7. another full day of amazing sites

 Sherlock Holmes was here.

King's Cross railway station, famous as the starting point of the Hogwarts Express, at a secret Platform 9 and 3/4.

You know, as I'm reading about this station after our visit, I remember learning about it for another reason - public health grad school.  The King's Cross Fire happened in 1987; many died and were injured.  the fire started underground, worsened by layers and built up layers of old paint.  the emergency response wasn't enough.  new fire safety regulations were introduced. wooden escalators were replaced with metal.

London cabs have back seats facing each other.
We went to the British Museum first thing this morning, but still waited in a very long line to get into the free museum.  Hi hubbie again! (Samsung in the Great Court)
We had a nice morning here despite the crowds.  we enjoyed taking our time to see the the things we wanted to see.
this is a natural history museum, with artifacts ("an astonishing range of objects from cultures across the world"), not paintings per se.

 Mom and I both liked the Asian pottery.

 Egyptian mummies

 the Lindow Man "a ritually slain chap from the 1st century who lay perfectly pickled in a Cheshire bog until he was unearthed by archaeologists in 1984."  yes, he was actually there on display, but i didn't want to photograph him.

 We enjoyed a treat despite our healthy eating challenge.  mom was so disciplined, even on vacation, i was glad for this exception.

the Rosetta Stone.  the message inscribed in 3 different languages, which "provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics".

 Dad wanted to see the Elgin Marbles.  I looked all over for a small display case with marbles in it, before I finally asked the docent for help.  he explained that the Parthenon sculptures are nicknamed Elgin marbles after they guy who stole them from Greece.

Leaving London.

We picked up a rental car to embark on the 2nd leg of our trip.  

I'll tell you what, driving in a foreign country, with narrow roads, no shoulders (often with curbs), fast drivers, motorcyles, scooters, and bicycles swarming around you, no primer on the signage/symbols, relying on rachel/GPS for directions, roundabouts every mile (take them clockwise), oh yeah, and (!) driving on the left side of the road while sitting with the steering wheel on the right side of the car, results in a bit of stress.  (from the internets: You may well find yourself skimming dangerously close to the left extremity of your lane.)  thank goodness for Dad's patience with back seat drivers and reliable GPS.

also want to mention, that the men who helped us with flat tires were so nice. very empathetic and genuinely lovely.  i enjoyed getting to know real people in England.  

This is also the reason i loved the Airbnb's that Dad had arranged for us on the later half of the trip.  (nicely done Dad!)  this stressful evening ended with us finding our really charming cottage in Cambridge.  The hostess was understanding about our late arrival.  Her homemade bread and jam was a welcome dinner.  oh, and in the green thick grass, (England wins over Seattle for gray and rainy overall) we spotted a for real hedgehog. so cute.

 we were exhausted and i didn't have the wherewithal to take a picture, but it was this cute.