLynn

This one's for Giggles.

Good Evening! (Or good afternoon, I guess. It is only 2 pm back in the states. Here it's 8.)

This morning, I did nothing. I woke up late and lounged around. It was great. I watched the majority of a movie and took my time getting ready.

First class of the day was British Crime Fiction. We talked about Poe a lot and our thoughts on his story Murders in the Rue Morgue. I really enjoyed the story and found it very interesting to compare to modern works of Crime Fiction. We start Sherlock Holmes next week and I'm very excited to learn more about Arthur Conan Doyle's work.

My second class of the day was Fringe Theatre. Our class time for Tuesdays is 6-8pm but our professor had a prior commitment so we decided to meet earlier and go on a short walk through London. We were meeting at 5 which meant that I had about an hour in between my classes. Because we were too lazy to walk back to Metrogate only to turn around and walk back in order to catch the tube, Jill and I stayed at Foundation House. (From know on, Jill will now be called Giggles Salisbury, just so everyone is aware. You can thank Christine Harris for that one.) Giggles and I sat on the floor of the Lawrence classroom and ate snacks until we had to get the tube (and the cleaning lady was about to kick us out). We rode the tube to Embankment station and met up with our class. We walked through the city and learned a bit about the history and significance of where we were. After a bit we stopped at The Salisbury pub to warm up and have a drink. Giggles was rather excited. We sat for a while and talked about how much we hated the play from the night before and how it could have been better. After everyone finished their drinks, we did a little more walking to Covent Garden. That's where we went our separate ways. Jill, excuse me. Giggles and I stopped at a candy shop that sells American candy and I got Mini Chewy Sweettarts (one of my faves). Then we headed home for some dinner. On our way we discussed how it was possibly that we weren't friend until recently. We are so similar it's a bit scary. Now, it's time for homework and a movie. Then I'm off to bed.

On a completely unrelated note, the internet here is still terrible and it's very frustrating. All of us are slowly losing our minds because of how awful it is. Here's hoping it gets better.

JessLynn

Lost Boy

Good morning! I didn't have a chance to write last night because the internet in Metrogate is absolutely terrible. I'm hoping that it won't distract me from posting every day. I really want to stick with this.  That being said, let's get on with it!

Writing about days when I just have class is not as interesting as days when I go out and explore. Just so you are aware. Yesterday, I had Modern British Politics in the morning. We talked all about Parliament. We are going to Parliament on Thursday so we had to prepare ourselves for what we were going to experience. We will be able to sit in on sessions for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Sometimes, debates in the House of Commons get really heated and exciting but Fosdal doesn't think that's actually going to happen. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Then in the afternoon I had Fringe Theatre. We spent the entire 2 hours talking about the play we saw last Tuesday. Most of us liked it so talking about it was easy and enjoyable. The play was very deep and French so picking it apart was not hard at all. We made plans for the show we were going to that evening and went our separate ways.

The final thing I did yesterday was see a show for Fringe. The point of Fringe Theatre in London is to watch and experience new, experimental theatre. The show we saw last night was.......different. It was called Lost Boy. Set in 1914 England at the start of the first world war, it was about Peter Pan after he grew up and how he copes with being an adult. And it was a musical. It got great reviews so we assumed it was going to be fantastic. All of us expected it to be shocking and dark, but I'm not sure if that's what we got. I'm a fan of some musicals, but it was really cheesy. I wanted so much more from the show. I felt it could have been really dark and depressing (in a good way) but it was just...weird. The nice thing is that I'm pretty sure none of us liked it so our class discussion is going to be fantastic. One of the show's few redeeming qualities was the actors. They did a great job. They sounded amazing and were very talented. Unfortunately though, the script was not on their side.

If you want to know more about the show here is a review. He is a little more fond of the show than I am but, we will forgive him for it. (He sets the scene a little more eloquently than the actual show did)

Well that's all for now. I hope to see you all back tonight!

JessLynn

Jess and Jill's Sherlock Adventure! (Part 2)

So, last night I was having a ton of issues with the internet and in my frustration left out two of the best parts of the day. Here's a little bonus stuff that I thought you would all like to know. :)

1) In the Sherlock Holmes museum, there was a book of letters written to Sherlock after the Reichenbach Falls. I am not sure when they were sent but they seem very recent. This particular letter caught our eye. We read the first couple sentences and couldn't read on. It was so heartbreaking and the girl was so upset (and we were already an emotional wreck) that I had to walk away. Here is that letter.

