South Kensington; Not for the Faint-hearted.
South Kensington must be one of the most familiar sights to a London school child. I think any school within a bus ride or tube journey of London must take their children to either the Natural History Museum or the Science Museum at some point in their school life. It MUST be compulsory. Added to that the fact that every trip of overseas school children finds it compulsory as well, and it leads to one over crowded area of South West London.
Actually, we have tried to visit during local school holidays and that is infinitely worse, with queues round the block and children every where. The school trips are bearable with, especially since I think some children will behave better for the teacher than their parents ("Darling, don't climb up there; no, sweetie, the guard doesn't want his beard pulling; Tris, wouldn't you rather come to see this fossil than climb the dinosaur?) and they are contained, since one of the biggest fears as a teacher is to go on a trip and return with one less child.
On our last London trip in October 2012 we had visited the Science Museum but missed out on the chance to ride on the Fly 360 exhibit. You seriously need to watch any video of this. Hopefully, I can link to mine, just to show you that when it says 360, it means 360. Middle Son was desperate to go back. For 2 years it has been his dream to take me on the damned thing, and this Monday we did. Actually, at first he went on with his sister. Apparently she fancied the thing. I watched and was happy.
And then we walked away and we had lunch and he was smiling, and grinning and kept saying that was awesome, oh Mum you have to go on... blah de blah de blah. And I laughed and said something along the lines of, Oh no, I'm too old/fat/female/whatever to go on.
And, God bless him he kept grinning. Called me chicken. Said I'd love it.
Then he took me on.
Actually, we have tried to visit during local school holidays and that is infinitely worse, with queues round the block and children every where. The school trips are bearable with, especially since I think some children will behave better for the teacher than their parents ("Darling, don't climb up there; no, sweetie, the guard doesn't want his beard pulling; Tris, wouldn't you rather come to see this fossil than climb the dinosaur?) and they are contained, since one of the biggest fears as a teacher is to go on a trip and return with one less child.
On our last London trip in October 2012 we had visited the Science Museum but missed out on the chance to ride on the Fly 360 exhibit. You seriously need to watch any video of this. Hopefully, I can link to mine, just to show you that when it says 360, it means 360. Middle Son was desperate to go back. For 2 years it has been his dream to take me on the damned thing, and this Monday we did. Actually, at first he went on with his sister. Apparently she fancied the thing. I watched and was happy.
And then we walked away and we had lunch and he was smiling, and grinning and kept saying that was awesome, oh Mum you have to go on... blah de blah de blah. And I laughed and said something along the lines of, Oh no, I'm too old/fat/female/whatever to go on.
And, God bless him he kept grinning. Called me chicken. Said I'd love it.
Then he took me on.
Ha ha, I love the fact that Peter stood there laughing when you tipped it completely over, Mick would be just the same, though you'd never get me on anything like that.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact you watched the video! I mean, it's basically just people laughing at a box. Being completely upside down was so weird inside the pod, because you really are upside down, so the hair drops down, there's space between you and the seat. I screamed (a lot) but it was like a rollercoaster scream, you know? Really enjoyable! Thank you for spending 7 minutes of your life laughing at mine!
DeleteYou'd have laughed if you saw me watching the video, I was sat here actually laughing. I'm glad I was on my own!
DeleteSome good screaming there! You look very happy and not green at all. I would have vomited in my handbag, I am sure I would have. Thanks for sharing your family fun. x
ReplyDeleteIt's a pleasure. It really was fun!
DeleteOh my. I'm scared just listening and looking at this. I just can't do rides like this but my husband likes them and I feel safe saying my kids probably will someday when they're a little older. Your son and daughter look so much alike to me in that top photo!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I never think of the children looking like each other, possibly because I know their little differences so well it seems silly. But I think there is a family strain of madness that goes through them all x
DeleteYou're a braver woman than I am! I'm rubbish on rides but being 'trapped' inside something as well would just about finish me off. xx
ReplyDeleteI must not have claustrophobia after all. I had no problem being closed in and spun round. That's quite comforting for me, since it means job option number 3 (space shuttle astronaut) could have been possible (if I'd been thinner, brainier and prepared to live in the States!)
DeleteRather you than me! I'm a total wimp when it comes to things like that - but I think all my children would enjoy it (something else for the ever increasing list). Looking forward to the next instalment of your week away!
ReplyDeleteIt was £12 a pod, and usually we pull the children past and mutter things like "Daylight Robbery", but we'd watched it a few times on our last trip and I knew it was something Son Number 2 was desperate to do, so it was money well spent. Proper experientialist stuff!
DeleteI could hear you laughing - excitement or fear perhaps? I love going up to the museums - when my kids were small and we lived in London it used to be a cheap day out for us but I remember how busy it can get. I haven't been for years now - all of my kids seem too big to be doing things like this; perhaps in the summer we'll do it as a a form of nostalgia. Glad you had a good laugh while hanging upside down!
ReplyDeleteAbsolute excitement, I couldn't stop laughing and screaming!
DeleteWell done you! Sounds like both your boys got to see and do stuff they really liked this hols.
ReplyDeleteLove the Top Gun music!
Lisa x
So long as the copyright lawyers don't start chasing me the music is there!
DeleteWe all tried to do something we wanted to. I was the winner, because I enjoy watching them doing things they like as well!
That looked like great fun! Luckily Goose lived to see another another day :-) xx
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which one of us is Goose, but yes, we're still going!
DeleteBrilliant video, love that your family were laughing so hard they could barely film you. And driving home backwards...just priceless.
ReplyDeleteI blush to think how we ended up backwards, but the best thing about that was at the end when the machine just ups and spins you round to face the right way! My (not the best) cameramen managed to miss that bit!
DeleteHow funny! I think it would've made me scream a lot too! And as for driving backwards, I'm sure I'd have done the same! xx
ReplyDelete