We Finally See a Few Museums!

Last night we went to see Sunny Afternoon, a musical about The Kinks. It was hard not to constantly compare it to The Commitments since both of them are about the creation of a band. We enjoyed the show but The Commitments just had our type of music.

This morning we went on a walk with a London Greeter. This is an organization of volunteers who meet tourists and show them their part of their city. They have them in many major cities including Chicago. Mike met us in Bloomsbury and showed us the various neighborhoods, garden squares, and museums in the area. He even took us into the British Museum and showed us a few of the exhibits. He was extremely knowledgeable about the local history and it was a great way to get to know a neighborhood we might not have otherwise seen.

After we left Mike, we had a quick lunch and then walked back to the Foundling Museum, one of the museums Mike had pointed out. It has a fascinating history. In 1739 Thomas Coram founded the Foundling Hospital to care for all the abandoned babies. The infant mortality rate was soaring, and he tried to save as many as he could by shipping them away to foster families until they were five, and then he would bring them back to the hospital where they would be raised until they could work. The mothers would give each child a token that would be kept with their records, and that is how they could identify their child if they were able to return for him/her. Most mothers never came back and so many of the tokens were on display. Very touching.

We walked back to the British Museum so Greg could take a quick look at the clock exhibit, and then we took the tube to Mrs. Kibbles Sweet Shoppe.

On the way, I saw a few interesting footwear sites. This first one is for you, P.R., if you're reading this.

And BB, this one is for your daughter. Maybe she could shape her shrubbery like this.

Still loving London, and the sun continues to shine. Rain is forecast for tomorrow so we've planned indoor adventures.