Between Two Lungs..

Before I update you all, today is my brother’s birthday, so a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Liam. Hope you have a fantastic day today, and look forward to Skyping with you at some stage =D

After getting the wrong day yesterday for the changing guards yesterday, I thought I’d try again today. However during breakfast the dark grey clouds opened up and let out a torrent of water, no guard change today L. The silver lining was that that I could just take the tube straight to the Science and Natural History museums. I decided to have a nice cruisy day, taking the morning to just relax with a cup of tea while I finished my updates, and then would meander round the quiet museums in the afternoon. I left the hostel just before 12 and took the train across town, starting at the Science Museum.

A stone from the Moon

Floating World

Main Entrance

This was quite a nifty museum with many areas to explore. I mainly checked out the space travel, model ships, and aviation sections and darted through many other areas just enjoying looking rather than reading. The museum had a swarm of young school children running around pushing buttons, screaming and generally just getting in the way, which was really quite annoying so I left and walked down the road a bit to the Natural History Museum. Along the road I read an engraved plaque on the neighbouring building (the V&A Museum). The museum had holes and chunks taken out along the wall, which was damage caused by bombs during the raid in WW2. It was incredible! Pretty amazing to be able to see something so real and so raw just by walking down the street. A great reminder of what the city endured.

The Natural history museum was much more peaceful and manageable. It still had several areas to explore including, Mammals, Dinosaurs, Minerals, The environment, Scott’s last expedition, and many others. Walking around was pretty tiring, and some of the rooms you walked into were massive. I usually had to stop and take a few deep energising breaths before continuing. I arrived at the ecology department and was intrigued by its displays and information. Only hours prior I had been asking myself what it is I actually really enjoyed doing and looking at, what is something that I could spend hours talking/thinking/reading about and what subject would I voluntarily learn about. Little had really grasped my attention at the other museums I had already visited, but this ecology section had me stopped in my tracks reading every bit of information. Perhaps a career path? Maybe!

Entrance to the Museum

A Large herbivorous dinosaur skeleton 

A very long room with probably every type of rock and mineral on this planet.

Main Gallery

T-Rex Robot 

Great Whale display

A couple of hours later I head up towards Kensington Garden and Hyde Park, known as the Lungs of the city. The sun was peeking through the clouds casting the claw like shadows over the path, a typical sunny 

winters day. 

Albert Memorial (Queen Victoria's Husband)

I came across the statue called, “Physical Energy”. Excellent, just what I’m in desperate need..

"Physical Energy"

Looking at the statue, touching the statue, talking to the statue...the inanimate object was not obliging to my requests for an energy boost. I followed the pathway through the park soaking up the afternoon sun as I went.

Passing the famous Peter Pan statue...

The Pan himself

I had now arrived at the top of Oxford Street, known as the shopping street in London, which I intended to window shop. 20 meters down the street I’ve already convinced myself to have a quick peek inside this large clothing store, Primark. It was clothing galore spread over 2 floors, with about 24 checkouts per level. There were people pushing and shoving grabbing clothes and queuing for the changing rooms, clothes were carelessly thrown away from where they should be, and falling off hangers. ‘Window browsing’ quickly turned into ‘trying on’. I grabbed a navy blue V neck sweater and tried it on, “3Pounds, yeah I’ll just get this one” I thought to myself, “Chino’s 10Pounds!?, I do need some more pants, oh, 3Pound T-shirts, and oh look, 6Pound shoes!!”. The statue from Kensington Park had delivered! I was so excited by all these cheap clothes, and was darting between racks converting to NZD as I went to find the best deal. Within a few minutes I had 2 pairs of pants, a cardigan, sweater and pair of shoes. I remembered I still had to carry everything I bought in my backpack and began un-justifying my items. 

“The cardigan isn’t very durable and will stretch easily, that will go, the shoes are bulky and I already have casual pair back at the hostel, the sweater is acrylic and may not be very warm”. I returned them to their racks and lined up to pay. I stood looking at my chino’s and my other pair of pants which were 100% Linen (ultimate summer - ultra lightweight casual pants) just as the cashier called next I made a split second decision and ditched the chino’s on top of the sock rack. One item, 10Pounds later, I know these linen pants will be useful for lounging around the hostels or keeping the mosquitoes at bay during the warmer months. If you’ve ever been shopping with me, you may know I get buyers remorse and/or buyers regret, however I’m pleased with my purchase and my decision to leave the others behind.......... 3Pounds for a sweater though...might got back tomorrow. 

Shopping makes my ears glow

I continued along Oxford St, Running across to various shops, River Island, Top man, Zara all of my favourite brands I swooned over back home, now I was here I still couldn’t purchase. The clothes are all a mid-range price, had London been my home I would buy them, but as I was a traveller looking for practicality over fashionable, it would be silly to waste my money. Still nice to have a look.

I finally got back to the hostel, (a little later than originally planned!)

 I think today was the largest day for walking (so much for a quiet relaxing day) so I made myself a nice hot meal and I’m now in the lounge at the hostel with another cup of tea. Tomorrow i'm switching accommodation and hopefully catching up with Michael, my second cousin(?) 

Will fill you all in later..