We were up a bit earlier today and departed the Allen House by mid-morning.
We headed out to the High St. Ken tube station. About halfway there, I realized that I’d left our Oyster cards at home. Ah well, that’s only a (refundable) 10 pound error for two new cards. Since we weren’t going to be in town all week, I simply topped up the cards with 15 pounds that we’ll use over the next few days.
Our destination: the London Zoo in Regent’s Park. To minimize train changes, we opted to take the Circle Line to Great Portland Street and then walked north through the park. The weather was splendid—sunny but a bit cooler. Along the Regent’s Park Broad Walk, we stopped off for lunch at the Honest Sausage, purveyors of high-quality, handmade, organic… sausage (did you expect me to say something else?). The sausage and onion relish were excellent! Or, as Emerson said, “good” (her highest form of praise).
Libby & Emerson @ Honest Sausage in Regent's Park
After lunch, we reached the zoo. It’s a bit expensive at over $30 per adult (kids under three are free). But, it was enjoyable. We visited the reptile house (of Harry Potter fame), watched monkeys and meerkats play, and saw camels and bearded pigs. Penguin Beach was especially popular with Emerson. All told, we spent a few hours at the zoo.
We left the zoo around three in the afternoon and started to head back through the park to the tube station. Along the way, I stopped to take photos of the spectacular gardens.
Regent's Park
While we were walking, Emerson fell asleep in her stroller. So rather than wake her, we opted to walk back to the Allen House! We traveled via Marylebone Rd, Gloucster Pl, Marble Arch, and then through Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens. For those of you that don’t know London, it’s a decent length walk – about 4 miles.
We stopped on High St. Ken to pick-up dinner, which we ate at the Allen House. By this time, it had started raining lightly. We’re expecting showers and much cooler weather the next couple of days. After dinner, I popped back out to get Libby dessert (a Ben’s Cookie), and I bought Emerson a new book (Peekaboo Farm). We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the flat.