Going With 'The Flo' - To London

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Ever since my arrival Florence has talked about going to the museum to see the dinosaur bones, so today we're doing just that. Of course, the museum in question isn't in Weston Super Mare, or Bristol even, let's head straight to the top - to the Natural History Museum in London.

Now, anyone who's done a long day trip with small children knows just what an ambitious plan this can be. The amount of paraphernalia required to meet the needs of two small people can be mind boggling to the uninitiated. Florence's main concern was ensuring her packed lunch wasn't left behind.

It was a two hour drive to the outskirts of London. The plan was to leave the car at Hillingdon Station and catch the train into South Kensington Station, the closest one to the museum, a 45 minute trip.

This museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons and ornate architecture, and the large Diplodocus cast which dominates the vaulted central hall is a perfect example of this. There were more than enough skeletons to impress Florence but she balked when she heard the roaring from the animated T Rex on display. Petra had to tell her it ran on batteries, and it took a 2nd visit, before she was game to see it.

We finished our time here with lunch at the T.rex Grill before heading out into the street and onto the tube again, this time alighting at Westminster Station, right in front of Big Ben. From here it was a short walk to Westminster Pier where we purchased tickets on a Thames Clipper, destination North Greenwich. What better way to see some London attractions, than from the water? This wasn't a river tour, as such, so there was no commentary but you could download an app and turn your smartphone into an audio guide if you wanted to.

During the half hour trip we passed under London Bridge and had great views of The Tower of London and the London Eye. Also saw The Shard, a tall triangular shaped 95 storey skyscraper, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development.

On arrival in Greenwich, we bought tickets on the Emirates Airlines cable car which crosses the River Thames and gives passengers spectacular views of Canary Wharf, Olympic Park and the entertainment complex of the 02 Arena with it's domed roof. Florence likened this building to a birthday cake with yellow candles. Got to love her imagination!

Night was closing in by the time we left Greenwich on the tube. We had 3 hours of travel ahead of us before getting home. It's been a long, but fun, day!

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Photos

The Earth Sculpture
Escalator entrance to the 1st floor - a walk to the centre of the earth.

Boat Mooring Point
These were at intervals along the lock where we caught our river boat.