The following day, we used our Osyter cards to board one of the iconic red double-decker buses to go to the Tower of London. Though I had learned about the Tower some, I had forgotten that it is more than just a tower and is actually more like a little village. I learned that despite being famous for being a prison, it was built as a royal castle. Today, it houses the Crown Jewels. While the jewels are impressive to look at, I personally would not want to wear them. The Tower used to house the Royal Mint as well. From the Tower, we went to Trafalgar's Square. We explored the National Portrait Gallery featuring portraits of royalty, politicians, writers, musicians, artists, actors, and scientists. From the Portrait Gallery, we went around the corner to the National Gallery. The art there ranges from the 13th to the 19th centuries, containing hundreds of masterpieces, including those by da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh, and more. The best part was both of the galleries were free.
The next day we we hit the major places people think of when they hear "London." We started the out with a tour of Westminster Abbey, which happens to be right by Big Ben and the House of Parliament. Inside the abbey is the tombs of a number of the royal family including Queen Elizabeth I. There was also a section devoted to writers, where one can find Chaucer's tomb. The section is tombs and memorials. We also so Sir Isaac Newton's. For class, we had high tea at the Cellarium of the abbey. In the afternoon, we did a Mrs. Dalloway walk to St. James Park near Buckingham Palace. In the evening, a group of us went to Evening Prayer at the Cathedral before crossing Millennium Bridge and walking along the River Thames.
How is one supposed to decided what to do in one's only mostly free day in London? Because we had to stay in a group for class, my plans were partly dictated by others. However, it was a day well spent. After a little souvenir shopping, the group I was with caught part of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We picnicked for lunch in St. James Park before heading to the British Museum. I was completely ecstatic. I saw the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone! We only had a short amount of time at the museum and I could have probably spent days there. We met up with the class at the British Library for a tour of some of their treasures. My bliss from the museum continued as we were shown the manuscript of Beowulf, the Magna Carta, and so much more. After our class dinner, a group of us went to ride the London Eye. I was a little concerned about the price but it was a lot of fun. The view was pretty good as well.
There was no better way to end our time in England then to take a tour of the Globe Theater and then see a show. Of course, we saw the show the proper way, as groundlings. We waited quite some time to be the ones right up against the edge of the stage. We saw Shakespeare's Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, which to be blunt is quite graphic. The play contains 14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3 depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity, and 1 act of cannibalism. So as groundlings, we got spit and a little blood on us but we still had a blast. During intermission, we gave the actor that had to sit on stage right by us a piece of chocolate, which got him to smile. Seeing the play live allows for more comedy than when I read the play for class, however, it is still quite intense. There was no better way to spend our final day in England.
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