ketchup: tower of london 30/01/2010

WHERE: London

WHEN: 30 January 2010

WHAT: Tower of London

NYU so kindly allocates us each a virtual budget of £50 for the semester; there are three phases of programming from which we can sign up for various events: tours, rugby/football games, museums, theatre shows, etc. The first, and only, so far, expenditure from my personal budget was £12.50 for the Tower of London. 

Before leaving the states, I decided it would be a good idea to do some research of the big sights in London, because I really lament the fact that I've seen quite a bit of cool stuff in my lifetime, but at the time didn't fully appreciate it; part of this is an issue of consciousness, which is a huge undertaking and a lifelong process, but part of it is also just because I didn't know the (hi)story behind a lot of the things I've seen. So I started with the Tower of London (seriously, don't ask why the Tower was the first thing, I have no clue). I guess now is the time to admit that by "research", I obviously mean "extensive research", and by "extensive research" I obviously mean reading the Wikipedia page. Don't hate. Nonetheless, I was still really pumped to see the Tower, so I was especially pumped when it was offered for faux-free! 

Unfortunately, dedication to my personal side-project ("I Am Old Enough Here To Drink: A Cultural Discovery") called for an especially taxing bit of research the night before, so the majesty of the whole traipsing-around-castle-grounds thing really was largely lost on me and my pounding headache and rolling stomach. I did make it to the Crown Jewels, though, and even trooped through the maze of videos of Queen Elizabeth's crowning, getting to see some of the Jewels in action. Once you're done with the exhibit and are on the edge of your seat, they tease you with a few really old things before they let you get to the good stuff. I'm really not one for opulence and extravagance, especially not in terms of jewelry, but these puppies are impressive. It was also cool to stand there and know that a queen's hair had touched that crown, that one right there! I should clarify that I wasn't really standing; they toss you on a moving sidewalk to bring you past each case, and for someone in my state the moving sidewalk might as well have been the Tower of Terror. My friends opted for a trip back on the other sidewalk, to get another perspective, but I opted for a trip back to my bed. On the way out, I saw the Imperial Crown of India, which was probably my favorite in terms of appearance and also in its perfect summarization of my views of grandiosity, in such an English way - I can't remember the quote exactly but it was a complaint of King George's that wearing the crown for so long (6 hours, if not more, I think, but I kind of just made that up) was just really difficult because it was just, so, heavy. I'd imagine, with SIX THOUSAND diamonds; seriously, what. What is that. Why.

Then it was out to fresh air for a glimpse of the ravens, whose flight will signal the end of the empire, according to fable (I feel like that is not the right word but mama's tired, y'all). But Grancy just told me today that they clip their wings to keep them from flying away, so I call cheating on that. 

I'm sorry this post involves a fake-out picture, a story of me being dumb, and some made-up facts. Okay I'm actually not sorry about the made-up facts part, and you're probably better off it you just get used to that right now because I know for a fact (haha) this won't be the last time I do it. Stay tuned tomorrow for Bath and Stonehenge, and one of the best days of my life! Now, it is time for bed; a long day of blogging, reading* in the park, and dawdling through ancient Mesopotamian artifacts, all so as to not study for a Marketing test, will do it to you.

*except that I am fancy and read it from an actual book. It was so picturesque and English and adorable, you know, and I hoped the boy across the park thought so too, and it was going to be a romantic-movie scene when he came over to sit on my park bench and ask me what I was reading as he gazed longingly into my eyes and had a voiceover of how he had met the girl of his dreams but he didn't know it yet (the film's structured like (500) Days of Summer you see) before he asked me to coffee around the corner and subsequently sealed our fate as international lovers. But then I predicted all this, the universe got angry at me for jumping the gun, and instead he got up and left before I looked up next (and I even forced myself to stay focused til the end of the chapter, to give him ample time to keep staring at me from across the way before mozying over to start the show). Valentine's Day, you suck.