Whale vomit protects you from the plague

Today I went to the Museum of London, but mainly because it was free. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, but truthfully, I enjoyed it the most out of any other museum I have visited (unless you count the Royal Historical Palaces). I'm currently taking a class on eighteenth century London and I can honestly say that it is the most interesting course I have ever taken in my entire life. I was a bit bummed when I found out the Tudor dynasty module wasn't offered this term and that because I needed one more class to fulfil my visa requirements, I decided to suck it up and take the eighteenth century London module. It probably won't transfer back, but that's fine with me because I just love it so much! Anyway, enough about that- more on the Museum. The Museum of London had a very modern feel to it and everything was neatly organised.

My favourite bit about the Museum of London was the seventeenth and eighteenth century exhibits. The seventeenth century exhibit mostly focused on the plague and the eighteenth century exhibit had the Vauxhall Gardens. I found this to be interesting about the plague:

Below are images of what the Vauxhall Gardens looked like in the eighteenth century:

 Concerts would be performed in the Gardens by composers like Handel.

Above is the layout of the gardens and below is an image of what the Gardens looked like:

Since the Gardens are no longer around, the Museum recreated (well, not really) something that would be a bit like an evening at Vauxhall Gardens. A film was rolling and focused on several people who were spending their time at this pleasure garden. The Museum also had clothing on display of what would have been worn to the pleasure gardens.

Being seen at Vauxhall Gardens was a good thing, as polite society tended to visit these pleasure gardens for socialising and for entertainment.

After my visit to the Museum I walked over to St Paul's Cathedral:

I learned at the Museum that St Paul's burnt down in the Great Fire in 1666 and was finally rebuilt in 1710. After walking around the Cathedral I headed over to the Globe Theatre:

I wasn't able to go in because it was too late. Maybe next time. 

English isn't your first language.

Nope, English isn't my first language. I thought it was, but I guess not. I have this one professor (his first language isn't English) who always chooses me to read out loud to the class. It's a French class that is taught in English (I was disappointed by this) and there are some passages we read that do have French words in them. I've never had a problem pronouncing any of them (he corrects students who do) and maybe that gave it away that English isn't my first language. After all, how could an American possibly know another language? Well, it's part of Ohio's education curriculum for public schools to teach a foreign language in high school. Anyway, the professor always makes sure we know what words mean, and they're usually ones that you would learn in high school ('SAT vocabulary'), but if English isn't your first language, you may have not come across any of them until university. The word on which he paused was 'contingent.' He asked if I knew what it meant and I guessed correctly, but before he asked here's what was said:

'You, would you like to take a guess at the word?'

'Yes,' I replied.

'I cannot tell if English is your first language because of your accent, but have a go at it.'

'Random,' I replied as I thought to myself how he could not tell by my American accent if English was my first language or not. Maybe my English teacher in high school was American? He was, actually. Imagine that: an American teaching a high school English class in America. 

Aside from that, one of the students thought I was English this entire time; however, one knew right away that I was not English. What a lovely person she was, but aside from that, maybe I haven't got the 'American stereotype.' 

WARWICK, O WARWICK

Yesterday I went to Warwick Castle in the town of Warwick, Warwickshire. It's about an hour and a half from London, but you can get a direct train there from London Marylebone.

When I arrived there were only a handful of people there, which was nice compared to the time I was there in July 2003. I came during the week because I saw online that if you come to the castle during the week until about the 19th February you get into the dungeon for free. When I was waiting to buy my tickets the two men in front of me were fighting with the man at the till about how today couldn't possibly be sold out. For some reason it wasn't sold out when I bought mine! Since my tour of the dungeon was about to begin, I headed over to the dungeon and was greeted by a man with blood on his face. He was wandering around, checking tickets, sniffing people, and trying to scare them.

The tour of the dungeon was factual, but it was also funny. The guides made sure everyone in the tour participated, whether it be picking someone to make sure the doors were shut behind them to ensure the 'creatures' wouldn't get out, or being demonstrations for how people were tortured back then. My favourite was the guide who made a grandma sit in a cage. The woman was this sweet, innocent looking grandma who was all smiles as she sat in a cage next to instruments of torture and faux body parts drenched in 'blood' hanging on the wall next to her. After the tour of the dungeon I wandered around looking for the Nestle Toll House that was there all those years ago. Well, it was gone. But I did find flowers and peacocks!

