Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! 
I re-did our online photo gallery–the original one was taking way too long to load so I divided the photos.
Enjoy!!
Well, we are officially back to the rat race. :) I don’t think our bodies are quite recovered from the time change. If it’s not the time change, it’s the 2 weeks of constant movement and colds catching up to us.
I still have a lot to write about, and you’ve only seen the surface of our deep ocean of pictures! So I’ll be working on that over the next few days. So keep checking in! Just cuz the trip is over doesn’t mean there’s no writing to do.
For now just a shout-out to my sister who house-sat for us while we were gone. OMG, it made such a huge difference for our peace of mind, having someone we trust looking after our home and fur-children. So THANK YOU Jo! 
We had a rather lazy start again today, but hey, it’s our vacation! You’re allowed to be lazy on your vacation, right?
Nathan really wanted to see the Tate Modern, so this was the day we set aside for that. Unfortunately. There were a ton of Tube closures, so I think the workaround routes we took were a little more crowded than normal. But we did pass by St. Paul’s cathedral and walk over the Millennium bridge to get there, so it was a scenic route.
What can I say about Tate Modern? I hope Nathan enjoyed it. I went in knowing I could do without it. I’m just not a modern art sorta gal. For the most part, it just doesn’t move me. It’s either too stark, too frenetic, too random for me to appreciate. And so many of the descriptions talk about the artist “applying the paint to the canvas and letting the piece compose itself.” Ha! I feel about that the same way Nathan feels about Earth energies and dowsing–what a bunch of hooey! I know I’m an unusually anal and structured right-brained person, but I find it ridiculous to claim with any seriousness that an artist has no influence on the outcome of their art.
Okay, I’ll climb down off my soapbox and apologize to Nathan for probably running him out of the museum sooner than he would’ve liked. On the upside of the museum visit, we had really yummy hamburgers for lunch in the museum cafe, and we got to personally look upon one of England’s latest brouhahas. A new art display at the museum is a 548-foot crack in the floor of the main hall. Yep, that’s art!
After the museum, we hiked to a nearby Tube station and went to the Hyde Park Gate stop so we could walk through Hyde Park. We figured a Sunday afternoon would be a good time to get the local flavor of the place. As I was looking at the map this morning, I asked Nathan about a Hyde Park landmark: Speaker’s Corner. He told me it’s a place where people can speak publicly about anything they want. My curiousity was grabbed and I was determined to see it for myself.
So we spent a wonderful hour or so strolling through the park. We are going to be so spoiled by this beautiful weather! Returning to our Houston humidity will be a hard adjustment after these 2 weeks.
Walking through Hyde Park
Peaceful at Hyde Park
Then we got to Speaker’s Corner. Definitely the highlight of my day! I had envisioned an orderly display with one person on a pedestal speaking to an audience. In actuality, it’s a barely controlled chaos of many speakers surrounded by large groups listening. It was one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen. The notion that there’s an established location where anyone can climb on their soapbox is somehow novel to me. The majority of the speakers we saw, perched on step stools, were spouting off about religion.
Fire and brimstone–I love the Jesus sign on a stick!
Here you can see two of the speakers and the crowds they attracted.
Fence literature at Speaker’s Corner
One of the things I found most interesting was the number of audience members engaged in debate about whatever speaker they were listening to. Quite amazing to me! But there were a couple of humorous speakers that stuck out of the crowd.
This guy had several papers and books on the ground in front of him. Among the jewels: “Free lingering cuddle” and “All heckles must be funny.”
Then there were the FREE HUG guys. I wanted to indulge myself and get a free hug, but Nathan wouldn’t let me–he said he figured they were pickpockets.
We loved this commercial on British TV. Wacky!
Well, the British Museum was a bust.
When we arrived in London we saw tons of advertisements for a special exhibition of the Chinese terracotta army at the British Museum. We both wanted to see that, but Nathan especially. Now me, my whole purpose for going to the British Museum was the Reading Room.
Used by many notable figures (including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, HG Wells, Mahatma Ghandi, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, and others), and with over 25,000 volumes, I saw this as close to biblio-heaven as I could come. Had I done my own research, I would’ve seen that the Reading Room is closed to house the terracotta army special exhibition.
It was crushing.
So we figured we’d just see the terracotta army and make the most of it. Only it’s sold out until November! Now is was Nathan’s turn to be crushed. We sat down for an afternoon drink and snack, and he said he needed about 9 more slices of cheesecake before his sorrow was adequately drowned.
Browsing a museum with my husband is never boring–those of you who know him personally know that his sharp humor precedes him wherever he goes. As we wandered through the Americas wing, he points out a Native American artist’s amazing foresight in creating a rendition of a cellular phone. He said it funnier, though. Yes, he still catches me by surprise sometimes.
