Zoo Trip

On what must have been the coldest day in recorded history, I brought the kids to the London Zoo.

Guy, the iconic gorilla sculpture--beloved of Londoners and immortalized in a song by my favorite band.

I love the tunnel decorations.

The giraffes were a big hit with all three girls.

The rainforest exhibit felt like one of the first “cage-free experience” exhibits created.  It was dank and humid, which I love, with vines running overhead that the monkeys would occasionally scurry across, if you were lucky.  “Don’t stand directly under the monkey,” the zoo volunteer said.  It took the girls a few minutes to figure out why.

After paying $70 to get the three of us in, there’s no way I’m throwing down another quid for the ride-on toys!  They played anyway.

Olivia was chosen to be a penguin for the penguin demonstration lecture.

She got to put on a costume and shake her head happily.  When she had to put on the beak, I was afraid she'd freak out.

She was thrilled.  Shows me what I know, huh?

After the penguins, I relented and spent three pounds letting the kids slide down the bouncy castle slide four times each.

At the end of the visit, I asked the girls what their favorite part of the zoo trip was.  Olivia said she liked being a penguin.  Helena said she liked when she lost her tummy on the big slide.  I should’ve just found a bouncy castle place!

The old penguin exhibit is eerily empty.

These weird chickens were roaming around the picnic areas.

Why would a kid-oriented place like a zoo have those “put your head here” photo op spots without stools behind them?  Curious.

The Galapagos Tortoises were great—the kids loved playing with this sculpture.

Side Trips to Greece, Egypt and Italy

I took the kids to the British Museum to see the Egyptian and Greek artifacts.  With as horribly crowded as the Tower of London had been, I imagined we might not be able to stay long.  The kids’ tolerance for museums is directly proportional to the number of times they get jostled and shoved by strangers in crowds.

When we arrived, we tried to go directly to the Rosetta Stone.  However, there is a lovely gift shop across from it.  I learned long ago that buying the kids their “souvenir” early in the visit prevents them from asking for things all day long. 

With our detour completed, we headed into the crowded Rosetta Stone exhibit.

After the requisite man-handling, the girls got up front to take a look.   Then we went through the Egyptian galleries to the Elgin/Parthenon marbles.

Once again, the brilliance of the “buy their trinket early” strategy was evident.  I was able to stay in the Elgin galleries for half an hour.  I read the descriptions, contemplated the carvings and took photos to my heart’s content.  The kids were playing with their new pink sparkly journal and teddy bear.  Sure, they didn’t look at the artifacts, but after every museum we’ve seen and all the boring things I’ve dragged them to, I was okay with it.

The Egyptian galleries were a hit, as expected.  The girls are budding Egyptologists.

I loved the Greek sculptures.  They were more interesting in playing at that point.

I had forgotten how huge the Assyrian sculptures are.

This one still shows the guards’ playing board for a dice game.

 

The new interior boasts a gigantic, swirling spiral staircase that leads you up and down from wing to wing.  It feels incredibly space-inefficient and stylistically jumbled, jammed up against the neoclassical facade of the olde museume parts, but so marches progress, no?

 

To my delight, even the floors were full of fossils.

Cardio from 20 Years Ago

When I studied in London, our dorm was equidistant from three tub stops.  Depending on your station of origin, you could get home via Euston, King’s Cross/St. Pancras or Russell Square.  The latter had this great series of spiral staircases leading up to the street level.

To avoid being crammed into crowded elevators with 20-odd total strangers, we used to sprint up the steps.

This time, I elected to be crammed into the crowded elevators with 18-odd total strangers and my two daughters.

A lot changes after 20 years.

Keep Calm and Make Bank on Slogans

Everywhere you go in the U.K. now, you see the World War II era “Keep Calm and Carry On” slogan.  It’s seen in its original form and also in cheeky iterations “Now Panic and Freak Out,” “Keep Calm and Boogie Down,” etc..

This poster was, uh, posted, outside the tube stop closest to our hotel.  I really like it.  It’s never occurred to me that the queen might have a nickname.  I can’t imagine anyone calling her Lizzie.

But now I hope someone does.

Chipotle! Uh, Whoops.

Two weeks ago, while on a bus tour of London, we passed a Chipotle.  The kids were beside themselves with excitement, as was I.  We’ve had so many expensive, mediocre meals (of necessity) on this trip.  I was looking forward to an expensive, mediocre meal that would be familiar and pleasant for the girls and I.

Long story short.  It’s not the same as at home.  The tortillas are dry.  The beans are too soupy.  The barbacoa is different and the mild salsa isn’t chunky, it’s blended—for shame, for shame.

The chicken, however, is the same.  But that means it's dry and not worth eating (sorry, Chipotle, I really think you miss the boat on chicken).

The girls did eat dinner without much complaint, which was a nice surprise.  However, my dreams of a few nights of Chipotle/easy dinners were shattered.  We didn’t go back a second time.

Frozen in Time

As we passed the entrance to the Oxford Circus tube line, I thought I was caught in my first-ever flash mob experience.  The steps were clogged with unmoving commuters.  Everyone was frozen in place.

A photo doesn't do it justice, but these people were all standing, silently, for at least three minutes.  They were a zombie mob of commuters (without the Romero-esque groaning).

Then I remembered seeing a posting about there being huge delays at Oxford Circus tube station.  I’m not sure what the cause of the delays was, but everyone was quietly patient, waiting for their turn to walk down the steps.  After a minute, the people on the stairs shuffled down, layer by layer, step by step.  After 20 seconds of movement and the freeze began again.  Such a weird slice of urban London life.

I snapped a photo and headed to the bus.

Liberty of London--I Tried to Love You

I’d never ridden a bus down Oxford Street to gawk at all the flagship stores.

Frankly, with our recent de-accession of stuff, the thought of all that buying made me queasy.  But the streets were decorated so lovingly with flags and bunting that I got in the mood.

I took the girls into the venerable Liberty store—hoping to find a souvenir printed with one of their iconic flower prints.  As with the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, you feel the age of the place right when you walk in.

Even the elevator feels ancient.

We spent a good half-hour walking through the displays and looking at some wonderful merchandise.

But nothing caught my eye.  I did contemplate buying a pair of Nike’s printed with a gorgeous flower print, but Nike’s pinch my toes too much.

I left, as poor as I arrived, surprised to be without a tangible souvenir.

Ah, well, it’s good to not jump too quickly back onto the merry-go-round of consumer spending, methinks.