Tuesday, May 11, 2010

I didn't have anything specific planned for the day so I headed over to Baker Street with the intention of hanging out in Regents Park. I decided to try to travel by bus today and it took me about an hour and a half to get to Baker Street. By the time I got there, it was significantly chillier so I decided to check out the Sherlock Holmes museum instead. The line was HUGE so I went to a pub on the corner (The Volunteer) and had lunch first. I had the best Bangers & Mash that I have had in this city. The best part was they only had two bangers left and they usually serve three so I got 2 pounds off my meal. I didn't need more than two anyway!

The museum was very cool!! I got a chance to sit and visit with Dr. Watson. I heard him speak at least three languages while I was there so there is no telling how many he actually knows. I felt like I had stepped back in time and it made me want to go read some of the stories that I missed! The only one I really remember is the Hound of the Baskervilles.
I walked down Baker Street to Oxford Street and then over to Marble Arch where I worked my way through Hyde Park. I absolutely LOVE Hyde Park! It is one of the most peaceful, beautiful places that I have ever been. When I lived in London in college I used to run every morning in Hyde Park and we could run for 45 minutes and never hit the same sidewalk twice. There is no place like it in the world!
I met Shaunda & David and the boys, along with their friend, Rich, and my friend, Becky, at the Chicago Rib House for dinner. We thought we'd see how well they do ribs in London. I must say it was better than I expected. The atmosphere was great and the good was quite good. It may not be quite as good as KC BBQ but who can, really? It didn't hurt that we got 50% off with a TasteLondon card. Yay!
After dinner, David headed home with the boys (via tube) and Shaunda and I walked through the city before trying to figure out how to get home by bus. We walked along the park to Buckingham Palace and then down The Mall to Trafalgar Square. London is absolutely beautiful at night. Most places are lit up and the traffic is lighter. It was a perfect night for a walk.
By the time we reached Trafalgar we were ready to sit down for a while. Unfortunately, the buses were packed so there was no sitting for this ride home. We had to take three different buses and it took us almost two hours to get home. Definitely not the most efficient way to travel but it was an adventure and we all like a good adventure.

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