And I thought of my sister, Jo, who is terrified of walking close to the railing–she must’ve inherited her fear of heights from daddy? She can’t even walk near the 2nd floor railing at a mall, which, of course, is the source of much fun for a big sister. There’s a 6th floor walkway that made me think of her.
This post is especially for our friends, the Baums, who celebrated their honeymoon in London five years ago. You guys are here in spirit with us! We’ve thought of you often as we wander the streets of London, but particularly tonight when we discovered that we’re a mere 2 blocks from your hotel and favorite fish and chips eatery.
Another day in London! We’re back in our hotel room resting for a bit. I keep trying to convince Nathan that we’re on vacation–rest is allowed! And let’s face it, neither of us is in good shape, so our bodies are still trying to adapt to all this walking.
I’m still working on looking past the hustle and bustle of such a large and busy city. Today was a good start in that. Hyde Park was the perfect antidote to busy streets full of honking motorists. Yes, these Londoners are quite fond of hooting their horns at the first indication of any interruption in the movement of their vehicles. I mean it, seriously. They honk a lot!
Anyhoo, we started the day at V&A (Victoria and Albert museum), then moved on to the Natural History Museum. Once again, venues that are overwhelming in the quantity of stuff to see.
The V&A, founded in 1852, is one of the largest collections of art and decoration. We entered through a side entrance from the underground, but even so walking in was astounding. You get to the top of the stairs and are immediately surrounded by marble statues. And these statues aren’t hidden behind glass panels–they are up close and personal, and they number in the dozens in this first room. I’ve never had the opportunity to see an art collection of anywhere near this size, so between V&A and our trip yesterday to the British National Gallery, I feel like my art horizons have opened immensely. It’s quite simply something I have never, ever seen.
We were particularly interested in the Asian collections. Both the China and Japan collections are among the best in the world. Pieces in the China collection range from 4th millennium BC to present day, and the Japan collection starts in the 13th century. Vases, clothing, clothing accessories, art, furniture… They’ve got it all. My favorite piece was an incredibly ornate ivory carving of a temple. And there was a yellow vase I really wanted to bring home with me, but we decided the risk of incarceration wasn’t worth it. The pictures just don’t do it justice!
The cafe where we ate lunch was beautiful! The small room we were in had carved and painted flowers on the wall, as well as a painted ceiling. The larger room next to us had really cool chandeliers that looked like large balls of silver yarn with twinkling lights. Very unique.
Then we went to the Natural History Museum. I’m sad to say that between brain-fry and a cold, I was completely uninterested by the time we got there, which makes me sad because I was looking forward to it. But there were a couple of rooms that were really breathtaking.
The Natural History Museum experience suffered because of a common issue we’ve had in London–hot and stuffy buildings. The weather is absolutely beautiful and it’s very pleasant outside. But some of the buildings have been absolutely stifling. And the Tube! Oy, very unpleasant at times. Can’t imagine how icky they are in the middle of summer here! Yes, I’m completely spoiled by my air conditioning.
After the two museums, we walked back to the hotel via Hyde Park. This saved the day! One thing I’ve discovered I love about London is the park system. I say system, it seems there really isn’t one. There are large parks, like Hyde and St James, but there are tons of small neighborhood parks that are hidden gems. It’s like they decided they couldn’t put a building there, so they might as well put in a park. And they’re beautiful, peaceful places.
Hyde Park seems to be populated with squirrels and pigeons who have acclimated to human presence. If we stopped, squirrels and pigeons would descend upon us, waiting for their morsels of food that they just knew we’d be ready to give them. Of course, being out-of-towners, we were completely unprepared and they left disappointed.
There was one man who was obviously feeding the animals as he walked along–he had a rather large entourage of squirrels and pigeons following him through the park. I’m bummed I didn’t get a picture of that! There was also a woman with her small daughter feeding squirrels. As we walked by, we heard the woman exclaim, “Ouch! He bit me!” She shrugged it off and kept going. We thought she was maybe a little too complacent about being nibbled on by a potentially rabid rodent.
Okay, I’ve rambled on long enough! I’m putting some photos in the post this time because the Mac gallery is being really slow. But you’ll find these in the photo album, as well. We’ll optimize our online photo album sometime.
My mom suggested that description when I complained about the chaos surrounding our preparations for this trip. Now it’s a perfect description of my state of mind while on vacation! We’ve seen so much, and I want to record so much, that my brain is short-circuiting every few minutes. My brain isn’t keeping up with my feet!
