Latest moan from you and me - 2016

Just home from a visit to London. Not been down to the "big smoke" for quite a few years and certainly not to do touristy things for over 30 years.
I was extremely disappointed to discover that The Natural History Museum has had somewhat of a Disney makeover and is oh boy, child friendly to the detriment of pretty well anybody over the age of 12!
I had visited the museum quite a few times from when I was a child (not before I was at least 10 years old tho) and found it a magical experience.
My daughter was accompanying me and as I had said how wonderful it had been she was also very very disappointed with what it is like now.
We had to queue to get in despite it being out of high tourist season. There were squads of small children (some looked as young as 5) who obviously didn't understand queuing... not the best start!
Once inside the noise was deafening with vast quantities of children screaming and yelling, running about the place and basically treating the MUSEUM as a play park. The teachers seemed completely incapable of controlling their pupils which wasn't so surprising as it looked like each teacher was trying to keep about 15 children in check. Most children had mobile phones with them and seemed more interesting in playing games with those than looking at what was being exhibited and eating sweets etc,leaving a trail of rubbish behind them. After about an hour we beat it up to the mineral hall (very enjoyable) as no children were there. Neither of us will ever visit the NHM again. I don't visit a natural history museum to see young wild animals that are still alive
I thought perhaps it was just the NHM which had been basically taken over by those under 12 but no, The British Museum wasn't much better. Again hoards of screaming children running about the place out of control. In the area housing Egyptian artifacts many children were touching (signs saying don't touch) and kicking the exhibits, the museum staff were doing their best to control the worst offenders but were outnumbered! Thank god the mummies and wooden sarcophagi were behind glass otherwise I reckon they would have been wrecked by now.
What the hell happened to RESPECT? Respect for the museums, respect for the exhibits, respect for teachers, those in authority, and for those old enough to vote!
I'm all for giving children a good time but not for their benefit, exclusively, above all others. Maybe schools should try their best to teach children how to behave while out and about before they let them loose on the rest of the general public. It should of course be a parent's job to do this but they obviously aren't doing it.
Thank god our visit to The Tower of London and Tower Bridge wasn't spoilt by hoards of small brats. The Yeoman guild was fantastic, it wasn't too crowded (Yeoman confirmed that I had been correct in thinking it a good time to visit and was his favourite time because of the lack of " badly behaved children", his words not mine!) and we were lucky to see Tower Bridge open up to let a large war ship through. It had been docked near the bridge in connection with the Armistice Day events.
I doubt I'll go back down to London again out of choice. There is a saying I think it's something like "if you are tired of London then you are tired of life". I'm not aware I am tired of life, perhaps, but it is a place which has changed pretty much out of recognition to when I lived and worked there. I was really quite shocked and can now better understand why a majority in England voted as they did in the recent referendum.

 

Tis what life is like now 20 years from now even worst IMHO

 

We get lots of problems with children, but lease children are over 20 years old

 

What a disappointment for you Silu! It's a long time since I was in London too and haven't visited the museums since I was young, you certainly wouldn't get me in there now. The disgusting behaviour of the children can only be blamed on parents and I think the museum proprietors need to re-think the current situation as it spoils it for those who are more interested in what's on display, than those out on a school trip.

Limiting school trips to certain days of the week would be a good start!

 

I only live about 40 miles from London but I avoid the place like the plague, its just a complete place of hassle in my opinion.
Not saying there aren't some good things to see just too many nasty people,and too much traffic to make it enjoyable.

 

That is not a bad idea at all @Sheal. I am positive I wasn't the only person over say 20 years old who was completely fed up. I heard 2 Americans moaning to the museum guides that they couldn't stand the noise and was there nothing they could do about it.
I might write to the powers that be and see if there might be a way of having the museum experience enjoyable for everybody. I spoke to a friend early this evening and she had taken her 2 grandchildren to The NHM last year in July when there were a huge number of tourists and myriads of small children in school groups as we experienced. They gave up visiting the Dinosaur exhibition as they were told it was a 2 hour wait! There has to be a way of giving schools and adults/tourists access which would work better for all concerned. It's such an amazing building and world renowned, I felt very sad writing what I did but I suppose it's called....would the word be progress?

