For today, Mick had booked an evening West End show and a day at the London Zoo. This meant that we probably wouldn't get home until about 11.30pm, and had a big day ahead of us so we left a little later.
With regard to the visit to the London Zoo, Mick had got himself a photo-id Travel Pass for a week which entitles the holder to access hundreds of events with 2 for 1. That is pay for one ticket and get 2 so we used it at the zoo and saved £25 ($40). Since the travel ticket cost £55 which gave him unlimited travel across London on the buses, tubes and trains, a saving of £25 for one event reduced the cost of the ticket to £30. Lyn recharged her Oyster card for a week which also cost £55 without the 2 for 1 benefit. The Oyster card is a little simpler at entry/exit points of stations as you only have to press it on a sensor whereas Mick had to feed his ticket into a machine which read it and then spat it out.
The London Zoo was quite enjoyable although the exhibits could have been better signposted as it was a bit of a maze. The highlights were the Raptor display which don't always run to the script as the birds often want to do their own thing. This show was no exception with a handler having to race off and get a ladder to get one of the Vultures off the roof of one of the cages. The Kestrel in the display was excellent as was the very large owl.
Another exciting exhibition was the Gorillas. The dominant male, known as a Silverback, was being bullied by two female gorillas and who were chasing the male around the enclosure. We began to appreciate how powerful these animals were. The male was swinging his arms about, breaking off bits of tree along the way. He took a couple of swings at the females, luckily missing them. There was a stand off between the three of them, it was so interesting to see how they interacted with each other. Eventually they all settled down and returned to their indoor enclosure.
As is usual at nearly all the London attractions, to exit them you have to go through the gift shop and of course Lyn had to buy something for the our grandsons. We will have to buy a new suitcase just for the boys stuff if she keeps buying at this rate everywhere we go.
After several hours at the Zoo we caught the bus to the Camden Town tube station and found ourselves in very busy Camden Town which seemed to be one big market so we spent some time there. Fascinating stuff for sale throughout the main street and beyond.We then caught the tube back to London to pick up the tickets for Thriller - Live which was showing at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftsbury Avenue where there are many theatres. The area is referred to as London's West End which is the theatre hub of the city. It is a very short walk to Piccadilly Circus where the Statue of Eros is located and is a very busy place. The underground tube station is right in Piccadilly Circus.
After we had picked up our tickets, we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe just down the road from the theatre. It is London's largest family/ children's restaurant and is a tropical hideaway in the heart of the West End. A fantastic venue for kids parties and there were a couple in progress. It certainly is a very unusual restaurant decorated to resemble a rain forest with lots of animals which are motorised and make frightening noises, which frightened some of the younger kids. Our grandsons would love it. Of course Lyn bought something for the grandsons on the way out.
After dinner we headed off to the Lyric Theatre and the show didn't disappoint. It was a tribute to Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 and the show started off with a 12 year old who, for his age, had an amazing voice. It then moved into many of MJ's amazing hits with almost identical choreography to the original with a group of guys and girls with MJ quality dance moves. The synchronisation was brilliant. We certainly left the theatre on a high.
We thought we might be alone on the trains at 11pm but they were amazingly busy for that time of night. We arrived home at about 11.30pm.
Lyn wants to relax on Wednesday (today). Mick has booked a tour of Wimbledon for tomorrow.
Unusual seating arrangements at a Camden Markets cafe
Eros Statue Piccadilly Circus
Lyn at the Rain Forest restaurant
Mick leaning on Eros Statue base
Lyn opposite the Lyric Theatre
Lyn outside the Lyric Theatre
Oh, and by the way, Australia won the top award at the Chelsea Flower show
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Below is a photo of the Premier Inn we are staying at in Dagenham and the restaurant/pub where we eat. Meals are "all you can eat" so you can keep going back for more which we never do. Both are owned by the Whitbread Company which, when Mick lived here 50 years ago, was a brewer. They have now sold their brewing interests. The company HQ is in Dunstable, UK in Bedforshire which is 50 klms north of London.
Brands that the Whitbread company own include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee.
As you can see the hotel is close to the road but as it is well insulated and double glazed, we don't hear any traffic noise.
