Today, we slept in a bit – which was quite nice. We didn't actually get up and moving until about 9:30am, and then we both did some computer work and some studying before heading out into the city center. We took the underground train into Waterloo Station to walk around Trafalgar Square and get some better pictures, then headed west, towards Kensington Park to eventually see some of the free city museums.
We made a pit-stop first at Victoria Train Station, as they had a travel center and we had some questions. Erin really wanted to take a day trip out of London to see Bath, Stonehenge, and Oxford University – so, we wanted to find out what might be the most cost efficient way to do this. The travel center advised us that booking with a tour group was the best way to go because it would be cheaper than taking the train or bus individually, and it included all of the entrance fees to the attractions. Based on this information, we booked a trip for Bath, Stonehenge, and Windsor (unfortunately, Oxford was not combined with any of the other destinations we were interested in). We also bought our tickets for the express train to Gatwick airport, which is where we will fly out of when we leave the country in the next couple of days. Next, we headed back out to Trafalgar Square to take enjoy the scenery and take a few pictures.
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| It was as sunny as it seems in the picture, and the water really is that blue! |
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| Tabitha makes a friend. |
James decided that he wanted a Fish and Chips for lunch today, a traditional London staple comprised of fried, breaded fish, and "chips" - what we would call French fries. Incidentally, what we call "chips," Londoners call "crisps." Based on a recommendation from the attendant in Victoria Station, we stopped at a small cafe near the bus station we had arrived at several days before. James had high hopes for his meal, however, it did not live up to its expectations, which was disappointing for both of us.
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| While it wasn't perfect, it was still Fish and Chips in London! |
After our less than satisfying lunch we headed west and entered the upscale area of Chelsea, which included many fancy townhouses and many high-end shops, such as Harrod's. We stopped in Harrod's to look around for a few minutes (and to use the restrooms), and after wandering through some of the expensive departments, we left. Harrod's reminded Erin of the Macy's on 34th Street in that it had several floors and lots of different sections of branded products to go through.
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| This was the closest Erin got to getting anything branded "Prada." |
We next stopped at London's “museum mile,” and began at our touring the Victoria and Albert Museum, which housed many collectibles from around the world. There were large tapestries, fine china, and several different types of ceramics. On the way out, Erin commented on the unique blown glass chandelier, and unsurprisingly, James immediately recognized the creator of this brilliant piece hanging in the lobby (Dale Chihuly, or as Erin put it, "Dan Something"). We then headed next door into the Museum of Natural History, where we learned more about the Earth's crust and the effects of water and wind on the land and sea. As the time was drawing near 5pm, we headed to the Science Museum because Erin had expressed the most excitement about this very museum.
At the Science Museum, we learned more about the early aviation and how planes have improved over the years. There were several model planes (both new and old) – it was interesting to see things from a British perspective. (They did have an entire exhibit to the Wright brothers, "wrightfully" so....). After James dragged Erin through an exhibit on 1800's scientific instruments, explaining the concept of "
Steampunk" along the way, we ventured up into the human medicine exhibits where we learned more about the history of medicine in the United Kingdom. Erin was quite fascinated to see how far things have advanced, and how much better we are at diagnosing and treating diseases than we were even 20 years ago. By this time, the museum was closing as it was nearly 6pm and most things in the United Kingdom close their doors around this time.
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| The Dale Chihuly V&A Rotunda Chandelier |
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| Tabitha picks on someone closer to her own size, if a little older, in the V&A museum. |
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| One of the many exhibits in the British Science Museum |
As it was a perfect day weather-wise, it was the perfect time for a post-museum(s) walk through Kensington Park. We followed the main road throughout the park as both of us had memories of another recent park experience (Phoenix Park in Dublin, where we got a bit lost). We were looking for the Princess Diana memorial fountain in the park, but somehow missed it. We saw many cyclists in the park, in part due to London's large bike rental program that has rental stations scattered throughout the city. We finally emerged from the park on Oxford Street, which is one of the major shopping districts in London. From here, we headed to Saville Row, to explore some of the made-to-order tailoring shops. By this time, however, many of the shops on Saville Row were already closed.
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| One of the London Bike-Rental Stops; this one was near Eaton Court. |
As it was dark now, we headed back to the train station with the plan of enjoying a nice dinner out together at an Indian restaurant near our flat. James had had two meal requirements for London: some Fish & Chips, and a good curry meal. There were three Indian restaurants all right next to each other and all of them looked about the same, so we were a bit confused as to which one we should head into. James suggested we head into the restaurant with no one in it, so we could have a private dinner together. Erin was a bit skeptical of this idea as an empty restaurant is sometimes (often) a bad sign. However, James's instincts were correct – despite a slightly musty smell that soon faded into the background, our dinner was fantastic – nice and spicy, just the way we like it! After dinner we headed back to the flat where we did a load of laundry, watched a bit of British television, and eventually went to bed.
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| Our Celebratory "Fancy" London Curry Dinner. |
