Trip to the Imperial War Museum

It's a pretty fair call to say that during most months of the year we have an aussie (or canadian) stop through our place for a day or two. So I'm getting better and better at being a London Tour Guide (albeit one with pretty shoddy facts). And over time I have managed to cross off a fair number of the London 'to do' list thanks to these people. The walk along southbank from my place to Westminster is one I OWN and full of Heather-Facts (Tower Bridge, London Dungeons, Borough Market [Bridget Jones Diary, Lock Stock, Jamie Oliver], Vinopolis, Southwark Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern [with Members Room], St Pauls, Oxo Tower, Blackfriars Bridge [Woody Allen spot], British Film Institute, Waterloo Bridge and Booksellers Market [the BEST bridge to cross for views] and the Eye). And if I was going to suggest my top 5 London to do list it would read:

1. Tate Modern

2. The Eye

3. West End shows (preceeded by dinner at Chinatown)

4. Camden Markets (followed by beers at Camden Lock)

5. The Imperial War Museum

In a city full of museums and galleries which exhibit the best that any city in the world could offer you, it is somewhat odd that I incude this last one, seeing as the Imperial War Museum would barely rate a blip on your average tourist's radar. And this has primarily to do with the fact it is located out near Elephant and Castle station - aka The Hood. It is but a 10 minute walk from our home, but for some reason we had never visited it. Until about a month ago. And we spent about 3 hours there and only managed to trawl through about a third of what was on offer. And even then, it was not done very dilligently. I dragged Dave nad Fred off there a month or so ago beuase I wanted to see the exhibitions of London 'At War', and more specifically of the London Blitz. And wouldn't you know it, but that we didn't even get near those exhibitions. After spending a while looking a the tanks, the planes, the missiles, the subs and firetrucks of the main entrance hall, we went throught the 'Children at War' exhibition and then into the Holocaust exhibition. Which was... well.... pretty horriffic. Whilst Dave and Fred scooted ahead, glazing over the majority of it, I read it all and took it all in. And by the time Hitler invaded Poland (ie. the start of WWII) my heart exploded and I could handle no more. I sleepwalked my way through the rest of the exhibition, periphally taking in the photos, the quotes, an amazing model of Auschwitz, and found Dave and Fred at the end and we decided we had had enough. So really, there is so much to do in this museum still, but for my money (not that i paid for any as it was all free, it was incredible. (And absolutely devoid of the tourist crowds you would expect on a weekend). Below are a few of the photos.

(apologies for crap blogging of late. I've lost my steam. Big 9/10 month update coming soon)

There are quite a few photos of a Spitfire, the type of plane which Dave recalls him and Andy building models of in his youth, and got Dave uncharacteristically excited.