CULTURE & PROTEST....

National Gallery tilework

OOPS! Was just putting my camera back into my bag when the museum guide whispered, (loudly enough for 8 people to hear) "NO PHOTOS!"... I noticed the posted sign, but thought it meant no pictures in the galleries?? Guess I was wrong!!

The National Gallery is massive! consider checking the website before visiting; you'll save yourself some time trying to locate your favorite artwork. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

Highlights of our Gallery visit:

"Fakes, Mistakes & Discoveries" ~ paintings that Gallery curators, scientists and conservators have examined and their startling secrets about the "real" history of the paintings. JPE loves Renaissance art - follow this link to find out what we learned about Boticelli (one of his favorite artists) http://nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/being-botticelli

"Acts of Mercy" Exhibit (by Frederick Cayley Robinson) ~ I thought this was a DUTCH painter but it turns out he's a Brit... this exhibit opened last week.

"Acts of Mercy" Exhibit

This painting was one of a group of four which illustrated the medical profession... in each of the paintings, the artist had included the flower print (located on the dress of the woman, standing to the left of the lamp) pattern to unify the different scenes.

This is another British museum that is F-R-E-E 

Looking down Whitehall

Upon leaving, you can't help but notice the AMAZING view from the front steps of the National Gallery! Looking down Whitehall ~ the street famous for offices of dignitaries, politicians AND the royal residence (10 Downing Street runs perpendicular to Whitehall) ~ in the distance you can see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.... Of course, we noticed the rain clouds (dark, ominous clouds means RAIN to Californians), but the breezes were refreshing after yesterday's humidity.

Biker Dude

TRAFALGAR SQUARE was a HOTBED of ACTIVITY! the bikers were protesting! the Trafalgar roundabout is a major artery for traffic & we watched as motorcyclists clogged the normal flow of traffic... 

Apparently, they were protesting a "PARKING TAX" that was being imposed on mopeds & motorcycles. 

Police were getting pretty frantic watching the traffic piling up! the motorcycles were moving with the "flow" of traffic - there were just so many of them that it prevented the buses, taxis and cars from entering the roundabout.

Clogging the Trafalgar roundabout

We didn't stay around to find out what action the police took... BUT walking up the street, we counted 11 red, double-decker buses at a standstill & the people were getting off and running to catch the nearest tube home!!!

Tomorrow morning, we'll pick up a copy of the newspaper! which is F-R-E-E!! you can pick up a copy outside the tube station...

Did you notice I mentioned F-R-E-E more than once in this posting???

SOMETHING ELSE that is F-R-E-E....

PEOPLE WATCHING!!!!

TUESDAY = TEA + THEATER

The Tea House ~ Covent Gardens, London

This morning, JPE took the Piccadilly line to get tickets for the theater production, WAR HORSE...  he took off without an umbrella, but arrived home "dry as a bone" missing the 20 minute "pelting rainstorm" during his tube ride back to our flat. Lucky guy!

JPE's friend met us for tea at 15:30 (3:30pm) - Antony was in London for a business appointment (lives in Brighton - a 60 minute train ride south of London). It was a real treat to meet with a local for tea! Discussed the differences between US & British medical system, schools, holidays, taxes, employment, living conditions... and his suggestions for sights to see in London. We're finding tea time is a great "excuse" to stop & chat... read a book... or just relax. I can see why Brits think Americans are too busy!

We discovered the Bramah Museum of Tea & Coffee is closed for refurbishing, so we paid a visit to The Tea House in Covent Garden... this tiny, two-story tea shoppe is packed floor to ceiling with "anything" related to tea (books, teapots, tea cups, tea cozies-to keep your tea warm, tea filters/strainers) ~ the owner even creates & packages her tea... after smelling about a dozen tea blends, we made a purchase of the "Strawberry Green Tea" ~ which smells yummy! 

tea flower

I was intrigued by the adorable tea flowers ~ the back of the package reads "Revelation Flower Tea is a hand-made ball of Jasmine scented white tea leaves that open & expand in water ~ revealing an intense pink amaranth flower." I'll try to get a good pic of the tea flower at "tasting time" tomorrow...

Our theater performance started at 7pm so we walked three blocks to the New London Theater - the evening had turned muggy & the air was heavy, so we were thrilled to feel the air conditioned theater!

... it's difficult to describe WAR HORSE, but it's the story of a young boy & his love for a horse that is taken away to serve in the First World War.

Click on the production trailer here: 

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/45205/home/war-horse-official-website.html
 

The truly amazing part - you would forget the horses were NOT REAL, but actors moving the skeleton of the horse puppet, and creating ALL the noises a horse makes...  watching three actors coordinate the movement of the horses rear & front legs with the head movement took incredible coordination & grace - similar to a choreographed dance!!!  

Words can't describe this performance!!! I know you'll love the trailer!

WEEKWORD = BRAID

Italian Renaissance plate detail ~ V&A Museum

If you've visited my blog, you may have seen several of my WEEKWORD postings.

Stretch your imagination! Meet new bloggers! Have visitors to your blog! Best of all - it's FREE!!

This week's word = BRAID

If you have a "creative" idea for the word BRAID... visit my friend's blog to let her know you'd like to participate. She'll post a link from her site to yours. Then post "your interpretation" to YOUR blog no later than Friday at midnight... 

Don't forget to email her....

I'm off to look for my interpretation of "BRAID".... from London (yippee!)

http://henniemavis.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/my-weekword-braid/

TOOTSIE'S R TIRED!

Big Ben Skyline

OWWW! my tootsie's are screaming... give me a rest!

