September 14

Another day at the British Museum. We saw every manner of artifact from every century and culture. Viking hoards of gold, mummies, Assyrian wall friezes. After a while it’s a little overwhelming and needed a slow lunch in the restaurant. The Elgin marbles are so beautifully displayed in the bright, white galleries.

On the bus tour we passed the Tower of London. I’ve seen so many film versions of Henry the VIII lopping off the heads of his wives on the tower grounds, it’s easy to be cavalier about the place. When it began to dawn on me that the tower has stood since 1066, I sobered up and thought what a privilege it must be to live in this city surrounded by monuments that have witnessed so much human history. London has its share of new monuments too. The bullet shaped building they call the gerkin, the city hall has been nicknamed the onion and an enormous tower known as the shard are all impressive buildings.

My ancestral roots on my mother’s side are from this part of the world and I feel a connection to this culture in a visceral way. I have a passion for all things British (excluding the native cuisine). In my opinion, the worlds greatest writers are British and Charles Dickens is my favorite.