So today, we woke up at 7.40 because we were ignoring the alarm (heh) and then we went for breakfast. Apparently, we are in the midst of the Bank Holiday weekend, so the hotel is extremely packed! As a result, we had to give up our family rooms of four people per room, and move into double rooms. Thus began the epic reshuffling of accomodation!
Following that, we made our way to the Imperial War Museum ON FOOT. The Imperial War Museum is extremely grand-looking, with two large cannons at the front. Below is a picture of the Museum (which will be placed here at a later date :D ):
In the museum, we were encouraged to view the Holocaust exhibition on the third floor. However, we were also given around two hours to explore the all areas of the museum. Indeed, the Holocaust exhibition was impactful and thought-provoking. It successfully managed to cover the entire topic. It was able to explain the causes of both the mass extermination of the Jews, as well as both the causes and effects of the Second World War. The exhibition contained both personal recounts and photographs. What we found especially memorable about the exhibition was the small-scale model of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The model showed tiny figurines of Jews pouring out from the mini trains, and entering the gas chambers to be executed. IT WAS SAD!! I (Yu Xin) was also somewhat angry after seeing records of the Nazis' wretched behaviour towards the Jewish people.
Another interesting section of the Imperial War Museum was the art gallery, which showed impressive art pieces created by war veterans and modern artists. For me, the most remarkable piece of art was the painting Gassed, painted by John S. Sargent. No photos could be taken in the gallery, but here is a picture from the Internet:
I viewed different things from Esther. One painting that struck me was "The Cemetery, Etaples", a relatively realistic painting of several women, mostly widows, at a cemetery in France post World War I. Behind them was placed a rushing steam train, which was meant to symbolise the fast pace of life, which goes on even after the death of the soldiers. After reading the description, I was slightly affected by the depressing mood of the painting...
Following that, we made our way to Camden Market for lunch! From the museum, we walked to Lambeth North station, and then we took about 20 minutes to reach the station Camden Town, which was buzzing with activity. It's actually a lot like Singapore's Bugis Street, except on a larger scale. Everything from clothes to food to souvenirs were sold, and actually I expected the wares to be cheaper than Singapore's but alas, it was not to be ): although the things sold at Camden Market are probably cheaper when compared to the proper shops in London.
We next made our way to Waterloo Station, and we walked to the London Eye from there! It is rather small in comparison to the Singapore Flyer, but still as grand! There was a really long queue, it being a Bank Holiday weekend, as previously mentioned, and everyone was jostling to get onto the pods. Anyway, we eventually got onto one of the pods, and there was a spectacular view! We saw many of the landmarks pointed out by our Blue Badge Guide yesterday, including St. Paul's Cathedral and the House of Lords. And we even tried to find our hotel (Travelodge Southwark), though I doubt we were successful!
The day ended with a really good but terribly filling dinner at Nando's. And now here I am, blogging to you from Travelodge London (Southwark), from room _ _ _ (don't think I can put the room number here :DD).
Love, Esther and YX
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