Into London

Got on to the X90 yesterday to Victoria Station in London. From there I made my way to South Kensington on the Underground and took the subway to the Natural History Museum. The Underground proved easier to navigate than I thought and a McDonald's map of central London also helped me. Met up with my sister Beth there. The special specimens at the museum were interesting but I wasn't so keen on all the stuffed dead animals. The dinosaur skeletons were pretty cool though. If I had had longer the geology section was fascinating but it went on for miles.

From there we raced up the street to go see the Royal Albert Hall. Along the way someone was doing bubble art with children. We also passed the science faculty of the Imperial College London. From there we hot footed it to Oxford Street to a friend Nigel Marumahoko's restaurant Roka where he treated us to lunch. It's a Japanese restaurant and it was delicious. Was good to catch up with Nigel.

Beth and I then headed down to Regent Street and we popped in to Liberty and Hamleys. We then took the underground to Holborn and walked to Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House. I walked around the market and then made my way to Strand Street and Beth returned to Virginia Water. I passed Charring Cross, Nelson's column and the Charles 1st Statue. From there I briefly popped in to Boyd's where my friend Heather works but she wasn't quite ready to leave work so I walked through Admiralty Arch down the Mall and then cut back through the Horse Guards Parade to Whitehall and then the Embankment from where I could see Big Ben and Westminster Bridge. I then returned to Boyd's and Heather and I went and had a glass of wine.

From Strand we walked back to Covent Garden and joined some other school friends and a friend of mine from when I was in Switzerland at Bill's Restaurant. On the way we passed people queuing to see shows at some of the small theatres around Covent Garden. It was lovely to see the others. My one friend I haven't seen since she left Zim when we were 16 and a few others almost as long. I then had to make sure I caught one of the last trains through to Epping to spend the night with another school friend Teresa and her husband in Harlow. Again I haven't seen Theresa since we left school. This morning we went to a lovely park called Lee Valley and fed water birds and visited a bird hide before I caught the Underground back to Victoria and from there the bus to return to Oxford.

Jessie, Sarah's daughter came down from York this afternoon to run the Oxford marathon tomorrow. Will go with Sarah to watch her. I had dinner with friends from South Africa in their student house for Wolfson College this evening and they too are running tomorrow.