Big Diamonds and Dodo Birds

Tower Bridge

On Sunday, we ate a quick breakfast at the hostel, and headed straight for the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels! On our way there, we crossed the iconic Tower Bridge. It is absolutely huge (and also very pretty by night!) Despite its beauty, we quickly snapped a few pictures, and nearly ran to the other side of the bridge to avoid the enormous gusts of cold wind.

After crossing the Thames, we bought our tickets (discounted if you have a European student ID card!) and entered the Tower of London, which is really many towers, surrounded by what used to be a large moat. There, we were led on a tour by a very comical Beefeater. We also peeked inside the bloody tower, where medieval torture devices are displayed and of course gawked at the Crown Jewels! (which is the real reason any girl goes to see the Tower of London, let's be honest.) I was very disappointed to find that photography is forbidden at this particular exhibit. :'(

  

Our Beefeater guide

Although a ticket for the Tower of London is a bit pricey at nearly £ 20 it was well worth the visit because the tours are included and the various exhibits keep you busy for hours. Plus, I would much rather get my British history from a guy with a funny hat and an English accent than a textbook!

After the Tower, we took the tube to the Museum of Natural History. The museum has tons of exhibits, and it would take days to see each of them. But, as we only had a couple of hours, we had to limit our choices. We first journeyed to the earths treasures exhibit, hoping to find big glittering gems. Unfortunately, the large diamond symbol on the map was very misleading, and instead we found samples of dull brown and gray minerals. Then we wondered through the natural disasters section which featured a room that actually shook to simulate an earthquake. Next, we ventured to an exhibit called "the vault" where we found the colorful gems we had been searching for! We wrapped up our visit with the mammals exhibit, which features a gigantic, Dodo birds and a life-size model of a blue whale and its skeleton! The museum was very entertaining, and the best part: it was free!

With love, from Lausanne

Mindy