Apart from the highstreet stores that become the world's famous street, what else do I love about London? The museums. Hands down. Never in the entire universe I find a whole lot of museum in one city other than London. And to add to it, most (if not all) of them are free to enter - no need to pay, except for some special exhibition in-house. From Science Museum for your scientific curiosity, to Natural History Museum for the naturalist among you (not naturist, ahaks!), to British Museum - the must-visit when you're in London; to the Design Museum and Fashion & Textile Museum at Tower Hamlets borough, to Victoria & Albert, Museum of Childhood History, Freud Museum and all in between - London has got all of them! Plenty!
Besides strolling around learning about history and getting in all the information about the past lives of people, one thing that I love when visiting museums is the Shop. A shopaholic is always a shopaholic, right? And the one that I'd never fail to buy: the keychains.
Living in London for many years, and sometimes becoming a tour guide for some visitors from back home, I kinda well-versed on where to find cheap but good souvenirs to bring back to family and friends. It's at the museums, of course. They're much cheaper than the typical souvenir shops, sometimes even less than half-price! Like these Routemaster keychain that cost about £1. If you buy it at local stores by Oxford Street, you might have to pay almost £3 for one! So, isn't it a bargain?
You can even got some special figurines or keychain like these Roman guard's helmet that is part of historical London in yesteryears.
Oh, where do I get those? From the Museum of London. (Tube station: St Paul). I went there last time to learn a bit on the famous story of the 'Great Fire of London' by which the capital got its nickname: the Big Smoke. It's awesome coz I gotta see a 'play' on how the whole thing happened back there in 1666, when the event is all started at a small bakery somewhere in Pudding Lane (near the Monument, the world's tallest free-standing column) and spread to the whole capital. Yes, a truly Big Smoke.
That's not all. I gotta learn about how London developed as it is now. From the time where it is invaded by the Romans, the Cool Brittania, the Flower Power era and of course, the new Milennium Britian - there's so much happening that made London as a unique melting pot of many cultures.
And to add to that, of course the Shop for some retail therapy. From keychains to homewears, fashion items like t-shirts, necklaces etc etc... they're all pretty cool stuff. Some are dead cheap, while the specialy items can cost you to hundreds of pounds. Some even made into advertorial in fashion magazines like Vogue.
Visit Museum of London, and you can also see this golden, highly opulent ornamented carriage that is ridden by the Mayor of London during the Lord Mayor's day. It's magical. Just like Cinderella's carriage, minus the pumpkin shape!
Oh, another thing. If you really want a serious retail therapy after that - there's One New Change - the newly opened departmental store that is said to be Westfield equal. :)
