Tuesday afternoon

I went to bed at 10 o'clock last night! It was glorious. After updating my planner, reading for my Islam and the West class, and general relaxation, I turned in and slept for a good ten hours, only waking up about 3 times, all very brief. I got up around 8 and showered. We have community bathrooms here, as I have aforementioned, and if you want to be sure to A)get hot water B)get an empty shower or C)be alone as you bathe, you have to get up earlier than everyone else. That was no problem today. The class that meets on Tuesday mornings has only one student in it, so naturally everyone slept in. I went with the class to the British Museum of Natural History at 9:30, so that is why I was up. It was very interesting. Some pictures:

Beautiful architecture! The exterior of the Natural History Museum.

Words of Charles Darwin.

The Solitary Potto. I think I may have descended from this particular primate...

The weather is still cold and overcast here in London. It is supposed to remain in the thirties the rest of the week. It's a type of cold that chills you to the bone. I have seen a few homeless men on the streets, and it is in weather like this that I worry for them. If I am freezing in my long underwear and leather/shearling coat, how much more so are they?
The homework load has already piled up. I am enrolled in 15 hours, and the courses I am taking are: Islam and the West (History credit), Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (History credit), British Life and Culture (History credit), Charles Dickens' England (English credit), and Music Appreciation (Fine Arts credit). I have lots to do as far as assignments in each of these courses! I am in the middle of reading for Islam and the West (I'll refer to it as "Islam" from here on) and reading Oliver Twist for the Dickens class. I also have three essays due this week, two for Islam and one for Music Appreciation. In Archaeology we will be spending a lot of time at the British Museum photographing the collections and compiling detailed presentations on them. As you can see from the photographs on the left, photographing through glass is not easy! I had some practice today at the Natural History museum, but it is very difficult to get a good picture with no glare and no distortion from the glass.

Life-size model of a whale.

The Allosaurus in the Dinosaur Exhibit.

In the Dickens class we will be reading three of this novels. Our assignment for Oliver Twist is 200 pages, or about half of the novel. 

Islam is going to be a very interesting class! I think it will be very useful knowledge to gain. Next week, the class is visiting the London Mosque. We will also be visiting several museums throughout the course, as well as the Holocaust Memorial exhibit.

I was originally in Art Appreciation, but I dropped that and picked up Music Appreciation. While I do enjoy looking at art, I must admit I do not find close examination/lectures of it interesting at all. I may visit the galleries of London on my own at some point. The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, as well as the Tate Modern on the South Bank, both seem compelling enough to make a trip out there! 

Tonight the group is headed to see "She Stoops to Conquer" at the National Theater. I am looking forward to it, though I do not know what to expect. In general, I find theater fascinating and I have always enjoyed plays when I have gone. On Thursday night, we are also going to see "We Will Rock You," which is a specific assignment for Music Appreciation, though everyone is going. This Friday will be a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury. 

All in all, this is shaping up to be a very busy and activity-filled week. There isn't much "down" time here in London. Today is my off day from classes, and that has still been busy! I need to complete my reading for Islam first, as that class is in the mornings at 9 am. I am very glad I went to sleep early last night, because it may be a late one tonight!

Here are the promised pictures of the Tower of London:

The Tower of London

All Hallows Church, where William Penn was baptized and John Quincy Adams was married.

The jousting armor of Henry VIII in the Royal Armory

Bloody Tower, where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned and the place where the boy princes were murdered by (alleged) order of Richard III. Their bodies were found in a box under stairs in the White Tower during the reign of Charles II (Restoration period, 1660s).