London Day Nine – The one with the circus

After needing a mammoth sleep from our twelve hour bus tour, we nibbled on some food left over from our many Tesco trips as we were too tired to get breakfast. We decided to try and get back to South Kensington as we wanted to explore the museums that we only got to go pass on the double decker tour the previous week. Finally arriving there at about 1:30pm, we realised we were starving and needed a proper meal. We went to all the different restaurants and cafés that the Natural History Museum had to offer. We finally settled on one of the restaurants that was a bit pricey but we had skimped on the expected five pound donation so I felt like it made us even.

I ordered a hot dog special with delicious fried onion, and T-Rex ordered Buffalo wings and was happily gnawing on the bones. After eating we decided to checkout the dinosaur section, being a massive fan as a kid and T-Rex being one. Unfortunately it was the only wing that was closed for reservations and when I heard the news my blood went cold (like a reptile). I had to make do with the giant dinosaur skeleton in the lobby, which looked like a scene out of Night at the Museum. This would be a good place to mention that the building was absolutely beautiful, being designed originally as a museum, it inspires wonder and awe with a sense of exploration and adventure.

We travelled through the mammal exhibit to begin with but then spent a lot of time in the human body exhibit, that started with the biology but then devilled deeper into psychology, tricks of the mind and unanswered questions about our minds. T-Rex recognised many of the tests but they were almost all new to me. The next section was a mineral and rock section, that childhood me would have loved to pieces. At the far end of the room was ‘the vault’ that hosted very expensive gems and historic pieces such as rocks from the moon and a meteor from Mars. One of the most intriguing collections was a diamond display where you can see every colour variation of naturally occurring diamonds. It took over 20 years to collect them all and you could see it under natural and ultra violet light.

The final place we had time to visit was about the planet and had the coolest entrance by far. It showed lava flows, seismic activities, tidal effects, planetary alignments and so much more. We were conscious of time as we had to get a pre-show meal and find our way to the nearby Royal Albert Hall for Cirque Du Soleil. Just has we started making plans to leave, an announcement went over explaining it was closing soon, so A+ for timing. It was a great place to explore and would be an amazing place to take a child, probably the reason why we saw so many schools having excursions there. It hands down beats the excursions that I went on whilst I went to school at Ipswich Grammar, like the excursion to the Centrelink office or the local magistrates court.

Walking to South Kensington on the prowl for for some dinner, we came upon a Crepèiry. Having not tasted the sweet nectar of the gods, Nutella, for several weeks we could not resist the temptation. We patiently waited at the entrance in the cold winds but were ignored. We thought to try another entrance and were yelled at for using the wrong door. We went back to where we were and then was rudely told they were too full to accomodate us, even though we could see many empty tables inside. Maybe we did not look posh enough to blend in as Kensingtons or maybe our bogan accent reminded them of the penal colonies. We decided not to wait and continued searching for some sustenance.

T-Rex found a gluten free brownie to devour and I found a cookies and creme waffle, obviously we were both having a sugar craving. After that we found the amazing Royal Albert Hall that we having been looking forward to seeing up close, especially after watching Adele’s performance there on the plane. The building was magnificent and beautiful, a giant circular building with all the trimmings. We went inside and as we were running early we snuck upstairs in the exclusive areas (that we weren’t meant to have access to) and walked through the corridors. We even got a sneak peak of the control room during the pre-performance sound check. Worried that we might be found out, we returned to the halls and with our fellow plebs.

We grabbed an Asahi and a tea as we waited patiently to enter inside. Our seats were amazing, especially as we only bought the tickets two weeks earlier. They were around the side which might off put some people, but for us made the experience more exciting as you can see how everything works. There was no one in front of us so we were incredibly close, allowing us to see the facial expressions of the performers and even had them jump down I front of us, less than a meter away.

The show was Amaluna, set on a magical island. It was very different to the Mystere show I saw in Las Vegas, but had some similarities. They both felt like you were witnessing a work of art, impossible to put down in words. It is very emotional without you consciously knowing why. T-Rex was completely absorbed and in awe of the performance. One of the most memorable parts was a performer who was dancing and balancing gigantic wooden branches. Every time a new branch was added, T-Rex’s green eyes opened wider. The lady was super talented and just one of a dozen acts, all unique and special in their own way. Again it was an experience unlike any other so is untranslatable into words.

Surprisingly the sugary dinner was unsatisfying and we were soon hungry again. We grabbed some cheap Asian takeout in Piccadilly Circus to top off another incredible day in London.

About the Author

Mannan

Mannan is a software engineering enthusiast and has been madly coding since 2002. When he isn't coding he loves to travel, so you will find both of these topics on this blog.

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