On Holiday in London: Part 2

So that was Thursday the 24th, now for Friday the 25th:

Friday was another day scheduled for some intense sight-seeing. As I found out, I managed to cram quite a bit into Thursday and Friday, thus allowing a little flexibility for my later days. Anyways, I began the day with a tour of Westminster Abbey. While I was there the previous night, I thought it would be a little cheap just to look at the graves inside the Abbey as I was walking out plus I wanted to go on the much-lauded audio tour. Gotta love ISIC cards (International Student Identity Card [Wait, it seems redundant to say 'ISIC card'...]) getting student discounts!

The audio guide really was fantastic- it included organ and choir music and even had some video (imagine that- my audio guide had video! Sweet!). For the next 1.5 hours, I wandered around the Abbey looking at truly amazing things like the tombs of kings from the 11th Century, the grave of William Cromwell/various poets (Lord Byron, Tennyson, etc.)/Handel/Isaac Newton/Darwin, and the coronation chair where every English monarch since the 1000s has been crowned. Wow. Near the exit, I bought tickets for a summer organ festival performance for the next Tuesday (the 29th)-- I like organs.

After the Abbey, I met up with Melissa at St. James's Church near Piccadilly Circus to attend a free lunch time concert. Wow, those performers were amazing! The two young women studied at the Royal College of Music, the place housing the museum I toured the day before. One played the violin while the other played the piano. The concert was about an hour, and the music they performed near the end I thought could only be done with computers-- how could humans move that fast for that long? Anyways, I'd been looking forward to these concerts because I had hoped to hear some classical music sometime this summer.

Finishing up with the concert, Melissa and I went over to the British Library to look at their collection of ancient/important documents. Oh my. I have never seen so many neat docs! I can't even remember all of them-- one of the original 180 Gutenberg Bible, Jane Austen's writing desk/her notes for 'Persuasion', a letter from John Maynard Keynes, hand-written lyrics by the Beetles, Mozart, and Purcell, and, get this, the MAGNA CARTA (one of the four copies)!

The documents are stored in a large, darkened room ringed with greenish-blue fluorescent light strips. Melissa and I wandered around at our own pace, quietly containing our outbursts at each passing document. That is, until I watched a swarm, literally swarm, of young leadership high schoolers descend upon Melissa on their way to the Magna Carta. Run, Melissa, run! The quiet room was suddenly abuzz with the furtive whisperings of young tourists. My decision? See the Magna Carta and then get out! Turns out they were part of a rather giant group from somewhere in the Southern US-- a few from churches.

After the Library, Melissa went on back to the flats while I continued on to the British Museum. And then the craziest thing happened. While approaching the entrance, I saw some terribly familiar ties, dress shirts, and dresses. Hm. AHHH!! They have the same lanyards! Oh no, these are the same people who overtook the British Library!! Impossible! I hurried on up ahead so I wouldn't get caught behind them...

For me, the main draw of the Museum was the Rosetta Stone. Yes, the Rosetta Stone, the one used to crack Egyptian hieroglyphics, the same stone I remember, down to the page, learning about in 6th Grade social studies. It was something like seeing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre-- everyone is pushing and shoving to get a good pic, so there isn't much time to look at the thing itself. But, unlike the Mona Lissa, the Rosetta Stone is quite big. I wandered around a bit of the rest of the Museum, stopping at things like Greek Parthenon sculpture and Aztec ruins. It's strange to see North American artefacts here in London.

And so ended another glorious holiday in London. I'm terribly enjoying these days spent exploring the city! It's nice to be a tourist, not a student nor an intern, just a tourist out for fun.