whirlwind westminster

the past three days have been a whirlwind of activity, culture, food, and excitement. its been rough trying to translate it into words. this is truly a place that everyone should travel to at least once. the history alone is enough to make the pilgrimage.

i wish i had been able to blog daily about the adventures im getting ready to share. however the internet's been spotty and we've been getting in and feeling rather tired anyways. now, however, instead of minute daily accounts you'll get more impressions. which are sometimes better than simple recounting of the day's activities.

wednesday & thursday

i believe that the last time i updated was tuesday night, because when i fell asleep in front of the computer it was the last time i had solid internet connection. i blame the pictures i was trying to upload- blogger has a really crappy photo uploader. i may just create an online web album and link you all to it.

anyways! i am supposed to be telling you about thursday!

i'll do it through an excerpt of an email to christopher:

yesterday (my wednesday) was the british museum and wicked. youre going to absolutely LOVELOVE the british museum (as will all of you!). i can already tell! its gigantic- over 6 million artifacts. and the cool thing is that its not just little insignificant stuff. im talking about history-altering pieces. the rosetta stone, pieces of the parthenon, ancient mummies, runes, chariots, vases, buddhas. they have pieces from every corner of the globe- even a big old head from easter island. pieces from stonehenge. EVERYTHING. i think the coolest part while youre walking around is realizing that once upon a time, not so long ago, the british ruled effing everything. they owned everyone! and when they took over, they took the best stuff for themselves and hoarded it all under one roof. now thats not to say that it isnt a brilliant idea or collection- because it truly is, but i guess i just question how much of their ambition was truly better understanding humanity as a whole, and how much of it was just licking things to claim them. :D

so then WICKED! not only did my mum buy my tickets and snacks and most meals, but she also bought me the best umbrella i have ever seen! i love it so so much! it looks like im a witch! and its gimongous. the top curves up so that it looks like elphaba's hat, and its printed with WICKED and i'll never ever forget the british showing now! as for the show- the comedic timing was a little off from the american version, and even the costuming was a little different. our view was great though. and so were the vibes from people there to see it. i got the british program too, its got all the info on the british cast. elphaba's face was very round and cheeky like the brits. a different take on it... most of them in the states have very pointy faces... but it was definitely a novelty seeing it here- i mean, theyve thick accents and they actually go to "UNI"! i definitely noticed that they do not have the same vocal powers as the girls back home, but still- it was so good and a great experience. it was hard not to compare it. but when youve seen meghan hilty and eden espinoza- well you just cant help it. still, mom saw it and loved it so i suppose i did good suggesting tickets.

then today (my thursday) was a really nice day as well. we slept right through breakfast but then managed to get up and make it over to buckingham palace to watch the changing of the guards. well, actually, we made it to the palace and then stood around TRYING to watch the changing. ultimately unsuccessful. im just too short and not aggressive enough. i can always try again. or i can just watch a video on youtube. :D dont care either way! funny thing about mom here in england though is how obsessed she is with the royal family. shes been chattering away about the queen and how special she is and how she cant believe diana died and asking about the princes and wanting to see the palace. like- its seriously cute how starstruck she is by the whole concept of the monarchy. when we saw the crown jewels at the tower of london she nearly wet herself (although after seeing the three largest diamonds in the world, which are roughly the size of a tennis ball, raquet ball, and ping pong ball, i wanted to as well). angela and i were ready to head to the british library after the changing of the guards, but mom insisted that instead we head inside to see the queen's staterooms. so once again she shelled out the cash and took us into the palace. OHMYGOD the grandeur. everything was gilt in gold, draped in silk, and adorned with the finest wood, marble, fabrics, and art the royal family has been able to find. i learned a whole lot about the place, the life of the royal family, and the history of the art there. i ended up really glad that she dragged us in there though, since we ended up finding out later that since you can only tour the palace when the queen is not in residence, it only ends up open to the public for about 2 months out of the year. luckily i made it inside. we saw incredible collections of fine japanese porcelain, italian marble sculptures, artisan-crafted ornamentation, and even ridiculous rooms full of gifts given to the queen accompanied by dresses she wore when visiting her commonwealth nations. and although im a little embarrased to admit it- i had no idea what or how extensive the british commonwealth system is until the exhibition in the palace. it was flooring, and then at the same time it ruffled my feathers a little bit to think about exactly what that system stands for. all in all, i've got a really great look at the plunders of the monarchy. thank god for the new world.

not too much else after that. grabbed sandwiches (mine mozarella, basil, and tomatoes(said in the british fashion) on a fresh roll) and headed down to the palace park. nommed my sarnie (equivalent of sammie) on the palace park lawn with my pellegrino limonata and watched clouds, children, and let the wind kiss my cheeks. john, paul, george, and ringo playing beautifully in my ears as children chased thrown walnuts and i enjoyed my afternoon being a daughter and sister and bird.

(end of the email. thanks for sharing, love)

shopping for nothing in particular at harrods downtown. THEY HAD EVERYTHING from designer handbags and $50,000 diamond rings to a fish market, fresh deli, french macaroon shop, and drug store. it was insane. like a target on super expensive crack. i couldnt even wrap my mind around it!

bangers and mash for dinner at st. george's pub. mom had prawns. angela duck. i won. pork and leek sausage with perfect mashed potatoes smothered in a sweet gravy. deee lish ussss. although we are noticing that the brits dont much like it when you invade their regular pubs. they tease. we dont care!

friday

friday we slept right on through breakfast and ended up instead heading out to the british library once we all finally made it conscious.

the special collections room was stunning.

i made a point to write down all of the originals we saw so that i will always remember every lovely book, piece of parchment, and manuscript i laid eyes on.

including but not limited to:

Shakespeare's:

Romeo and Juliet

Venus and Adonis

Twelfth Night

Richard III

Hamlet

Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus

John Donne's collection of poetry

The Beatle's handwritten song lyrics for

Michelle

Hard Day's Night

Ticket to Ride

Yesterday

Help!

Sylvia Plath's Insomnia

Charles Ludwig Dodgson

"Lewis Carrol's"

Alice's Adventures Under Ground

Darwin's The Origin of Species

Freud's The Power of Dreams

The Lindisfarne Gospels

The Codex Sinaiticus

Leonardo Di Vinci's notebook pages

THE MAGNA CARTA

a GUTENBERG BIBLE

an original indulgence

and Aesop's Fables.

incredible.

i feel so fortunate to have been able to just see them

i would kill to read through one. just one.

(even if it was in latin)

after the library we headed to the blackfriar's pub.

it was so beautiful

over 200 years old with copper and mother-of-pearl inlay on the walls, archways, and windowframes.

centuries-old stained glass

treated leather ceilings

home-style english pies

english ale

tea

and all the attitude.

but we met angie's friends and had a wonderful, wonderful time.

despite the contrary drunkenness and all-around annoyance on the walk home.

youve gotta love having a sister.

:D

so now that you're caught up, i will promise to post again later tonight about my saturday, and i will promise to include pictures as soon as my internet isnt in such a precarious state. since i know that pictures are all you're here for anyways.

cheers!

and love!