Blogs from South Kensington, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

It's hard to believe that we had already reached our last day in London. We wanted to do as much as possible and were so happy it was sunny again. We went first and did the practical things getting Chris and my foreign currency for the next part of our travels. We then met Gillian and Scott and Buckingham Palace where we sat in St. James' Park and ate our M&S lunch - Mum and her vouchers have come in very handy throughout this trip! After lunch we headed on the tube towards Oxford Circus, taking in Regent Street which is covered in flags for the Olympics - it looked amazing. GG couldn't pass up the opportunity to do some shopping so Scott, Chris and I went to Westminster where we took in Parliament, Big Ben ... read more

We started the day with brunch near the hostel before heading to the Imperial War Museum. Chris had been looking forward to this so it was great to finally be there. The museum offers a trench and blitz experience, both of which are really amazing and were definitely the highlight for me as it made me feel what it was like to have lived during the war. After the museum we went to London Dungeon, we all loved this even though Gillian and I spent most of the time trying to hide from the actors. There are some great rides throughout the Dungeon which really added to the experience. Following the dungeons we walked down along the riverside and ate dinner in Cafe Rouge before walking further towards the Tower Bridge. London has such a lovely ... read more

Went for a Sunday morning run around Kensington Palace Gardens where I once ran back in the day. While it was not a church morning I certainly felt more blessed at Round Pond than anywhere else of late. I am overwhelmed with the notion of how blessed we are…having many years ago determined that I was already a winner in life’s lottery these icing on the cake moments are very humbling. Twenty-five years ago I sat at this pond and cried for the boy who had just left after a week’s visit. I wondered if he would be there when I got home from my trip abroad. Now after 20 years of marriage and 3 kids you realize how much of life will work itself out the way it is supposed to if you just let ... read more

Another 2am night and I guess I'm still suffering from the jetlag. Regardless, I had a wonderful day catching up with old friends whom I haven't seen in years! I awoke and had a nice English breakfast filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, toast, beans and of course, some brown sauce. It was quite nice and went really well with my cup of tea and orange juice. I got ready and headed out to meet a good friend of mine, Richard. I think the last time I saw him was in 2006 when I was living in London. Since then, he's gotten married, had a cute baby girl, and is training for his first marathon! I gave him his gift (a book on running) and we ate at a lovely pub where I had a chicken ... read more

Overwhelmed by Victorian pomposity;baroque, roccoco, romanesque, byzantine and modern design, and ultimately aching hips I took a seat looking down the Sacred Silver and Stained Glass Collection Room and contemplated the amassing of all these art and design treasures in the magnificent Victoria and Albert Museum. Colonialism, imperialism and conviction of unshakeable right has allowed us to see such diverse pieces as the incredible Ardabil silken carpet, an example of Iranian artistry of the 1530s, to Tipu's Tiger, a mechanical wooden sculpture from the 1790s in India. Ethics cast aside one is able to marvel at an Italian chapel, a French medieval staircase and Chinese statuary. So here we have Art and Design over the centuries. Built or created to impress, to advertise wealth and promote greed of ownership. Avarice never having been one of my ... read more