Museums and More

I just realized that I haven't written about what I've been doing in a while and I've been doing a lot! I have less than 2 weeks here and I'm trying to do and see everything I can before I leave for Europe.


I've been to lots of museums lately. I saw the National Portrait Gallery and saw a great exhibit there by Annie Leibovitz. I went to the Victoria and Albert museum, which had all kinds of things, but I especially loved the jewelry and fashion there. This past weekend I went to the Natural History Museum. I liked it, but it was so crowded (it was a Saturday AND raining!). They had dinosaurs, birds, and other animals, and some great Earth exhibits. There was so much there that I didn't get to see it all (like almost every museum I've been to here!). I also checked out the Science Museum for a little bit and saw some psychology and medicine exhibits.

On 2 November I took a boat ride on the Thames to Greenwich, a small town not far from London. It was a little chilly, but a very pretty day. There are all kinds of buildings and architecture and history along the Thames. I went to a market there ( I love exploring different markets, trying the food, and looking at the different things for sale). I went to the National Maritime Museum, a museum about ships and river travel and had stuff from Admiral Nelson and the battle of Trafalgar. It was a really cool museum, and again I would have liked to have spent more time there. I also saw the Royal Observatory (where time is set from). It was way up on a hill so I could see some great views of Greenwich and the Thames. There was an astronomy museum there and it's where the Prime Meridian is so I stood with one foot in the Western hemisphere and one foot in the Eastern hemisphere. I also went to the Queen's House there, which was just an English art museum (not too exciting). The boat ride back to London was one of the highlights of the day. It was so pretty on the river at night with everything all lit up in the dark. I loved it and was happy to be there and in London.

This past weekend I went to Kensington Gardens. It was a cold and cloudy day and rained a little bit. All the parks are definitely one of my favorite things about London. They're so big and pretty and I love all the statues and memorials. I wish we had more parks like the ones here in Iowa City. I saw the Prince Albert Memorial and the Peter Pan statue in the park and saw Kensington Palace from the outside.

I have just one more weekend to do as much as I can in London and then I'm off to Rome!