This was our final day in London so we had to pack everything and check out of the hotel after breakfast. We took the tube to Tower Bridge, requiring a bit of a detour because some of the tube stations were closed (due to it being Good Friday and a Bank Holiday). We had a look at the Bridge Exhibition (which gives the history of the bridge and was good value) and the Engine Rooms, where you can see the old steam engines before they were replaced with electric motors.
Next, we went to Greenwich, past the Cutty Sark and to Greenwich park and the Observatory. After spending most of the last 2 days walking, our feet were sore so we weren't prepared for the walk up the hill to the observatory. We needed a bit of a rest first.
While we were in London, we had to visit some of the more famous shops. Unfortunately, time was running out so we couldn't go to all the ones we wanted to - Harrods lost out to Hamleys. We managed to avoid the temptation to buy any toys, but Emma succumbed to the delicious hand made fudge they sold.
It was now early afternoon and we went in search of food. When we first arrived on wednesday, we noticed a sushi restaurant near Victoria Station so we returned there. Unfortunately it was closed so fell back on Plan B, which was a Falafel Kebab and some fried chicken. We took these to Green Park to eat while we relaxed and waited until it was time to head to Euston for our train back to Coventry (which took over 3 hours instead of just over 1 hour because of signal failure).
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After the hotel breakfast, we went to Madame Tussauds. Now this is normally a hideously overpriced tourist trap (at £22 for an adult ticket) but we sent off for our tickets in advance and took advantage of a Tesco Clubcard offer which brought the price down to a much more reasonable £6 each.
We did the traditional thing of taking photos of each other, standing in front of the waxworks. The Chamber of Horrors was a bit of a disappointment. We were herded through like cattle before walking through a meandering corridor where 'serial killers' leapt out at us. At least there was a lot to the Tussauds experience - there was also the Planetarium and the Spirit of London (where we sat in a black cab and had a potted history of the city)
Lunch was in a small cafe called 'Benjys' - apparently these are all over the country but I hadn't noticed them before (I've since seen the one in Birmingham city centre). We each had a large cup of soup (with a free bread roll) and a pie, which worked out as £2 each, which was excellent value.
Our next stop was the Hunterian Museum, at the Royal College of Surgeons. We read about this place in the Daily Mail and it sounded interesting. It is a collection of anatomical specimens covering a wide variety of fauna and flora, and includes a lot of examples showing the effects of various diseases. There is a also a display of surgical equiment throughout the ages. It made a very interesting diversion.
We took the tube to St Pauls and walked over the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern. Neither of us is much of a fan of Modern Art, but the building itself is impressive (at least on the inside with its enormous central hall). Our main reason for going there was for the view across the river to the Cathedral.
Emma wanted to visit the CyberCandy shop near Covent Garden (they specialise in imported sweets and snacks), so we took the tube there. The selection available is amazing. But I'd avoid the roasted garlic jelly beans next time.
Tonight we went to Picadilly Circus (where unfortunately it was a bit too dark for successful photography) and Trafalgar Square (where we had a pint in the Wetherspoons pub).
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We left Coventry early this morning to catch the train to London, arriving there shortly after noon. I'm not completely used to living in the midlands where London is much closer than I'm used to. It only took us 11/2 hour to get there.
Our first stop was the British Museum, where we had a good wander around, including the Greek and Egyptian sections and a look at the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. After walking along Oxford Street and looking at the shops, we took the tube to Victoria and checked into our hotel.
At night, we took the tube to Westminster and had a walk along the Thames. I only had my compact camera with me and didn't have a tripod, so the photos are unfortunately a little bit blurry because the exposures were several seconds long and I had to hold the camera steady against a wall or lamppost to prevent camera shake.
Last night, we went to see House of the Flying Daggers (again, at the Student Cinema). The film was visually stunning with some incredibly intricate sets and impressive choreography. I personally dislike an over-use on 'wire-work' when a film is trying to be serious and unfortunately this film fell victim to that in a few scenes, but it wasn't enough to make me dislike the film. After hearing from a few people how the story is a bit confusing, I was expecting it to be difficult to follow. Everything seemed fairly straightforward for most of the film, but there is a twist at the end which makes things a bit confusing.