Literary London: Jane Eyre, the Boy Wizard,and an English Pub

Well, because this blog is about literary places to visit in London, then we best get talking about some book-lover sites.  Today I did just that for you.  I did it just for you.  We visited 3 places today that are perfect destinations for bookworms everywhere.

#1: The British Library

Outside of The King's Library, which houses books collected by George III.

Another view of The King's Library.

 They had a delightful exhibit called Treasures of the British Library.  And if you love literature, music, science, history, religion, or really anything else of worth in this world, you will love this place.  It has original manuscripts of famous musicians including Mozart, Beethoven, and Handel.  It has pages from Michelangelo and Da Vinci's notebooks.  It has the Gutenburg Bible and even the Magna Carta.  It also has documents from the Beatles, including the lyrics to "A Hard Day's Night" written on the back of a birthday card of John Lennon's son.

But my favorite part of the exhibit by far was the literature section.  It had Shakespeare's first folio, Jane Austen's writing desk along with a copy of Persuasion, and Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby.  But I haven't even told you about my favorite favorite part yet.  Have you ever experienced a moment where you see something in a museum that is just so unreal, you get tears in your eyes?  Like, something that has been a part of your life, and it just suddenly comes alive?  Well, I felt this way when I saw Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre".  It is one of my favorite books, and seeing Charlotte Bronte's handwriting with the words "Mr. Rochester" and "Jane" all over the page was just, well, unreal.  It was a copy that was being revised, so there was actually a whole paragraph crossed out.  It was like seeing a deleted scene on the special features DVD.  But in book format. One that was published over 100 years ago.  This is cool stuff, guys.

They usually have Lewis Carroll's original "Alice's Adventures Underground" on display, but it is currently off display, which was a little disappointing, but they have this great digital display that lets you look at each page of his book. And let me tell you something, that man has perfect handwriting.

You can visit the website here.

#2: Platform 9 3/4
Almost any bookworm you meet will say that Harry Potter is on the top of the list of their favorite books. So visiting some sites from the book is a must.  After the British Library, we journeyed to King's Cross Station.

Isn't she a beauty?

 So, even though we all know in the book Platform 9 3/4 is in between platforms 9 and 10, in real life, it's just off to the side.  For both scenery and practicality purposes.  And also, let's face it, to keep the muggles out of the real Platform 9 3/4.

The line was massive, and we had to wait over an hour to get our pictures.  But we chatted and listened to the charming British guys talk, so it passed pretty quickly.  When you get to the front of the line, you get to choose which house scarf you'd like, as well as if you want a wand and Harry Potter glasses.

Poor Hufflepuff.  The other houses don't want to hang out with you.

I'm super excited to put on Harry Potter glasses.

Well helllooo Hogwarts!

It was basically a great way to nerd out over my favorite book.  Also, go Ravenclaw.

#3: Ye Old Chesire Cheese

This is one of those non-touristy book places in London.  So if you're tired of the crowds, head on over to this pub.  It is on Fleet Street, where the famous Sweeney Todd owned his barber shop.  So I'm sure by now you're saying, "Jen!  You're supposed to be talking about literary places!  Why are you talking about some random pub?"

Well, I answer you by saying that this is NOT some random pub!  This pub was frequented by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other famous literary figures.  It was a really cool atmosphere, and I could just picture Charles Dickens sitting there writing one of his famous books.

Today's photography focus was to "think differently", so I've been trying really hard not to center the subject of my photographs, since I do it all the time.  So this was my attempt to use the rule of thirds.  Yeah, baby.

So there you go!  Next time you are in London, make sure to check out these spots.  You won't want to miss them!