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