The V&A, Burrough Market, Dickens House, and High Tea

Today we left the hotel at 9:30 and headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum (museum of art and design).  The kids were in charge today so we had to figure out all the tube stops and such, as the parents weren't talking!  (they did help some later in the day, because we changed our route a bit) 

The V&A was pretty amazing.  We looked around a tiny bit waiting to start an introductory tour.  The guide talked for fifteen minutes about one rug, and then took us to a painting and talked about herself and the museum and the painting for at least fifteen minutes, so we decided to abandon the tour and look around for ourselves.  We went in the fashion exhibit, which was wonderful.  So many beautiful clothes!!  After that we went upstairs to the jewelry, which was incredible.  They had a whole bunch of pocket watches that all had so much detail I just wanted to stare at them for...a long time.  Then me and Lillie went in the Japan exhibit, and then we went up to the theatre and performance exhibit.  **LOVE**  We didn't have much time, so it was pretty whistle-stop, but good.  The theatre part had a bunch of costumes set up from tons of different shows.  It made me show-sick (you know, like homesick, but for shows!).

When we left the museum we went to the Burrough market and got lunch.  The plan was to eat there and shop some, but the whole thing (as far as we could tell) was food.  So, we just got some lunch and then headed toward the Dickens house.  I got a sandwich with some kind of French sausage on it. 

The Dickens house was cool.  The first thing we did was watch a thirty-minute movie about Dickens, and I nodded off a bit.  I was sitting on the floor in the corner of the wall and a cabinet!!  Apparently Mr. D was nodding too, and India, Tim, Mary Beth, and Lillie were laughing at him.  Mary Beth's chair was right beside-in front of me, Tim was standing between Mary Beth's chair and the wall, and a guy was sitting in a chair smack in front, so I was a bit pinned in the corner.  Haha.

After the Dickens house we had high tea at a fancy hotel.  It. Was. Awesome.  Tea, scones with clotted cream and fruit preserves, tea cakes, carrot spice cake with lemon icing, and little sandwiches (ham and mustard, cucumber, egg salad, and smoked salmon).  It was...Heaven.  BTW, clotted cream is the best thing in the world!!  It's like whipped cream but the consistency of butter...wow-ness. 

We sat around and talked a while after tea and then headed back to the hotel.  We spent the evening repacking for tomorrow and just hanging out.  We went down to the lounge and had some pizza around 9:30 and talked about what our favorite part of the trip was. 

Tomorrow Lillie and Mrs. Shepherd are leaving around 8, and the rest of us are going to the Portabello Street market for a while.  I have to be at the train station around 12, so I guess we'll come back and get luggage before then.  I am taking a train out to Castle Cary to meet the Paynes, and the Durhams, India, and Mary Beth are taking a later train to Paris.  Should be fun!