I went to Ramsay Hall this morning and had bacon and eggs, as usual. The English Breakfast has really been hyped out of proportion. I'd go for a sausage biscuit any day of the week. Anyhow, after that we went on our class field trip. Our first stop was a place called Interresource, which specializes in developing blogging and social networking sites for various companies. It was a neat little tour the company seemed very relaxed (everyone wore jeans and there was a fooseball table, a dart board, video game systems, etc.) and it was fun to see.
After we got done there we headed to the Imperial War Museum, which is outstanding. It is one of the finest museums I have ever been to. The exhibits were spectacular and one could easily spend an entire day in there. I'm really disappointed my Dad wasn't here to see it because he would have loved it. They had an entire exhibit on the D-Day landing and there were tons and tons of awesome things to see. From tanks and vehicles, to major artillery pieces and airplanes, the Imperial War Museum is something definitely worth checking out. They even had a really neat exhibit on spies in warfare which allowed you to see real spy gear (such as a "bugged" ink pen).
We specifically went there to see the Holocaust Exhibit that was, needless to say, heart-wrenching. Every time I see something on the Holocaust I can't help but feel sad. To think that such a thing happened, and has happened since, and could potentially happen again is very disheartening. Watching the videos of speeches by some of the prominent Nazis as well as examining the various forms of propaganda really made me realize that things haven't changed that much at all since WWII. There are still people out there that believe that sort of thing, and some of them are in charge of major countries. The possibility that another genocide that could occur is not at all far fetched. In fact, if you look at certain places like the Sudan, Rwanda, and Cambodia, you realize that it's quite likely.
Once I had finished touring the museum I came back to the dorm and took a nap. I woke up and decided to head down to the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie premiere. I saw a newspaper earlier and realized that people had been waiting in line since early this morning just to get a glimpse of the various stars of the film. Needless to say, when I got there at 6:00 and the movie started at 7:00, it was total Potter-Pandemonium. Leicester Square, which is usually all ready packed with people anyways, was a total madhouse of screaming girls and adoring fans looking to take a photo of their favorite actor. It was so incredibly crowded and such a strange atmosphere that one hates to, but must, describe it in the cliche way as "magical". And, I am proud to say, I did manage to get a few photographs of people like J.K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), although it was of them arriving on the big screen in Leicester Square. Although, I can still say I was there.
The weather has been pretty dreary all day and really, for the most part things have been kind of slow. Hands down the highlight of my day was on the tube coming back from the movie premiere. Lately my opinion of Londoners has been less than stellar. They seem rude, grumpy, self-centered, and just generally like most people in a big city seem. None of them ever really seem to talk or smile, and that's a real change for me. But, while riding the tube, I glanced down and saw the cutest little blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl. She smiled a very adorable smile up at me and I smiled back. Throughout the ride I'd catch a glimpse of her and smile at her. When I got off she looked at me, smiled, waved, and actually say "goodbye". It really just made me have a lot more appreciation of this whole situation and just generally lifted my spirits. It's amazing what one little girl's smile can do.
Overall though, today has been pretty pleasant. Tomorrow is class in the morning then Madam Tussuad's Wax Museum in the afternoon. Frankly, I'm expecting a whole lot out of the wax museum considering the price of tickets. But, we'll just have to wait and see. I got a letter from my grandmother in the mail yesterday which made my day. She informed me that they call washclothes "flannels", which may explain why the woman looked at me like I was an idiot the other day. Still no word on why we only get one towel a week.
Photos of today's romp around London can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/
