On Mondays I have two classes because each class is 3 hours long. Today I was lucky enough to have a field trip in both classes!
For my Hamlet to Hitler class (mix between history and literature) we met at the British Museum to see the collection of Scandinavian artifacts discovered at the Sutton Hoo sight in England. Sutton Hoo is a ship burial for which it is believed the epic (but boring) poem,
Beowulf is based on. It was pretty awesome to see all the jewelry, weapons and helmet from the site. (Note from my professor: Viking helmets did not in fact have horns on them. If they did, enemies would probably grab onto those and slice the Viking's throat). The best part of the field trip was gaining "back stage" access from one of the pre-history curators to a hoard found in England in 2007. We got to go downstairs to the research areas where they have tubs and drawers full of artifacts in the pre-history department. It was sort of like heaven on earth for me! We got to see an ancient bowl that some treasure hunters found buried only about a foot and a half under ground filled with jewelery, coins, etc. They have dated it back to the Viking era and some of the artifacts are from other parts of Europe and Asia, which demonstrates extensive trade. It was so amazing to see it all up-close and behind the scenes. Being a museum curator would be the coolest job ever!
Between the first and second field trips, a few of us went to lunch at a small Italian restaurant. I ordered pesto pasta and it was amazing. I think it might have been freshly made and I ate the entire plate!
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| Tower of London |
For my History of London class we met at the Tower of London. There is so much history I couldn't possibly write it all here (or remember it, oops)! The last monarch to live in the Tower was Charles II in the 1600s. During its glory days it was a palace, a zoo, a prison and more. Henry VIII liked to hold coronation for his wives there as well as imprison and behead them! A murder mystery also took place there involving the nephews of Richard III.
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| Execution Block Memorial |
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We visited the memorial to those killed at the Tower. It's a glass piece with an inscription and the names of those murdered with a pillow on top. I'm not sure I understand the pillow concept, I doubt they were all that comfortable (especially if they had a bad executor in which case it might take 2 or 3 hacks to finish the job!). If you are ever bored, just Google some stories about the Tower because they are all crazy. We saw where prisoners could be kept for a few weeks to years. Those who were in for longer carved intricate pictures and scripts on the walls. It was very eerie to see them, it was like you could feel the suffering. The coolest part was the building where they keep the Crown Jewels. They are unbelievable!! There are diamonds the size of an egg or larger! And all the other gems are amazing. So many crowns just completely covered in jewels and pearls, you name it! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures.
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| Sarah and I in front of Crown Jewels building |
After the Tower, my friend and I walked over to Tower Bridge (literally right next to Tower of London) to take some pictures. It is so incredibly massive! It was also a gorgeous view at night, but also incredibly windy and a bit rainy (typical). I should note that this morning when I left my flat around 10 it was warm and sunny, but when I got back around 5 it was cold, windy and rainy.
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| Skyline |
London weather is about as indecisive as Wisconsin. Anyway, being on the bridge was amazing. I remember seeing the bridge during the 2012 Summer Olympics and being in awe of it, but it was even more exciting to actually be on it! We also got a great view of the London skyline with new buildings as well as old ones. We've decided to go back on a nicer/warmer day to take more pictures.
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| Tower Bridge |
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LOVE your posts !
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