You just can't sit down in a hoop skirt

Saturday (yesterday) was one of the best days I've had out here in London.  I had finished homework and was even ahead of schedule, so I took a day off of schoolwork and just explored some more of the city.  In the morning, our class toured parliament.  It was beautiful inside and I loved it!  I had watched the House of Commons debates before with my dad so it was fun to actually see the place where that takes place.  We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside, but here's the pictures I could take:

When I got back to the Centre, I was greeted with a fantastic surprise.  I got a letter/package from Joel.  I had mentioned to him that I missed peanut butter and granola bars and he sent me Reese's and Chewy granola bars (he even took out the Smore's ones =D ).  It was so sweet and considerate.  Joel's the best! I love him so much!  This alone would have made it a fantastic day.

Afterwards, I went to the V+A (Victoria and Albert) museum.  It was such a fun, quirky museum.  It was one of those "everything but the kitchen sink" sort of places.  There were also interactive parts of the museum which always makes life even better.  It was probably my favorite museum I've been to here because it was just such a breath of fresh air.

They had period clothing,

Stained glass,

Costumes to try on,

Metal work,

Glass work,

and even hoop skirts to try on.  By the way, it is impossible to sit down in a hoop skirt.  I attempted to sit down and the skirt literally just flipped upwards.  When Jessica tried, the chair just kept moving backwards.  I have no idea who wore hoops were actually able to sit.  It was a skill!

Then, we went to Hatchard's, this old bookstore that's been operating for over 200 years.  I think I was there for at least an hour just staring at all of these wonderful books on the shelves.  I especially loved all of the children's books.  I read a lot as a child and it was fun to look at all of the different editions of my favorites such as the one below:

We also stopped briefly at Harrod's. It was pretty crazy.  It was by far the ritzy-est thing I've ever been in my life.  I don't know if I was impressed, surprised, or slightly disgusted at the opulence of it.  The food court was impressive and looked delicious. I was surprised that the elevator was Egyptian themed and played opera music.  I was disgusted that a pair of flip-flops cost around  £130, which is over $200.  Ridiculous.  (not everything was like that, but there were enough things like that that I thought it was ridiculous)

These Jubilee cupcakes were pretty cool.

The Egyptian elevator.

Then, we went back to our neighborhood after a long day of adventures and enjoyed a delicious end to the day:

Some delicious caramel cheesecake with clotted cream!