Our last day in London was another busy one. Starting with one of my favourite buildings in the city – the Natural History Museum. Built in 1873, the architecture of this building is mesmerisingly beautiful.
Gone are the days of just strolling up the entrance and walking straight in. These days you have to get tickets in advance to avoid a waiting in a long line. But let’s not forget, this museum, as well as several other museums in London, is free. That’s right, no charge to enter. You can’t complain about that, these are world-class museums.
We had pre-booked tickets online for the 10am slot but we still had to wait in a long line and when we finally got inside it was teeming with people. Let me say this one more time for the people in the back. London is busy. Everywhere. If you don’t like crowds you’re going to struggle.
The museum is fantastic though, and the kids really did enjoy it. The animal section was a firm favourite. And the anamatronic T Rex in the dinosaur section is not be missed. The gift shops are also excellent. It’s a big place though so be prepared to have tired legs by the end.
I was a little disappointed to see that the diplodocus skeleton “Dippy” which had been the iconic centrepiece of the entrance hall since 1979 has been replaced by a blue whale skeleton. I don’t feel it has the same effect, but you can still see Dippy outside while you wait in line for your tickets.
For lunch we had booked The Bombay Brasserie weekend lunch buffet in Gloucester Road. This is another family favourite for Indian food (are you sensing a pattern here?) and I had been going here since I was little. It’s a very grand restaurant and we once saw Prince Edward eating in there. This is a real fine-dining affair but the weekend buffet is family friendly and a good option you have kids but you want a bit of luxury. Be warned – it’s expensive. £25 for a jug of mango lassi expensive. But the food quality, including the mango lassi is absolutely excellent and the buffet means you can try things you otherwise wouldn’t. We left stuffed and happy!
We then spent a lovely afternoon with some old friends which included playing in the downstairs kids play zone of the Science Museum followed by a walk to Hyde Park. The sun was shining and we were able to sit on a bench and chat while all the children played. Blissful!
We finished the day with a long walk back to our hotel and Rich ducked off to see The Play That Goes Wrong, which he said was great fun.
And thus concluded our time in London. We had packed an awful lot into our stay here (jet lag who?).
My concluding thoughts on London:
The sights are excellent, the tube is fantastic and there is so much to see and do. This is without a doubt one of the greatest cities in the world with first-class attractions everywhere you look. But it’s also hot, stuffy, crowded and dirty. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Rich loved it and would go back any time. I couldn’t wait to get in the car and leave the place!
Oh, and bring comfortable shoes.
Coming up…we leave London and hit the road.
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