Museum Envy

By Colin McFadden
This post is part of a series called UK 2021
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The only thing on the schedule for today was to do our day 2 COVID tests. One day to see all of London!

Jetlag meant we were a little slow to get going, but we left the hotel around 9 and got an amazing breakfast at The Table around the corner. Baked beans, grilled halloumi, sausage – your basic healthy fare. Then it was off to get our COVID tests nearby at Southwark Cathedral. Southwark is right on the Thames, so we decided to just wander along the river.

At the Tate Modern, we watched a man feeding birds. Not just absent-mindedly tossing breadcrumbs. He had a plan and a system and he was going to make sure each bird got its fair share of healthy bird food. Career goals for Kat.

We crossed the millennium bridge and wandered up to St. Paul’s Cathedral. No pictures inside, as there was a service going on. Having enjoyed our wander this far, we decided to just keep wandering the city. We set a goal of Hyde park, a few miles to the west, and set off.

London turns out to be a pretty charming city. Surprisingly quiet, without horns honking or the constant din of sirens. We enjoyed all the street names that are burned into our brains from nursery rhymes and TV shows. At Hyde park, Colin had a quick jetlag-induced nap while Kat watched the birds. After a quick coffee stop (complete with English Sheepdog), we decided to commit to An Activity for the afternoon: a visit to the natural history museum.

We’ve got many nice museums in the United States. But we don’t have many that can boast 250,000 square feet in a 19th century Romanesque building. To say the space is jaw dropping doesn’t begin to describe it. We enjoyed the exhibits on volcanism and the early earth, but we were truly blown away by the setting itself (recently featured in the video for Introvert by Little Simz). The entire building is adorned with thematically sculpted terracotta.  Oh, and the collection isn’t half bad either – the first Archaeopteryx fossil, some incredible mineral specimens, and an awful lot of dinosaurs.

Eventually we dragged Kat out (well, in reality they closed the museum) and we set off for dinner. We went to Chicama in Chelsea which, if anything, was better than our meal last night. Grilled fish, charred octopus, and a fried eggplant dish that would definitely rank in the top ten things I’ve ever eaten. A real find!

Tomorrow, we’ll be up early to catch a train to Worchester. From there, we’ll figure out transportation down to the Morgan factory to begin our adventure!

3 thoughts on “Museum Envy

  • Susan August 22, 2021 at 9:54 pm Reply

    So many dinosaurs! And the food! Glad you had a good day. Can’t wait to hear about tomorrow’s adventure.

  • Susan August 23, 2021 at 12:19 am Reply

    Just watched the video you linked. I don’t catch all the words in this kind of music, but the images and choreography said a lot. Thanks for including it. I will watch it again soon.

  • Barb August 23, 2021 at 1:52 pm Reply

    One adventure after another! You are finding lots of wonderful food, usually not a London thing. Enjoy!

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