2) Comedy here in England is different than back home. English humor (excuse me, humour) is much more dry and sarcastic. So, outright exclamations of excitement aren't common at all. That being said, the conductor of our train yesterday was the exception to the rule. We got on the train at Baker Street and he came on the loud speaker to tell us that the train wouldn't depart for 6 minutes and he was sorry for the inconvenience. He made this same announcement at the 3 and 1 minute marks. Just as we were about to depart, he came on the speaker again saying "Yaaaaaaaaaay! We're ready to depart now! Let's get going!!" This was then follower by a joke about him not rememebering to put the train in gear and that's why we were stuck. It was hilarious and Jill and I were shocked. The weirdest part of the whole experience was the reaction (or lack of) from everyone else on the train. No one even flinched. One of the women sitting across from us looked at Jill and I like we were crazy because we thought it was adorable! It was so bizarre and fantastic, I had to share it with you all. Well that's al for now, I'm headed to class!

JessLynn

Jess and Jill's Sherlock Adventure!

(See what I did there? Jess and Jill kinda sounds like Jack and Jill. It's a play on words. A joke. It's funny.... Ok, I'm sorry. Titles are obviously not my strong suit.)

Today, Jill and I acted like nerdy tourists. And it was awesome. Luckily, we both share a love for Sherlock Holmes. So that was the theme for our day. It should also be noted that today Sherlock season 3 premiers in America. It's a complete coincidence that these events fell on the same day. We left at about noon and got on the tube. We arrived at Baker Street Station and could not contain our excitement.

These are all over the Baker Street tube station.

Our first stop was 221b Baker Street, The Sherlock Holmes Museum. Unfortunately, in all of the excitement, I didn't take a picture of the outside. But, I got plenty of the inside.

Signs pointing us in the right direction.

First, we went into the gift shop and bought our tickets and then we went into the actual museum. It was really dark and small in there but the decorating was amazing. It's decorated and designed to look exactly like it would have if Sherlock, John and Mrs. Hudson lived there. I'm going to organize everything by floor. So, the ground floor is just a small hallway and stairs.

A hat rack and picture of the Reichenbach Falls in the entrance.

When you go up the stairs and arrive on the first floor to your left is Sherlock's room and straight ahead is the study. We spent a lot of time on this floor because it was so cool!

Sherlock's dresser.

Sherlock's bed.

John's Desk in the Study.

John's kit in the Study.

John's chair in the Study.

The fireplace in the Study.

A view of the Study from Sherlock'c room.

Sherlock's side of the Study.

V.R. shot into the wall by Sherlock as target practice.

On the second floor, is John and Mrs. Hudson's rooms. In my group of friends, we joke that I am Mrs. Hudson so seeing her room was really awesome. I think we would have the same taste.

John's fireplace.

Cabinet in John's room.

John's journal.

Mrs. Hudson's fireplace. 

Bust of Sherlock Holmes.

My name in Mrs. Hudson's visitors book.

A shelf in Mrs. Hudson's room.

A few things on display in Mrs. Hudson's room.

Finally on the 3rd floor, there were mannequins depicting popular scenes and cases from Sherlock Holmes. They were interesting but also terrifying. 

Professor James Moriarty.

The hound of Baskerville.

Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes.

After seeing this one we hurried up the stairs. Not a huge fan of his creepy eyes.

On the final floor, the 4th floor, there was a bathroom and storage. The entire house was beautiful and detailed. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Maybe the fanciest toilet I have ever seen.

Suitcases on the loft above the stairs.

We headed back down to the gift shop where I spotted a few really cool things and bought my first souvenir. I got a button for myself (and maybe a few other Sherlock nerds...)

Abi and Portia, I think we need one of these Cluedos for the wall.

My button that now lives on my book bag.

Our next stop was even more exciting. We were headed for the storefront that is used as the set of Baker Street for BBC's Sherlock. The actual address is 187 Gower Street but its just a few tube stops away from Baker Street. We got a little lost but quickly found where we were and found the address. For those of you that aren't familiar with Sherlock, there is a restaurant called Speedy's right next door to the flat so we planned on eating lunch there. Unfortunately, Speedy's is not open on Sundays so lunch was out of the question (we have already made plans to go back and eat, so don't you worry). Being there was a bit overwhelming for Jill and I. It was amazing. I can't believe we were actually there! I have included a picture from the show just so you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation. We stood right there! Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman stood on that sidewalk! They ACTED right there on that sidewalk! I walked on that sidewalk!! 

Scene from Sherlock.

The picture I took. I'm practically standing where Benedict Cumberbatch is!

Speedy's from across the street.

After Speedy's we headed back to Metrogate to get some food because we were starving. Later in the afternoon we decided to try to find Primark again. Mallory, Jill and I found the right bus and actually looked up directions on how to get there. As soon as we stepped off the bus, all we had to do was cross the street and we were there. Primark is heaven. Chaotic, messy heaven. Everything is so cheap and really cute. I went in to buy a wallet and found a couple other things and only spent a few pounds. It's a lot easier to not buy everything when you remember that you have to bring it home somehow.

