London
This past Thanksgiving, we decided to spend some time travelling rather than celebrating away from family in Germany. It was the perfect opportunity for me to fulfill my bucket list trip to London! This is officially my new favorite city in the world, and I cannot wait to go back!
Warning: This was a super nerdy English teacher trip, so if you're not interested in long-dead writers or British History, you may want to skip this post!
Being 32 weeks pregnant at the time of the trip, I planned a lighter itinerary than normal. On our first day, we took the tube up to King's Cross to visit the British Library. Lucky for me, we had some time to kill before the library opened, so I got to visit Platform 9 3/4 and the Harry Potter Shop in the train Station! Shout out to my fellow Ravenclaws!
The Treasures Gallery in the British Library honestly might be my favorite part of the trip. It's small, but filled with amazing manuscripts and documents. We saw original writings from some my my absolute favorite writers of all time, including my number one: Emily Bronte!
One of the original copies of the Magna Carta- from 1225
Shakespeare's First Folio- from 1623
Jane Austen's writing desk and handwritten letter- from 1809
Charlotte Bronte's original handwriting. This is the opening of "The Scrap Book," written in 1835.
Emily Bronte's original handwriting. This is "The Gondal Poems," written in 1844.
Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband. Original handwriting.
A single page from Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers, chapter 36. Original Handwriting.
Sylvia Plath's "Insomniac," and handwritten note. Original handwriting.
Our next stop (after a nap for Jake) was a tour of Westminster Abbey, and of course, my top priority was to see Poet's Corner! Some of the greatest English writers of all time are buried here, and there are memorials to many others as well!
Tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer- the first poet to be buried in Westminster Abbey- 1400
Memorial to the Bronte Sisters.
Charles Dickens burial marker.
Memorial to Shakespeare, Jane Austen, John Keates, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others.
The Coronation Chair is one of the most famous artifacts in Westminster Abbey. All British monarchs since 1300 have been crowned on this chair (with one exception). I bought a mini version of it at the gift shop as a keepsake!
The Coronation Chair
The Gothic architecture of Westminster Abbey is truly breathtaking. It was originally built as a monastery over a thousand years ago. It has since been rebuilt twice, once in 1065 by Edward the Confessor, and then again in the 1200's by Henry III.
Westminster Abbey
We started out our second day touring the British Museum, which is one of the most frequently visited museums in the world. Jacob wasn't super excited about this visit, but it didn't leave me disappointed! A few of my favorite pictures from the day are below, including one of the Rosetta Stone.
Yes... the actual Rosetta Stone!
Inside the British Museum
Egyptian statue of Isis breastfeeding her son. Later adapted by Christians as a representation of the Virgin and child.
The Rosetta Stone
An Egyptian mummy from the 2nd century AD
I couldn't go to London without touring Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (even if it is just a rebuilt version). This isn't the first time I've toured a Globe replica, but it was still a really cool experience! The original Globe (first Globe) was built in 1599 but destroyed in a fire in 1613. It was rebuilt in 1614 (second Globe) but demolished in 1644. The version that stands today (third Globe) was completed in 1997. It's the best guess that scholars could make as to what the second Globe would have actually looked like.
We have a trip back to the UK planned for this summer. This time, we're driving the countryside from Alton to Inverness for two weeks. Yes... there will be a lot more nerdy English teacher tourist sites. I'm already counting down the days!
