Too much London

There you go Patty

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

See Jane jump

See Tim jump

Buck buddies

Jane didn't go unnoticed

Dead for fifty centuries, still got his hair though.

The work on this stone cape...

They just kept staring at her

Cop this lot.

"You lookin' at me kid?"

Another huge day in London. We started further west after a lurchy ride on the double-decker (there must be so many injuries on those steps over a year). Jane led me into the British Museum and there we stayed for four fascinating hours.

What a place. We started with the Egyptian and gulped up the mind-boggling treats that the poms acquired from lesser civilisations. How they hang onto them is a puzzle. Hope they do for a while yet. They would have ended up in Germany if not for a bit of luck during the war.

Jane discovered complimentary fold-up seats to ease the pain in her feet, they have taken some punishment lately, mine are whinging a bit too (not out loud though Den). We couldn't tear ourselves away from the incredible displays. The place is unmissable.

We did make it outside eventually where Jane repaired a puncture in her right foot. Once reinflated it lasted the rest of a big walking day. We wandered down Bloomsbury St, through the very novel layout of triangular blocks of shops, pubs and cafes, to arrive at Trafalgar Square. I hadn't guessed at just how grand it is. In photos it appears as a big roundabout, but in real life it hits you in a big way. The thing about London is that it is jam-packed with surprises. They have spent thousands of years competing for space and the result is indescribable. Each turn presents a stunning discovery and I have realised that it has to be experienced on foot. It can't be known from pictures. But have a look at mine anyway. Wot else you got?

We saw anti-war protesters opposite parliament making a noise. They spoke well and passionately but the world isn't prepared to drop necessary evils yet (the unnecessary ones are being kept on as well. Just in case).

We didn't pay the required 15 Pounds for many of the experiences, such as Westminster Abbey, Imperial War Museum and the Royal Muse because of time factors. The cost was inhibiting but the main thing was the notion of rushing through, it can wait until next time. The weather was good and we wanted to see as much of London as we could.

Buckingham Palace was a treat, with the Queen Victoria memorial out front, and we rested there for a while. It's quite something to see everything as it really sits on the ground. The sense of proportion I'd had about the place was realigned as I sat there. The palace is quite close to the gates and the memorial is much bigger than I remember. Anyway, it was a good stop-over.

We made our way back to Trafalgar and sampled the delights of several 'speak-easys' (or 'Free Houses') as we headed towards the eventual bus ride home. The beer was sometimes a little too warm, not unexpected, but the atmosphere was good for chat. We could have stayed in a few of them but
had to get on.

The night ended at a huge Sushi train which was 'just the ticket'. It was twice the cost of any other I'd experienced but we have the 'well this is London' perspective, so we munched and slurped our way around the track.

Got to rush off I'm afraid. I like to go over these blogs a few times but time crowds that out today. Time for a spell-check and a few captions and you are stuck with the volume rather than the value.

Cheers