Monday, March 4, 2013

Third Time is the Charm...

School has gotten the best of me recently, so sorry for the lack of posts. Hope these make up for it!

My friend Morgan and I headed to London for a third (and hopefully NOT final) time. What an adventure...

First, we were quite unprepared and did not purchase a bus ticket until we were actually on our way to London. Luckily, there were two seats left! We were able to receive return tickets as well, with one stipulation: We had to leave the same day. Remember this, it's important!

We finally arrived at the Victoria Coach Station in London, which is quite a nice part of the city. Tall towering apartment complexes, people covered in French and Italian designer clothes, small dogs in purses, the whole nine yards. Our goal was to locate first the Tube, and then the British History Museum.



We reached our destination. This whole building was a clash between classic and modern. We strolled through the enormous pillars and climbed up the seemingly ancient marble steps and then were greeted by steel and concrete structures spread across the glass ceiling. I have seen the pictures on Google and other friends' blogs, but nothing will compare to seeing it in person. Much like any other sight.

We then ventured through the giant exhibits, and although I was sure we saw everything there was to see, we found out we only saw about a quarter of what was there. Yet, what we saw was simply astounding. As most of you know, I am quite the nerd in nearly every aspect. To say I was "fan-girl-ing" when I saw Cleopatra's mummy, original painted vases of Hercules's 12 labours  from Greece, and the Rosetta Stone is an understatement.

Seeing the history that shaped the entire culture and language of the world was remarkable and truly something I will never forget.

 Cleopatra, herself. Literally in the (rotten) flesh.
 Original painted vases depicting Hercules's 12 labours.
The actual Rosetta Stone.

After looking at several historical artifacts, we decided it was time to move on with our day.

We wanted to head to what was called the Somerset House, which was supposedly providing an astounding view of London from the top of one of it's glorious staircases. It was quite a bit of a walk, but well worth the sights!





As you can see, we came across St. Paul's Cathedral! It was gorgeous. There was a recently wed couple and their wedding party taking photographs on the steps. Reminded me so much of Italy!

Of course, it is most famously known for "Feed the Birds". Of course, I had to take a picture with a two pence and some birds. ;)







We were off again, to find the Somerset House. Again, what a beautiful walk!




At last we made it to the Somerset House. Only to be greeted by London's Fashion Weekend. We are confident we were not allowed in, but strolled through the seas of famous models and photographers regardless. What. A. Strange. Day.



Whoops!

We then saw wonderful sights such as the Tower of London, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square, etc. Let me just take a moment to thank my parents for allowing me to experience the world. I love you!









We continued walking through London and happened to come across something which struck me. The Globe Theatre. I saw the Globe. And I cried. Seeing where Shakespeare himself stood, where he watched his productions, where he got his name... I cannot describe.







We walked across the Tate Modern (Harry Potter Bridge) and saw St. Paul at night. Unfortunately, all my pictures of that small adventure did not turn out so well. Time to get a nice low light filter!

However, when we got to the bus station, we attempted to go home. But a very rude man told us we did not purchase our tickets when we clearly had. Long story short, we didn't get home till about 3:30AM and had to travel to Oxford, Oxfordshire the following day bright and early.

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