Met Hilary for a London Walks tour of Westminster Abbey. More information about their walks http://www.walks.com/  Of course, we could have stood in a queue (line) for 45 minutes before getting in... but having a Blue Badge (strict requirements - like of like a teaching credential) & highly educated Historian was our choice for an Abbey visit. Photos inside the Abbey (as well as most other churches, cathedrals, places of worship) is forbidden... I did purchase a couple of postcards to remind me of the gorgeous "lace work" vaulted ceiling in the Lady Chapel.

window detail of Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is famous as a burial site for famous Brits (such as Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I & Mary I), poets (Geoffrey Chaucer), historians, politicians & musicians. Many of these famous people are memorialized here, but buried elsewhere... and some were buried here against their wishes! Hilary described the 6 month set-up (& 3 month take-down) logistics for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 & showed us the coronation chair (which is currently having the gild/gold work restored). This coronation was televised ~ but reminded us, TVs at that time were small (computer laptop screen size) black & whites. Although Hilary didn't mention it, Westminster Abbey was the site for Princess Diana's Memorial.... It rained while we were on our inside tour, so we lunched in the Abbey corridor before leaving...

Gargoyle at the Abbey

Here's an "addition" to my gargoyle "collection"... I'm amazed that so much effort goes into carving "rain spouts" - I wonder who gets this job? an apprentice? a highly skilled craftsman?

Outlining the brass rubbing

Our next stop - St Martin-in-the-Fields (a 20 minute walk) located just off Trafalgar Square. In the crypt of this Gothic church, there are clean bathrooms (sometimes difficult to locate), a cafe (more about that later), a gift store, and brass-rubbing center.

Rubbings ranges from 6.50 - 19.50 lbs ~ or $10-30.

Brass Rubbing

After selecting several Celtic designs (easier to transport home; cheaper to frame), we found a seat next to two Brits (a grandmother & her 7 year old granddaughter)... first you rub the outline of your design... then you lay your bronze rubbing stick (other colors - blood red, blue, silver) on its side & rub away. I LOVED this activity... and would consider going back to do a larger block print!

This church is famous for their concerts - but also reasonably priced food at the church cafe... the concerts, rubbings & cafe support the church!

In addition to picking up a concert schedule, we decided to try a "spot" of afternoon tea.... Oh my gosh - I don't really know how "clotted cream" is made, but it's exquisite on scones & a dollop of jam... we're definitely paying another visit to the St-Martin's Crypt Cafe ~ for a lunch & concert (& another "spot" of tea).


Headed to the theater district to find the location of the "cheap" (oxymoron?) theater seats... there are several productions we are considering... Mama Mia, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliott, The Mousetrap (an Agatha Christie thriller) and War Horse (a puppet-driven production)... best tickets purchased the day of the event!! Next up - Waterstone's Book Store (Piccadilly Circus area).

Piccadilly dudes

Piccadilly Square swarmed with activity - mostly people watching, gawking, and picture taking. One of London's touristy spots, it was named for the picadils (fancy ruffled shirts) made in the neighborhood long ago. I think the fancy ruffled shirts left in the 60's... I shot this pic of two "Piccadilly dudes" from across the street. Grainy pic - but I wasn't willing to pay $3 to snap this pair...  standing in the middle island, waiting for the light to change - I snapped a quick one before heading into the bookstore for some quiet browsing.

Scones + clotted cream + jelly

A 10 hour day - didn't eat dinner until 20:15 (8:15pm)... Fell asleep dreaming of this....

SUNDAY IN LONDON

St Paul's Cathedral

Grabbed the Circle Line (tube: Sloane Sq to Mansion House). Attended the Sunday Service  (11am) at St. Paul's. Double feature today: listened to Mozart's Mass in C minor performed by the City of London Sinfonia and Cathedral Consort & a sermon. Coincidentally, the sermon was given by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA, Katharine Schori. Great way to experience this breath-taking structure. It has the second largest dome in the world, second only to St. Peter's in Rome. A visit to the church + the "recommended tour" costs  $24. (pretty hefty price), which can be avoided if you attend a service! You can gawk at the structure of the church during the sermon!! (posted by JPE)

After lunch, we strolled to the Victoria & Albert Museum, a brief 5 minute stroll from our flat! Great way to spend an afternoon! Another bonus: it's F-R-E-E! so we plan to drop in whenever we have a couple of unstructured hours (do I sound like a teacher?) 

We spent our time in the Medieval & Renaissance Gallery... in addition to the information kiosks, there are several "hands-on" exhibits to keep the youngsters entertained. JPE tried on this piece of armor -  calling it the "Medieval" version of brass knuckles. Looks ominous, huh??

We'll let you know what other artifacts grab our attention on our next visit to the V&A...  If you want to take your own tour of this museum, check our their website http://www.vam.ac.uk/ 

Click on the "Things to Do" section on the left hand side of the website. "The World Beach  Project" looks intriguing! Check it out! we're planning to do this when we get home!!! 

Tomorrow we are taking a London Walks tour of Westminster Abbey...

NO SIGN OF HUGH!!!

NottingHill & Portobello Market ~ ALL pics taken 7/24/10

JPE & I walked the length of the Portobello Market (5-6 blocks) in NottingHill today!!

No sign of Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts coming out of the

TRAVEL BOOKSTORE...

If you went to the Portobello Market
what would you BUY?

A beaded purse?

 A "dust-collector" for your bookcase?

some sausage for your dinner?

antique silverware?

a souvenir t-shirt?

a stem of "perfect" tomatoes

or some billiard balls?

WE BOUGHT....

these "luscious" pears...


AND
a souvenir magnet of a
LONDON PHONE BOOTH!


(oh!! some postcards, antique buttons, &
cherries, grapes & bananas)

We ATE...
German bratwurst w/grilled onions
Y-U-M-M-Y!!
(NO fish n' chips yet!?)