History+Entertainment= A Brilliant Day in London

Samuel Johnson once said, "By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.”

Well, this morning was a bit slow for Carrie and I in more ways than one. After the alarm sounded for the fifth or so time Carrie got up and I laid there, then it rang some more, and of course, I continued to lay there. And this story concludes with us running late and having to get breakfast at some cafe down the street because the line for the l breakfast was out the door. Why couldn’t we just stand in line you may ask? Well, according to our teachers we are apparently on a 'strict schedule here in London’. The morning was also a bit slow due to the fact that we were absolutely exhausted during our fifteen-minute walk and forty-five minute lecture prior to arriving at the beautiful British Museum.

The British museum is fabulous. Hundreds of collections, some from Britain, others pillaged from around the world and supposedly saved from vandalism and destruction. The British are so kind, right?!

We saw artifacts like the Rosetta Stone, mummies of all kinds, pieces of the Parthenon, statues, etc. My favorite exhibition was the Drawing exhibition with the original

sketches from legendary artists like Veruccio, DaVinci, Michaelangelo, and Raphael. The entire exhibit was absolutely breath taking.

Following the British Museum we had lunch at Covent Garden where we sketched, ate lunch, and shopped around for a while. And as a part of our architecture class, we visited the John Soane museum. John Soane, one of the most inventive architects of all time, especially in the western world, left his house to the public as a free museum. And, lucky for the public, the house is absolutely extraordinary, with spiraling staircases, skylights throughout, and unique ceiling and spatial effects throughout the home. (Sorry, no pictures, cameras weren't allowed inside, unfortunately!)

Finally, as for my favorite part of our day, Carrie and I purchased

tickets to see the terrific, Les Miserables. The musical was just perfect. We could not have asked for a better way to spend a Thursday evening in London. So to all our readers cheers from London and love to all!

Best,

Sam