Monday, May 23, 2011

Museum Monday

Today was the first official day of class, and all 16 students and our two professors were settled into our flat's living room. It's a little crowded, but it's more comfortable than most classrooms with everyone settled on couches, chairs and even the floor. Definitely more conducive to discussion.

We met at 10:00, took a break a little after 11 for tea, and ended around 12:15 for our lunch break. We had lunch individually, then met out front with the rest of the class for some afternoon sightseeing. We took the tube over to the London Museum, and spent the afternoon immersing ourselves in British History.

The museum was full of interesting displays, like this display of Shakespeare's Globe, and all sorts of historical information. I loved walking through the the later historical parts of the museum, especially the interactive garden, and mini town square. I'm hoping to get back to visit again at some point, since there's no way I saw everything.
During class this morning, we talked a bit about the great fire, and the plague. So it was cool to see the displays within the museum. This helmet and bucket were the main tools firefighters had to use when fighting the fire.
After we finished looking through the museum, Jen and I decided to look around the area, since remnants of the London Wall were still standing. The contrast between the old wall and the new buildings was particularly interesting.
I also liked trying to guess what the wall used to look like at some point. The circular shape of the these remains make me believe this was one of the watch towers.
Jen and I kept walking around the area of the museum, and came across another section of  the wall that had been incorporated into an apartment garden. We weren't able to go into the garden, since it was reserved for the apartments only, but from what we could see, it looked beautiful.
On our way back to the tube, we saw this awesome Union Jack taxi. The whole flag was made up of different words relating to London, most of them sights and places.

Jen and I stopped at the grocery and got a few more items - noodles, spaghetti sauce, juice,and green tea. My interest in tea has increased tenfold since I've come to England, not only because it's more popular, but because it keeps me hydrated and helps alleviate hunger.


The rest of the evening was back at the flat, having supper and hanging out with some of the other students. I'm probably going to go to bed soon, since my jet lag is starting to kick in a little more. Tomorrow we're off to Stratford, to visit the home of Shakespeare.

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