Day 83 (Monday, December 20, 2021)
Costs for the Day are in the Table below:
Bi woke up several times tonight to take Sydney out and I did once. When I took her out, she went to the bathroom right away and then we went back inside shortly thereafter. At 8:30am we fed her breakfast and started packing and cleaning up the Airbnb so we could check out. I also took Sydney to the park so she could play a little but she still seems to be most comfortable at home or in the little frond yard of the Airbnb.
At 12:30pm we checked out and took the Train/ Tube to the British Museum downtown, (3.6 Pounds for the Train and 6 Pounds for the Tube) Since pets are not allowed and also had luggage, we decided to take turns at the museum with the other waiting in a nearby cafe (Pret A Manger) with Sydney and the luggage. Bi let me go to the museum first while she watched our stuff. We both had some drinks – coffee/chai latte and some snacks. (Cost: 13.35 Pounds)
The British Museum is free to enter and massive. It has an impressive array of artifacts from Dinosaur fossils and collections on evolution and taxonomy to sphynxes from ancient Egypt, statues of Venus and the other gods from ancient Greece, weapons, clothing, and moccasins from North America, intricate Mayan stone carvings from Mexico, etc. The collections are beautifully displayed with enormous rooms dedicated to each area. I was there for 1.5 hours and only made it through the first floor and that only superficially.
A few items I was excited to see:
- The original ichthyosaur jawbone discovered by Mary Anning in Dorset. I had read about her and the fossils she uncovered so I found this fascinating. Can you imagine finding an entire dinosaur skeleton at that time? It must have made dragons seem very believable.
- The Rosetta Stone which was used to translate Egyptian Hieroglyphic script and was created in 196 BC. It was discovered by Napoleon’s Army in 1799 in the town of Rashid (Rosetta) north of Cairo.
- Orreries or mechanical models of the solar system. They may seem archaic now but I still find them beautiful and they always make me reflect on the enormity of the universe and the magical physics that keeps everything moving and spinning in space.
- The statues of the Greek gods of which so many fantastic mythical stories have been written. I like the one of Venus, the goddess of love that was sculpted in 1-200 AD. This one was actually a Roman creation inspired by 4th century BC Athenian sculptures.
- The Aztec stone blade with shell inlay depicting the Eagle Warrior from AD 1400-1521 that was used in human sacrifice. It was believed that blood offerings were necessary to keep the sun on its course.
After leaving the Museum, I went back to the cafe to swap with Bi but we ended up getting engaged in an interesting conversation regarding property in Portugal with a couple in the cafe. So, we chatted for a while and Bi elected to skip the museum.
Then we hopped on the Tube and a couple trains on an hour and 45 minute trip up to Cambridge. Sydney was a rock star throughout the travelling and usually Bi just holds her quietly on her lap. (Cost: 63.6 Pounds)
Once we arrived at our Airbnb in Cambridge, we settled in and let Sydney play in the little yard. I made a chicken salad with cheese, nuts, berries, and tomatoes and we had some tea and discussed more on real estate.
Then we did some training with Sydney on Come, Leave It, and also working with her on separation anxiety by having her spend some time in her crate in the other room. She wined a bit at first but it actually went very well. Hopefully, she can learn to self soothe and be comfortable being alone.
