Flutter By, Butterfly~

The Natural History Museum: Sensational Butterflies Exhibit

Whilst location scouting for the last film, my friend and I went to the Natural History Museum, as that is where one of the scenes is filmed. However, I quickly got distracted by the Sensational Butterflies Exhibit after having seen the posters plastered all over the tube lines!

A wonderful exhibit, you walk into the tent and there are just... butterflies EVERYWHERE! With the warmth and sunshine streaming through the tent, it is a lovely experience. I spent the entire time with my friend, dancing around like a child, gasping every few seconds when I spotted a new type of butterfly (some of which were HUGE!!!) before spending a good half hour standing very still to try and encourage one to land on my arm. Needless to say that didn't quite work... (so next time I will wear my flower garland ;) )

I don't really know what it is about butterflies that I have always loved.... Obviously they are very pretty and very delicate... But I really could watch them fluttering around for hours. It's just a happy thing to do, I suppose. If that makes sense? Maybe relaxing is the better term.

Not to mention the fact that there are not only a huge array of different breeds flying around you, but also you get to learn about the different types of butterfly, the stages of growth (they even have a section to see the different stages of the cocoon-ing process! And yes, I realise cocoon-ing is not a word...)

So yes. If you have a free afternoon or even just an hour or so, do go wonder around the Sensational Butterflies exhibit. It is really interesting and enlightening, but also relaxing. A chance to let out your inner child and just take some time to appreciate nature's wonders - something a lot of people believe to be difficult in the built-up capital city that is London. 

For more information about this exhibit, just click HERE.

And that's all folks~ 

Until next time :)
xxx

Soho's Secret Teashop!

Because I haven't done a cafe blog in about a week a while...?

So this is really just a little side snippet of a much larger post (which is coming soon) where I show some friends around the biggest and best spots of London. 

Now, I've been giving relatives and friends tours of London for years now, yet I still never get bored of it. Those sights definitely aren't just for tourists to enjoy! However, having been a tourist myself, I can definitely say that whilst experiencing all the big spots is a must-do and an absolutely amazing experience, I feel that one of the ways to truly experience a city is by doing a handful of events that only Londoners do. The less traditional sights, the more obscure locations and the quirkier experiences is what truly makes a city. In my opinion anyway.

So, bearing that in mind, as well as the fact that I had only a weekend to show all of London's wonders off, I decided that Soho's Secret Tea Room would be the perfect way to make this experience for my friends that little bit more personal for them. After all, is there anything more quintessentially British than a Victorian styled tea shop with jazz music playing in the background in the middle of Soho?

However even I wasn't expecting the cafe to be as wonderful as it was! Tucked away behind the Palace Theater, above a random pub, you can truly appreciate why it's a 'secret'! 

With an array of delicious cakes and selection of loose leafed tea, we took an hour or so out of our London Tour to just rest our feet and recuperate for a while, with the knowledge that we were part of the few who knew about this wonderful place! 

And for all of those curious as to where it is, click here to be transported to the website :)

And that's it from me today, so I hope you enjoyed reading this and until next time!

xxx

Zoo Lates!

Animals! 

London, one of the huge cultural capitals of the world, have recently opened up their museums and exhibitions on certain nights of the week. This is a really great idea as, during the day, museums tend to be overrun with millions of people, all trying to see everything before closing time. Therefore, by opening up on certain nights, I feel that it is the perfect way to experience the wonderful exhibits in a slightly quieter, less crowded environment. 

So, with that in mind, I decided to drag round my wonderfully tolerant Boyf to see the London Zoo at night! Animals and alcohol! What better way is there to spend ones Friday evening? 

As I had been giving some friends a tour of London, I decided to get there via the Baker Street entrance, which gave me the opportunity to walk through Regent's Park. Having visited Regent's Park last year whilst watching 'Pride and Prejudice' at the Open Air Theater, I knew the walk through the peaceful greenery would be a nice way to start off my evening. As a side note, Regent's Park is truly beautiful, especially towards the evening time in summer - a definite 'must-visit' for all those looking for the perfect summer picnic spot!

So given what I had said earlier about the exhibitions being somewhat quieter... Yeah scrap that. The Zoo was absolutely buzzing with people all enjoying the summer sun. 

Firstly we were greeted by these two lovely gentlemen in Safari attire (one of whom started commentating on my picture taking shortly after this...) before we ventured into the....

Reptile House! Unfortunately I did not see the snake which Harry managed to let free in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', however we did see some very cute snakes, like the one above, as well as a lungfish and some adorable turtles!

After that, we toured the Zoo, seeing gorillas, penguins and, my favourite, the Big Cats. We also got the opportunity to sit for a bit and listen to some free music, just enjoying the summer! All in all, it was a wonderful little expedition and, although I didn't get to see as many animals as I would have liked, I really enjoyed the Zoo Lates and highly recommend it to any animal lovers out there who happen to be in London! 

Well that's it from me today! Until next time!
xxx