Fourth day in London

24/5/2011

We have been told that it is hardly ever windy in London. Our experience so far is that in the 4 days we have been here all it’s done is blow and fill our eyes with fine pollen from trees, especially when we went through Hyde Park. It is supposed to be much better from now on though. Everyone gives us the classic Dunedin weather excuses “it was so nice before you got here and it’s hardly ever like this”.
We went to the London Dungeons by London Bridge today (London bridge is not the big tower bridge that you normally associate London with. That one is called Tower Bridge).
The Dungeons are like a ride you go on at a theme park with actors guiding you through and telling the tales. They take every opportunity to scare you and make you jump, which they do with great success.
They have mannequins with various torture poses and Jack the Rippers handy work. You also go on a boat ride to traitors gate. This simulates how prisoners were treated for petty crimes like talking to Gypsies and burning your mothers house down. With a bit of gypsy in my blood it’s a wonder I’m here.
At the end you are lifted up in a large chair similar to the ones you sit in on a roller coaster with the pull down safety bar. You are then lifted up 20 feet to the hang mans noose and given your last rights and a drum roll before an immediate free fall drop to the ground. Sheree’s bum left her seat and when we saw the photo at the end her hair was straight up in the air and both our eyes are squeezed tightly closed.
We got back on the Tube and visited the O2 (Millennium Dome) to see the Dinosaur Exhibition. When we got there we noticed an exhibit of artifacts from the Titanic so thought we would see this first. It was so interesting that at the end we had no time left to see the dinosaurs before leaving to meet up with the boys and girls for tea in Leicester Square at a Persian restaurant. As we left O2 people were arriving for the UK TV awards, so it got very busy trying to make our way back to the underground against the flow of people. At dinner everyone except me had a coconut cream chicken & banana dish that Chris had told us about when he was in NZ. All very tasty & different. Rather than going straight home we went for a walk to Piccadilly Circus and gorged ourselves with very decadent Haagen Dazs ice cream before once again going home on the subway train.