Just Me: Day 12

Today was one of the more exhausting days I've had here. I woke up at 8 to go to a place called The Who Shop in Eastern London with a friend I had met the week previously. It took about an hour and a half to get their by the Tube, but it was definitely worth it. The shop itself was small, but it was packed with all the Doctor Who merchandise one could imagine. There was also Sherlock, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, and other TV show merchandise as well. There were signed pictures and costumes and ornaments and pretty much anything Doctor Who you could imagine. I bought a pin, postcard, and keychain, and also a ticket to the 'museum' they had in the back of their shop. I was given the key to the Tardis to get into the museum, and then I walked through it. The museum was basically a collection of props and costumes from all seasons of the TV show. The only weird part about it was that one worker basically had to follow us through the museum to make sure that we weren't taking pictures with our phones or anything. However, the worker ended up being cool and let me touch some of the props and told me how the store collected everything. The store itself actually made most of the props or costumes and then lent them to the BBC so therefore the props were theirs to have. There were also pictures of all the Doctors in front of the shop so I didn't realize that it was such a big deal. All the actors and actresses had signatures wishing the shop the best and it was just a really cool experience. After that, my friend went back to campus while I decided to continue on in the day to go to more places.

My next stop was the Imperial War Museum in Central London. I didn't actually think I would find this as interesting as I did. Dad would have absolutely loved it, and I felt bad that I don't think I appreciated it as much as he would have. The museum itself was set up really well and there were a lot of interactive activities and cool aspects like walking through the 'trenches of WWI' or a household during WWII rationing. There were five floors to the museum, and each floor had a different theme. There was a whole floor dedicated to the Holocaust, and it was a really sad but powerful exhibit. There was also a new section that was just added about the war with Afghanistan and about 9/11 which was also pretty rough to walk through. I learned a lot, though, about British wars that I hadn't really learned about. There was another section dedicated to the spies of Britain and the exhibit was set up like you were walking through a James Bond movie. Overall, it was one of the best museums I think I've been too, and I spent a lot longer there than I thought I was going to spend.

My last stop was Churchill's War Rooms. It was only about a mile and a half from the Imperial War Museum, so it was a beautiful day to walk and to pass Big Ben again. There was a short line when I got there, but it moved quickly. After paying for this museum, they gave everyone an audio guide to listen to and it was really helpful as the areas were tight so it kept people moving along. I wasn't really sure what to expect of this either, but it turned out to be really interesting. I got to see where Churchill made his speeches, where he slept, and where he made all his war plans. There was the original maps Churchill used that outlined where the war fronts were and where ships were landing. About halfway walking through the different rooms, there was a Churchill museum that was also included. The audio guide was extremely helpful for this and it had a lot of Churchill's clothes, including his bowler hats and bow ties, and other medals and maps and books. I learned more about his childhood, his time in war, and then his turn as prime minister, all of which I didn't think I was going to learn about. There were a lot of different rooms that were shown, such as the kitchen, dining room, his wife's bedroom, the electrical room, the map room, etc. I also spent a lot longer than expected.

Finally, I got out of the museum and walked back to the Tube stop. Luckily, my time in the museum was long enough to miss the protesting going on near Westminster Abbey about the refugees from Syria, but the Tube was pretty packed with protesters going back to Richmond. When I got back, I went to find food. Me being the thrifty person that I was ate breakfast and lunch using my plastic containers with food that I took from the dining hall yesterday. It allowed me to keep moving and to only eat when walking from place to place. I got dinner at a French restaurant called Paul's, and got some sort of sandwich. I don't really know what was in it, but it was good. I also got breakfast for tomorrow there and some granola bars at Tescos for less than two pounds because tomorrow I am gone all day to Bath and am not getting any meals. Now that I'm back on campus, tonight just consists of sleeping, as I have to wake up at about 6 tomorrow to go to Bath, and today was pretty tiring but really fun. I hope you like all the pictures I'm adding too!

*I also learned that Churchill and his wife received 17 inkstands for wedding gifts*
*Also- I found my new favorite quote: "We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glow-worm."-Churchill

Entering the Tardis (entrance to museum)

Found the entrance to the West Ham United's Stadium while walking to The Who Shop

Inside of the Who Shop

Outside of the Who Shop

Imperial War Museum

This was one of the coolest things for me to see because I read a lot about Walt Disney's impact on WWII. Disney characters (this one from the Three Little Pigs) were painted on a lot of WWII planes or tanks or trucks so I was really excited to see this one.