London in Black and White

Naturally, I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing, when I'm doing it and what is needed to prepare for it. But gradually over the past year or so, I've become increasingly open to Spontaneity. I think this has developed after my itch to travel has increased.
I really want to just rock up at an airport and ask for the first available ticket to anywhere, to see where I end up. This idea thrills me. Perhaps a less drastic move of spontaneity was yesterday, when my friend and I decided to go to London last minute, and so off we went.

We decided to hit the museums, mainly because they were free, and also because both of us had not visited either the Natural History Museum nor the Science Museum in a very long time.

The natural history museum was just as I remembered it. The building itself is incredible, let alone the exhibits inside. One of my favourite parts of the museum which I feel is extremely underrated, is the room full of minerals and stones and fossils. I love endlessly reading and looking at the various different Carbonates, Sulphates, and the more exciting Meteorites. Perhaps this is my inner Chemistry love coming out, or maybe I just enjoy looking at the 'pretty stones.'

My other favourite part of the Natural History Museum is due to my definite inner Geography love coming out. That is the Volcanoes and Earthquakes section. It was my favourite subject in School and College. Volcanoes just fascinate me and I'm not 100% why. The earthquake simulator at the museum is pretty cool also. I just think the structure and make of the earth is fascinating. 

After our explorations in the Natural History Museum, we ventured to the Science Museum which conveniently is just around the corner. Now this museum was not what I expected. In fact, I was really disappointed at the exhibits they had gotten rid of. I was most looking forward to looking at one particular exhibit 'Journey through Medicine' as this linked to my course, yet all it ended up being was a few glass (and i really mean a few) cabinets filled with sparse apparatus which I had already seen before. My friend Shannon had been previously to this exhibit and explained that it used to be a full room packed with instruments, displays and mannequins (which she hates - she was quite relieved that the exhibit had been changed!) 

We didn't spend much time looking around the Science Museum, and so we both sat down to try and think of an alternative for the rest of the day. Half joking, Shannon suggested that we just go and see Star Wars at the IMAX theatre in the museum. I, in a more serious manner, decided to find out if they had any tickets left, and the prices of these. When we were told that their was still availability, we both looked at each other and the decision was instantly made - Our second spontaneous decision of the day! And it definitely was a decision well made. At the end we exited the cinema into a closed and rather eerie museum, and followed the crowd out of the back entrance. It certainly was an experience in itself to be in a closed museum at night. 

We then hopped on the Underground and grabbed a train back to Westminster, where we enjoyed a stroll towards the river in search of somewhere to grab dinner. We settled on our favourite place to eat - Giraffe - where we splashed out on cocktails and reflected on what a good decision we had made to come to London spontaneously. 

We then wondered to Waterloo to grab our train home, passing some great photo opportunities...

So maybe I won't be grabbing a flight to the first destination out of here (just yet) but I'm definitely open to more spontaneous decisions and activities. After all, sometimes spontaneity is best. (Though I'll definitely stick to planning for the majority...)