First day in London

Despite our exhaustion, we still made it out for our first day in London.

Jus had a lot of difficulty rising this morning.

Not that I blame her. She doesn't do well without sleep (neither of us have had much) and coupled with the fact that she's not only lived in London for a few years, but has lived in the very room we're staying in, then it's really no surprise that her keeness to get out into London was minimal at best.

I gotta admit, I'm pretty shattered myself. Any other time and I'd be curling up with a good book.

I have this weird constitution that allows me to stay awake and functioning pretty much indefinitely. I realise this isn't normal, but it doesn't mean I'm any more patient when it comes to people who need to sleep. Particularly if I'm sleep-dep grumpy myself.

My poor, wonderful, girlfriend. I was like a little puppy begging to go out.

So finally, we started on the plan we had for yesterday.

We started out by taking the tube to Harrods. What can I say about Harrods? It's big, it's old, it's beautiful, it's crowded - it's a supermarket with pretensions. We didn't stay long, and breakfasted around the corner in a groovy little cafe.

After which, we walked to the
Victoria and Albert Museum.

I can't say enough good things about this place. First of all, it's huge. If I tried to describe just how large this place is, I'd wind up parodying Douglas Adams, and I'm far from being that good a writer.

The Victoria and Albert houses some of the most amazing collections of historial art and design I've ever encountered. Jus and I only saw a fraction of what was on offer and I hope one day to return and explore it more fully.

Most impressive is that for a museum that has been operating since 1852, it has a thoroughly inviting feel to it. There's plenty of 'interactive' opportunities - as Jus found out in the 'how a hoop skirt works' exhibit.

In looking at their brochure, I wish we'd had a little more time there - there's a Cast Gallery that has full-sized casts of some of the most famous sculptures of all time. However, I particularly liked this bronze bust of some Pope whose name I've already forgotten. I'd be keen to know, if anyone wants to point it out.

Another few photos: This is an absolutely stunning glass scuplture by Dale Chihuly hanging in the foyer of the V&A. I've included a few photos because I have good friends in Australia, Tim and Tali Dalton who do similar work and I find all of their works amazing.