The day started leisurely and the first item on the programme was a trip to the Imperial War Museum. It's a big place, so we only visited the rooms dealing with post-1945 conflicts. It was surprising and saddening to see how many armed conflicts there have been involving British forces in a period of general peace. Finding somewhere to eat proved more difficult than anticipated, as did navigating the bus system, so we ended up eating sandwiches on a very gusty Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar Square with Nelson's Column. (Extra points for those able to work out the flag on the building in the background.)After lunch we strolled along The Strand to see if the BBC World Service shop still existed, it didn't, and then added to our daily dose of culture by visiting the Design Museum. It was ok but a little disappointing as half of it was closed for a change of exhibits.
A view of Tower Bridge.
A view of Tower Bridge.Back in Caterham, we finished the day with a very nice fish and couscous meal (cooked by Stephen) followed by watching a recording of the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup.
Day 7
This day was devoted to shopping. I'm useless at shopping, all that happened was that I got fed up and didn't buy anything. I did, however, look on in amazement at the crowds of people queueing around the block at Selfridges - apparently there was a sale at the Gucci shop.
Day 8
A visit to the London Eye was the first attraction. I set off early(-ish) to be there before the crowds. The London Eye claims to be London's premier attraction and it is certainly worth a visit, especially if the weather and visibility is good.
Houses of Parliament viewed through the structure of the London Eye.
Houses of Parliament again.
A London Eye capsule.
Day 7
This day was devoted to shopping. I'm useless at shopping, all that happened was that I got fed up and didn't buy anything. I did, however, look on in amazement at the crowds of people queueing around the block at Selfridges - apparently there was a sale at the Gucci shop.
Day 8
A visit to the London Eye was the first attraction. I set off early(-ish) to be there before the crowds. The London Eye claims to be London's premier attraction and it is certainly worth a visit, especially if the weather and visibility is good.
Houses of Parliament viewed through the structure of the London Eye.
Houses of Parliament again.
A London Eye capsule.After my 'flight' I met Stephen and we set off for lunch, at a healthy fast-food place Leon, where the food comes in cardboard boxes.
Lunch.
Lunch.Fortified with "Grilled Freedom Food chicken with a light garlic and yoghurt sauce and a pot of powerful chilli sauce on the side" we set off to our next museum, the Cartoon Museum, where cartoons of former U.K. Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher were on prominent display.
After a coffee break and trip to a bookshop, we found ourselves near Euston station and outside the Wellcome Collection. It was advertised as free and so we popped in. This was a stroke of luck as it was most interesting and certainly lived up to its slogan.
'A free destination for the incurably curious.'
After a coffee break and trip to a bookshop, we found ourselves near Euston station and outside the Wellcome Collection. It was advertised as free and so we popped in. This was a stroke of luck as it was most interesting and certainly lived up to its slogan.
'A free destination for the incurably curious.'After all this hard work sight-seeing, we decided to skip cooking and eat out again, this time in a small Indian restaurant in Croydon.
Day 9
The final full day our my trip and we were wondering what to do. A musical festival in Leicester Square was advertised at which extracts from West End musicals would be performed and we decided to go and see what was happening. There were thousands of people so we were left outside the venue looking at the stage on big screens. We got to see some bits of the musical 'We Will Rock You'. Mind you, some of the singing seemed more like karaoke to us.
One of the flyers we were given mentioned a show 'Nanta (Cookin')' which was described as: "A comic, dance and music spectacular using Korean rhythms and acrobatic cooking." The description sounded intriguing so we decided to go and see. The performance was in Kingston and not in the West End, so we could afford the tickets - West End musicals are very expensive.
The show is set in a kitchen and has a quite simple storyline. The music is created using kitchen utensils and as a whole, Nanta is a mixture of drama, modern circus, pantomime and musical. I enjoyed it; it was good fun. For those wanting to know more, there is a promotional video here.
In case you think we had a laid back day and neglected our tourist duties, I'd like to point out that we also managed to squeeze in a trip to the National Portrait Gallery, a look at a Tamil demonstration, including some irresponsible driving by hyped-up policemen (racing up The Mall, tyres squealing, and tourists diving for cover) and a meal at Carluccio's restaurant, where we were treated to an ex tempore show; a guest on an adjacent table got up to speak to a friend on a neighbouring table and when she returned to her seat she found the waitress had already removed her plate and she couldn't finish her meal.
A couple of show dancers.
Day 10
The final day of my trip - an early departure from Caterham and off to the chaos that is London Heathrow. By the end of the day I was back in Finland and my very enjoyable big city break was over.
Aircraft at Helsinki Vantaa airport.
Day 9
The final full day our my trip and we were wondering what to do. A musical festival in Leicester Square was advertised at which extracts from West End musicals would be performed and we decided to go and see what was happening. There were thousands of people so we were left outside the venue looking at the stage on big screens. We got to see some bits of the musical 'We Will Rock You'. Mind you, some of the singing seemed more like karaoke to us.
One of the flyers we were given mentioned a show 'Nanta (Cookin')' which was described as: "A comic, dance and music spectacular using Korean rhythms and acrobatic cooking." The description sounded intriguing so we decided to go and see. The performance was in Kingston and not in the West End, so we could afford the tickets - West End musicals are very expensive.
The show is set in a kitchen and has a quite simple storyline. The music is created using kitchen utensils and as a whole, Nanta is a mixture of drama, modern circus, pantomime and musical. I enjoyed it; it was good fun. For those wanting to know more, there is a promotional video here.
In case you think we had a laid back day and neglected our tourist duties, I'd like to point out that we also managed to squeeze in a trip to the National Portrait Gallery, a look at a Tamil demonstration, including some irresponsible driving by hyped-up policemen (racing up The Mall, tyres squealing, and tourists diving for cover) and a meal at Carluccio's restaurant, where we were treated to an ex tempore show; a guest on an adjacent table got up to speak to a friend on a neighbouring table and when she returned to her seat she found the waitress had already removed her plate and she couldn't finish her meal.
A couple of show dancers.Day 10
The final day of my trip - an early departure from Caterham and off to the chaos that is London Heathrow. By the end of the day I was back in Finland and my very enjoyable big city break was over.
Aircraft at Helsinki Vantaa airport.
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