After that, we headed back home and ate some dinner. Now Mallory and I are watching Legally Blonde before we head off to bed. Today was really amazing and memorable and fantastic. I am exhausted from all of the excitement and I can't wait to go to sleep. 

JessLynn

A Bit of an Odd Day.

Well hello there!

This morning, Jill and I headed out on a bit of an adventure. A few days ago, Jill suggested that we go see American Psycho...the musical. Matt Smith is the lead so I thought it would be intersting to check out. In order to get tickets we had to wait in line, and even then we were unsure if we would get them. We got on the tube and rode for a while until we arrived in Islington. Islington is still very much in the city but has a bit of a calmer vibe than where we live. It felt more "homey," if that makes any sense. We walked from the tube station to the theatre. Judging from the line formed at the ticket booth and the fact that it was already almost sold out, we decided that it was really unlikely we were going to get tickets. So, we headed back to the tube station to go home. It seems a bit odd that we just left without trying but it was nice to walk through and explore a different part of London for a few minutes (and the tube was free so there was no consequence).

An alley in Islington.

After we got back we stopped off at Waitrose for some groceries. Then we headed back to Metrogate for lunch. Jill was amazing and made Kraft Mac and Cheese (which is kind of hard to find here in the U.K.) for both of us. We sat on the kitchen floor while we ate and did homework. We made plans for our day trip tomorrow and geeked out about what we are doing (I'm keeping this a secret, so you have to come back and read my next post).

At Waitrose, among several necessities, I bought some candy. I bought some Cadbury Crunchums and Hobnobs. Crunchums are odd. They are cereal pieces covered in chocolate. The cereal has the same texture as and tastes a bit like sweet Bugles, which is very confusing for my brain. But, they are covered in chocolate so you can't really go wrong. Hobnobs, on the other hand, are delicious. It's an oat biscuit (crunchy cookie) that has chocolate on one side. Abi has had them at school and loved them so I knew there was a strong chance that I was going to enjoy them. All of the candy I've eaten here has been amazing. It's going to be hard to choose what to bring home to share with my family.

In all of the paperwork we are given before we arrive, one of the pamphlets talks about arriving in the United Kingdom. It discusses culture shock and the fact that, even though I am in an English speaking country, I was going to go through culture shock. There are different stages and one of them is anger. It discusses how you will get angry at the things that you found charming and unique when you initially arrived. I think I've entered this stage. Don't get me wrong, I am in love with this country and all of the opportunities I've had. But this evening, the little things have been getting to me (It could also be that I was just in a bad mood). I tried to do laundry and it turned into this big ordeal that almost left me in tears. It was a major overreaction and I'm feeling much better now but for about an hour, I was in an awful mood. Luckily, I will be getting to talk to my parents tonight and I know that will make me feel even better.

On a happier note, I love Edgar Allan Poe. I just finished reading one of his detective stories for British Crime Fiction (even though he's American). I have read some of his stories before and I loved them. So, reading a detective story was really cool. We read "The Murders at the Rue Morgue" and I can't wait to discuss it on Wednesday.

Well, I'm off to sleep and hopefully I will feel better in the morning. Don't forget to come back tomorrow to hear all about my (hopefully) exciting day!!

JessLynn

Tower of London Day!

This morning, I took my time getting ready for the day. It was nice to get up late and be a little lazy. At 1 Mallory, Ben and I headed out to conquer the Tower of London. We hopped on the tube (we're starting to become pros) and rode a ways to Tower Hill station. We knew it was the right stop but weren't sure where we would exit the station exactly in relation to the Tower. Luckily, as we headed up the stairs and out of the station, we were presented with an absolutely breathtaking view.

As we headed to go in, we saw the London Wall. It was built in 200 AD and used to be London's city wall. I am going to bet that it is the oldest wall I have ever seen. It's odd to think that something as simple as a wall could be so iconic and important. But, I took a picture of it so that must say something.

I feel like it would be beneficial to throw in a little history lesson just so you all know what I'm talking about. The Tower of London isn't just one tower. It's a cluster of individual towers that are surrounded by a giant wall (that used to be surrounded by a moat). It is now one of the Historic Royal Palaces. If my understanding is correct, it was originally meant to be a royal residence but was used as a prison as well as several other things. We learned about many different expansions and changes to the Tower so keeping it all straight has gotten a little difficult for me.

Me outside of the Tower of London.

We walked around the outside of the Tower for a bit, then bought our tickets and headed in. The next tour wasn't going to start for a while and we debated jumping in with a tour that had already started but, after the first stop decided to wander by ourselves instead. The first place we went in was the "Torture at the Tower" exhibit. There were replicas of methods of torture and it was interesting but also disturbing. I was surprised to find out that torture was fairly rare at the Tower. It still happened but considering it's long history it was not common. 

