I only spent a half day in London before my flight out of Heathrow, but I enjoyed what I got to see. I woke up early to take an hour-long train ride from Alton to London Waterloo. It was early enough that it was a commuter train, full of businessmen and women. I felt a little out of place, but not only managed the commuter train, but also storing my luggage and taking the tube by myself. In the past, subway systems have been extremely stressful for me, so I was thankful that it ended up being fairly easy to navigate and my destinations weren't far. Because my time was short, I had just two priorities.
Stop 1: Charles Dickens' house. Charles Dickens is another one of my favorite authors. I think he's a brilliant storyteller and can write with such a blend of drama and comedy. His house also featured a doorknob in the middle of the door! I asked one of the tour guides, but they didn't know if it was functional or not either. His writing desk was quite the contrast to Jane's. Haha! I also got to see a handwritten rough draft of Nicholas Nickleby, one of my favorites!
His writing desk
Stop 2: The British Museum. Because of protective glass, most of my pictures did not turn out, but it was still a great pleasure to see so many incredible things in person which looked so familiar from textbook pictures. The Rosetta Stone, the Sutton Hoo helmet, mosaics featured in my old Latin textbooks, Assyrian statuary from Old Testament Dictionaries, Egyptian sarcophaguses, Greek and Roman statues (including from the Parthenon) were all incredible to enjoy.
I took the tube all the way to the airport and made it smoothly home. It was strange to reflect that this was the first trip of this length (over a week long) where I wasn't feeling worn out and ready to go home by the end. Yes, I had to go home, but I would have felt just as happy to stay a bit longer.
Though this was the last location I visited, I may share a few more summary posts of reflections from the trip.
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