We were sure to do all the hot tourist attractions during our short stay in London. It was not necessary to go into each of them. We were just as happy to spend some time observing these landmarks in passing. On Saturday we made sure to take the underground into London by 10 am so we had plenty of time to spend the day sightseeing. The first stop on our list was the tower bridge. Although it is commonly referred to as the London Bridge, it is not. The London Bridge is actually the next bridge down from here, which also helps people to cross the Thames River. We planned our arrival time at the Tower Bridge so we could see the bridge go up and down. There was a great lawn opposite of the bridge which offered a terrific place for photos.
The previous day, at the toy store, Doug purchased a mini-lego figurine (which came in a surprise package so he didn't know which one he got until it was opened). It happened to be a werewolf. Immediately I thought of the song "Werewolf of London", so it only seemed fitting to get a classic "Werewolf of London" picture.
Since we had no specific timeline of having to be anywhere at a specific time, we just saw what we could as we strolled the streets of London.
This ship is called The Golden Hinde. We had come across it as we planned what we would like to see during our trip, but had decided against touring it. It was funny that we still came across it by accident. The original Golden Hinde became famous as the flagship of Sir Francis Drake during his voyage around the world. The journey took three years, with the Golden Hinde being the only ship to complete the voyage. This reconstruction is a fully working ship. This ship offers the service of having your wedding on it, birthday pirate parties, or even sleepovers. We thought of how much our nephew Noah would LOVE this!
This is the "London Bridge"
Shakespeare Globe Theatre: We would have LOVED to see one of the many plays that are recreated inside the theatre. Maybe someday we can take a trip back.
Our next, VERY IMPORTANT stop!
Doug following in his idol's footsteps!
There was quite a crowd as each person waited their turn to cross and have their photo taken. This street is just an everyday road in London, and passenger cars seem to get annoyed (as would I if I lived there) with having to stop at the crosswalk for all the "tourists".
Abbey Road Recording Studio. Although not open to the public and gated, it was still quite an experience for Doug to be able to stand outside of it.
Even though she was sleeping, daddy wanted a memorable crossing with his baby girl!
The final stop of the day was London's Natural History Museum. This was something we planned for Ella, due to their butterfly exhibit.
While Ella enjoyed watching all the colorful butterflies fluttering around her, mommy and daddy had fun too. The exhibit was set up so you could learn about a butterfly through their senses. The smell station was not very nice! You where able to smell different scents (ones that butterflies are attracted to), in a box then try and guess what it was. After your guess there was a flap to lift. Of course I didn't cheat and smelled them ALL!! Doug on the other hand lifted the flap so he didn't get a whiff of the dung! They also had this in the "sense of touch" section, but thankfully it wasn't real dung they made you feel, just a plastic replica.
Here I am looking through a device that shows you how a butterfly sees.
They see multiple of the same image!
The best part was all the butterflies that would land on us, but it was very difficult to get a picture before they flew away!
Ella really enjoyed the experience and we had a hard time keeping her from touching everything!
Although the greenhouse was extremely humid, it was a good end to our sightseeing for the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment