The Best of London: Morning Museums and Afternoon Tea

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After a safari vacation full of early days and injury, what sounds better than Belgian chocolates and French cheese? A few months after a tour of Uganda, I headed back across the pond for a European vacation. A striking contrast to my safari experience, a friend and I visited a few major European cities – London, Paris, and Brussels. Because sometimes a girl has to explore the world for more than its wildlife.

I say that, but I’m about to start talking about birding; it’s possible I don’t have the greatest self-awareness.

For me, our most pleasant day in London was in the Kensington area, taking in Hyde Park and the Museum District, before heading off for our requisite afternoon tea experience.

That Took a While

To provide a bit of insight, it should be clear that the seed was planted for this trip long before ornithology or birding entered my consciousness. In my junior year of high school, my best friend and I planned a trip to London. Neither of us had traveled internationally before. Neither of us could really afford it. Our hopes for a London graduation trip were quashed quickly.

And then, real life happened. We became adults, struggling with adulting. Although I’ve been able to travel now and then for a few years, a trip together was never in the cards. Then, as it turns out, 20 years had gone by. Did I just say “20 years”? How did that even happen? So we made it a goal to finally make this trip a reality. In 2019, we were going to go to London.

After months of planning, my travel partner/bestie and I had developed an ambitious plan to see all we could see of these three European capitals. But we gave ourselves about 6 full days of London, hitting all the sites that were most attractive to each of us. London was, for us, 20 years in-the-making. London was important.

I’ll end up sharing many of our experiences, I’m sure. Most of our London adventures were positive and well-planned. But there’s one single day that I’d happily repeat. Which is weird, as I hardly like to repeat anything. But I’d honestly go back to London and follow these footsteps again. It was just a really lovely, utterly pleasant day, and the only drawback was that a single day simply was not enough time.

Hyde and Seek

We started the day early, heading to King’s Cross for our daily dose of the underground. We headed west to Lancaster Gate, popping onto the street just across from Hyde Park.

And oh my, what a park it is! Hyde Park is one of the five “Royal Parks” in central London – along with Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Regent’s Park, and St. James Park – and is the largest of the group. Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are adjacent. During moments when both are open, it is effectively one massive and beautifully kept green space.

And on the Friday morning of our visit, it was also delightfully empty.

Of course, this early morning visit did not lack ulterior motives. I did indeed bring my binoculars along. Yep, this pleasant little stroll through the park was planned for one purpose: birding!

We began our stroll on the northwest end of Hyde Park and walked through the Italian Gardens, which is a lovely scene of statuary and fountains. We walked south along the Long Water, a channel that flows between the parks. And, of course, we spotted a few birds along the way.

But Hyde Park is a relaxing place to watch people and encounter numerous points of interest – memorials and fountains and sculptures are frequent highlights. We ducked into a little side path with a bench, only to discover that it must be a frequent bird feeding area. Several tits (those are birds!) and European robins suddenly flocked to us, with the clear expectation of reward. It was a marvelous surprise.

We gave ourselves two hours inside the park, but honestly we could have spent four. Alas, the South Kensington museums were opening at 10am, and that was our true destination for the day. Onward!

Shiny Objects

We started our museum visits with the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is pretty much always called “the V&A”. This was my friend’s choice, as she has a decided interest in textiles and embroidery. The V&A is known for its collections of art and design – including fashion, costumes, and jewelry. And crazy Chihuly glass chandeliers.

The exhibits are very nice, but the building can be a bit of a puzzle. It was fun to see if I could find what I was looking for by following the signage, but I relied on my Rick Steves walking tour to get me through some challenging bits of the maze. I enjoyed the Renaissance collection and especially the jewelry rooms. There’s also a beautiful café that is worth a brief stop for lunch or a snack to appreciate its interior design.

There’s a lot to see, and we had to prioritize since we had a couple more activities planned today. But we quite enjoyed taking time to browse the gift shop here – it was probably my favorite in all of London. In total, we spent a bit more than 2 hours in the V&A, which just is not enough for a first visit! Honestly, I doubt we saw half of what this place offers. But my textile-loving travel partner was able to see all the collections that were most important to her.

However, this place really is sprawling and the collections are extensive. It is interesting to realize that many textile

Limping Across Exhibition Road

Next, we headed to the Natural History Museum. This one was my choice, which is probably a surprise to absolutely no one. And these museums are literally across the street from each other. Well played, London.

Distracted Note: Also, at this point in the trip, we were experiencing some foot-related distress, so anything that minimized walking distance was a huge win. It is very easy to underestimate the amount of walking needed to see the sights in a city as big as London.

Or just the amount of walking needed when taking a vacation with me.

Follow-up Note: In fairness, I do warn people that I will pack as much into vacation days as possible. Sometimes I even say it in my serious voice. I’m not an intentionally awful friend. I’d say that I’m “motivated”. People who know me might say “stubborn“. Who’s to say which is more correct?

