Day 17, Thursday, October 1 "Train to London & The British Museum

Hi all from London. The train ride was great. It took 4 1/2 hours but seemed much shorter. We had reserved seats but didn't really like them so we moved to some that were not assigned and had a good view.

And just like in Harry Potter, the trolley came around on a regular basis. You could by tea, coffee, soft drinks and a wide variety of snacks. There was also a snack bar in the car just ahead of us. We ordered water and coffee from the trolley. Later toward the end of the trip we went to the snack bar and go a Coke and crisps (chips),

The country side was beautiful. Much different than the Scottish views but still very nice in its own way We rode down the eastern side of England where the land was flater and more open. We saw many field and what looked like amazing dirt (for our fellow gardeners!) We arrived at King's Cross station which is the busiest in London. We managed, thanks to David's expertise to catch the underground tube. Very scary...the doors tried to close on David but he beat them off! We arrived at Russel Sqaure station which is just a 5 minute walk from our hotel, The Penn Club.

Our afternoon stop was at the British Museum which is one of the best museums in the world.  At one point the sun never set on the British empire.  In the 18th-20th centuries British naturalists and archaeologists went all over the world claiming antiquities for the crown.  Here are just a couple of examples.  More will follow when we have time. 

The first is of some mosaics unearthed and transported back to London.  These are probably 3-6th century AD, I didn't have time to look at the wee placques describing them.  They are consistent with mosaics I've seen in the eastern part of the Mediterranean.  They are very beautiful, the colors a bit muted.

The second is of a gladiator helmet like the ones in the movie..  I don't know the provenance of this, but somewhere from the Roman empire, probably the first few centuries of the common era.

When we get some free time, we'll load up more pictures of me, Cathy, and other antiquities ;-)