Yours, Kenna : Geek Out Day

Welcome to what I like to call my "Geek Out Day" aka "The Best Day Ever" aka "The Perfect Day in London" aka "Too Many Pictures in One Day" aka "The Longest Blog Post Ever Because It Was AMAZING". All seriousness, though, March 24, 2014 was one of the most exemplary days I have ever had.

It began with the sun shining in London (a good omen, or so I hear). I strolled through residential streets and into Battersea Park; I learned my first day, that the best way to start a day in London is in a park.

I was up bright and early, so the park was nice and quiet.

I like to think the perfect day requires the perfect outfit, so I wore my current favorite dress. It's covered in pink flowers, need I say more?

The park was peaceful. I love my alone time and rarely get it out & about on busy streets. It was immeasurably relaxing to stroll through the nearly deserted park in the soft morning light.

Ending my walk through the park, I jumped on a bus (London transit is really top notch, I must say) to my next destination.

I headed to 221b Bakers Street, where the Sherlock Homes Museum awaited.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is created pretty much exclusively for fans, which means you're actually allowed to touch things and take pictures to your heart's desire. Definitely, my kind of museum.

A popular tourist attraction in London is Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum, but I've been to wax museums before and am really not about them. Wax figures give me the heeby-jeebies as it is, throw in the movie House of Wax and I'm so not down. Little did I know, not that it would have dissuaded me had I known, but the SH Museum is chalk full of creepy wax figures. Villains look even more diabolical in wax form.

I couldn't resist some selfie-moments with the creeps.

Once I finished properly exploring Sherlock and John's residence I bid adieu to Detective Inspector Lestrade and went on my merry way.

On my way to finding the British Museum, I made a few pit stops (I get distracted easily). I don't know how anyone could not be distracted by the University of London, Birkbeck, since it basically looks like Hogwarts. I immediately added applying here to my ever growing list of schemes to move myself to London.

I even found where I could live about a block away. I'm a sucker for a good door, and this one was a perfect sky blue (obviously reason enough to move in).

Even more of a reason to move into the neighborhood was my second distraction, tea and scones just another half block away. I think I should just set up a "Move Kenna to London" donation box now.

Donating will obviously be furthering my education, as just two blocks from my new future home is the British Museum, which is overflowing with knowledge and history.

I adored the British Museum. Though when I say British Museum, I do mean the actual museum itself. It's a hard call when the architecture of a museum is actually more mesmerizing than the collection within, not that wasn't spectacular, as well.

The crowning jewel of the museum's collection, in the opinion of my inner geek, is the David Tennant currency they have on display, with a running episode of Doctor Who beneath. I mean, it really doesn't get any better.

Though, I guess heading into the Greek & Egyptian sector of the museum was also pretty cool (sorry David).

The scale of the pieces ~~stolen~~ bought from the Acropolis in Athens are unfathomable. Imagine what the size of the Parthenon must be, if this is just the very top of one doric column.

These sizable figures sat in a pediment of the Parthenon, somehow suspended feet above the heads of temple-goers, without crashing down.

I was all kinds of revved up to see my favorite theme of the 92 metopes formerly lining the Parthenon, the Centauromachy (maybe I should call "Geek Out Day", "Geek/Nerd Out Day")

The lighting in the museum, since it is sunlit, is crazy interesting. I would love to see how it changes within on a bright sun shiny day, or on a dark evening. I think it really is the most amazing building.

Now upon deciding whether or not to make my way to my next destination, since it was basically in Timbuktu, I did some internet research. One recommendation I found said that "going to The Who Shop is basically a pilgrimage for Whovians". Now with fervor like that, how could I possibly not go?

Thank you internet stranger for helping me make a fantastic decision.

The Who Shop is chalk full of top-notch merchandise, but even better: there is a TARDIS inside! I was handed the key to time and space and entered, exclaiming: "IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!"

The first (of infinite) room(s) in the TARDIS was chalk full of old enemies, likely invited by the Doctor for a merry reunion. Like a good host I'm sure he offered air from his lungs, to all the guests.

The Daleks and I didn't get on so well. It must've been that universal extermination thing they kept saying.

Luckily before my time in the TARDIS was up, I found some Sunflowers and a message left by Van Gogh to lift my spirits.

By the time I left The Who Shop, souvenirs in hand, it was high time to get myself back to central London, since I had a pretty romantic evening planned.

Ok, so my romantic evening may have been planned with me, myself, and I, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I strolled into Chinatown, in search of some actually exotic food this time, and found a good place to tuck in.

I sat down at my table for one, spurring concerned glances from a woman with her husband across the restaurant and order a big plate full of fried beef noodles, which I dug into immediately.

If you've never gone to dinner alone, I have to recommend it. There's something fun and invigorating about being able to go out and do things on your own, even when socially, they upset your fellow diners. A lot of my trip felt this way, actually. I was shocked by how exhilarated and alive traveling alone made me feel. Moreover, I never experienced so many new things before this trip. Or even things I had previously done or experienced really took on a new light when I had only my own eyes to look at them with.

Point in case, my post-dinner trip to the theatre. I can't say that I wouldn't have loved getting to go with my family or friends to the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in London (I just love saying that), but I really enjoyed going on my own and being able to embrace something I love completely with no distraction. I didn't have to fret much about actually planning, I just booked a ticket last minute (seats for one are easier to find than seats for many) and went that evening. I waltzed in to a full theatre, where I could pre-show people watch, before becoming fully immersed in the play when it began. It was absolutely amazing.