Leora is Lovin' London

Hello folks!

I'm going to try to keep this brief, because I know firsthand how boring it can be to read about other people's travels. Travel journals can be interesting, as long as the person is funny or insightful....and since I'm neither of those, I know that I have to keep things as brief as possible. So what have I been doing in London these past few days? Here are some highlights:

@ The British Museum - I came here on my last European trip, and loved it. It's massive, and there was still so much more to see. And it was awesome to go see the mummy exhibit after my Egypt trip. I can't wait to go back. People say that it takes at least a week to really visit the Louvre in Paris, and I'd say that it takes about 2 weeks to actually appreciate the British Museum. There's just so much to see! I went with Hillary, this Washington girl studying here for the semester, and although she was very nice, I was reminded why I prefer travelling alone. I like to take my time in museums, and with someone else there, it's hard to do so. Plus, we were very different. I'm a cheap ass. She bought a Starbucks coffee for £2.50. For a coffee!! That's like 5 million Canadian dollars. Yikes.

@ Big Ben and the Parliment - I did the tourist thing, and went to visit Big Ben. It's just too hard to resist! Actually, I was originally going to sit in on a session of Parliment, but they weren't holding one today. Apparently they decided to have a long weekend and won't be back until Monday. A four day weekend. Sweet! Those Brits have some great ideas. Actually, in retrospect, although sitting in would have been 'jolly good fun'....for about 30 seconds. Five minutes tops. After that I would be bored out of my mind. So I guess it's just as well that it didn't work out.

@ The Bank of England Museum - I love money and I love museums, so this was the perfect combinations. It had some great exhibits on the history of the bank and on different types of currency. But the coolest part EVER was the part where we could touch/lift a genuine bar of gold. It is more than 99% pure, weighs about 30 pounds, and costs around £90,586. Yikes. I would have taken it and made a run for it, but security was super strict. I guess they know about people like me.... I just liked walking around the area. It reminded me of Bay Street in Toronto, the financial area. Although I am not personally interested in going into this field for my career (especially because then I wouldn't be able to wear jeans to work), I still love the atmosphere.

@ Trying to find a place to sleep - the hostel that I'm staying with is the cheapest in London, and it shows. It's a little sketch. But now I'm going to be leaving it because they charge special weekend rates which increases the price by nearly 40%! I am a poor student, so I decided to save my money and sleep somewhere else. I went to about 3 different train and bus stations, but they didn't seem so safe. And contrary to my mother's opinion, I am not a reckless idiot. So I decided to do the 'smart' thing and am taking the tube to Heathrow airport to sleep tonight. Yes, it costs a few pounds more, but I'm worth it. And the money that I'm saving, by not sleeping in a hostel, I'm using tonight for:

@ Les Miserables! I've already seen it, I've read the book, and I own the soundtrack. Les Mis is an awesome musical, and I'm so excited to see it again. My seats are in the ultimate nosebleed section, but the Mississippi kids who I met at the Patrick Stewart play said that the show is amazing. Hopefully it will be, because I was very dissapointed with one of the other plays that I saw, which was:

@ Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat - Meh. It was okay, but definitely not great. And I'm not just comparing it to Captain Picard standards. It was just not so good. Luckily, I paid for the cheapest possible seats, and because there were so few people there, I got to sit in 4th row. Sweet!

@ Victoria and Albert Museum - I'm not a huge fan of art, but I am a fan of free things. So with free admission and free tours, the V&A hooked me. The museum itself is massive, and having been built by Prince Albert, it is designed in typical Victorian fashion-super ornate, almost to the point of gawdy. But I still enjoyed the trip. The tour was super cool and informative. And free!!

I am in too much of a hurry to write anymore (or read through what I've already written, so hopefully there aren't too many typos). But I'll write more soon. Lehitraot, y'all!