Natural History Museum and Hyde Park

 

We visited the Natural History Museum today and it was unbelievably huge! We had our own kids' scavenger hunt, courtesy of some very creative geocacher.  We had to find various things in order to decode the coordinates of the geocache, that ended up being somewhere outside the museum (we won't spoil it by saying where, but it required permission to enter an area, and permission was granted!).  The Crazy Monkey Crew's first trackable was dropped here.  The museum is a gorgeous building, and has an amazing collection, plus it's free, as are most of London's museums.



Henry and Sullivan with one of the museum's many built-in monkeys (there are other beasts inside and out too).



We are trying out some new foods that we don't find in the US, and today's adventure was Soreen: like brown bread with raisins, only... squidgy.  There's just no other word for it.

Henry points out damage to (I think) the art museum, across from the Natural History Museum that was inflicted during World War II.  "... left as a memorial to the enduring values of this great museum in a time of conflict."

After museum-ing, when certain persons were beginning to show their not so pleasant sides, we retreated to the lovely Hyde Park and Kensington Garden.  Here we cooled off in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and later trekked to the Princess Diana Adventure Playground.  Both were so well done and hugely popular with our kids.  Diana lived in Kensington Palace here after she and Charles divorced.  These memorials are certainly evidence of how well-loved she was.  (Here's some trivia: Nik and I got married on the same night that she died.)



Nik and I shared a Pimms at the Lido Cafe next to the Serpentine (lake).  Not sure exactly, but it's got mint, citrus and cucumber, lemonade and we think gin.  So good!

Albert Memorial, erected by Queen Victoria (herself) to honor her Prince Consort Albert after his death.

At the Diana Adventure Playground; Madeleine wants a pirate ship like this in our back yard.

 
Bike Hires are prevalent in London, and well used.  Free for a half hour, and a pound for up to an hour.  Couldn't Portland do this??

Fish and Chips and beer for dinner at the Black Lion near Queensway.  Perfect!

And finally, a sample of the excellent artwork we are surrounded by in our borrowed flat.  Tomorrow is our last full day in London.  Until then.  .  .

-E & N