from Princeton to Oxford: Day in London

We spent Sunday in London! We had two destinations: the Natural History Museum, and Royal Albert Hall for Proms concert number 3. Both are in the large cultural and scientific complex that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert planned in the mid-19th century.

Like most natural history museums, we saw exhibits on many topics ranging from evolution to space to geology. But the breadth and depth of each topic was amazing. For instance, the hall on minerals, crystals and gemstones was so extensive, I could have spent an entire afternoon gazing at the displays. We got a good peek at a lot of things.

Then we walked north to the Royal Albert Hall, where A joined me to hear the Chamber Orchestra of Europe perform Mozart and Schumann. The hall itself was spectacular. It accommodates over 5,000 people, including space in the central arena where the true "prommers" stand to listen to the concert. For our part, we enjoyed a private box on the second tier! The usher unlocked the door with an old key, and we went in to our seats. The three other seats in the box were not filled. Understandably, A got slightly bored with Mozart during the first half, but luckily there was ice cream for sale outside our box during the interval, which revived his spirits. (A five quid revival of spirits, but worth it.) It was fun to be part of this classical music tradition!

Meanwhile, D and C walked through Hyde Park to the Diana Memorial Playground and enjoyed some outdoor fun. The playground featured a pirate ship that the kids could climb all over. C really wanted to climb up the mast to the crows nest, but D wasn't so sure and suggested she wasn't big enough. That was all she needed to hear! She squeezed her way past the big kids up and down ... twice. Once she emerged, she said, "See Dad, I'm big enough!" She earned an ice cream and a ride around the carousal for that. The rest of time was spent enjoying the park, with plenty of people and wildlife-watching to entertain both young and old.