Håkan and I went to buy some breakfast at Hopper Coffee House which we passed by yesterday. Lovely little place with just a few seats inside but an open window. We got there just in time because after we had ordered our takeaway avocado on sourdough and pancakes people kept rolling up to the window ordering different types of coffee, at least two stating that they hadn’t slept.
When we got back to the house, Martin joined us in the kitchen and we put on the F1 qualifier while eating our very delicious first meal of the day.
Last preparations and then off to Madam Tussaud where we had tickets for 11:15-11:30. When we arrived we didn’t understand the queuing system, but when the staffer said “everyone with 11:45 or later on their tickets, go away and come back later”, resulting in lots of laughter, we got sorted in the right line. We waited for about fifteen minutes and got in. At first, it felt a bit chaotic, but it worked rather well, everyone being fairly polite and letting people get their shots with the figures. Some were spot on in regards to how I portrayed the individuals, other was perhaps more alike a few years back, and some I didn’t know who it was, Martin however recognized almost everyone.
About halfway through the museum, there was a choke point, the first time we actually stood still involuntarily. Otherwise, the whole experience was quite smooth. After the choke point, we got into the Marvel section where we previously purchased tickets for a 4D movie experience. A few minutes with 3D effects and then some rumbling chairs, water spray, and air burst. A quite fun scene, but I think it would be annoying if a full-length film was filled with these effects.
All in all, it feels good to have visited a Madam Tussaud museum, I will probably not go back. Martin and Håkan wanted to go to the British Museum and I wanted to watch two games so we split up. I headed off to find a restaurant or café with free wifi where I could sit for about two and a half hours with good conscience. I found Slim Chickens where I ordered the meal called “Hungry” and sat down in a corner and put up my laptop. I had Sirius visiting Degerfors on the laptop and then Leksand hosting Malmö on the phone. Hope I didn’t steal all the bandwidth for the other customers.
Martin and Håkan decided they didn’t wanna do the British museum but found a nice Italian restaurant for lunch. We agreed to visit HMS Belfast instead so when the Sirius game had ended I made my way there to meet them on the boat.
Couldn’t watch the last period of the hockey game since there is no cell coverage in the subway, which I feel is a bit strange, at least at the stations. As a consequence, a lot fewer people are using their phones on the subway compared to Stockholm. Many are reading a book or a magazine instead.
We spent about an hour and a half on the boat, realizing how tight it was in the engine room, how big the guns were and that life on the ship probably wasn’t a walk in the park. We went on to walk the Tower bridge after seeing it being raised for a sailboat passing by. I wonder if they can call and order an opening because it opened at 17:55 which was an odd time.
Took the subway to Buckingham Palace where Håkan got to work as the professional photographer he is and took a few pictures of two guys since he has a camera and it had become dark making it more difficult to get a good picture without the proper equipment.
We decided it was time for some food, and we expected that the selection of restaurants would be better around the palace in comparison to Clapham where we are staying. We found a place called The Stoke House where we had an amazing “Meat feast” sitting outside in the mid of October. Even though it was so delicious we were so full we had to leave a couple of chicken breasts. A great ending on this rather nice day.
Subway back to the house and then Martin went to bed, Håkan editing his photos and I’m writing this blog, while waiting on Håkans images 🙂
Tomorrow is gameday, the big purpose of this trip, really looking forward to it. I would estimate that for every Giants jersey or cap we’ve seen like 50 or 100 Packers fans.
