Monday 23 June - London Natural History Museum and Kensington Gardens

I thought it would be nice to head into central London and explore the Natural History Museum and take a wander through Kensington Gardens. The weather was perfect, except for a little wind, for a day in the city.

The tube ride into South Kensington was easy and mostly above ground. The short walk to the East Entrance to the Natural History Museum was gorgeous - big, tall, lush green trees over pathways between fern gardens. And a lovely quote from David Attenborough on the ramp to the entrance.

Inside the Hintze Hall was huge, with a Blue Whale skeleton hanging in the middle, plus plenty of people all excited to be there and see the amazing displays. The entry is free to the main museum with fees for any of the special exhibitions. I plan to visit the "Our Story with David Attenborough" event and will buy a ticket here.

Firstly, I explored the Hintze hall displays including the section of a Giant Sequoia. This tree was 1,335 years old when it was felled and the diameter of the trunk was huge. In the room behind the Giant Sequoia was the Minerals display. This room was filled with every imaginable mineral and gemstone including 'The Ostro Stone'. This stone is a 9,381 carat Topaz that weighs nearly two kilograms and is the works largest treated intense blue, faceted topaz. There were so many amazing pieces, especially in the Treasures Vault with the 'Meet the Dragon' - an exceptionally rare gold specimen of beautifully crystallised gold on quartz shaped like an ancient dragon.

After spending quite a bit of time looking at the gemstones and minerals I stepped outside for a quick lunch under the huge trees at East entrance. Then made my way to the David Attenborough exhibition. Unfortunately I should have gone earlier to book a space as they were all booked out for today. They advised they had availability tomorrow and I took a moment to think through my Tuesday plans before booking a ticket for midday tomorrow, as it is too much of a special experience to miss it.

I ventured across the hallway and visited the dinosaur display. This area was filled with families with young children and although interesting wasn't really captivating me. From here I meandered through a few other displays - images of nature, mammals and evolution garden before feeling quite full with information and the bustle of people and school children. It was time to be in actual nature.

I walked up Exhibition Road and into Kensington Gardens, found myself a spot in the shade under a beautiful tree and enjoyed a snack. The wind was a little cool, so I moved across to some lush grass near the Albert Memorial looking across to the Royal Albert Hall. It was lovely to just sit in the sun and watch the people, dogs, and bumblebees.

Before I headed back to Kelly's, I did go for a meander through the gardens, taking in the round pond near Kensington Palace with the stunning white swans, and the open spaces and treed areas of the park with the many people walking, riding bicycles, walking their dogs or simply lying in the sun. I found the Princess Diana Memorial Water Fountain that delighted the many young children who were playing in the cool water on this warm summer's day.