British Museum and ULU

Everyone except me had class today =) so I went to the British Museum. I covered galleries 1-6 today: the Enlightenment, the Sami Magic Drum (features a drum made in Scandinavia in the 1600s by the Sámi people - they have lived there for 3,000 years), Egyptian sculpture, Assyrian sculpture and the Balawat Gates.

The Enlightenment gallery used to be the King George III's library that is now in the British Library - now the gallery is some of King George's collection and many of the 80,000 pieces once owned by Sir Hans Sloane (he was a voyager and collector and after he died his possessions were sold to the Brit Museum and his books to the Brit Library). This is also the man who discovered the cocoa bean which was used in Jamaica - he thought the drink they made out of it was very bitter but when he got back to England he experimented with it and found that when you added hot milk and sugar, you got something delightful - hot chocolate. He sold the rights to his discovery to Cadbury. Anyway, Sloane is a really big deal here in London.


Later, I met the rest of the group in front of Winston House (where they all had class) and we walked to the University of London's Student Union (ULU). We were given a tour of the facilities - they are quite nice (full gym with heated indoor pool, a restaurant, cheap shops for students, a club, a couple bars, and a STA travel agency all inside). I am going to join the Salsa club and maybe the Drama or Harry Potter club (I know, I'm a dork)...I really wanted to join the art club, but they have drawing class during the time when I'll be in class on Wednesday evenings. :( To have gym access it costs 35 pounds a month, so I might hold off on that unless I feel like I really need it - we walk so much I don't see how I could get too out of shape!

Some of us are going to an Indian restaurant for dinner tonight, but I think I'll stay in because I'm not much on Indian food. Perhaps I'll start acting like a student and reading one of the many books I need to get through. Tomorrow I have class from 3pm to 8:30 with 30 minute break in between. I am quite excited as they are the Shakespeare class and WWII history class.

PICTURES:
1) Bedford Square (near my flat)
2) a sculpture of metal covered rocks (this is for you Heather!)
3) Felix Hall Vase, 2nd cen. AD, Roman
4) Bust of Sir Hans Sloane
5) Part of the Enlightenment Gallery