On our last full day in the city of London, about half of our group decided to spend part of the day visiting the British Museum, located just a couple of blocks down the street from our hotel. After getting some food nearby and going through the security checkpoint, we entered the museum at about 3:30, having 2 hours left to explore the exhibits.

There were many sections featuring artifacts from early civilizations, including Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. Two of the most impressive artifacts (in my own opinion) in the museum that I was able to see were the Rosetta Stone (picture included) and an Easter Island head statue. The Rosetta Stone is a very important historical artifact dating back over 2000 years. Written in 3 languages, the stone contains segments of a speech originally given in Ancient Egypt, which allows others to begin to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Easter Island head statue, originating from Chilean-governed Easter Island, did not have any writing inscribed on it, but it – and the others in existence – are widely known symbols of the island’s culture.

Other areas of the museum that interested me include the many marble carvings and statues of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as the exhibit(s) on Egyptian mummies.

After arriving in London yesterday morning (1/2/20), we spent the day getting to know our way around the area of London surrounding the hotel we are staying at. We looked at Christmas lights and decorations in/around Trafalgar Square, and then took a bus to the Tower Bridge.

Today, January 3rd, we departed the hotel after breakfast and a quick, informative lecture from Dr. B, headed for Parliament Square. Once there, we toured the recently-established Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Established in 2009, the Supreme Court takes civil cases of high seriousness. We were able to go into 2 of the 3 courtrooms within the building, including the largest one on the second floor.

After our tour of the Supreme Court, we travelled across the street in order to begin our tour of Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but I managed to get some nice ones of the exterior of the Abbey. Once we were granted admission, we were provided with an audio/video-guided tour so we could walk around at our own pace. Throughout the building, there were many tombs & burial sites of former royals, famous writers & scientists, and more. Overall, I really enjoyed the tour of Westminster Abbey, and am very glad we were able to have this opportunity.