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On Days Out In London
Jun. 23rd, 2015 11:14 amI have a weekend of adventure.
To London!
The Captain and I went to London on the sleeping train on Thursday night to meet up with MLW on Friday morning and Bluebird on Friday afternoon.
The Captain was delighted and excited by the sleeping train. We got on at 11pm and it leaves at 11.40. He loved his bunker bed and his wee bag of toiletries. When he woke up in the morning and discovered we had a sink and window he was beside himself with delight. It was awesome.
We arrived at about 6.30, had a bacon sandwich and made our way to the house we were staying in to drop off our bags then out to the Natural History Museum. There by bus - a proper London red bus, back by tube - less exciting - it's just a train under the ground, it doesn't even have bunker beds. I'd over estimated how long it would take to travel there and back so we arrived at the museum at 9am for a 10am opening. Second breakfast in a nice cafe nearby and then back to join the queue to get in. (The queue to get in is mainly driven by bag inspection).
The Captain and I scampered round the museum for a few hours looking at dinosaurs and bugs and Jurasic marine repiles before MLW joined us to go and look at earthquakes and volcanos and a rather cool escalator followed by lunch. I was able to see some of the orginal pliosaurs and plesiosaurs from Lyme Regis as well as a moasaur which I'd not seen before. When I visited Lyme Regis we took a guided fossil walk along the cliffs and the guide, once finished, hurried off to continue digging out a sea-dragon that he'd found emerging from the cliff face.
After lunch we tried the Captain on the Victoria and Albert musuem which he enjoyed. He was very taken with the idea of statues. I think he'd about had enough when we discovered a fountain he could fall in to in the courtyard. MLW sat in the sun and ate frozen yoghurt whilst the Captain capered in the water. On the way out he and I had a good chat about a statue of Diana the Huntress.
Once we'd dried him off it was time to go and meet Bluebird in Kings Cross and go for Brazillian bbq buffet then home.
"Home" worked very well although we had to swop the Captain and Bluebird's beds around because the Captain liked elephants. The Captain was particularly excited to be able to show MLW and BB around the house.
On Saturday the four of us went to the Tower of London. Again an early start to beat the crowds (it's the only way to trackle London). I liked the Tower. Lots of interesting history and cool stuff. We saw some kids singing show tunes, halberds, some nice scuptures of animals evocking the former menagerie which was closed due the extreme danger of having dangerous animals in a non-purpose built place. The last victim was the head keeper, nearly bitten to death by a snake, at which point the Duke of Wellington called time on the whole thing. I liked the display of armour and the political role the place has played as a large armory in the centre of Britain's largest population centre. MLW liked the animal scuptures and the Captain really liked the Princes in the Tower, because they were children. He went round their bit twice and wanted to know if the bones they found were really them. Which lead to the question, if we are able to identify Richard III using DNA evidence are we able to identify the recovered bodies which are now in Westminister Abbey.
Back home for crispy duck from Waitrose.
On Sunday I left early to drop off our luggage at Kings Cross left luggage then met up with everyone at the London Eye. This was the Captain's particular thing that he wanted to do in London and he had a fab time. The Eye is nice. I've been on it twice now. It overlooks my old office in Old Scotland Yard which is nice. I think it cost us £70 for the four of us to go round the wheel. It's not something I'd do more than once every ten years. The Captain enjoyed it.
After the Eye we wondered along the Southbank, there are some play parks, we found a very large sandpit and some public art (in which the Captain injured himself in a head on collission with another lad) . We had lunch at one of the street food markets. I had a very nice Carabbean chicken curry and a pint of Meantime London Lager. MLW some sort of risotto ball with ham and cheese. After lunch the Captain discovered some Hobbit holes and then, perhaps the pick of the day, a rooftop garden on top of the Southbank Centre. We pottered a bit then pottered off to our stations to catch our trains home.
Sunday was Fathers' Day and BB gifted me an interesting book and a lovely pair of cufflinks (which I think shall live at the office for a few months as my main work cufflinks).
The train journey to Edinburgh was lovely. The Captain watched something on his iPad, I snoozed and MLW read her book until it was time for picnic team and a few board games then home.
