Yesterday, we had allowed one hour to visit the British Library. We ended up spending five hours visiting exhibits and touring the impressive building. In the center is a massive glass tower of rare books. From my understanding they were books belonging to King George III (the reigning king during our Revolutionary War). It is quite spectacular in itself but the tower is also amazing in that it blends modern library technology and an appreciation of the traditional library format. We visited the permanent rare book exhibit displaying a Guttenberg Bible, Magna Carta, rare 11th century bibles, etc. There was also a special exhibit called Writing Britain, Wastelands to Wonderlands (http://www.bl.uk/writingbritain). Included in this exhibit were drafts, notes, etchings from some of my favorite British writers including JRR Tolkien: original artwork for The Hobbit, JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone manuscript John Lennon: draft for ‘In My Life’, Daphne Du Maurier: early notes for Rebecca, Charles Dickens: manuscript for Our Mutual Friend, Robert Louis Stevenson: manuscript for Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Charlotte Brontë: manuscript for Jane Eyre, Lewis Carroll: manuscript of 'Alice's Adventures Under Ground', and one of the earliest manscripts for Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Hannah would have spent 4 hours just visiting this exhibit. A large part of the exhibit was dedicated to England's literary response to the Industrial Revolution. Fascinating.To see these original books and notes was truly a privilege. Last night we took a break and had dinner at a British Pub. My feet were worn out. The pub in itself was a great introduction to British life. I believe we were the only foreigners, it was packed and loud. The pubs patrons also flow out onto the sidewalk surrounding the building. They have shelves under the windows where you can place your pint and gather and meet your friends. At one point it statred raining and all the outside people came inside. It was wall to wall humanity. This is what we chose to eat: fish and chips, deep fried mushrooms, and fried Brie. All washed down with a mixture of hard cider and black current juice. I loved it all... Fried Brie - is that an insult to my French heritage? I need to watch out, I am having my cholesterol checked a few days after I come home : )