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Wednesday 6 November 2013

The Natural History Museum

We tend to avoid heading too far into West London, unless we happen to be driving, as it never feels like the easiest journey by train or bus. However, with EDtot's current dinosaur phase it seemed like a good time to introduce her to the wonders of The Natural History Museum.

So on a rainy Monday we set off on the train to London Bridge. As we had to make a slight detour to Hyde Park Corner to drop off a package (nothing remotely exciting), it meant we had to take the longer route of going via Green Park. Whilst there is a lift at Green Park, the walk between the Jubilee Line and Piccadilly Line is still really long. With all the changes of transport I had opted to sling EDtot, but with hindsight I really should have taken the buggy as she is getting a little too heavy for a whole day out in a sling. Well, to be fair it would be feasible with a sling if she was occasionally willing to walk and at a pace that meant we returned before Christmas.

So after a long journey on train, tube and bus we arrived at the Museum. It is a beautiful building, but unfortunately I only had my phone camera to hand so the shots are less than impressive. Despite EDtot being very familiar with the entrance to the museum thanks to her London Bus book, I was ill prepared for the fear that took over on seeing the massive dinosaur skeleton. EDtot most definitely did not want to walk at this point and was torn between keeping an eye on the beast and burying her head in my shoulder to avoid eye contact with it.


After much discussion EDtot decided to brave the actual dinosaur exhibition on the understanding she would be carried throughout. There is a lift up to the walkway in the exhibition so if you do take your buggy it is still possible to see the whole thing, but it does get very crowded. I could not believe it was a Monday with the number of people that were there. I don't think I would ever contemplate heading there on a weekend.

Most of the dinosaurs were labelled as "cute" by EDtot apart from the last one that was roaring away, but due to it's pose was deemed to be "taking a bow", not "preparing to attack". Thanks to Diddi Dance for that one! After moving on to the less scary animals, EDtot finally agreed to walk and give my back a rest. We managed a couple other exhibits before stopping for a sandwich on one of the many benches in the museum. I think there is a lovely garden we could have gone to for our little picnic, but on a rainy day it was easier to stay indoors.


We then set off on a far easier journey home which involved one bus from right outside the museum (although it is not a frequent service and does take a convoluted route) to Vauxhall and one more bus home. Definitely a fun day, but one to save for when you're feeling well rested and able to tackle London's transport system.