I bet Ohio hasn't got flowers right now! And it's probably too cold for peacocks to roam around:

If I ever decide to have a pet, I want a peacock.

As I took a stroll on the castle grounds I had remembered one of the reasons why I came here: to learn how to joust. My dream was short lived when I discovered jousting is in the summer. I kept wandering and admiring the English countryside and thought about how fortunate I am to be in such a beautiful (and warm) place right now whilst friends and family are left in Ohio.

 You just don't get views like this in Ohio. Especially views of castles.

I headed to the castle apartments to see if the wax figure of Princess Diana was still there and it wasn't. She was replaced by William the Conqueror, Henry VIII and his six wives.  Below is the Great Hall followed by the Green Drawing Room where Henry VIII and his six wives are:

I really had a nice afternoon at Warwick Castle. I strongly encourage anyone who has the time to head out to Warwick. It's not like the Royal Historical Palaces where it's more education-based, but rather educational with interaction. There are plenty of things to do for children as well as adults at the castle. 

12 Pennies to a Pound

Today in lecture I gave up. I just had to know how much a shilling was in comparison to a pound. When we did our group discussions I decided to ask my classmates, one of whom is an older woman who is pushing 65. The look on her face was one of those 'How can you not know? Are you an idiot?' look and quite frankly, I didn't appreciate it. She arrogantly told me that there are 12 pennies to a pound, straightened her posture, stuck her nose up in the air, and told me that there are 20 shillings to a pound. The other students didn't seem annoyed by my question, but she clearly did. I swear I've got an American accent, so wouldn't it be obviously that an American would question something like this? Obviously I wasn't educated in England if I sound like an American and am questioning this. I can assure you that during my schooling before university the word 'shilling' was never uttered in the classroom (although it has been mentioned on the History Channel, a channel I frequently watch when I've got the time). Maybe she felt superior because she knew the answer? Well, sweetheart, I grew up in Ohio where most kids haven't even heard of Wales and think the Pilgrims crossed the Pacific so don't get your knickers in a twist.

Somebody Failed Geography

Today I went to the aquarium here in London because it's one of those things you just can't do in Cleveland. As I looked around at all the fish I noticed that somebody had made quite an error with one of the maps:

Can you spot what's wrong with this picture?

Cymru: Cenedl heb iaith yw cenedl heb galon.

To spend my Saturday I decided to journey to Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Why on earth would I do such a thing like that? Well, I hadn't been there in nearly eight years and I fancied seeing it again. I took a train from London Paddington to Cardiff Central and from there walked to Cardiff Castle. At first, I was a bit distorted because the Welsh seem to find street signs rather unnecessary-perhaps this was a budget cut. I quickly found my way to the castle thanks to the small sign that had a drawing of a castle on it.

Above is a photo of Gorthwr Normanaidd and below is the Tŵr y Cloc:

Once I found the castle I went into the information centre to purchase my ticket. I have heard Welsh accents before as I have been to Wales, but the man at the till had an accent that was too thick for me to understand and spoke rather softly. I guess I looked like a confused foreigner when the man at the ticket counter asked if I wanted a tour or not (I'm assuming that's what he said) and so he booked me a tour. I thought the tour was mandatory, but I guess not. Anyway, I had an hour to kill before my tour and so I wandered around a bit. I had found complementary audio guides and decided to take advantage of this. The man had a thick Welsh accent, but it was very clear for me to understand. How was it easy? I have no clue, but I managed just nicely. When he asked me if I wanted English as my language of choice for the audio guide I told him I would. He questioned me and informed that other languages were available. I smiled and said that English would be fine. Perhaps this man also thought I was French like the waiter I had at Pizza Express the night before in Surrey. I took the audio guide and began with the Twnneli Rhyfel. Whilst wandering around the Twneneli Rhyfel, the audio guide malfunctioned and so I returned it just in time for my guided tour. What I discovered was Cleveland, Ohio plays a role in the castle's Victorian apartments. The man who painted the banqueting hall is actually from Cleveland. When I had walked into the banqueting hall I was mesmerised by its beauty and impressed by cakes and decorations that were awaiting the wedding reception that was soon to take place. 

