A Date with Diplodocus

Awesome! Entry Free. Situated just off South Kensington station, getting to the Natural History Museum involves a short walk, except in our case a walk in the rain. It's supposed to be summer in England for crying out loud! We made a mad dash to the entrance of the museum and after a quick stop at the washroom we were left feeling a little less drenched.

The moment you step into the museum you feel dwarfed by the enormous skeleton of a Diplodocus dinosaur. The museum is home to more than a million specimens from fields such as Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. What's amazing is that in this museum you will also find specimens collected by Darwin himself.

As you explore the museum do lend an eye to it's architecture. Victorian in nature with huge vaulted halls, it also boasts of an ornate terracotta facade, mouldings of which are symbolic of diversity in nature.

An extensive powerhouse of knowledge, I suggest you set a day aside just to explore this place. While at the museum familiarize yourself with the different coloured zones which will lead you to different galleries housing the specimens. The Red Zone revolves around the history of the Earth. Here you will find specimens of rock, gemstones, dinosaur eggs, dinosaur skeletons, etc. The Green zone will bring you closer to birds, fossil reptiles, plants and the primates, the Blue Zone houses dinosaurs, mammals, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and human biology and the Orange zone has a wildlife garden and Darwin's centre.

Be prepared for the crowds and educational groups thronging this place.

Do check out my photos on how our trip to the Natural History Museum unfolded.

Day Out at London Zoo

London Zoo at Regent Park is one of the most spectacular zoo's I have ever seen in my life. In India the zoo's are in a pitiful state and best avoided. However the London Zoo is a must visit! It's educational and helps you get away from the buzz of the city. A perfect way to unwind.

At the zoo simply follow the route to meet the different animals. Click here for the interactive map of the zoo and experience what we came across.

Do visit the London Zoo website  for more details and plan your trip better.

Wicked in London

 Uh huh not me :)  But the musical. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire 'Wicked,' the musical too tell the story of two girls in the land of Oz - Glinda the good and Elphaba the wicked witch of the west.

Wicked narrates their profound friendship, life in college and destinies. For more than two hours we sat glued to our seats, eyes on the screen as the stage came alive. It was truly a magical evening in London. 

Your trips not complete unless you watch a musical in London. I suggest you go watch it now, it's still playing at Apollo Victoria Theatre at Wilton Road.

Immortalized in Wax

We rode the London Eye and got 20% discount on our entry to Madame Tussauds. Well what do you know... the offer is valid till today. Click here to grab it. This pass also includes your entry into the brand new 4D cinema.

Madame Tussauds is on Baker Street and to get there from Clapham Common, we had to ride the Northern and Bakerloo lines and walked a short distance till we were at the doorsteps of the museum.

Oh man the crowds! Lucky we had a quick pass, which helped cut the line but not much though. The crowds can be quite a putting off experience especially those who do not respect the works of art these sculptures are.

Inside the museum you go through different sections - A List, Premiere Night, the Royal Family, Sports, Music Stars and Historic figures. Well it was hard not to pose here. OMG Justin Timberlake, Hitler, Shrek, Lance Armstrong... may be this will be the closest I ever get to any of them.

After checking out some of the figurines we headed to the Chamber of Horrors. And it was horrible! This part of the exhibition included victims of the French Revolution and newly created figures of murderers and other criminals. There's no telling from what is real and what is created. Live models at every corner ready to spook you. I lost Tan here and it was seriously scary. Holding onto God knows who I finally made my way out. And man was I so glad to see Tan.

Oh God. Deep breaths does it. It took us quite some time to settle down. OMG what an experience!

The last part included learning a little more on the history of this place, how it got started and the lady, Madame Tussaud, herself.

London: View from the Top

When you are on a budget trip it's all about managing your money smartly. For us discounts, free entries were a big deal. Our London Eye pass also got us a 20% discount at Madame Tussauds. The ticket cost us about 28 pounds. My cousin was of the recommendation that we not waste our money riding this, but it's not everyday that I will be in London and some things just got to be done... like enjoying a ride on the London Eye.

Not many people know this but the London eye or the Millennium Wheel as it is commonly know as is actually named The Merlin Entertainments London Eye. This ferris wheel situated right besides the County Hall on the banks of the Thames is the largest in Europe and is also an observatory tower.

I for one enjoyed my ride on the London Eye. You can see the entire city from the top and it is amazing. Tan and I played a game of landmark spotting and what fun it was. You can see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Lords, the Gherkin amongst many other sites.

Soon it was time to step off. But not before you are asked to pose for a shot that captures your time spent on board. I still have that photograph, paid a mighty 5 pounds for it but it's worth it. It's one of those once in a lifetime things to do.