One Week In

We've officially been in London now for 7 days and we're all starting to get our bearings. We know which tube station to get on and off at, for the most part we remember to walk on the correct side of the sidewalk, and we're all starting to get the hang of maneuvering amongst the crowds of people. (Side note, my computer is yelling at me that "amongst" isn't a word, according to Oxford dictionary it is, it's just more British than among)

Today a few people and myself went to the British Museum and then to Camden Market. My take away from the day? Maybe save both of these places for a weekday afternoon instead. 

The British Museum has a lot to see, and it can be a bit overwhelming, especially when there are a lot of other people there as well. The museum (as well as all of London's museums) is free, although there are some exhibits that cost extra, so it makes sense that it would be crowded on a Sunday afternoon. 

I didn't know much about the museum before going there and thought it was just going to be about British history, but in reality it is a collection of artifacts from all over the world. This can be somewhat problematic since these historical pieces weren't always obtained through the most ethical means, but on the other hand they have been preserved much better than they may have been if they had been left where they were found.

One of my favorite areas of the museum was the East Asia ceramics area. The two vases pictured here are called the 'David Vases' because they were reunited by Sir Percival David after being separated. The vases have the earliest known dedication on blue-and-white wares and they date back to the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). 

After spending a couple of hours at the museum we caught the tube and went up to Camden Market. This place is huge! Unlike some other street markets in London, Camden is open 7 days a week. The biggest draws are the wide array of food stands and so so so many clothing stands. Before coming to London I had heard of The Mac Factory which serves gourmet mac and cheese and has a location in Camden Market. I got one that has fresh mozzarella, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes with Parmesan crumbles on top. Those who know me, know that I love macaroni and cheese so I probably am not the hardest to please, but it was amazing!

Tomorrow we're going to the Harry Potter studio (which once again, if you know me, it will be no surprise to you that I'm excited) but that also means I should probably head to bed. So that's all for today, see you guys for one last time in a week!