Whale, Helloooo There, Mr. Darwin

The Natural History Museum is a rock star. I’m not just talking about the geology portion of the museum. Really, it’s just the best natural history museum I’ve visited. I base that assessment primarily on the strength of the Treasures collection. And also because it’s huge. And pretty. Frankly, just look at it. And also the Darwin Center. And the collections are truly impressive. No, but really, just look at it.

Seriously, though, the museum does play a supporting role in the movie Paddington. Which is really a great movie that I have watched and re-watched. I am not ashamed. So check it out to see the awesome backdrop that is the Natural History Museum.

The museum looks like it should have been some sort of castle, but it was genuinely designed to just be a museum for Britain’s natural history specimens. It is massive, and the entrance hall, Hintze Hall, contains a blue whale skeleton suspended above all who enter.

My first, very basic, target happens to be in Hintze Hall. Sitting at the top of a wide staircase, there is a statue of a seated Charles Darwin. He watches over the facility from this place of prominence. I came to London for this photo:

I might be joking. But not entirely.

So Many Treasures

The museum is expansive, with its maps divided by color-coded zones. We spent most of our time in the central area around Hintze Hall. However, it’s pretty easy to target any collections of greatest interest – the website provides maps as well as zone-based categories describing each exhibit found in a particular zone. It is a great resource.

But there’s at least one collection every student of natural history would appreciate. I highly recommend a visit to the Cadogan Gallery.

Truly, the Treasures Gallery should be a requirement at the Natural History Museum. It’s remarkable. Displayed here are original works by Darwin and Audubon, among other important pieces. Archaeopteryx, a composite dodo skeleton, and a great auk? And just outside, a giant moa towers over us all. All testaments to the evolutionary path of birds and examples of diversity lost as our own species expanded.

Clearly, Kevin – from Pixar’s “Up” – is a Giant Moa. Well, probably. Inspired by the Giant Moa, at the very least. And Kevin is awesome.

This single room made a visit to this museum worthwhile for me. After, walking around the second floor provides a great view of Ms. Whale, named “Hope”, and many bird specimens line the walk.

Honestly, the Natural History Museum was a bit more hectic than the V&A had been. It was a little bit later in the day, and natural history museums certainly are a draw for families and school groups. It wasn’t terrible once away from the entrance, but I was happy to wander away from Hintze Hall as quickly as possible. We made our way to the west end to exit the museum into the Wildlife Garden.

The garden is part of the museum property, where you can walk through the different habitat types in England. They’ve done a good job of displaying diversity and even providing quiet reflection, despite the proximity to busy city streets. And in contrast with the number of folks inside the building, I only encountered about five other people during my visit to the garden.

But I did add a new bird to my life list!

Near the wildlife garden is the Darwin Centre. This is the part of this museum that I most regret missing. I’d love to revisit to have more time here.

Limping Away from the Museum District

Did I mention that walking can be underestimated in London? Boy, oh boy, was that ever true during the long trek to Kensington station. The entrance is on Exhibition Road. After a few missed taxis, we headed to the Underground. We had an appointment with Fortnum & Mason that we didn’t want to miss!

Basically, the entrance at the road is an entrance to a tunnel to get to the entrance of the station. The actual station is well away from the road. Eventually, once you’ve invested some effort into it, you start seeing signs telling you how much further you need to walk.

Ever been in a line for a roller coaster for a long while before you see a sign indicating the waiting time. Only to finally realize that the sign says you’ll be waiting another hour?!

That’s kinda how we felt as we walked to Kensington Station.

An Appointment with Gluttony

We arrived to our tea reservation at Fortnum & Mason a few minutes early. We had a chance to sit near a pianist providing pleasant music as waitstaff bustled by.

When we were seated, we were in a nearly empty space. We weren’t rushed and were able to enjoy our selections over a couple hours. It was a wonderful opportunity to relax after a long day of birding and museuming, which I’ve decided should be a word.

I can’t say this tea was an example of good life choices. We quickly passed “sated” on our way to “uncomfortable”. We decided we should leave before hurting ourselves. But before we left, we did accept the offered boxed desserts and extra cakes. Because apparently we’re part-hobbit.

Leaving the restaurant does require departing through Fortnum & Mason itself. It’s pretty fancy-pants, so it’s not exactly a place I’d normally shop. But if you want the best marmalade selection, it’s pretty awesome. (And they also have a nice Christmas shop, with some pretty bird ornaments, too!) I suppose they also have a nice tea selection. They might have a reputation for that.

Okay, so some souvenirs were obtained, yes. It’s a nice place for it. And quite a bit later, with many more pretty blue bags in hand, we headed home.

But we hailed a taxi this time.