Twilight at the Museums

Twilight at the Museums is an annual event usually held during half-term. The museums are lit up and children are asked to bring their 'torches' (flashlights). It is a free event and a great way to go see some of the museums if you find it hard to get there during their normal opening hours. Also you get to see the museums in a different light.

A great way to break up the short days in the spring!

St Brides

St Brides Church is known as the journalist church. You can see its Wren steeple from St Pauls and if very modern compared to what you would expect. It was damaged during the war. The steeple was the inspiration for the first wedding cake.

It is free to enter and has a great exhibition in the crypt!  Also it was the first time Jane had seen an iron casket. Look out for the seats sponsored by the newspapers!

Festival of Ideas

Festival of Ideas is annual event that happens in the October and is held by Cambridge University. It started in 2008 and was meant to get the public engaged with the University. I went to a lot of talks last year and really enjoyed it. Some of them you have to prebook and there are things for all ages and interests. This is a great way to keep your children busy during half term and see the kind of things that are being discussed at Cambridge University.

Tate Modern

The Tate Modern is located on the south bank of the River Thames right next toe Millennium Bridge. It is a gallery showing international modern and contemporary art. It is built in what used to be a power station and was opened in 2000. It shows art after the 1900s because the National Gallery and the V & A Museum show pre-1900 art. It belongs to a group of Tate Galleries.

I like to pop in the Tate Modern not only because it is free but sometimes they have very interesting exhibitions (some of the major ones are not free). Once there were slides in here which were fun. So if you are in the area see what they have to offer.

National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery is right around the corner from the National Gallery and is free to the public. It opened in 1856 and the mission was so that people would know the faces of famous British people.

If you are in the area, its worth visiting!

London Pass

If you are going to be seeing London, the London Pass could be a great option. It gets you into many sightseeing places without queuing, the price is included in the pass or you get a discount. I suggest that you plan ahead before you go to London and plan to see things that are located next to each other or at least the same side of London otherwise it could be a waste because you will not see as much. I would refrain from getting the travelcard included and get the Oyster Card instead.

Barristers Wigs

If you watch a British law TV show, you might see the lawyer (barrister) or the judge wearing a wig. They still wear them today in court.They are made of horsehair. Women do not have to wear wigs but usually wear their hair in the style of the wigs.

It is thought that people used to shave their heads to reduce the spreading of lice and began to wigs instead around 1680. Barristers wear small half wigs and judges wear the bobwigs. The longer wigs are only worn for ceremonies.

The Royal Court of Justice has a great display of the wigs. It is free to visit and you can sit in on trials.

Why do they wear wigs? Louis XIII started the trend in 1624 as he was balding and it caught on. It was to allow them to hide themselves and distance themselves from the case. They are also a badge of honour and junior barristers can't wait to have them.

Some other traditions:

• Barristers bow to the judge whenever they enter or leave a courtroom (I saw this when I had to go to court for my rearlights in Bury St Edmunds- I got it fixed and did everything correctly but the police forgot to ask for some paperwork.) They do not bow to an empty courtroom.
• Barristers don't carry briefcases event though their written instructions are called briefs.
• A judge is never left in the courtroom alone, one barrister will always stay with the judge.

Buckingham Palace, The Queen's Gallery and The Royal Mews

I had some time off and as I was still in the festive mood from the Diamond Jubilee and The Olympics so I thought I would finally go and see Buckingham Palace. The Queen opens it up for 9 weeks every year whilst she is away on holiday. Usually you can get the Royal Day out ticket which allows you to see Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, the Queen's Gallery and Clarence House but Clarence House was closed this year. It is not cheap to visit here and that was one thing that has put me off going here and also I had heard mixed reviews from my friends. It does help for the up keep of these beautiful and historic buildings though. You can see some of the pictures I took that day here. I recommend you get the tube to Green Park and walk down from there.

Buckingham Palace became the royal residence for the monarchy when Queen Victoria came to power. She need more space so they had to extend the house. The newer addition is the front bit you can see from the Queen Victoria fountain. Marble Arch used to be located where the new addition is which was relocated to the corner of Hyde Park. I thought that Buckingham Palace was a beautiful place. The free audio guide was great as you could choose whether you wanted to know more about some of the items around the house. At the time i went they had a special display of diamonds as it was the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. I really like it but there were too many people and whilst the line was already going slow, some people were stopping for way too long to look at the diamonds holding up the people behind them. You cannot take pictures inside.

