V & A, History Museum, Harrods--day four of the London Adventure

Victoria and Albert sign

On the fourth day of my trip, I had planned to visit the Victoria and Albert (V&A) to see the textiles--namely quilts. Unfortunately, the textiles are in the Blythe House in West London. Seeing them is free; but, you have to have an appointment. After looking up the location on line, I realized I wouldn't be able to schedule an appointment this trip. Although I was disappointed, I know what I need to do for next time!

Inner courtyard of the Victoria and Albert

While at the V&A, I did look at the fashion, tapestry and jewelry displays. It is a huge museum and one could probably go there every day for an entire week and still not see everything! Jérôme introduced me to the inner courtyard garden which is a beautiful area.

I did see one quilt. It was an applique wool quilt that was stitched with scraps from a tailor's shop. It was interesting in that it depicted stories from the Bible.

Natural History Museum

On the sign, did you notice that admission is free? Most of the museums are free to enter. If there is a special exhibit, there can be a charge to see that exhibit. It's great that you can see so many wonderful exhibits without having to pay a pence! (Donations are gladly accepted though!) Often, the museums are closed on Sunday and then one other day during the week. So if you are planning a trip, you need to plan ahead.

I also wanted to see the Natural History Museum which happens to be next door to the V&A! Seeing the natural history museum in each city started with a visit to the one in Vienna, Austria. That visit was years ago; but, I still remember how interesting it was to see the meteorite exhibit. The outside of the London Natural History Museum is beautiful.

Smoked salmon and chicken pate starters

There were lots of school kids in the natural history museum. It was a busy day for staff. We looked at the mammal exhibit--Jérôme's choice and the Darwin exhibit--my choice. This is another museum that you could spend several days in and still not see everything.

From here, we went to Harrods. Wow! What an experience Harrods is! First, you can buy furniture, hand bags and potatoes there. There are eight floors of products!!! The store is packed with high end products. I couldn't believe how much food was in the store. It was fun to browse.

Fish and chips that were delicious!

By this time we were getting hungry. Jérôme and I have similar likes in food. We like to go places that have a few menu items as that generally means the food is prepared from scratch. We found a small spot that had a fixed lunch menu. Every course was delicious. I had the pie of the day as my main and he had fish and chips.

I walked 6.4 miles. It was another great day even though my knees remain swollen even after icing them. Perhaps, getting joint replacement surgery will happen sooner than I had envisioned.