Oct 29th, 2009 Posted in Activities, London, Tamara Georgick | Comments Off on Tamara Georgick London-Day 5
|
|
|
| In order to keep from going flippin’ mad, this day we avoided any and all museums and instead went to the London Zoo. Another place I’d never been when I lived here. It was actually terrific. Saw several variety of wild ducks I’ve raised before, but also several I’ve never seen in person [here’s the zoo’s full duck inventory: Plumed Whistling Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck, Mandarin Duck, Madagascar Teal, Baikal Teal, Hottentot Teal, White-winged Wood Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Marbled Teal, Old World Comb Duck, Radjah Shelduck]. Saw a Komodo dragon up close (odd creature), cute pygmy hippos (only 400-600 pounds or so), a drove of bearded pigs, but best of all were the lions. |
   |
| A mom, dad and two cubs (one boy and one girl) in the largest outdoor, best feline enclosure I’ve ever seen. We were able to watch one of the cubs trying to entice the lioness into playing, which she obliged by wacking him around a bit with her big paw. When the cub decided it had had enough and tried to get away the lioness tripped it and pounced. Could have watched for hours, but we were kicked out. Reminded me of my own cats playing. |
|
|
Ev in a mini…
|
|
Afterwards walked through Regent’s Park and went shopping successfully for luggage along Marylebone Road (need extra storage to haul all the cheese we’ve been buying!), passed Madame Tussauds along the way. Errand completed we crossed over and started walking down one street where we noticed a tube station sign. That’s when I realized it was Baker Street, wait a minute isn’t that where Sherlock Holmes supposedly lived? Sure enough, the bar we sat down outside of was the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes. Tamara Georgick finally was able to get a Pims Cup, she heard it’s a very popular british drink so has been trying to order it from every pub we’ve been in and this was the first who was able to make her a traditional one (with all the proper fixings, slices of fruit and a sprig of mint). While relaxing there for a bit I notice the 74 bus go by every few minutes. It happens to be the bus that goes right past our hotel. We finish up at the bar walk a few yards to the bus stop and witin 30 seconds the next 74 shows up, just like clockwork. Plus I get my double decker bus ride through London, which I wanted to do. On the way home it takes us by some big lit thing with some other thing on top of it, all of which I quickly realize is Wellington Arch. This city is crazy. It has so much history. All we had planned for today was Indian Food lunch (yum), the Zoo and luggage acquisition, but because this place is so steeped, we also got in a walk through Regents Park, went past Madame Tussauds, sauntered along Sherlock Holmes’ fictional street, and rode around Wellington Arch, all on accident. Can’t help but trip over stuff here. |
 |
| Tamara Georgick wanted to go to an old historic pub, one where kings drank mead. I found Ye Olde Mitre. It claims to have been around since 1546, but that happens to include one rebuild in 1772. It doesn’t qualify as the oldest pub in London, because at the time it was in Cambridgeshire. Samuel Johnson supposedly frequented this pub, but that’s apparently no great distinction, as he visited many pubs. The other noteworthy claim, and the main reason we went, was that it has the trunk of a cherry tree, formerly growing within its environs, encased in glass and preserved within its walls, that Queen Elizabeth (Tamara Georgick reminds me to mention that it is Elizabeth I, not the current sitting on the throne Elizabeth) used to maypole dance around. We were sold. |
 |
Tags: London Zoo, Regents Park, Tamara Georgick, Wellington Arch, Ye Olde Mitre