The Royal Mews is where the horses are kept for the Queen. I liked this place because I was able to see some of the cars that I have seen her in during her visit to Cambridge. I was also able to see the carriages used for the Royal Wedding. I didn't take the free audio guide and found that the signs informative. Also some of the staff still live here.

The Queen's Gallery opened in 1962. It often has special exhibitions and when I went there was a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition of his drawings of the human body.  It was nicely displayed. You can take pictures here but with no flash.

The good thing is that if you have been here once, you can return within a year for free as many times as you want if you get your ticket stamped before you leave. So I intend on going back next year to the what display they have out. I wish I had gone last year because Kate Middleton's dress was displayed. I am a royalist so this was up my alley. It was nice to see the coaches and cars that I have seen. Also the more I visit in London, the better my understanding of the history and people becomes.

I suggest that if you are not huge on art, don't bother going to the Queen's Gallery. The Royal Mews is nice and they have a great area for children to do some crafts. but I recommend if you just want to get a small dose of how the Queen lives, just stick to Buckingham Palace. Saying that, you could make a great half of a day at the attractions and spend the rest of the day picnicking and napping in St James Park or Green Park (weather permitting) which will bring down the costs.

Duxford Air Museum

I think that any American stationed in this area should go to Duxford Air Museum. Not only do they have an American place display including a B-52 but it really puts in perspective what the British have experienced during the war. 

They have really good air shows and you can get in free for Remembrance Day. 

It is very child friendly and a great day out!

The Sedgwick Museum

I think the first time I had been in The Sedgwick Museum was actually on the Moonlight Walk with Jane. I recognised the staircase when I got to the door.

The Sedgwick Museum is  another great place to take the children to get them interested in science. It contains over 1.5 million fossils, rocks and minerals. You can use step stools and magnifying sheets to look at sample and there are some that you can touch.

It is a free museum as are most of the others in Cambridge. It has great displays and also has items from Darwin’s collections. It is organised so that you can take a walk through time. It is also located right by the Grand Arcade so it’s easy to mix some shopping up with some learning.

This is another idea for when you are looking for some indoor activities.

Twilight at the Museums

Twilight at the Museums is an annual event usually held during half-term. The museums are lit up and children are asked to bring their 'torches' (flashlights). It is a free event and a great way to go see some of the museums if you find it hard to get there during their normal opening hours. Also you get to see the museums in a different light.

A great way to break up the short days in the spring!

V & A Museum

The V & A Museum is another great free thing to do whilst in London. They have a great display of the history of clothing but often have other great exhibits about art and design.

It is located near the Royal Albert Hall so if you are in the area pop in. There are also great displays for children.

Whipple Museum

The Whipple Museum is the based on the history of science and although it is open from The Museum is open from 12:30-4:30pm from Monday-Friday and is free. It is a great place to bring the children by to show how the science we know today came about. There are even items that are hands on which are fun for little hands to handle. So if you are in the area and seeing the Sedgewick Museum, stop on by.

Thankful for the free Musuems

I love the fact that so many museums are free here. Check them out here. It makes all the art collections and artifacts so accessible to all. It is a great way to get your children interested in these things but also if you are an arts or history enthusiast, it doesn't have to be expensive. My favourite one in Cambridge is the Fitzwilliam but the colleges have quite a few that are being redone and make learning about science, history and art fun! I suggest you save the museums for rainy days as there are other things to do when the weather is nice!

Mildenhall Museum

Mildenhall Museum is right in the centre of town. It is very children friendly. They have a wide range of items on display from war paraphernalia to the Mildenhall Treasure.

The Mildenhall Treasure were discovered in 1943 by a ploughman. He found 34 Roman pieces in a field in Mildenahll. This is displayed at the museum.

A great place to take them on a rainy day and looking for something to do!

National Gallery

While you are here, you must take advantage of the free museums. Most of them are free but may charge you for certain exhibitions but generally are free.

The National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square and the building dates back to 1832-1838.. It houses Western European paintings from the 13th to 19th centuries. If you are an art lover, then it’s the place for you, if not why not come and see what it’s all about. You can see the Sunflowers by Van Gogh.

