I woke up rather late that first morning in London, still trying to get over jet lag. After some English Breakfast tea, Dad and I headed to All Bar One, a pub close our hotel. This time we shared a whole array of appetizers: vegetables with tempura, pickled beets, cheese fondue with walnuts, nachos with different dips, and pita bread with herbs and parmesan. Whoever said British food was bland was so wrong. I am very pleased with their cuisines!
We then navitaged the tube and found our way to 221B Baker Street, the address of the well-known detective, Sherlock Holmes. There originally was not a 221B Baker Street address; however, the museum requested a legal change of address to the City of Westminster in 1990. A long line led out from the entrance, and we hurried to the end as several more gathered behind us. While we waited, the woman checking tickets took our picture in front of the door, Dad wearing a top hat and me the deer-hunting hat.
We then climbed up several staircases to a Victorian decorated room. Our tour guide led us through several of the rooms used in the stories, including Holmes and Watson's seating room and bedrooms, as well as scenes from cases such as "The Red Headed League," "The Man with the Twisted Lip," and "A Scandal in Bohemia." Our guide talked us through the protagonists' habits, tendencies, and interests through each of the rooms and how they correlated with the cases. He finished by allowing us to roam the house freely while taking pictures.
Our next stop was The British Museum. This museum was the first public national museum in the world and holds around 8 million pieces dating back even to the biblical ages. Dad and I were not able to spend a lot of time exploring, so we mainly explored the Ancient Egypt exhibit and the African exhibit. From Egypt, they had statues from the temples, engravings on their walls, and even mummies both in and out of their casings. The African exhibit had pottery, jewelry, and costumes from age-old celebrations and rituals. I plan to go back and explore the other exhibits as well, but that evening we had other plans.
Some friends from back home just arrived in London as well, so we met with them at this authentic Italian restaurant. I enjoyed seeing them and catching up with them. We told them of our adventures so far, and they told us of their plans in touring the British countryside. They promised to stop by in Oxford on their way back London, so thankfully it was not goodbye for me.
Before we went to bed, Dad and I walked along the River Thames next to the London Eye. The water gleamed with the lights of the city while the boats glided along.
British thing I learned:
Most beds in England do not have a top sheet and comforter. A feather layering is stuffed in a double sided sheet and then placed on the bed.
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