Tynemouth

One thing I love about NCL is the fact that we're near the sea. That, and the fact that we have a metro system here (the only such system in place other than the tube in London and subway in Glasgow). A daysaver ticket for £4.80 gets you from the city centre to the beach in about 20minutes, which is really very convenient.

We were blessed with beautiful weather on Good Friday, and made full advantage of rare sun to head to the beach.

I would love to return in slippers and proper beachwear. Standing by the waves and being unable to actually frolic in them because I was wearing jeans and sneakers seemed like such a waste. It's still cold though - Spring has arrived but temperatures are currently hovering around 8degrees Celcius. I'd gone to Whitley Bay in autumn and fallen into the water while paddle boarding, and the water was already very cold then. 

It's still a strange thing to wrap my head around - I associate beaches with tropical places, copious amounts of sun, and the idea of wanting to enter the cool waters to escape from the heat. Here in England the sun is a rarity and the beaches are freezing, and you don't actually want the wind to be blowing. You can't take my love for beaches and the sea away from me though. Chilly as it may be, I could spend hours lying by the sea, wiggling my toes in the sand and watching the tide come in. All one needs is to wait for a sunny day, some takeaway fish & chips (£6.20 for cod at Longsands), a mat and a good book.

Fossils & Fashion - Natural History Museum and The V&A

London's free museums:

Natural History Museum

Albertosaurus

This creature was a smaller, lighter relative of the Tyrannosaurus. It had the same tiny two-fingered forelimbs, too short to reach its mouth. They may have been used to grasp prey, or as proper to help the heavy dinosaur rise from a resting position on the ground. This one was 6.5m long and lived during the Upper Cretaceous period.

Dromaeosaurus (Running lizard)

These tiny, agile meat eaters hunted in packs to overpower much larger prey. They had large slashing claws on their back feet, which could deliver fatal wounds. They grew to 1.8m long, and lived during the Upper Cretaceous period.

Tuojiangosaurus

This plant eater was the first stegosaur found in China. The tall plates running along its back and two pairs of sharp tail spikes deter predators. This one was 6.67m long, and lived during the Upper Jurassic period.

Apparently the Natural History Museum is like most other natural history museums in other countries, but such museums don't exist in Singapore, and anyway I loved it. Dinosaurs!
P.S. If a T-rex tripped while running, the fall would probably have killed it. Because its hands aren't long enough to protect its head from hitting the ground first. Poor shorthanded fellas.

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The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Victoria & Albert Museum (otherwise known as the V&A) is something like a British history museum. It just so happened that a free tour was starting when we wandered in, so we joined in and got to learn more about people like Oliver Cromwell, Elizabeth I, Charles I & II, Mary Queen of Scott's. They also had Raphael's tapestries on display, and an ongoing fashion exhibit of clothes from the 1700s to modern times.

The wide-hooped skirts of the mantua were already old fashioned in the 1750s, but women were required to wear this cumbersome style to royal assemblies and balls. It required skill to negotiate doorways and carriages while maintaining a graceful posture. 

Court dress was made from the most fashionable and expensive fabrics and trimmings. The silks were displayed to perfection on the mantua petticoat and train. Often woven and embroidered with gold thread, they sparkled in candlelight, with diamonds and expensive lace adding to the effect.

Thank goodness this fashion didn't last long (for obvious reasons).

Getting there: (Click on links for detailed directions)

Natural History Museum

Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

Nearest tube: South Kensington (5min)

Victoria & Albert Museum

Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

Nearest tube: South Kensington (5min)

Note: The Natural History Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, and Science Museum are all within walking distance of each other. It is possible to visit all 3 on the same day.

Photos taken with Sony RX100 ii

Musings over Marble - The British Museum and National Gallery

London's free museums:

The British Museum