Another picture of me in front of Tower Bridge. (From the other side of the Thames)

Our next stop was the White Tower. On our way in we stopped to talk with one of the guards (Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters) about the Ravens. There are 8 ravens that live at the Tower. We saw a few walking around and a few in cages as we walked toward the White Tower. He told us that there is a legend that if the there are not 6 ravens at the Tower, the kingdom will fall. So there are always at least 6 ravens at the Tower and a few on reserve if they are needed. All of the ravens have their wings clipped so they are not able to fly away. I kept my distance, because of my relationship with birds so far on this trip.

The White Tower was built in 1078. It was used as a royal residency, a prison, the royal mint and treasury, and a fortress. Now it houses exhibits from the Royal Armoury. We were able to see many different kinds of weapons and armour worn by famous kings. What was really interesting was in each of the rooms there was an explanation of what that room was used for in history. Rooms were used as a residence (if it had a fireplace) and then 100 years later it could be used as storage or a prison.

Me standing on the side of White Tower.

I came across a fireplace in one of the last rooms we went in. It was just a simple hole in the wall and I didn't really think anything of it. Then, I noticed it had a plaque. From reading the plaque, I learned that it was one of the first wall fireplaces in England. I just thought that was an odd thing to commemorate but, it was pretty cool.

Next, we headed to see the Crown Jewels. They were amazing. We walked through the entrance  and Mallory and I were giddy with excitement. We skipped a lot of the introductory information and headed straight for what we came for. We stopped to see a couple displays, such as the gown worn by the Queen on her coronation in 1953. We then stepped on to a moving sidewalk that just carried us past the display of crowns. We were not allowed to take pictures so I have included a picture borrowed from the Historic Royal Palaces website. And let me say, the picture doesn't do it justice. This was the last crown we saw. It is the Imperial State Crown and is worn by the Queen at each State Opening of Parliament. It's hard to put in to words how insane it was to see everything. It seems surreal.

We were just about ready to leave when we changed our minds and went to look for the Graffiti at the Tower that we had heard a lot about. We were told that in the tower where many prisoners were kept, you could still see where they had carved their names into the walls. On our search we came across the spot where Anne Boleyn was executed (She is buried at the building at the very top of the picture below). Only a few people were actually executed at the Tower. Those who were, were executed on Tower Green. There is a very nice memorial for them on the green in the place where they would have died.

We then entered Beauchamp Tower to see the graffiti. I wasn't expecting to be as moved by it as I was. It's hard to explain what I felt exactly but the whole tower was overwhelming. I think that made me connect with the actual people who lived that long ago. It was so powerful to be able to touch one of the carvings that wasn't fully covered by glass. I took a ton of pictures of the graffiti, so narrowing it down is going to be a bit difficult.

In the middle is written "Lawrens" but it reminded me of the font used for Lawrence.

This was on a slanted ceiling.

Thomas Baldwin
"As virtue maketh life,
so sin cawseth death."

The last place we stopped was Bloody Tower. It's called Bloody Tower because that is where the "Princes in the Tower" were murdered in 1483. The two boys were Edward V and Richard, the sons of King Edward IV. They were 12 and 9 when their father died. They were left in the care of their uncle, Richard III, in order to prepare Edward for becoming king. However, the boys disappeared and Richard took the throne for himself. Although it is assumed that they princes were murdered, there is no real proof and several suspects. In 1674, a wooden box with two skeletons was dug up from under the staircase that leads to the chapel in the White Tower. It was believed that these are the missing princes but there are also many other possibilities. These skeletons are now at Westminster Abbey. It is believed that the princes lived in Bloody Tower after their father died and were killed there. 

It's hard to explain that the towers were prisons because it's not really what I picture a prison to be like. The towers seem to be just living space, not a cell with bars. This is because a lot of prisoners could have visitors and had a rather large amount of freedom. There was one exhibit in the Bloody Tower that showed a writing desk where Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the first volume of The Historie of the World while he was imprisoned. 

After Bloody Tower, we headed back to the tube. Our train showed up right away so we hopped on. We sat there in the station for several minutes when we started to get a little antsy. We decided to jump off when the next train got there and take a different train home (same route, just a different train). When we got back to Gloucester we stopped to get some food and went back to Metrogate. Mallory and I started writing our blogs and watching Netflix. I am taking entirely too long writing posts each night. I do research about the stories and facts I want to tell you all so it takes much longer than it should. But, I also want to know more about the things I learn everyday so I benefit from it also. What I guess I'm trying to say is, you should all be very grateful for these long posts because I put a lot of effort in them and all of my facts are straight. ;)

JessLynn