It also has free unlimited wi-fi so we usually catch up on our emails and Instant Message our family via Whatsapp on our mobile phones. It's like texting without cost. The Premier Inn provides 30 minutes free wifi per day.
With regard to the visit to the London Zoo, Mick had got himself a photo-id Travel Pass for a week which entitles the holder to access hundreds of events with 2 for 1. That is pay for one ticket and get 2 so we used it at the zoo and saved £25 ($40). Since the travel ticket cost £55 which gave him unlimited travel across London on the buses, tubes and trains, a saving of £25 for one event reduced the cost of the ticket to £30. Lyn recharged her Oyster card for a week which also cost £55 without the 2 for 1 benefit. The Oyster card is a little simpler at entry/exit points of stations as you only have to press it on a sensor whereas Mick had to feed his ticket into a machine which read it and then spat it out.
The London Zoo was quite enjoyable although the exhibits could have been better signposted as it was a bit of a maze. The highlights were the Raptor display which don't always run to the script as the birds often want to do their own thing. This show was no exception with a handler having to race off and get a ladder to get one of the Vultures off the roof of one of the cages. The Kestrel in the display was excellent as was the very large owl.
Another exciting exhibition was the Gorillas. The dominant male, known as a Silverback, was being bullied by two female gorillas and who were chasing the male around the enclosure. We began to appreciate how powerful these animals were. The male was swinging his arms about, breaking off bits of tree along the way. He took a couple of swings at the females, luckily missing them. There was a stand off between the three of them, it was so interesting to see how they interacted with each other. Eventually they all settled down and returned to their indoor enclosure.
As is usual at nearly all the London attractions, to exit them you have to go through the gift shop and of course Lyn had to buy something for the our grandsons. We will have to buy a new suitcase just for the boys stuff if she keeps buying at this rate everywhere we go.
After several hours at the Zoo we caught the bus to the Camden Town tube station and found ourselves in very busy Camden Town which seemed to be one big market so we spent some time there. Fascinating stuff for sale throughout the main street and beyond.We then caught the tube back to London to pick up the tickets for Thriller - Live which was showing at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftsbury Avenue where there are many theatres. The area is referred to as London's West End which is the theatre hub of the city. It is a very short walk to Piccadilly Circus where the Statue of Eros is located and is a very busy place. The underground tube station is right in Piccadilly Circus.
After we had picked up our tickets, we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe just down the road from the theatre. It is London's largest family/ children's restaurant and is a tropical hideaway in the heart of the West End. A fantastic venue for kids parties and there were a couple in progress. It certainly is a very unusual restaurant decorated to resemble a rain forest with lots of animals which are motorised and make frightening noises, which frightened some of the younger kids. Our grandsons would love it. Of course Lyn bought something for the grandsons on the way out.
After dinner we headed off to the Lyric Theatre and the show didn't disappoint. It was a tribute to Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 and the show started off with a 12 year old who, for his age, had an amazing voice. It then moved into many of MJ's amazing hits with almost identical choreography to the original with a group of guys and girls with MJ quality dance moves. The synchronisation was brilliant. We certainly left the theatre on a high.
We thought we might be alone on the trains at 11pm but they were amazingly busy for that time of night. We arrived home at about 11.30pm.
Lyn wants to relax on Wednesday (today). Mick has booked a tour of Wimbledon for tomorrow.
Unusual seating arrangements at a Camden Markets cafe
Mick leaning on Eros Statue base
Lyn opposite the Lyric Theatre
Lyn outside the Lyric Theatre
************************************************************************
Below is a photo of the Premier Inn we are staying at in Dagenham and the restaurant/pub where we eat. Meals are "all you can eat" so you can keep going back for more which we never do. Both are owned by the Whitbread Company which, when Mick lived here 50 years ago, was a brewer. They have now sold their brewing interests. The company HQ is in Dunstable, UK in Bedforshire which is 50 klms north of London.
Brands that the Whitbread company own include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee.
As you can see the hotel is close to the road but as it is well insulated and double glazed, we don't hear any traffic noise.
It also has free unlimited wi-fi so we usually catch up on our emails and Instant Message our family via Whatsapp on our mobile phones. It's like texting without cost. The Premier Inn provides 30 minutes free wifi per day.
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