Cabin Fever

MDR & MB have been in London for two weeks now, staying in a very small hotel room and starting to get severe case of cabin fever... Didn't even have a fridge in the room until a couple of days ago. Anyway enough complaining, they are not hanging around the in the room all day, too busy out and about. The Hilton does a great breakfast buffet too! Salvation is at hand today though as the pair have found a serviced apartment nearby and are checking out of the Hilton Docklands. Looking forward to cooking some typical British produce in the apartment, no chips!

Yesterday MB visited Somerset House to see the Gilbert Collection. She read about it in one of the London newspapers, there is some controversy as this museum is having trouble attracting visitors. Sure enough it was very quiet, MB only spied one other visitor while she was there. It houses some fantastic collections, the Gilbert Collection in particular was privately owned but bequested to Somerset House from a British expatriate collector who lived in the USA. MB even had a tour guide for part of the time, the chap who sold her an entry ticket, he was very friendly and loved telling her all about the pieces, it was good as MB got to see things she wouldn't have otherwise noticed. This collection has got be worth more than the entire GDP of Australia, it was astonishing, a huge amount of silver & gold gilt and solid gold ware, including two solid silver sets, with gold gilding, of full size gates from a monastery in Kiev. There was also a huge collection of very rare snuff boxes, micro mosiac artworks and incredibly ornate furniture inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones. Not allowed to take photos there so website link if you are interested: http://www.gilbert-collection.org.uk/.

MB also spotted the home of Twinings Tea in the city yesterday, it's a tiny little shop on the Strand, see photo attached. The shop is hardly more than the width of the double entry doors! However when you enter the shop does go back quite a way. Very charming indeed.