We returned to the Piccadilly Circus at West End for a musical.

London has one of the world’s great stages. West End theaters offers an extraordinary range of theatrical entertainment.

It’s not difficult for us to pick a musical to watch since it’s the 50th anniversary of the Beatles. We bought the tickets for the “Let It Be” for 150 pounds a pair.

We were there early. It was full house when the show started. The old TV at the left corner of the photo above asked trivia questions about the Beatles while we waited for the show to start. Ben was able to answer most of the questions. He is certainly a Beatles fan.

The musical is a 2-hour show. The people behind our row are certainly great fans as they sang along loudly most of the time. (more…)

We had lunch at Pret’s before exploring another museum. This time we had hot items like wrap and soup. I ordered a Macchiato to give me a boost. I was surprised it came in espresso size with a just a dash of milk i.e. very strong and bitter. I was expecting it to be Cappuccino size.

I also had a pastry from Paul’s when we picked up the tickets for a musical that night before we proceed to the Kensington South Station.

There are 3 museums near the Kensington South Station to choose from, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and Natural History Museum.We picked the Natural History Museum. There is an open air ice skating ring located outside of the Natural History Museum.

We entered the Natural History Museum from the Exhibition Road entrance to the Earth Galleries. The avenue of sculptures and specimens that shape our ever-changing planet. The Visions of Earth is in the Red Zone.

The escalator brings us to the center of the globe. The giant Earth sculpture is made from iron, zinc and copper. (more…)

Continuing the department of Greece and Rome; a huge room is dedicated to the Parthenon sculptures.

The Parthenon Sculptures were brought to England by Lord Elgin from the Parthenon in Athens. The British government purchased the reliefs from Lord Elgin in 1816. The sculptures also known as Ëlgin Marbles” have been on permanent display in the British Museum since 1817.

Horsemen from the west frieze of the Parthenon.

Wall lined with Parthenon Frieze. (more…)

With the expiry of our London City Pass, we dedicated the remaining days on museums which entrance is free.

If you only have time for one museum, British Museum will be the one. It is the oldest public museum in the world. The main entrance features a Greek facade that was based closely on those of the temple of Athena Polias.

The Great Court is the largest covered public space in Europe; it was once an outside courtyard.

There was a small exhibition of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater 3D paper architectures in the Great Court.

We started of with the department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. One of the famous exhibit is the Rosetta Stone. It is written in three languages, which enabled experts to decode Egyptian hieroglyphs for the first time. (more…)

We started day 8 with breakfast at Dulce Cafe. We found the cafe along Whitechapel High Street which is where the nearest underground station to our hotel is located; the…

There is a section of the Transport Museum dedicated to the design of the iconic London Underground logo.

The iconic Tube logo; the Roundel has 100 years of history.

The interior of an old Metropolitan Railway Car.

A double decker bus. (more…)

We still have a few hours to spare before sun down. So, we looked up the London Pass guide for another place to visit to maximize its value.

We decided to go to the London Transportation Museum since the London Underground will be celebrating its 150 years in 2013.

London Transport Museum brings the story of London’s transport and its impact on London into the 21st century.

Horse-drawn omnibus. (more…)

Upon returning from Hampton Court to Waterloo, Ben decided to take a walk down the Victoria Embankment since it’s nearby. Victoria Embankment is the narrow sliver of a public park, created when the Embankment was built.

Crossing the Waterloo Bridge to go to Victoria Embankment.

View of Thames River with Waterloo Bridge in the foreground and St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background from the Victoria Embankment.

Decorative benches. (more…)

There are several gardens surrounding the Hampton Court Palace.

A view of the Privy Garden from the King’s apartment. The Privy Garden is the King’s private garden.

The Great Fountain Garden. This garden was added by William III and Mary II. Only one of the thirteen fountains survives.

The large yew trees were planted by Queen Anne. (more…)

Here are some of photos of the interior of the apartments in Hampton Court Palace.

One of the dining room.

King Henry VIII’s chair.

A huge mirror in one of the room. (more…)