London, Finally: Part 5

My Saturday in London was quite lazy and uneventful after I returned from Bristol and visiting Kay. I mostly napped and rested my tired post-COVID body. 

Sunday, however, I had plans. Before my trip, I had made reservations for tea time at Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium, and bought a ticket to see an afternoon matinee of Six the Musical. Lady Dinah's is in the Bethnal Green neighborhood of London, and I soon discovered there was a Vagina Museum there. Well, that was a must. 

I was able to have a leisurely morning before setting off to Bethnal Green. It's about a mile walk from the Tube station to Lady Dinah's, and I found the area to be vibrant and busy on a Sunday morning. At Lady Dinah's I was quickly ushered in, asked to wash my hands, and then brought into the cat rooms, which have an Alice in Wonderland theme.

The cats, of course, were adorable, and obviously well-cared for. A small calico named Legolas is notorious for trying to steal scones, and indeed, she tried to steal mine. 

Legolas trying to edge closer to my scone.

But that scone was miiiiine. 

I passed a lovely hour-and-a-half at Lady Dinah's, cooing at cats and laughing at their antics. They have plenty of hidey-holes and comfy beds, every toy a cat could want, and their people are obviously very loving and attentive to their needs.

The Vagina Museum was back near the Tube station, so I meandered back that way, capturing pictures of the neighborhood. It has a strong immigrant present, especially those from India and Pakistan.

The Vagina Museum is small, but important. The bulk of it really discusses menstruation and the historical beliefs and depictions of it. The gift shop was a hoot, and while I passed on the bloody pad earrings, a bloody pad magnet did get purchased. It did NOT go to school for my collection there, but is happily at home on my refrigerator. 

By the time I was finished at the museum, it was time to wander back to the Tube and get back across the city to the West End for my matinee. 

Regent Street was crowded with Jubilee visitors, and closed off to auto traffic.

Six turned out to be a fun musical--it's not very long, and only has six actors, obviously all women, portraying the six wives of Henry VIII. There is an onstage band (piano, guitar, bass, drums), and it was all women, too. 

Each queen gets a chance to tell her story, trying to convince the audience that she is the most important of the queens...only to realize at the end that each of them was special and deserved so much better than what they got living in that particular era, with that particular husband.

After the show, I stopped for Thai food, and wandered Regent Street a little more before heading back to my hotel. 

The next day, I would be catching an early train to Birmingham, to spend a day in a new-to-me city with my Duck Lady, Sarah.