Lioncat.Yesterday was a busy day. I'm sure I must have walked more before, but I can't remember when. Museums are hard work!
Science Museum
The Science Museum was pretty fun. After the previous night I had seen a bit of it, but not a whole lot. It was kind of neat having got a bit of info ahead of time about the place, so I knew the way around before I had seen the exhibits. There were a number of fun ones I hadn't been to before, including the History of Medical Science. That one was both fascinating and scary at the same time. There was a different amputation saw from every era covered. War has really been the motivator of medical science. Oddly enough, in the back corner of the exhibit was a real mummy in sarcophagus, kind of put in there as if it were no big deal. A FREAKIN MUMMY! Holey crap, it was so cool! I think that might have been the highlight of the exhibit for me.
The rest of the museum was pretty fun, some pretty standard science stuff in there... the kinetics, and interactive things, an exhibit on the history of plastics, some generic things about F1 technologies. very cool stuff, but nothing as mind blowing. One cool thing I saw there (the night before) was a cockpit that Mikka Hakkinen crashed in '99. That was cool. There was a big sign saying no photography, but I'm not sure why... there are likely thousands of pictures of the thing out on the net.
After we finished in the Science Museum, we went down Exhibition St. and found a nice sandwich shop to get some lunch and then ate our sandwiches in the Natural History Museum's park. It was a really fun place. Kids running around all over the place and a ton of cameras around the necks of parents. There was an old painted piano in the park and many people (of considerable talent) came out of the crowd and played a song or two while we were there. A butterfly conservatory had been set up in one corner of the park and that was our next attraction to see.
Butterfly on FruitAfter being to the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory a year before I did not imagine that this location would be able to come close to being as interesting. However, I was pleasently surprised as while it did not have 't quite the same number of butterflies, it was a very adequate setup. Lots of butterflies, and many opportunities to take photographs.
Natural History Museum
The actual Natural History Museum I was excited for. I have been told by many people that it is a really fantastic spot to check out and in addition it is free, so it was a must see. I've got to say I was a bit let down. It had some neat stuff for sure, but in m honest opinion it just want as good as some of the other places I've been to. The ROM and the American Museum of Natural History in NYC really ruined this one for me, as they are leaps and bounds better. Sorry London.
Having said that, I should say that there was nothing unsatisfactory about it. They had nice exhibits, just not anything that stuck out and really caught my attention. The one lasting display was a fully animatronic T-Rex model, that was really well done. It wagged its tail, moved its head, clamped its jaws menacingly and had sound effects. The other fun area of the museum was the Geography and Geology areas, but I have a feeling that that is mostly just me being nerdy :)
From the Beginning. Natural History MuseumAfter the Natural History Museum, we went to seek shelter in a cool place (it was pretty hot outside!) with refreshments, so we made our way to a public house. The Kronenberg here is a lot better than back at home. Might have just been because it was cold on a hot day, but I really enjoyed it. While enjoying the cool atmosphere, we figured out or next move, Harrods. It was just down the street and promised to be a spectacle.
Harrods
This is simply an awesome store. Actually its more like a mall. Its like a huge brand outlet with many boutiques inside. In any rate, it is massive. Everything here is done on a grand scale, with nothing from the 'thrifty' lifestyle present. My journey through Harrods took me across all of the floors and to most of the departments.
Unmarked Price tagsNear the entrance of the store is the most expensive jewelry areas. We ducked into the De Beers store and it was crazy. I chatted with the clerk in there for a little while, finding out about some of the more extravagant items. Most things in there were south of 10,000 pounds. There was a diamond in the front window that they (the clerks) were not even allowed to know the price of! In fact, If you wanted to know the price you had to have the saleswoman call the head office and set up an interview for you. The rock was seriously massive.
Dom and FriendsI don't think that photography was allowed in Harrods, so you'll have to forgive the following photos if they seem a bit rushed, I was shooting from the hip with the camera slung around me, messenger style.
Italian ProsciuttoNext was the food and drink. I have a feeling that Harrods has just as many places to eat and drink as it does to shop. There seems to be a place to eat in every one of the bigger shops and they also have their own food court. You can't really call it a food court as much as a tasting area too, since it is so expensive as to be prohibitive to have anything more than just a taste.
Caviar House.Plates starting at 150 Pounds
Mind you, the food looked incredible. Bottles of Dom, caviar, cheese and meats everywhere. The entire section of the store was mouthwatering. It was great to see that Canada was present, with 'Fresh Lobster' on display, pre-cooked in Halifax. Not not quite as 'fresh' as I would expect!
Other sections we went to in Harrods included Pet Fashion, and the fancy Pen shop. The pet fashion area was a wee bit over the top. Burberry dog hats just blow me away. The pen shop was where you could spend upwards of 350 pounds on a Cross, Cartier or Montblanc pen. Wow.
Pet Fashion
Enzo and Me
Prized Beheading in Hyde ParkToday I'm taking it easy, trying to get some energy back from such a tiring day.
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High Quality Octopus
Fresh Canadian Lobster
Back by popular demand, more Lioncat
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