All very lovely.
To London!
The Captain and I went to London on the sleeping train on Thursday night to meet up with MLW on Friday morning and Bluebird on Friday afternoon.
The Captain was delighted and excited by the sleeping train. We got on at 11pm and it leaves at 11.40. He loved his bunker bed and his wee bag of toiletries. When he woke up in the morning and discovered we had a sink and window he was beside himself with delight. It was awesome.
We arrived at about 6.30, had a bacon sandwich and made our way to the house we were staying in to drop off our bags then out to the Natural History Museum. There by bus - a proper London red bus, back by tube - less exciting - it's just a train under the ground, it doesn't even have bunker beds. I'd over estimated how long it would take to travel there and back so we arrived at the museum at 9am for a 10am opening. Second breakfast in a nice cafe nearby and then back to join the queue to get in. (The queue to get in is mainly driven by bag inspection).
The Captain and I scampered round the museum for a few hours looking at dinosaurs and bugs and Jurasic marine repiles before MLW joined us to go and look at earthquakes and volcanos and a rather cool escalator followed by lunch. I was able to see some of the orginal pliosaurs and plesiosaurs from Lyme Regis as well as a moasaur which I'd not seen before. When I visited Lyme Regis we took a guided fossil walk along the cliffs and the guide, once finished, hurried off to continue digging out a sea-dragon that he'd found emerging from the cliff face.
After lunch we tried the Captain on the Victoria and Albert musuem which he enjoyed. He was very taken with the idea of statues. I think he'd about had enough when we discovered a fountain he could fall in to in the courtyard. MLW sat in the sun and ate frozen yoghurt whilst the Captain capered in the water. On the way out he and I had a good chat about a statue of Diana the Huntress.
Once we'd dried him off it was time to go and meet Bluebird in Kings Cross and go for Brazillian bbq buffet then home.
"Home" worked very well although we had to swop the Captain and Bluebird's beds around because the Captain liked elephants. The Captain was particularly excited to be able to show MLW and BB around the house.
On Saturday the four of us went to the Tower of London. Again an early start to beat the crowds (it's the only way to trackle London). I liked the Tower. Lots of interesting history and cool stuff. We saw some kids singing show tunes, halberds, some nice scuptures of animals evocking the former menagerie which was closed due the extreme danger of having dangerous animals in a non-purpose built place. The last victim was the head keeper, nearly bitten to death by a snake, at which point the Duke of Wellington called time on the whole thing. I liked the display of armour and the political role the place has played as a large armory in the centre of Britain's largest population centre. MLW liked the animal scuptures and the Captain really liked the Princes in the Tower, because they were children. He went round their bit twice and wanted to know if the bones they found were really them. Which lead to the question, if we are able to identify Richard III using DNA evidence are we able to identify the recovered bodies which are now in Westminister Abbey.
Back home for crispy duck from Waitrose.
On Sunday I left early to drop off our luggage at Kings Cross left luggage then met up with everyone at the London Eye. This was the Captain's particular thing that he wanted to do in London and he had a fab time. The Eye is nice. I've been on it twice now. It overlooks my old office in Old Scotland Yard which is nice. I think it cost us £70 for the four of us to go round the wheel. It's not something I'd do more than once every ten years. The Captain enjoyed it.
After the Eye we wondered along the Southbank, there are some play parks, we found a very large sandpit and some public art (in which the Captain injured himself in a head on collission with another lad) . We had lunch at one of the street food markets. I had a very nice Carabbean chicken curry and a pint of Meantime London Lager. MLW some sort of risotto ball with ham and cheese. After lunch the Captain discovered some Hobbit holes and then, perhaps the pick of the day, a rooftop garden on top of the Southbank Centre. We pottered a bit then pottered off to our stations to catch our trains home.
Sunday was Fathers' Day and BB gifted me an interesting book and a lovely pair of cufflinks (which I think shall live at the office for a few months as my main work cufflinks).
The train journey to Edinburgh was lovely. The Captain watched something on his iPad, I snoozed and MLW read her book until it was time for picnic team and a few board games then home.
All very lovely.
