Tuesday, April 25th, 2023 London, UK
Updated: Aug 1, 2023
We opted to skip the hotel buffet this morning and instead we walked out the back of Paddington Station and along the Grand Union Canal to one of our favorite breakfast cafes, it’s called Little Venice. I think many people might be surprised to find such a nice canal area in the center of London; there are many cafes, bars, and restaurants both on the sides of the canal and on canal boats. A few years back we took a canal boat from this area along to Camden Markets which is a great few hours’ diversion.
Following breakfast we took an Uber to Oxford Street; I’m becoming a big fan of Uber – it’s so easy to use and convenient. Oxford Street is one of the main shopping areas in London, with many of the big department stores and other popular brands – I especially like Selfridges with its great food hall. Today we just window shopped; when you already have 5 full suitcases it’s difficult to find space for any additional items – maybe we need another suitcase!
Today we had lunch at the Sky Garden, it’s in the big building that looks like a walkie-talkie near Tower Bridge – reservations are essential and can be a bit confusing. The building actually houses 3 restaurants and 2 bars, restaurant reservations are quite difficult to get. Since our primary reason for visiting was to take in the great views, a reservation in the Sky Pod Bar, which we obtained a couple of weeks ago, worked out fine – the bar had a limited food menu which served our needs. The Sky Garden is located on the north bank of the Thames and the views are magnificent. The front of the bar area facing the river is a 3-storey glass façade and a balcony stretches the entire width of the building. Note the balcony closes at 6PM each night. We gawked like tourists at the views of the Shard, Thames, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London.
Next up, the British Museum – a short tube ride from the Sky Garden. We rarely visit London without stopping in at the British Museum, in my opinion one of the best in the world. Given our time constraints, we opted for an abbreviated visit – in fact I’d say that all visits to this museum are abbreviated to some extent as it’s so massive it’s impossible to see everything. We breezed by the Rosetta Stone, through the Elgin Marbles and up to the Egyptian mummy hall – a highlight for Noah. The items in the museum are so well organized and curated, it’s simply breathtaking. I remember as a young teenager taking day trips down from Newcastle by train to visit the museums of London; Natural History, Imperial War, Science and of course the British – the wonder of these places for me has never worn off. If you are in the mood for afternoon tea and cakes the Great Court Restaurant above the atrium in the British Museum will hit the spot.
Noah is fascinated with Sherlock Holmes and so a tube ride across the city and a short walk brought us to 221B Baker Street – the location of the museum named for the famous fictional detective; we just made it before closing time. The museum is located in a small but well preserved Victorian terraced house and the place is stacked out with Holmes memorabilia over three floors, including many waxworks of famous villains. Holmes’ sitting room is exactly as you’ve seen it in the many films and TV series and our guide talked us through a typical day for the detective. It’s a bit hokey but if you let yourself be drawn in, and forget that Holmes did not really exist, it’s quite enjoyable – since Noah is not quite sure of Holmes’ fictional status, he had a blast. Of course we had to finish the visit, and the day, with a stop at the well-stocked Sherlock Holmes gift shop.
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