Every day I mean to write. But every day I’m too busy discovering London to sit at home and write about it! Unfortunately, though, it means that a lot of the little details that I thought of at the time, I no longer remember…. Shucks. Oh well, I’ll do my best.
I’ve been BUSY!! I have seriously taken advantage of essentially every free moment – leaving the house within minutes of completing my teaching and often not returning until 10pm or later. I’ve had so much fun and done so much walking, sight-seeing, and eating that I could easily write the biggest blog entry ever. Instead, I’ll just have to choose the highlights/main events(going backwards from last night!)
STOMP:
Last night I had the fortune of seeing the musical, Stomp. I had obviously heard of it, and my entire family had seen it but me, so when I found out it was playing in London’s West End I thought this would be the perfect moment! And it was! I was mesmerized from beginning to end – a few times, I may have even lost myself and done a few hoots and hollers! Such talent, artistry, musicality, kinesthetic ease. I really wish I could have been up there as the 9th member of the cast.
NATIONAL GALLERY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY:
I heard that the Gallery was a must-see, and I did enjoy it, although it was far too much early art for me. I decided very quickly that I am really not interested in earlier art (1300-1700s). The earliest stuff seems to be solely devoted to God and furthering the messages of the Church. This theme continues up until the late 1700s, although portraits and war scenes of rich and important people at the time take on a greater prominence. But, for me, I found it difficult to connect with the works without knowing their unique histories or stories. I think I prefer the French artists of the 19th century. They use stroking colors and brush strokes and they interpret things in interesting ways. Not only that, but I sense that I can appreciate or interpret the art without having to know its story – thus, it sort of becomes MY piece of art.
HARRODS:
Can you believe I actually went there? My taxi driver on the way in told me to go – that it was a fascinating peephole into the lives of the richest. And it was certainly interesting for that fact. I hate shopping, but I wandered around, peeked at the pricetags of the few items I actually thought were nice (most were hideous, at least to my tastes, threw down price tags in disgust and astonishment, and stared at the people actually purchasing things at the checkout counters! Funny enough, though, I found the Harrods’ Bookstore near the end of my time there, and managed to find a couple of books for Christoph. So, I too, became the owner of a green Harrods’ bag, which I paraded on the streets somewhat self-consciously.
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL:
I went on the only day of the year that the Cathedral is free, which was planned, but made for a busy place. There was also a puppet concert going on under the main dome, which made for some eerie organ music to accompany my journey. Nonetheless, I did get to see the statues, art on the walls, view from the tower, Whispering Gallery, and the Crypt, and it was all pretty neat. I don’t love Cathedrals either, so I wasn’t blown away, but it was an interesting bit of history. It was originally built in 604, but was burnt down and rebuilt three times, most recently in 1700. What I found most interesting was how the city has built itself up all around the Cathedral. It is literally being suffocated with ultra-modern building all around it, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition, especially from above. Another, just as interesting juxtaposition, was a huge protest going on outside about taking down Wall Street. There were speeches on microphones and loudspeakers, posters and flyers everywhere, and hundreds of tents parked all around the circumference of the church. I spent about 30 minutes walking around out there, enjoying the enthusiasm of the funky London youth.
WANDERINGS:
I’ve done most of my touring by walking around the city. In addition to seeing the Westminster Bridge, the House of Parliament and Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, and St. James’ Park, I’ve walked in the following areas: Buckingham Palace, Covent Gardens, the Tower Bridge, Oxford Circus, Trafalgar Square, Soho, and Kensington. I walked so much that my shoes broke down, I got blisters all over the bottoms of my feet, and I ended up having to buy better shoes! But what a way to see the city!