Here are 30 paintings you must see if you go to the National Gallery.

Museum of Zoology

There are so many great and free museums in Cambridge, its hard just to know where to start.

I had a chance to pop in the Museum of Zoology and take a look around. I was surprised at the amount of displays that they had and the information available

I don’t think that the museums in Cambridge will be like anything you expect but they are definitely worth the visit. This museum is great for those with children with an interest in animals and history. It was very cute to overhear the sounds of a little boy who guessed  and elephant based on the skeleton of and exhibit.

One of the best things I thought was Darwin’s bug collection.

There is also a free zoologist club for 6-13 year olds.

A perfect place to start to go to when the weather starts getting cold.

Edinburgh and Glasgow.

I have always wanted to visit Edinburgh and I seem to go away for my birthday every year so I thought why not. We decided to go to Glasgow also because my sister-in-law lives there.

We took the train up from Cambridge, which I highly recommend. It is nice to just sit back, read a book or take a nap, you don't have the aggravation of driving and dealing with traffic.. When you compare the costs in fuel, wear and tear on your car and parking costs, I think that the train is a great option. The train station is in the centre of town and everything is walking distance from there.

We stayed at the Regent House Hotel. It was a 10 minute walk from the station and on the north side of town. It was a nice room and had a good breakfast (continental no English breakfast).

We had to go to Edinburgh Castle as it is one of the main attractions. Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to James VI.

There is also the Honours of Scotland dating back to the 15th century and were hidden during the Civil War, WWI and WWII.

It also hosts the National Museum to the War Museum of Scotland.

Another interesting thing about Edinburgh Castle is that American POWs in the American Revolution (War of Independence) were held here. You can walk around and see how they lived.

There is a gun that fired here every day at one o'clock.

The oldest building in Edinburgh is here, stop by St Margaret's Chapel built in the 12th century.

Camera Obscura is right next to Edinburgh Castle and is one of the most popular attractions. It is a great place for adults and children. There are five floors of fun. Definitely worth a stop but do see if you can get a coupon for a discount on your entry before you get here.  

I love to go to royal residences so I had to stop at Holyrood Palace. It was built in 1529 for James V and Mary of Guise.

It has a lot of great displays about Mary, Queens of Scots, whose advisor, David Rizzio, was murdered here.

You get to see the throne room and other areas of the house where the Queen hosts banquets.
 
My husband really liked the remains of the Holyroodhouse chapel.
 
Across the road from Holyrood Palace, is the the Scottish Parliament. It is free to visit and has a great display about the history of the Scottish Parliament. There are also guided tours. It wasn't until 1997 that the referendum of Scotland was voted and passed and the first Scottish Parliament was voted in 1999. So all of this is relatively new.

John Knox started the Scottish Reformation from St Giles Cathedral in the 17th century. The building itself dates back to the 15th century and has an impressive Thistle Chapel with rib-vaulted ceiling.


We did the Meerkat  Underground tour which we liked but my sister-in-law says that the Auld Reekie Tours are better. But you will be able to find quite a few tour places that will take you under Edinburgh and show you where people used to live.
 
Calton Hill great place to take a stroll and take in the beautiful sights of Edinburgh. This is one of the first parks that was designed for the public as it was deemed important for people to open spaces to walk about. 

Glasgow 

We took a train from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It was about an hour long and loved the service on Scottish Rail. They had trolleys where you could buy food and drink and free wifi!

Provand's Lordship is the only medieval building in Glasgow. Its a great place to see how people lived in a 15th century household.  

Glasgow Cathedral is a must see! I think that most churches are beautiful and inspiring. This one is a rare example because it was not destroyed during the Scottish Reformation. It is built on two levels because the sloping hill. The crypt is just as impressive as the main level.

Glasgow Necropolis is right behind Glasgow Cathedral. Take a walk up the hill and see amazing views of Glasgow and see the monument to John Knox. It is a Victorian cemetery.

No visit to Glasgow is complete without a picture with the statue with a traffic cone on it.

My sister-in-law went to university here and has said that she has never seen it without one on it. If it does get removed, another one is quickly put on top of it. She said she didn't know how because she has a friend try to climb up there without much success!

Great Trip!