Arrival in London - August 2015

Thursday, August 27 -- arrival in London

Our plane from Edmonton was delayed by about an hour -- funny how those delays happen only when I am with Dave, not when I travel alone or with someone else! -- so we didn't arrive at our hotel until around 2 p.m, a little later than expected. 

We stayed at the Best Western Seraphine Kensington Gardens, right across from the westernmost entrance to the park. It is a pretty decent hotel, with a plentiful and tasty buffet breakfast included in the room rate. At night it was a bit noisy, but we were comfy and happy there.

After settling in, we went for lunch at a cafe called Giraffe, right next to the hotel. We decided to order fish and chips and a meze platter (mini pitas, hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, olives, etc.) and share. Everything was delicious and the price was pretty reasonable, so we were happy!

After eating, we went for a bike ride on the Boris bikes around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, visiting the Albert Memorial and Albert Hall. 

I noticed a big sign at Albert Hall announcing the Proms, but we didn't find out anything more about it. 

That would be fun to do sometime.

It rained just a bit while we were out, and after it stopped, we were treated to this rainbow!

We also visited the Victoria and Albert Museum. I was so impressed with this museum when I visited London in April, that I had to show Dave.

photo borrowed from somewhere on the internet!

On the way there, I pointed out the Natural History Museum, which I had admired but not entered last time I was here. We decided to check it out. Immediately upon entering, Dave recognized the building; he said he had seen it in a movie or two. The building is quite fantastic; I think we enjoyed looking at the architecture as much as the exhibits. We wandered through a few different sections. There was one fascinating exhibit on hummingbirds that especially caught our eye. The museum is huge, though, and there is no way you can see everything in one short visit.

We went to the V & A, right across the street, next. Dave was just as impressed as I was. It is truly a spectacular building and the statues and artwork are absolutely breathtaking.

After the V & A, since it was a lovely evening, we decided to ride the Boris bikes around the park some more, by the Serpentine and then down to the Buckingham Palace area. We were there just in time to catch this moon hanging above the Houses of Parliament.

We rode back in the dark, which was kind of cool, although I sort of wished we had some of that high-vis clothing that is so popular here.