We’re in London now (did I tell you that?). This was our first full day in the city and so far I’m feeling a little guilty about how lackluster I’m finding it to be. So far, after only 36 hours mind you, I find it too urban. Too many people, too much going on. I wish for Edinburgh. But I’m trying to temper that with a dose of “but you haven’t been here long and there’s tons of stuff still to do and see” self-lecture.
We have found a serious high point–Sussex Fish Shop. OMG, the best fish and chips I have ever had. We’ve had it for both nights we’ve been here, and I imagine they’ll be seeing us again. And at 10 Pounds (about 20 American dollars) for the whole meal, it’s a bargain!
As proof that my brain is short-circuiting, I feel compelled to share a total Becca moment that Nathan is still teasing me about. When we checked into our hotel yesterday afternoon, I picked up a local dining guide that the hotel provides. They’ve created a pretty handy little map suggesting a dozen our so restaurants within quick walking distance. After we got ourselves settled, we decided to do a little reconnaissance, check out the neighborhood, and find a pub. Looking at the map, trying to get our bearings, I suggested we go “that way” (pointing vaguely to my left). Nathan looked a little dubious, so I held out the map and said, “Yeah, see, because here we are. X marks the spot.”
As is typical with a Becca moment, I realized my blunder the moment those words escaped my lips. The X I was pointing to was the X in Sussex Gardens, the name of the street. *slaps forehead* So Nathan is referring to “X marks the spot” a little too frequently. I’ve got a good sense of direction, honest! Apparently I just can’t read a map worth a damn. Well, according to Nathan I’d be fine as long as everyone else subscribed to my Pirate Map Reading philosophy. 
Oh, and my faithful reader has asked how I could possibly label anything I’ve seen on this trip as “lame” (referring to the Loch Ness Experience). Well my Faithful Reader, I called it lame because it was lame. It’s a six-room exhibit where you listen to a narration accompanied by cheesy video and mannequins, then move onto the next room with cheesy narration, video, and props. Total waste of 30 minutes, but the view of the valley from the parking lot saved it.
No new photos today. Most of our time was spent at Westminster Abbey and the British National Gallery, which don’t allow photographing. Again, I’ll have to write more on those spots later.
We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you a cute puppy. We miss our fur children immensely so we check in on the Tex Cam in the evenings. Tonight we couldn’t find him so we moved the camera around (yes, I know it’s incredibly geeky that we can even do that). At the very edge of the picture we found him–fast asleep on Nathan’s chair, a place he’s most certainly not allowed to be. But he’s so darned cute! And we can’t exactly holler at him to get down from 4000 miles away (no, we aren’t that geeky).
Oh, and Nathan gave me his cold.
Our first full day in Inverness we went on a Jacobite tour to Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Drumnadrochit, and Culloden Battlefield. Our tour guide, Kenny, was a hoot and a holler. He really knew his stuff–he was spouting off histories of Scotland and genealogies of clans without a pause. I was quite impressed! By the end of the day I couldn’t keep it in any longer, so I asked him how long he’d been leading tours. “Och,” he says, with a dismissive wave of his hand, “over 20 years now.” Then he turns around with twinkle in his eyes says, “It sure beats workin’!” Yep, we liked Kenny.
We began by winding our way through some of old town Inverness. Then we headed out of town, up the River Ness (which is the shortest river in Scotland at just six miles), toward Loch Ness. After boarding a tour boat, we chugged through the loch up to Urquhart Castle.
The attendant just took my tea! I wasn’t done with my tea! :O Sorry, I digress….
The castle was pretty cool, though it was more ruins than I expected. You’re able to walk to the top of the tower on the original spiral stone staircase. I only went to the first level because, apparently, 800-year old spiral stone staircases make me nervous. On a good day without uneven staircases I have balance problems! The views of the loch and Great Glen from here are amazing, though. You can’t ask for better scenery.
Then we went into the village of Drumnadrochit to see the Loch Ness Experience. Kinda lame, actually, but the town is pretty.
After that, we returned to Inverness so they could pick up new folks for the rest of the tour. Our next two excursions will have posts of their own. But the gallery is updated!
While we’re in an English speaking country, there are plenty of tourists here that are from non-English speaking countries. One particularly amusing situation happened while we were dining at the Witchery. There was a couple seated near us from Germany. They were asking about items on the menu (and the waitress was French, so that added to the confusion). First, the man wanted to know if the steak tartar was fish. The waitress held back a laugh and tried to think of a way to explain to him that it wasn’t fish. All that came came out of her mouth was “no, that is very far from fish.” For those that might not know, steak tartar is minced raw beef.
Then the man was asking about the deer. She told him is was venison. He still didn’t know what that was, so she described it as “that large animal with horns.” While true, that really doesn’t narrow it down much. But I guess he got the idea.