We did something today that we haven't done at all on our vacation: we slept in! After sleeping to a leisurely ten o'clock we discussed the top items on our list to do while in London. We decided that the top two items on our list are the British Museum and the Tower of London. I have been to (and loved) both, and I couldn't wait to share them with Ray! We decided to start our London tour with a short refresher on the Tube and a visit to the
British Museum. Ray took great pleasure in the safety reminders so famous on this underground.
We spent the afternoon viewing the relics of the ancient Egyptians (including mummies!), Greeks (the remaining pieces of the front sculputure of the Parthenon is there), Middle East (including a HUGE jade turtle - I wanted to take it home) and the far East. We even had a chance to get up close and personal with the Rosetta Stone.
Ray, always on the look out for inspiration, even found information on ancient Greek and Roman games.
We closed the place down, even taking refuge in the gift shop after the museum had closed! As they were kicking us out, Ray thought to ask the guards where we could get some good fish and chips.
So we wandered the windy streets, until we found the
very busy Rock & Sole Plaice. We ended up sharing and outdoor table with a father and son. I enjoyed yummy cod and chips (the house favorite) while Ray played it "safe" with fried shrimp and chips. We did stay away from the mushy peas...
Dinner was great, much better than I think this picture implies... though Ray insisted we add it to the blog!
Unfortunately, dinner turned into a never ending story - after asking for the check 8-9 times and waiting 20+ minutes we finally received the check, paid and headed back to the flat. Tonight we had a date for drinks with Jeanette, the younger Nasmyth daughter (actually, she's 2 days older than I am!). It was hot, humid and very un-Britian like outside. The three of us met up and found a pub without outdoor seating and had a pint. It was great to get to catch up with Jeanette, who moved to London about 3 years ago from Edinburgh (and went blonde!).
Jeanette had to get up early for a run and work, so we headed back to the flat. We have just purchased our tickets for the Tower of London tomorrow, so that we can skip the massive ticket lines all the travel sites have warned about! Tomorrow will be an earlier morning, but we're within walking distance of the Tower, and will cross the Thames by way of Towers Bridge, which I know Ray will love. London, hurrah!