Not Allergic to Museums

London! I'm still here! And I still love it!

This week was amazing, despite the unlucky things that keep happening to me. Because I'm optimistic! Yeah!

Also, a lot happened this week and I'm kicking myself for not updating this blog more frequently. I'll have to be better about that. Perhaps I'll split this one up? We'll see.

Monday

I went to the Tower of London! It was awesome. I saw the crown jewels and they were cool even though I can't prove I saw them because pictures weren't allowed. Regardless! I did!

This is us waiting to go into the Tower of London! I look angry, but I assure you I am not.

Huh, this is an unfortunate realization that my 'spacing out' face is the same as my 'angry' face. I am so so so sorry about that.

Tower of London: cool blue doors and a guard who's job it is to guard the place where the Queen goes when she visits. I'm not convinced she wasn't there.

Tower of London: inside the worlds oldest tourist attraction where they showcased stuff, as follows!

Selfie with Malori and a Dragon.

I took a selfie because that was some of the only advice my mother gave me before I departed on this trip. She may or not may not have meant for me to take selfies with important landmarks and such. Whatevs.

This selfie is also important because it's the first internet evidence that I cut all my hair off a couple months ago. I cried and cried and ate a bunch of vitamins but I finally feel good about it. Progress!

This is me! At the Tower of London.

Note: Overalls (I started this trend and I can prove it)

Saw some of these guys.

The people living inside the Tower of London grow things in pots and it's beautiful.

My Instagram photo of Tower Bridge

Group at Tower Bridge: Neeko, Ben, Brittany, Amanda, Me, Malori, Melissa

We toured the Bloody Tower, where two princes were somewhat mysteriously murdered at ages 9 and 12. We also saw the staircase where the skeletons of the boys were uncovered years later. THEN we saw the torture chambers where they used the 'rack' and this other device that forced you to compress yourself into a tiny ball. It looked worse than the rack, personally.

Also, there was this really cool room where they had kept prisoners and there were inscriptions on the walls put there by the prisoners from CENTURIES ago. It might have been my favorite part.

There are probably a lot of ghosts at the Tower of London. As a self-proclaimed supernatural (and Supernatural) enthusiast, this excites me.

Also, the Royal Ravens are a thing (Wikipedia it) and I like that very much because ravens. are. such. cool. birds.

After the Tower of London we went to the BFI as a group and caught a screening of "Spring in a Small Town," a 1948 Chinese film that I loved very much.

Tuesday

Went to class. Learned about stuff. Then we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I thought I was allergic to the V&A. I don't mean that in an ignorant "this museum stuff is so boring" sort of way. I mean it literally. The second I walked into the building, I began sneezing and sniffling and it was sort of miserable.

The museum is actually really amazing, and if I can find time (which shouldn't be hard since this museum is across the street from class) I'm definitely going back.

I remember seeing a whole bunch of sculptures, some frescos, a "jewelry through the ages" exhibit, and a theater exhibit with a special Shakespeare room that I liked a lot.

Then, because my head was exploding, I left and got a hot dog with Tree and Amanda. I felt better. I thought.

We went to another play that night at the National Theater, "The Silver Tassie."

It was a WWI play about the struggles that society faced after the injured and changed men returned from the war. It was beautifully, beautifully designed and the few effects they had were amazingly put together (explosions!). The last scene was the end of a dance, and the women were dancing with mannequins, holding them up and stuff. That sounds weird, but it was really beautiful.

By that night, I knew I did not have allergies. I had caught the plague!

Sunset!

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning, I died and my body was burned to prevent the spread of the plague.

JUST KIDDING. It was a cold. But I did feel pretty terrible.

Regardless, I pushed through and went to the National Gallery where I wandered around looking at some very famous art by myself. I would also like to come back here (this is getting ridiculous).

When I say 'very famous art' I mean it. It's a weird feeling, standing there in front of a painting I've seen in movies and in text books and there I am, literally one foot away from it. By myself. And for some reason there is nobody else in the room with the very famous and important painting. And I start wondering if it's real and how could I possibly be important enough to see this and why isn't anybody guarding it to make sure I don't sneeze on it? And then I sneeze and I cover my mouth, of course, but surely some of my sneeze is now on this very famous painting and it will likely be there forever and ever. And does this mean I'm a part of it now?

I'm not quite sure how to express how I felt in the National Gallery.

Among other things, I saw Picasso, Degas, and Monet.

Yes, seriously.

Then I got some really delicious Chinese food in a little China town in the middle of London.

Then I went shopping with some people. We went to Primark, which is sort of like Forever 21 and they have nice cheap clothes. It was super crowded and hectic. The line for the dressing rooms was forever long. But. I got two shirts, a rain jacket, and some socks and I feel pretty good about that.

Then I stayed up late doing homework.

Much London. So moon.

Will Amy recover from her overwhelming illness? Or will she die before the end of the week?

STAY TUNED (this means I've decided to split the post up)