As the tour guide was talking about the American who had painted this magnificent hall, I went over to have a look at the wedding cakes. If my parents are reading this, I would like cakes like these for my birthday:

I was very tempted to try the cakes, but I didn't want to ruin them. I have seen my fair share of wedding shows and I can assert that the brides are more like 'Bridezillas' than peaceful, happy women who are going to marry Prince Charming. I didn't want to spoil their day just because I fancied something sweet.

Below is part of the banquet hall where they were storing the cakes:

 Below is more of the banqueting hall:

Cardiff Castle has been by far one of the most unique places I have ever visited. The Victorian apartments have a fairytale-like theme to them and is almost something you would see at Walt Disney World. One of my favourite rooms was the Arab Room because of its unique design.

It's rather hard to tell in this photo, but the windows have crystal balls that will reflect the light from the sun to make the room appear this way to impress visitors and to show off the magnificence of the room. The sun was not shining when I visited, but happily there is electricity in the room and lights were able to show off the gold leaf that has been painted on the wood of this ceiling. 

After my tour I went to explore the National Museum of Wales and to the Cardiff Market. In the Museum I saw a bust that looked a lot like my former Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony director, Dr Ciepluch.

As much as I would like to say it is Dr Ciepluch, it's actually a bust of Thomas Johnes of Hafod who planted nearly five million trees in Britain and was devoted to improving local agriculture. After the visit to the Museum I went to the Cardiff Market.

It's a bit like Cleveland's West Side Market, but better and not quite as big. My main goal was to find a Welsh flag and something to take on the train home for dinner. I did find my flag and for dinner I had two cornish pasties, dried mango slices, and coconut Welsh cakes. The cornish pasties were phenomenal and I hope I will be able to find more in London that are just as good, if not better. Below is a photo of one of the cornish pasties I had. Just a side note: it's easier to not eat them with cutlery. 

I wish I had more time to explore Wales and try more of the foods the country has to offer. Hopefully in the future I will be able to do just that. 

Cymru Am Byth!

Blackbirds in a Pie

This evening I headed back to Hampton Court Palace for a ghost tour that was well worth the journey and the price. The evening began with the small group of us gathering at the information centre, which had a large, colourful dragon hanging from the ceiling. By the looks of it, it wasn't from the Tudor Dynasty.

We began the tour at the main gate, which opened on its own. The way it opened suggested that it was not opened by one person, as we could've seen them open the massive doors that lead into the palace. The guide took us into Anne Boleyn's former apartments where we saw her secret prayer room that has been notorious for visitors to catch a glimpse of her. None of us saw her, and so we moved on. We were taken in the back where it is off limits to visitors. There, we saw Cardinal Wolsey's apartments that eventually became Anne Boleyn's and finally Jane Seymour's. It had been explained to us that the fire doors that lead to an exhibit occasionally open and unexplained images are caught on CCTV. Below is a photo of the ghost caught on CCTV:

The image is quite chilling and looks like death, if you ask me. Whilst our guide was telling us this story, her colleague thought it would be funny to open the doors and scare us. The woman who was next to me is now legally deaf thanks to me. From there, we proceeded into a corridor that would lead us into the infamous 'Haunted Gallery.' For those who love a thrill and are frequent guests to Cedar Point, this experience was far more thrilling than the Top Thrill Dragster. I went in alone, I think, and it was so horrifying that I swear I could've fainted had I not been walking quickly enough. The heating was on as I walked through it in the dark, and even though the sound of the heater was faint, it was enough to make the hair on my arm stand tall. There were candles that were faintly lit which cast shadows on the walls and one of them looked a bit like Catherine Howard, but that could've been my mind playing tricks on me. Either way, it was an experience I shall never forget. From there the group met in the Great Hall. During the day this magnificent room is my favourite; however, at night it is almost as scary as the Haunted Gallery. Photography was not permitted on this tour, so unfortunately, I have no photos of the inside of Hampton Court Palace at night. The tour was in the dark with dim lighting so it would've been hard to see anything anyway. This has been one of the most memorable things I have ever done and I hope to do it again in the future, but preferably with the living rather than the dead.

Leaving Hampton Court Palace was a bit saddening for me because I have no clue when I'll be back. I hope to visit it at least five more times in my lifetime.

Thank you for reading my blog, Liz F and Forrest!