 

Well blown me down with a feather! On Sunday we went into town to do a few chores & to buy 5 advent calendars for my nieces, nephews etc. Whilst wandering through the shopping area we pass a stationary shop called smiggle (a shop which children love because you can buy smelly rubbers, & other unnecessary items! It's totally over priced ) as we walk pass I can see advent calendars on the display table ! 'Oh look Kev, advent calendars let's get them from there' theses are the first words which come out of my mouth...so in we go, I pick one up...no price! Hang on here's the price (printed on what I can only describe as a A3 sized plastic frame)....£28 £28 £28....no surely I can't be looking at the correct item! So gobsmacked I run my finger in a straight line across the plastic...yep £28!! (I won't repeat what I said next ) Has the whole flipping world actually lost the plot or am I such a mean old woman that I cannot justify £28 for an advent calendar? The dam thing doesn't even contain chocolate! It's full of bits of smuggle items, will people really buy these for their kids? I'm utterly shocked at the price....in my day we had an advent calendar from Woolworths for 49p, it wasn't full of cr@p, it didn't contain chocolate it was actually about Christmas!

 

Doesn't surprise me @Beckie76 There used to be a good joke about the meaning of Christmas with a pun about amazing prophet/ profit!
I don't think I have ever been called a kill joy...well not to my face anyway but once my children were of an age to not be fused about Christmas (which I had bitten my lip and done the full works on for years), I retired from the whole jamboree I'm afraid. No decorations, no cards except to a couple of friends abroad as they insist on sending me 1, no presents, no Turkey, crackers or revolting Christmas pudding....bliss.
Very happy to let others go bonkers flying round like headless chickens spending a fortune on over priced tat most of which will end up in the bin by the end of January, just count me out. Not keen on New Year either, hell if I want to get plastered I don't need a specific day to make a complete idiot of myself or imagine I'm Scottish all of a sudden. I am Scottish!!!

 

Sorry to hear of your experience at the NHM @silu with those screaming urchins. We last went to that museum in 1990 and I would love to go back but Mr Kandy isn't keen on London at the best of times so I don't think I will get there in this lifetime When we were away up in Buxton a few weeks ago we met a couple from London who think that London and all its 9,000,000 people is the best place to live on the planet

We make the most of Christmas as there are only the two of us.I keep saying that Christmas should only be celebrated every two years then the parents will have time to pay off one Christmas debt before taking on another lot of debt. As our village is full of middle class people all trying to be upper class they think nothing of spending thousands of pounds on trips to Lapland so that their darling offspring can personally see the "real" Santa Claus plus Rudolph and have a nice ride on a sledge while they are at it and sleep in the Ice Hotel if there is any in the area

@Beckie76 you would be surprised at the amount of people who are willing to pay £28 for an advent calendar because they want their little darlings to enjoy as many delights of Christmas as they can,and they can because hubby works in London every day and earns mega bucks so if they can afford £800+ for a designer handbag of a couple of thousand for a "Tiffany" gift stocking filler then £28 for an advent calendar is a snip at half the price

I am even getting cheesed off with the price of Christmas crackers as well as how many packs of minute playing cards,screwdriver sets or tape measures does one need

 

I always find London an adventure ,fantastic place.........I just wouldn't want to live there.

I have been surprised on my two recent visits .......I know I am getting old as whilst standing on the tube twice I was offered a seat.......now that was a surprise lol......I did take them.

The service at Costa Coffee was exceptional ,they aimed to please.
Service at The Shard and Wimbledon was also good.
There is so much to look at ,people and things.........
Walking along the river around Tower Bridge,everything was modernised ,smart and tidy.
Can't wait to go again.

 

I'm glad @roders you still enjoy London vive la difference and all that. I suppose part of my disappointment was that the place is so very different to when I lived and worked there. Daughter and I have done a few trips over the past couple of years (Rome,Munich, and Krakow being the most recent). Unfortunately we didn't think London came anywhere close to being as an enjoyable tourist experience be that the attractions, accommodation, service, food, friendliness of the locals yet it costs probably double. Do agree tho that The Shard is an amazing looking building, we didn't have time to go in but from quite close it certainly makes a statement. Not so keen on some of the other glass "palaces" which line the Thames these days. There is some ghastly building which looks like a pile of blue Lego bricks...Maybe it is Lego's London offices but doubtful, it's very big.