Five Countries Four Marlboroughs: Believe it or Not!

I am in love with the tube! It is so easy to get around that even I can do it! We headed out this morning on the tube to Piccadilly Circus to find Ripley's Believe it or Not. It was one of those places where you wanted to turn away but you just had to keep looking. Shrunken heads, creepy animals and statues of people born 'unique'. I think we all cringed half the way around. What was cool though was the laser beams and the maze of mirrors. In the maze of mirrors at one point Terry and I got claustrophobic and wanted out but the lady made us go back in and keep looking for the exit. Kids loved it! Then I amused myself by pretending to be Angelina Jolie trying to make my way through laser beams without being detected. Fail.

Then we checked out Lillywhites (five floors of sports) and Harrods (more food!) again.

When we got back I decided to head over to Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. In my sheltered naive mind i thought I'd find some long-socked, pinstriped cap wearing Englishman discussing some lighthearted topic - how wrong could i have been! There were about 8 different people on ladders all trying to be heard and it was all VERY religious and VERY political. I only stayed about 15 minutes as I was one of the only women there (it kind of freaked me out) and it was just way too heavy. One guy 'speaking' to the strong Muslim crowd was saying that anyone in London should only speak English or they should go back to their own country - the crowd was really angry with him (why oh why would you get up and say that here - there are Arabs EVERYWHERE) Goodbye Speakers Corner - I was out of there!!

I ended up walking through Hyde Park and checked out Peter Pan and the gardens - there is a Marlborough gate which i nearly made it to but decided to turn back and so I can take the kids there another day.

Tomorrow Terry, the kids and I are off to the Cotswolds with a private guide - we have a 2 hour train ride in the morning and he will meet us at the station and take us around. I am going to give the guide the heads up from the start that we just aren't into history - we've tried and we just aren't. So uncultured but we don't care! I've made a list of all the places I want him to take us - will be interesting to see how the day goes! Look out Cotswolds - I hope you have a good nights sleep Tim Harrison - the Marlboroughs are coming!