yes indeed, another gander at elements (or rather a specific element) of our most recent trip to London, innit. on the one side i suppose that i could be writing of "things that are old", since this was a month or so (give or take) ago, but then again the other side to that is you, dear reader, who may be looking at all of this many years on from where i am right now. if so, well, hello the future.
in this instance, then, it is The London Dungeon visit that i speak of. although on all them social media things they appear to be styled as "dungeon london" (if you will, #dungeonlondon) for reasons i am unsure of. my best guess is that someone else with a valid claim bagged dungeon london on them there social media things; perhaps (but not necessarily) mucky sex club things, for london is no doubt still full of such perverse vices.
of all the features in terms of attractions we have been to in London i would suggest that this is one of the best. possibly the best all around, but that would be a touch unfair on that Harry Potter thing we went to a few years ago. for central, actually in London, though, this was most class.
go on then, a picture of the 75% of my family what you all like more than you like me, outside a (very, very, very expensive) food place (as in four pounds for a milkshake and north of eight quid for a hot dog) near the London Dungeon.
for those wondering, they are looking up at that there London Eye thing. we did give some consideration to having a go on that, but were not overtly keen. the over three hour wait and the height made it a no go. still, a magnificent bit of engineering, and nice one for those interested in such things.
why would i rate this one (London Dungeon) so highly? really excellent value. also, a lot shorter waiting time between arriving and being allowed in. but the value and the entertainment are the real winner, as well, indeed, would be the insights into the history of this most famous city.
as we had no idea where or when we would be anywhere in london we left it to chance to turn up at places. from this, and as per other posts, the lesson is to plan, book tickets in advance and book time slots in advance. getting the tickets sorted in advance is slightly cheaper than buying deals at the places, but the real win is time slots. unless you really, really like queuing.
one of the "posed for and paid for" pictures out of the London Dungeon above, then, with young William clearly having some deft axe skills, much to the misfortune of my (considerably) better half. for the most part what you will see here is the "official" pictures, for they request that you do not take pictures inside the tour / exhibition / attraction. but of course many with us did, but we refrained, for rules are rules.
getting back to practical advice (for those of you who for some reason come to this blog for such), we arrived around about noon and found we would have a little over an hour wait before we could go in after purchasing tickets. hence us finding how expensive that food place was. no matter, as it turns out, this is one of the shortest waiting times you will experience when just arriving at London attractions hoping to simply pay and go in.
exactly what is the London Dungeon all about? well, highlights of many hundreds of years of the city, all compacted and edited down (streamlined?) to showcase several, or quite a few, of the terrible things to have afflicted the place. but, still she stands as a city, may she stand forever.
it's a tour that you (mostly) walk around. with (mostly) real live actors, you get a dozen or so performances, acting out all sorts, and there are two absolutely boss rides for you to go on. with such in mind, strangely i suspect a *** BIG SHINY SPOILER WARNING *** is appropriate before you see the next image.....
that is William and i (plus two people who i have edited out, for i know them not) on the final or if you like second of two rides. on this one you get to experience the glamour, the thrill, the buzz and the excitement of being hung, in darkness, and with a picture being taken when you are at optimal surprise levels about being all of a sudden dropped down, quite fast and quite far.
just which elements of the horrible histories of london get showcased? again, i suspect a spoiler warning should be in place, but you have had one. lots, really, is the answer. from kings cutting off the heads of displeasing wives, to press gangs, to plague, to the great fire and indeed tales of Saucy Jack, a criminal who is sometimes but not often referred to as Jack The Ripper.
isn't it all a bit gruesome for the kids? possibly, i suppose. William is in the under 10 bracket, and nothing on show upset him at all. at the door they say that the recommendation is that it is not really the sort of thing intended for under 12s, but one gets the sense they are obliged to say that.
yes, me just in front of one of them coffin things at the entrance to the dungeon, looking as smartly dressed as i ever do. please feel free to insert your own "would like to see him in a coffin ha ha ha" jokes, i am too tired to do so.
hats off (if you are wearing a hat) to the performers working in the London Dungeon. perhaps they, even more than the smart special effects on the go, are what make the experience all the fun and entertainment that it is.
no, you don't just sit or stand around and watch the performances. it's all interactive and relies on audience participation. yes, indeed, i was called on. during a fabulous show trial, i was accused and found guilty of sheep interference. really good fun, and i will let you determine what aspect i am referring to there.
of course i also had a go at getting my head knacked, or cut off, by one of our offspring. yes, indeed, note how James is of an age where looking stylish is more important than making sure he slices straight.
well, not much left for me to say but to state that The London Dungeon is really well worth a visit. if for some reason this is important, the gift shop is most splendid, and i am rather taken with the quality of one pen i have from there. perhaps i should do some pictures of items bought.
anyway, that's that then.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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