Barbican't? Oh, Barbican.

For our very first site visit, we headed to a spot I'd never heard of: the Barbican Library. Walking into the area, it felt like we'd been transported out of London and into a small suburb of some other nature-focused city. Kyoto, perhaps. A large stream filled with lilies and fountains, along with plenty of happy ducks, glides through this area of the city, making it into a peaceful spot at which we couldn't help but drop our jaws.

Situated in the square mile that constitutes the City of London, the Barbican Library is a public library for anyone who lives, works, or studies in the area. It's a cozy place, and the main librarian who greeted us was thrilled that this was our first stop.

Near one of the circulation desks (I think they'd "rebranded" it to "inquiry desk" recently, as well), there's a large display of photographs of a wide range of musicians—everyone from Britney Spears to David Bowie (he appears at least three times in the display, because YES) to the conductors of London symphony orchestras. The music librarian was charming with his never-ending supply of hilarious anagrams (Britney Spears = Presbyterian; Eric Clapton = narcoleptic), and his obvious love of his job was contagious.

Me, checking out the stacks:

We moved on to the colorful, squashy children's library, where the second male librarian of the day (it's a notable occurrence!) told us all about the amazing services the library provides for the kiddos. A few happy patrons came up to speak to him while he told us about it all.

We left with plenty of information, and with this as our first stop, we're pretty excited about what's coming next—the bar is high!

I also dropped into the Museum of London, but hunger kept me from seeing much more than a few items of interest:

For a little evening exploration, the whole of British Studies piled into a cruise ship for the evening, and set sail on the River Thames. With a good cider or two in hand, plenty of snacks, and the blessed relief of a warm indoor viewing area, we cruised all the way past Greenwich Park (where time is born) and back, getting a rare view of the opening of London Bridge. The pilot even turned the boat sideways so we could all get a good view. It was certainly a memorable first day!

I'm pretty sure that's a witch or wizard flying over the bridge. Hiya, Harry!