London in a day, crazy some may say but it was worth it and doable even from the North East. Yes we had to get up at silly o clock to catch a 6:30am train but we arrived early enough to wander Kings Cross without the crowds, Coal Drops Yard was quiet and we got a table for breakfast at Dishoom which is a win.
Whizzed across to Waterloo to meet Ruby (obviously this was the reason we were there) and then spent the rest of the day on foot. I’ve never walked over Waterloo bridge before, it has such an iconic view, quite spectacular. On our way up to the British Museum we stopped to watch the skaters at Somerset House, meandered along the riverside up to St Pauls then paid a visit to London Review Bookshop a fabulous independent book shop. We can never visit a city without going into a book shop they are Ruby’s passion, this one is particularly special and a stone’s throw from the museum. A protest was gathering to start its peaceful march just outside which is something you don’t get to see every day.
Luckily for us due to the protest the British Museum’s front entranced was closed, being ticket holders for an exhibition we were able to spend a happy hour or so truly getting up close to some amazing artifacts as there were no crowds, it was rather magical, we felt quite privileged to be doing so. The Hew Locke what have we here? exhibition was equally compelling and thought provoking, something we probably would never have known about let alone visited if it weren’t for our daughters insatiable thirst for knowledge.
From the quietness of the marbled halls of the museum we entered the crazy busy streets of Covent Garden a must at this time of year regardless of the crowds, the Christmas Trees and sparkly lights are very special indeed. As dusk fell the shop fronts glistened, the chatter, laughter and music filled the air. We managed to get a table at our favourite Italian Pasta Brown to enjoy good food and a proper catch up before our final farewells back at Waterloo station. We made our way across town to Kings Cross, a train journey home and back in bed before midnight.
