Imperial War Museum London and Whole Foods Market Kensington
japra | Jun 09, 2008 | Comments 10
After Mr. DJ and I dropped Roxi off at her friend’s house, we took the train into London. Another beautiful, summery day! Oh, and after all that moaning I’ve been doing about the “100 Days of Darkness”, I wanted to say that the days are so nice and long now! Sunrise today was at 4:45am, though one day I woke up to some very noisy “early birds” chirping away to the very first rays of the sun… at 4:00 in the morning. The official sunset time is 9:16 tonight, but we really have light until just before 10:00pm. So you see? It’s not so bad now.
This is on the way from the train station to the Imperial War Museum. I just thought the London eye and those cranes looked neat peeking up from behind the buildings.
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Here are the banners announcing the “For Your Eyes Only Ian Flemming and James Bond” exhibit at the Imperial War Museum. We did go to this exhibit–it was okay, maybe about a B-. About half of the exhibit included Ian Flemming’s personal items and manuscripts. The other half is devoted to James Bond books (examples of covers and editions) and movies (a few costumes and props). Maybe this exhibit is better for the die-hard Flemming/Bond fan. Anyway, if you want to go, tickets are £8 per person and the exhibit runs until 1 March 2009.
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At last! We’ve been wanting to go to The Imperial War Museum since last year. Welcome to “Bedlam” or what was in the mid-1800s the Bethlem Royal Hospital, a psychiatric hospital . You can read more about the histories of this the building, the museum, and the hospital here. It is a fabulous building!
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There is a lovely rose border in front. It smelled so good that I had to walk around it once just to enjoy the scents.
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These pointy flowers were also on the museum grounds. I have no idea what they are, but aren’t they neat looking?
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It’s hard to miss these huge 15-inch guns located in the Museum’s front garden. They are from World War I.
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Oh, too much to see in this museum, as usual. We spent six hours here, breaking for tea of course, and we only saw the James Bond, First World War, and part of the Second World War exhibits. We did see the Blitz Experience, sort of a Disney-fied exhibit (sights, sounds, smells) of the bombing of London in 1940. The Trench Experience (depicting the trench warfare of WWI) was better, I thought.
All in all a very good museum. We need to go back to see the rest of the WWII exhibit as well as the art galleries, the Holocaust Exhibition and the Crimes Against Humanity section. I think those will have to wait for another one of Roxi’s Saturday sleepovers as I see that the Holocaust exhibit isn’t recommended for children under 14 and the Crimes Against Humanity one isn’t recommended for children under 16.
Imperial War Museum London
Open daily 10am-6pm (except for Dec 24-26)
Free Admission (except for some special exhibits)
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After the museum, we headed over to the Lambeth North Underground station. I took this photo in the hallways down below. It felt very Get Smart-y down there without the crowds. Agent 86 and I wondered where everyone was… I think they were all having a picnic along the Thames.
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Well, there was one other fellow down there with us.
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Seriously, this is such a rare sight! An empty train car.
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I thought this was an amusing poster. Mr. DJ told me there’s one that says “I won’t talk loudly on my mobile”.
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Well, we finally made it to this mecca. If you live within an hour of London and you are an Expat American (or better yet an Expat Texan) and you are so homesick that you are willing to invest time and money to experience a bit of America, by all means, go.
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This is probably the poshest Whole Foods Market I’ve ever seen (okay, so I’ve only been to the one in Houston and the mega flagship in Austin). Located in the former Barker’s department store, this Whole Foods Market is 80,000 square feet huge spread over three levels. Vast open aisles, wonderful selections of, well, everything. I didn’t see a lot of stuff from America, though. It looks like, and rightly so, this Whole Foods’ inventory is locally sourced. Gosh–the artichokes were gorgeous!
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We wandered around for a bit, but we were hungry and our low blood sugar added to a sort of sensory overload feeling. We headed upstairs for some dinner and settled on tapas. Mmmm!
OK, and I just have to say this, and really it’s just me nit-picking at this point. There were two things that bothered me about this Whole Foods Market. While I was there, I was ecstatic –sad, I know–but even in my excitement, something felt a little off. I woke up on Sunday and realized what it was: 1) There are security guys in the store which I think gives it an unfriendly feel. They’re dressed in black and have little secret service-style communicators. 2) I miss the friendly helpers and cashiers back in my Whole Foods Market in Texas. I’m just saying.
Whole Foods, you’ve really come a long way, baby. Good for you. But sometimes I still miss your old store on West Alabama.
The Barkers Building 63-97
Kensington High Street
W8 5SE
Mon–Sat: 8 am– 10 pm (Look! They stay open until 10 pm!)
Sun: Noon – 6 pm
Filed Under: Blog • Destinations • London • Museums • What to Do
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
Sounds like another great day! I hate to scare you, but maybe the guards aren’t a permanent fixture and they were just there because of some sort of scare?
Enjoy the great weather. You deserve it! Great pictures, and I love that tube poster.
Laurie–It could be, but unfortunately, security gaurds are pretty common here. It was just weird to see them at the Whole Foods.
Rebecca–Thank you! I think we have one more beautiful day today and then showers. I am ready for a few rainy days as this good weather is too distracting ;-)
I used to shop in the W. Alabama Whole Foods when I first came to Houston. (I was living a couple of blocks over, on Hawthorne and Dunlavy.) Even before that, I shopped at the original Whole Foods in Austin. Having been to the posh Kensington one as well, I have to say that it’s really lost the hippie vibe that used to define it. But still, it is fun — in an over-the-top, luxe way.
Thanks for the tips on the Imperial War Museum. That has my Dad and my Brother written all over it. I think that I will save it for when they visit!!
Bee–It was SO fun! Mr. DJ was hungry, but I really could have poked around for much longer. I loved looking at everything.
I am sure your Dad and brother would love the IWML. It’s a really short walk from Lambeth North station.
What a wonderful day! That’s amazing that you spent so much time at the museum and yet there was more to see.
You are right, the WF in our neighborhood has such friendly people that I don’t mind going several times a week! There is an off duty police officer stationed there in the entryway watching over the parking lot, but he is really cheery, too. Mimsy
Alyson–It is amazing. I try to tell my guests it is important to wear comfortable shoes while visiting us here. All the walking around town and then those cement floors in the museums can really be hard on the feet, especially if you’re not used to it.
Mimsy–Well, in general, everyone is super friendly in Texas, right?
They still have that blitz thing going? I saw it when it first opened, some older women freaked out in the bunker when the dust came in.
I used to take the tube to Elephant and Castle ;-) never Lambeth.
I lover the Imperial War museum, its my favorite London Museum, of course I have never been to the Victoria and Albert Museum which has textiles and clothing…
Susan–Mmmm, the V&A! The jewelry exhibit has re-opened so I will definitely be going there sometime soon. Well, I may wait until after tourist season.
Yes, the Blitz Experience is still there. No dust coming down, but the bunker does shake and there is a rumbly noise. Mainly, the volume was down so low that it was really hard to hear the narration.