The British Museum

A cold, bleak Sunday in March. It's Mothers' Day and my son Robin's birthday, so a trip to London is planned: a nice lunch, a bit of a walk and an adventure. We had hoped to go to Greenwich or the South Bank but that was all too out-doorsy for the season so we decided on the British Museum. What a brilliant idea that was!

I thought mummies would be in keeping with the theme of the day and so we told Dan that we were going to see the Egyptian Mummies. He liked the idea of the dead pharaohs and also fancied a ride on the tube. Hanna fancied a nice lunch and by the time we got there, so did the rest of us.

Having Dan's blue pass makes it more attractive to drive into London because it's cheaper than the train and you have a better than average chance of finding a parking space: the problem is the congestion charge. We totally approve of the scheme by the way, but we were not sure where the zone began and ended. Robin thought it would be just the City and we drove all the way to the museum without seeing a camera, a toll or any signs. I was reassured, but then, just a minute ago (two days later), I had my doubts. My doubts took two whole days to become a PANIC!

The Internet is a marvellous thing and lands you in many adventures on your way to your destination, assuming you ever get there. This time, a quick search for "the London Congestion Charge Map" took me straight to an application form to pay my fees. No map, of course.

A second attempt showed me what I suspected; the Zone extends all the way out to King's Cross Station that we passed miles before we got to Bloomsbury. What can I do!

I retrieved the form and started to fill it in, but saw;
a) that you only get 24 hours to pay after you go there. (They photograph your plates).
b) there is no charge on Sundays!!!!!

Hoodie in a Hipster store.

We managed to park, free of charge, right outside the museum but, instead of going inside we poked around the alleys for a pub or restaurant. We found a few but they were all busy and not that special, to be honest. Although Pizza Express is a chain, we have never had a bad experience with one, so that's where we ended up. This one was housed in an old dairy, with high ceilings, tiled walls, a pastoral stained glass window and pendant lights made from  milk bottles.

Our waiter was the real deal too; straight off the boat from Salerno, and a really nice guy. It turned out his mother suffered from mental illness of some sort and he had been a carer. He homed in on Dan's needs and was most attentive. The food was fresh and tasty so we were all happy.

Dan, excited about the telly in the Egyptian Rooms.

Robin and I had spotted a boutique nearby called Farthing. They actually sell bow-ties and cravats, tweed jackets with gussets and hats; lots of hats. This store has everything for the young, hipster, man-about-town; at a price.

All that is by way of appetisers. The main course was the British Museum, and it didn't disappoint.

We took Dan straight upstairs to the mummies and he shot round the the whole floor in minutes. We could not get him to focus on anything, until he found a television that he watched for ten whole minutes. The only other thing he liked was the lift! It was time for a change of plan, and the plan was called "Divide and Conquer". I took Dan off to play with lifts and push buttons while the birthday boy and the Mummy got to look around some of the exhibits. We would meet in the shop, eventually (probably).

Robin at home.

As it turned out, Dan and I explored the ground floor pretty thoroughly because they had the shop, a cafe two disabled lifts there. We homed in on the big sculpture galleries that housed the Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek and Roman antiquities and we whizzed round them about six times. I was exhausted.

We did eventually meet up and I went off to photograph some of the things that had caught my eye. Then I photographed Robin in the Members' Room, where he looked very much at home. We stayed until closing time and vowed to go back. Hanna wants to see the Pompeii exhibition which is coming soon. It would be nice to take our waiter from Salerno with us to get the opinion of a true local.

An entire Greek Temple.