Day 2 - London

Today I went to London - I started at the Natural History Museum- yes in the school holidays! I don't think I've been since I left school..

I only remember the inside from the film "One of our Dinosaurs is missing" !

 fantastic ceiling

 A stunning space

 Charles Darwin, sitting at the top of the stairs overlooking the comings and goings

 giant sequoia tree trunk -  it lived over 1300 years (which is a baby for this species apparently)

 I wandered around for quite a while, but the queue for the dinosaurs was very long so I left them to it

 the main entrance

 I walked back round the side for a quick visit to...

 the Victoria and Albert museum - this is one of the courtyard gardens.  I didn't stay too long, but did wander through the fabulous jewellery and silver galleries. It was lunchtime by now, and I wasn't going to pay V&A prices so hopped on the tube to....

 the Tower - grabbed a sandwich, and had a look to see how the poppies are 'growing' - they've certainly spread along the side of the Tower moat facing the walk from Tower Hill tube station. No planting today, so I'm guessing they only have the volunteers doing that at the weekend.

 the weather wasn't as good as 10 days ago when I first saw them, but there were still big crowds!






I do love how every now and then, there are cascades down the Tower wall...

Sam asked me to take pictures of Tower Bridge and the river, so I obliged... black clouds adding a bit of drama, but luckily no rain!

 and after an American family asked me to take a photo of them, the father asked if I wanted him to take one of me, so I said yes please.

 Up on the bridge itself, full of traffic

 and another tube journey, to St Paul's Cathedral. shame the blue sky had largely gone now!

 Temple Bar, the oldest gateway into the City of London








Detail on the front facade of St Pauls

 and the clouds parted!  I walked round the side, to find the cut through to the "Wobbly Bridge (Millenium Bridge to give it it's proper name)

 giant metal balls for some good reflections/self portraits

 St Pauls from half way over the bridge

 shots of the City, complete with the obligatory London bus!

oops, those clouds look a bit more ominous - St Paul's from the other side of the bridge (thank goodness for the long lens!)

so with the clouds threatening, I decided to head for home, to several cups of restorative tea!