Another Gray Day in London

Trying our best to make the most of every opportunity to see the sights while we're here, we decided to head into London on Sunday, despite the forecast for 70% chance of precipitation. We hopped on the train into the city and headed for the British Museum. We figured that even if it poured all day, we'd have plenty to look at inside the museum and could make a day of it.

"Riding the rails," as Soren likes to say.  He also occasionally likes to shout "All aboard!" at random moments when we're riding the train.

Since it wasn't raining yet, we decided to walk the mile to to the museum, which seemed easier than hauling the double stroller onto the Tube or a double decker bus.  London is very pedestrian friendly and puts these helpful labels on the pavement reminding you of which direction you should be looking for oncoming traffic.  I would probably have been flattened by a lorry by now if it weren't for these signs.  Even though I'm getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, it's hard to change your instincts when crossing the street.

The British Museum is impressive from the outside, but it's beautiful and actually kind of breathtaking on the inside.  

In front of the British Museum.  I didn't realize this security guard was in the picture until we got home.

Detail from the top of the building

Up the steps we go.  Soren is showing off the map from the previous day's visit to Kew Gardens, but at least he's enthusiastic.

Inside the Great Court.  There's a reading room in the center circle, shops and cafe seating around the court, and all the exhibits are in the old buildings on the sides.

Totem poles from British Columbia

Our guide books told us that the museum is always packed with visitors and there is way too much to see on one visit. In fact, one book suggested you'd need a week to see everything at the museum, and I think that was about right. We decided to pick up a kids' activity packet from the Families Desk and hit a few other highlights before we all maxed out on crowds. Our first stop was the Ancient Egypt section to see the mummies and the Rosetta Stone (yes, the actual one!).

Case after case of ancient Egyptian artifacts

The boys checking out a mummy.  Kind of creepy to be looking at a dead body through glass.

The Rosetta Stone.  You'll have to take my word for it, because it was hard to photograph through the glass case.

Giant scarab beetle sculpture

Malcolm and Soren really liked this statue of a woman with a lion's face.

We decided to take a lunch break in the court cafe, but they only had typical British sandwiches, by which I mean prawn and mayonnaise, pickle and cream cheese, and some sort of egg salad variant, none of which I can imagine my children being willing to put in their mouths.  Instead, we had a snack of "cakes", which always seem to be abundant at British cafes and snack bars, and carried on sightseeing.  Next we walked through a gallery that had some highlights from different collections.

A statue from Easter Island

Thousands of pills woven/sewn into a transparent cloth.  There were pictures of people around the edges of the display case, but I never found any explanatory information.

Next up was the African collection, where the kids followed along with an activity booklet that asked them to find different shapes and colors in different pieces of art.  

The British Museum has several kids' activity booklets, which are very nicely done.

This was my favorite piece in the African collection: "Tree of Life," made from decommissioned weapons by four artists in Mozambique.

We ate a quick lunch at Wagamama, a kid-friendly Japanese noodle bar chain restaurant that two of my travel guides rave about.  It was yummy and probably had the best service of any restaurant we've been to so far in England.  As a side note, we've found that we have to ask for the check every time we eat out, even if the kids are wiggling and fussing and there is not a scrap of food or drink left on our table.  Maybe they think it's rude to bring the check before it's requested?  Who knows?

Waiting for lunch at Wagamama

After lunch, we walked over to Trafalgar Square to check it out up close, having only seen it through the window of a double-decker bus on our previous visit.  Along the way, Malcolm asked to stop and have his picture taken in a phone booth.  He and I are reading a book called "Small Change for Stuart", about a British boy who finds a magic phone booth, so this is his Stuart photo.

A light drizzle finally started to fall as we reached Trafalgar Square, but we spent a few minutes climbing on the statuary and enjoying the scene.

Our walk back to the train station took us over the Golden Jubilee Bridge, which gave us a nice view of the London Eye and Big Ben.

Golden Jubilee Bridge

View up the Thames

By the time we made it home, it was raining in earnest, and the rain continued through the beginning of the week.  We're ready for a little more sun and warmth.  Fingers crossed.