Kirsten Joy: Tomb fRaider

The London Tombs is officially the most frightening thing I've ever been in. The Bridge tour was kind of cheesy, but still interesting, and they gave us the choice to continue on to the Tombs (which are actually full of dead bodies in the walls), warning it was not for the "faint of heart." Me thinking that it'd be a funny little stroll through flashing lights and smoke machines said "to hell with it", and proceeded. IT WAS SO FUCKING SCARY I CAN'T DESCRIBE IT IN ANY OTHER WAY THAN BY ABUSING CAPSLOCK. You can't see shit, there's things grabbing, noises everywhere, stuff is shaking, just all around horrifying. I have a souvenir picture of me "screaming" surrounded by superimposed corpses. Facebook will love it once I get near a scanner.

 Murphy's Law I was the only single person there and got stuck at the back of the line behind a terrified Chinese teen and his dad. I wanted to clutch on to his backpack but thought it might be a bit weird. The gnarly tour guide who described the process of how people had their heads put on sticks looked at me and bellowed, "It's not nice being alone is it?" Thanks for rubbing it in like salt on a decapitated head, dude (that's how you preserve them, tee hee I'm such a ghoul).

Because I was once again late leaving the hotel today (had to wait for my camera battery to charge) I didn't get to see the Royal Albert Hall but I'll probably check it out tomorrow on the way to Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle.

I did make it inside the Shakespeare Globe Theatre but because there was a matinee going on we couldn't go inside the actual area where they hold plays. We explored the streets around it, visiting the Rose Theatre archeological site and the original site of the Globe (sadly, now an apartment complex). We also went inside the exhibition which featured lots of artifacts from Shakespearean theatre and costumes that have been used in the plays put off there. It was neat but I was disappointed we couldn't go inside.

I really should have visited the Tower of London first, but my London Pass guide had the wrong closing time in it so I had a half an hour to do a tour that usually takes three hours that I had planned to do in one. I literally ran through the towers, snapping pics and asking the guides, "Hey where do I get to see the places where people were tortured and murdered, you know, the gruesome stuff?" I didn't make it to the site of the prince's murder, but did get to see the tower where prisoners were kept and inscribed their names and quotes on the walls, as well as the one where all the jewels were kept and you weren't allowed to take pictures.

Once again I grabbed my lunch/supper from a convenience store, a questionable, lackluster tandoori chicken wrap that just tasted like the sauce was made out of mayo and ketchup, it wasn't spicy at all, I was grossed out, and yet still ate it, because I paid for it. I might go to a real restaurant tomorrow night before the Jack the Ripper tour, depending on my money situation...

I wasn't disappointed by the dance/musical based on Marilyn Monroe's life that I saw at the Apollo Theatre near Piccadilly Circus. I've never been to a ballet before but I was amazing. People may make fun of dancers but if you look at the bodies of these people, they are fucking ripped, even the skinny women are super toned. The costumes, the stage, the music, the lights, it was all great. The couples on both sides of me left before it was over (the two girls to the left were gone about 15 minute in!), but I really enjoyed it. 

I'm starting to figure out the subway system a little better, it's a lot like Toronto's. I LOVE planned cities, or at least cities that plan their transport systems, haha. I made it from Piccadilly to Bayswater without any help (three train changes!), with just one accidental ride to Charring Cross (so I guess you can make that four train changes).

I am exhausted. If I want to go to the castles bright and early tomorrow I should pass out now.