If you are like me then you have dreamt of visiting London at least once in your life and you have a list of places that you must check out when you see the capital. However, there is a saying in Romanian socoteala de acasă nu se potrivește cu cea târg, meaning that no plan can have everything from it checked. Money and time (and even the person you are going with) can make your plan not to be as fool-proofed as you would have thought.
And even if I didn’t see everything that I have wanted the first time I had seen London that does not mean that I didn’t have fun at some of the places that I had visited. And I can see the rest of the list the next time I visit England.
Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens
I admit, it wasn’t on the list and it wasn’t even on the plan for this holiday. But we had to kill some time before we entered Madam Tussaud and looked on Google maps for places to discover (we also hoped to find a cheap spot). And so we found a close park and said why not?
Today I am grateful that we arrived earlier because we discovered one of the most beautiful parks that I have ever seen in my entire life. Much more beautiful than Hyde Park.
It was named for Queen Mary, the wife of King George V, and opened to the public in 1932. Now it is one of the greatest collections (can we call it a collection?) of roses from London with almost 12,000 roses planted (and 85 variety beds present, including the Royal Parks rose).
But you will not see only roses, there are also begonias and shrubberies.
The most amazing part is the animals that I have seen in the park, some kinds of birds that I did not even recognize. But they seemed friendly enough and I did not try to engage with them too much, in case they wanted to attack me.
Of course, you do not have to see the whole park, you can find a bench and take in the surroundings.
The London Dungeon
I am not a fan of horror movies, but the person I went to was and I wanted for him to say that he enjoyed himself. And I knew he would not say this if we only saw places from my list: this is why when I found this interactive museum I recommended it to him. Let’s just say that he loved it so much that he said he would want to return the next time we see London.
There are several pieces from London history, some terrifying and some cruel. With your group (you cannot explore this on your own, but with multiple people that are then guided through the museum), you will walk into all the rooms of the museum and discover the not-so-nice history of this city: from Jack the Ripper to the Great Fire from 1666.
There are no exhibitions to look at, just actors portraying different characters.
Also, don’t wear your best clothes cause in some rooms you might get splashed (or it was my absolute bad luck to stay where the water splashed).
And at the end of the terrifying course, you can stop at the tavern (the museum shop) where you have to look and buy the scariest souvenirs.
I have to warn you, it is not for everyone (and I do not mean the faint-hearted individuals). This place is not recommended for people suffering from epilepsy, or pregnant women, nor is it for people suffering from heart diseases.
But if you do not find yourself on this list (and think that you are courageous enough) then buy your ticket as soon as possible for the scariest (and best) museum that you could see.
