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Published: January 25th 2009
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Brain test at the Science Museum
Apparently I have a female brain. With our plane not scheduled to depart until 10pm tonight I figured there was time to sneak another entry in. Please put your hands together for episode sixteen!
After dragging ourselves out of the internet cafe at around lunch time on Friday, we played a couple of games of pool before heading down to Kings Cross station. We had a couple of hours to kill before Les Miserables was supposed to start so we caught the Tube across town to South Kensington station to do some Museum-ing. The thing that I can't understand about London is, while on the one hand you have these ridiculously expensive tourist spots like the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, you also have a whole bunch of great museums which cost nothing to get into. We picked the Science Museum as our freebie of choice and after a spot of lunch we ventured inside. The place is huge, stretching over half a kilometre from end to end, and spread over five floors. We spent a couple of hours wandering around, tinkering with the interactive exhibitions and marveling at the fact that it didn't cost us a penny to get in.
After museum
We have tickets!
Our tickets to Les Miserables. fatigue had set in (it should be a genuine medical condition) we hauled ourselves back into the Tube and headed to Piccadilly Circus and London's famous West End.
Just a quick word on the Tube. Over the last two months we have written a lot about the various metro systems and train networks that we have encountered but the Tube is certainly unique. While the network is far reaching and intersects and many points - making for quick and convenient journeys - the ticket prices are quite horrific. A single one-way journey will cost you £4, the equivalent of about $9, and then there are the crowd. I've never seen an underground area so consistently busy, even on the weekends. People shove past and into you, headphones blaring, not interested in the world around them, and the trains are, well, let's say that crowded is an understatement. It's not all bad - it's still the easiest way to get around the jungle that is London, but if you like being crammed into tight, crowded trains and having your face smeared into another man's armpit, then the Tube is definitely for you.
Jokes aside, a couple of the saddest moments of
Les Miserables
'Do you hear the people sing...' our trip happened while at Tube stations on the day that we saw Les Miserables. On not one, but two occasions we heard the following announcement broadcast over the Underground's speakers system - 'due to a person under a train there will be long delays on the Piccadilly line'. If that sort of honest description wasn't distressing enough, bear in mind that these announcements were not being put over by employees of the Underground, rather they were pre-recorded messages. How often must people get hit by trains in the Tube if they need to have a pre-recorded announcement? I have to say, it left us feeling a little shaken up, and a little more willing to 'stand behind the yellow line' and 'mind the gap'.
Leaving the doom and gloom of the Tube behind us we alighted at Piccadilly Circus and headed above ground to witness the West End for the first time. It really is a sight to see, thousands of people going in all directions, pushing past, queuing up for theatre tickets or just grabbing a bite to eat. It seems that everyone in London is putting on a show of some description and everywhere you look
Crazy tap
Crazy free-standing tap at the 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' exhibition on the West End. at the West End there is a theatre or club advertising that night's production. For us it was Les Miserables, the incomparable Victor Hugo story turned musical that has been running on London's West End since 1985, making it the longest running musical in West End history. For me it was a dream come true to see the production, the records and CDs of which I had grown up listening to. It truly was a fantastic night and Sharon and I made a concerted effort to be dressed in our finest for the evening - the same clothes we have worn for the last two months.
Yesterday morning we headed down to a local cafe for a bit of breakfast before another couple games of pool at the local entertainment centre. Before we knew it it was early afternoon again and we decided we had better do something with the day. We headed down to Kings Cross in the hope of catching the Tube to another of the free museums but as we went to buy our tickets we saw that the queue for the ticket machines was about 50 metres long. After waiting for a few minutes we
West End Chinatown
Quite a sight with all those lanterns. decided that we didn't really want to wait for half an hour to buy a ticket and decided instead to walk up to Angel where we had seen 'Australia' two nights previous. During our drive south from Edinburgh we had heard Will Smith being interviewed on the BBC about his new film 'Seven Pounds' and so we decided we should go and see it. We had a few hours to kill before the film started and so we indulged in a lovely relaxed lunch, a couple of beverages and a browse through the nearby shops.
The film itself was quite enjoyable. It really keeps you guessing as to what the hell is actually going on and it makes for decent viewing. I won't spoil the film for anyone except to say that you might want to pack some tissues if you are going to see it. Will Smith was amazing, as always, and he really held the show together.
After the film had finished we headed down to Angel Tube station, bought our tickets and then headed over to Tottenham Court Rd station. A friend back home used to work at The Tottenham, a pub on the corner just near
The inimitable Tim Minchin
Talk about the perfect end to a holiday. the station, and we promised that we would stop in for a look. The pub was lovely but very crowded and after a drink we decided to try to find some dinner.
It was at this point that I remembered an article I had seen in a newspaper from the previous day, advertising a gig at the 'The 100 Club' which Tim Minchin was headlining. For those of you that don't know, Tim Minchin is a London-based Australian musician/comedian who has the most brilliant turn of phrase and just happens to be one of the most gifted pianists I have ever seen. It goes without saying that I'm quite a fan and given that the 100 Club was five minutes walk from The Tottenham it seemed like a shame not to go and have a look. As it turned out there were still tickets available and so we paid our £12 each and went inside. I have to say that we were treated to an awesome display of music, comedy, and musical comedy, including the hilarious chap-hop artist 'Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer'. Check him out on YouTube, seriously.
At around 10:30pm Tim Minchin came on and played about five
The great man
I bow at your feet good sir. or six songs much to the delight of the large crowd. Everyone sang along and there was a terrific vibe in the room as he showcased his phenomenal musical and comedic skills. I have to say that I couldn't imagine a better way to finish off what has been an amazing couple of months on the road.
It's currently 12:37pm London time and our flight leaves Heathrow just after 10pm. I should imagine that we will get to the airport sometime around late afternoon, giving us a chance to check-in and relax before boarding the 12 hour and 40 minute flight to Singapore. After a couple of hours there we have another seven hours in the air and we will be home to beautiful, sunny Melbourne. Having said that, we really aren't looking forward to coming home to temperatures over 30 degrees - it was only a few weeks ago that we were in Berlin enjoying temperatures of 10 below zero.
As promised there will be a post-holiday wrap up coming to you in the next few days, but until then, thank you all so much for reading and we are looking forward to catching up with everyone upon our return.
Matt & Sharon
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