Visiting the V&A

May 12th

Left for class a few minutes early so I could take pictures.

Here is the bllue gate we pass through to get to class. It is right next to the Imperial College of London. I'm always tempted to talk to the students there. One wonders what it is truly like to be English.

The road that opens up to Hyde Chapel.

Hyde Chapel. We usually have class on the second floor, but we kindly forfeited it to other BYU students who are supposed to be in the London Centre. It is currently being remodeled. Class today was in the basement.

*In England, the main floor is called 0 or ground. Once you walk up a flight of stairs it is called 1, and then so on.

After lunch most people went grocery shopping or wrote their papers for Richard the III. Since I was already done with mine, Jace, Ben, Sarah, Dallin, and I went to the V&A. The Victoria and Albert Museum is like the attic of Britain. It is full of the most random objects that are sorted by room and then placed randomly throughout the building. Our first stop was sculptures and statues. I loved this guys pose. He is one of the few clothed works of art in the room, just a disclaimer.

Entire rooms have been moved/recreated into the V&A. This little ballroom was in need of quartet playing some music to dance to.

Interactive experiences? Yes please! 

Jace, Sarah, and Ben sporting the latest 1700 fashions.

This book of manners takes everyday life very seriously. Oh the worries of an aristocrat. This page is a detailed experience of how to offer or recieve something. Each entry on civility is complete with pictures. 

Everything looks authentic, except the cardboard cutout. We were so tempted to steal it and try to replace it with some pop culture icon. We also decided the various paintings and elaborate ceiling are there to stare at when you get bored or do not want to talk to the other people in the room.

Oh hey, that's me.

What, you don't wear muffin collars like Jace and I? This seems fitting since we went to Drury Lane later in the evening. Do you know the muffin man? Who lives on Drury Lane?

Dalin creating his own coat of arms. It looked sick.

Better watch out. The glove I'm wearing is a knight's armor and makes whoever wears it feel super strong.

Floor 1, 2, or 3 of the V&A. The building itself should be in a museum.

"Imagine the beautiful sound that would make if it crashed to the ground." -Ben 

He is the masochist of the group.

Looking in on these giant pillars with the carved history of the world and graves. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be trapped here at night. Sooooo creepy.

The jewelry room was high on my list of favorites. The room itself was high tech, lots of glass, blue lights, and darkness. You expect to see a spaceship when you walk in. Even better, it is filled with ancient to modern day jewelry.

Spiral stairs. Trust me, they are really cool.

This is the harness used in the original Peter Pan to make character fly across the stage....Like What???? The theatre section in this museum is wonderful.

Plus you could dress up! Sarah and I should be in a classy movie. We would rock it. 

After three hours of museum, everyone else was ready to retire and explore the rest of museum another day. I was still willing to go another hour till dinner, but it was easier to just go home with everyone else. We hung out at the flats for awhile, aka rested from the onslaught of culture, and then headed over to Covent Gardens for lunch. Lots of the girls have been eating at Shake Shack non-stop. It sounds good, but I like to try as many new things as possible. You only London once. (We all hope we come to London again, but lets be cautious.) So here are the British condiments at the little restaurant we went to. Mustard comes in a jar, who knows what is in the vile (that also had random vegetables in it), the steak sauce is called brown sauce, and there is always a bowl of sugar cubes.

Ben, Dallin, and I had pasties. I have a three cheese, spinach, and pepper one I think. Delicious. Not sure why everyone says British food is awful. It's pretty low key. Normal stuff. Pouring a little bit of gravy on this makes it even better. As you can see from the picture it was also raining on us and we were reading the paper on the tube. Typical London.

Ben swears these are the best cookies ever. We think he just loves them because they are named after him. Regardless, after dinner several groups met up and we were all peer pressured into buying a cookie. They were a little pricey, but very good. I'll give Ben that.

The rain was still coming down, and getting thicker. We found the theatre without a problem. War Horse was crazy. Such a spectacle. I have never thought of being a puppeteer was so serious and rewarding as I now do. It might have been the most impressive technical show I have ever seen. Writing a review on it will be easy. There was so much detail. Lots of the girls started tearing up by the end. I liked it how Colette put it, "I don't care for horses. Sure, I'd take one... if Prince Charming was on the back."

Shout-out to international candy. I wrote a paper in marketing about Nestle and how they have different types of KitKats for countries all over the world. As I've been in London, I can't help but notice that my research was right. There are soooo many flavors here that I have never seen before. Emily and Colette are on a mission to try all the international candy. I haven't had much yet, but Cadbury buttons & twists are very popular in the flat. As is Aero bars. So many treats, so little time.