Mark and Liz's Excellent Adventures: London Day 5

Wednesday April 10, 2019

We woke up and had breakfast with the Wheelers, and then said our goodbyes. It was great to see them and enjoy their hospitality. Our next three nights are in a hotel in London, and we had a lot to do.

Mark geeking out at the train map

We took the Thameslink from Harpenden to St. Pancras, and dropped our bags off at our hotel, which is just a quick walk from the station. Our first destination was the London Transport Museum, with lots of info about the history of transportation in the city (as well as lots of trains and buses on display). As you can imagine, this was my kind of museum. They also had an art project going on for kids - gluing small pieces of tissue paper onto a larger piece of paper then having an artist's image printed onto it. It actually ended up looking pretty cool! We made sure to get a few good souvenirs before departing.

Mark helping Claire stamp her booklet at the museum

Art project

Probably will end up being Mark's profile picture on something

We grabbed a bite to eat at the nearby Covent Garden Market for lunch, Liz and I got wraps at a falafel stand and Claire got a bratwurst and bun. Our next stop was Trafalgar Square, where Claire got a kick out of chasing the pigeons. There were a few street performers there, including a guy who juggled and did tricks on his bike. Honestly, his performance was a little underwhelming, but Claire still enjoyed it.

Atop a double decker bus!

We had to wait in queue for this photo so hopefully you appreciate it.

We then went over to Kensington Gardens and Claire played at the playground. It was no ordinary playground, but the Princess Diana Memorial Playground with an awesome pirate ship and lots of other features. Claire had a fun time on everything. We got her an ice cream before continuing on our way.

We walked through Kensington Gardens and passed by the palace where Prince William lives with his family. We arrived at the Science Museum, and saw a guy doing giant bubbles for the nearby kids, who were loving it. Inside the museum, we saw lots of exhibits about space, machines, and a special video-game themed exhibition (which we didn't go to because it would have cost extra). Claire spent a lot of time in the downstairs kids area, and also at a spot where there was a fish pond projected onto the ground that she could interact with. Because of this we only ended up seeing about 20% of the museum, but Claire had a great time which was more important.

Ice cream in Kensington Gardens

Prince Albert memorial

Super fancy apartments next door to Albert Hall

Claire spent almost an hour "catching fish" at this projection

Claire told me to take a photo of this creation in the science museum

Finally, we entered the Ampersand hotel for science tea time. It was standard tea fare with a twist: Claire got a rocket-ship tier, they put some dry ice in there to make fog, and there were a few special experiments you could do like make your own sugar-water drink with mango or raspberry flavoring. You could also inject coconut flavoring into the macarons. Unfortunately, Claire was a very picky eater and had to be cajoled into trying a lot of her food. Liz and I, on the other hand, dug in and finished everything on our tier. I got ginger tea, Liz and Claire got hot chocolate. The food was delicious (I liked the chocolate mousse with passion fruit, the feta and spinach quiche, and of course, the scones). The service wasn't the best, unfortunately, but at least the food was delicious.