Don’t make plans
The reason that London appeals is that it’s a place where you never need to make plans. In fact making plans in London is like putting yourself on a leash and connecting to a running ramp. You’ll have a much richer and diverser experience if you see what finds you. There are plenty of possibilities.
It was Saturday, so we jumped on a bus into the city with no ideas of how the day would unfold. When traffic slowed to old-man-hobbling-pace, we alighted and immediately submerged ourselves in a succession of top notch book and kitsch art shops including silver moon women’s book store on Tottenham Court Rd . We then strolled down towards Trafalgar Square for some gelato. My americana moment for the day had to be standing under a clearly titled statue of King George V while trying to find my friend in the busy square, and loudly proclaiming into my mobile that I was “standing under some statue of a guy on a horse.”
We found the National Portrait Gallery which, unbeknowns to us, was holding its annual portrait award exhibition with the top 50 of 1000 entries. The whole gallery is worth a look, with a permanent exhibition of british history through portraits of its major players (and don’t think boring oils, think mixed media, sculpture, digitised faces). From here we went up to covent garden through a corridor of mime artists to vegetarian wholefood lunch at FirstOut and dj beats in soho.
The next day I went to the Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern . It was a Sunday, so packed full with audio tour users. These people somehow get confused about multisensory learning, and think it means they don’t need to use their visual sense when walking around. The number of times some head-down-geek, looking into their mp3 as if into the eye of God, walked directly into my chest was astonishing. My friend pointed out that, as if just to make the toe-stomping, breast-elbowing, standing-in-front-of my-face-ing crowds even more irritating for all concerned, the explanatory notes on each painting were printed on the wall in what appeared to be 12 point font, so that only 4 people could struggle over and read it at any one time. The Tate Modern is well located for post-art strolls along the river and wine bar indulgences. And the top floor of the gallery, the members lounge, has spectacular views over the city where you can see the old buildings engaged in comfortable conversation with the new recruits.
Last weekend we went to the RISE anti-racism, diversity festival. Nine stages including African, Cuban, and Middle Eastern music and dance, and a comedy tent with, among others, a female pakistani stand-up. Of the many left-wing to left-feathertip stalls, my favourite was the badges stall where I could merrily buy up badges like Make Capitalism History to rile up my new-labour friends at work.
Speaking of work, I hope to have a few weeks off soon to go explore a bit of France or Spain while the weather’s warm. So you can look forward to more interesting, and more european, blog entries [whatever that means, double- cheek-kissing perhaps].
Tags: England
Jyai