Holland Park and V&A Museum

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Woke up feeling a bit like I had been in the middle of a bus and a train on collision. Not ideal for the day trip to London that I had planned. It involved a whole lot of walking and a whole lot of sightseeing. One thing that I am very grateful of on this trip to the UK, is that it is not my first. In fact, I had lived here a good 4 years ago, so am not really panicked if I do not see things. I also know that it will not be my last... Managed to pull myself somewhat together for a train ride into Holland Park and for once had to furnish myself with a tube map. It was hard admitting to myself that the nifty tfl map was no longer imprinted on my brain, and I now had to resort to the one thing I feared the most – looking like a tourist looking at a map to get to a tube station. After all, which Londoner does that?
I have no street map of London, never have. Have always relied on googlemaps actually, and stupidly decided that the image I had in my brain of the directions, would stand me in good stead. Wrong!. I got out in Holland Park station, with the Holland Park Gardens being a mere 3 minute walk from the tube. After about an hour of walking around in a complete circle I had resorted to my standard Sainsbury’s BLT and a packet of extra chocolate chip chocolate cookies. The sandwich I handled, the cookies I’m afraid, hit hard. Not one for giving in to failure, I decided I would give finding the park another chance – and found it, less than 3 minutes away from the tube – in the complete opposite direction from where I had been. Typical. Holland Park was beautiful and I even saw a squirrel within my first two minutes there. Just when my trip was looking up, the rain started. Managed to see some pigs too, but not the Japanese Gardens which where having some form of maintenance work down around them.
London has a soft, drizzly, annoying rain. Usually. Today, it was torrential downpour with winds so bad that it was either all about getting wet whilst fighting to keep your brollie intact, or it was just plain getting wet. I opted for the latter. Prefering to still be able to open and close my umbrella for future adventures. I decided then and there (did not really have a choice, did I) to go to the Museums. That’s what you can do on a rainy day. A rainy Friday, when all the tourists are doing the same thing. Good planning on my part. I arrived at the South Kensington Station which had a direct subway to walk from the tube to the doors of the V&A Museum. – good planning on London’s part. (London 1, Mandy 0). I had to wonder how many people had previously been lost to the Museum before that walkway was created. I know when I walked on the streets the last time I was in London with V&A on my list, I would always be stopped at themassive, impressive and alluring building. My favourite Museum in all the world that I have been to. The Natural History Museum. Needless to say I have been to her 5 times and not once to the V&A. Good job I took the subway today. I found the museum particularly interesting because of the heritage of royalty displayed there. And religion in England. I also found it very busy, and left feeling somewhat all sugar rushed out from the cookies, and really just wanting to go home before the big city worker’s peak hour.
I had a lovely day out, and enjoyed the fresh air and the range of things I saw, however was very glad to see home, a cup of coffee and the sofa after narrowly escaping peak travel time.

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