Skulking About

Following those few minor set backs (and minor triumphs, I guess) early on, things seemed to have leveled out somewhat, and ole London town and I are at ease…for now anyway.

I’m finally starting to get my head around the A-Z book, and therefore, the way the public transport system works in this city, and have regained some confidence after settling in at St. Christopher’s. We’ve been getting down to the business of job and house hunting, and have some promising leads, but you all know about hatching chickens, so I’ll say no more at this early stage.

Given that it was a glorious spring day today, we decided to head into central London, to embrace the tourist thing before we’ve been here too long to be caught dead doing so. This morning we caught the Tube from Hammersmith Station into Embankment, where we walked up to the Golden Jubilee Bridge, crossed it and the Thames, and followed Queens Walk. The walk took us under tress and lamp-posts with huge cast-iron fish wrapped around their base (very effective, but they just looked like big old carp that we used to try and catch when we were kids), past eastern Europeans trying to flog off gourmet sausages and roasted chestnuts, whilst trying to dodge kids as young as three flying by on scooters, until we reached the Tate Modern Gallery.

The Tate Modern is an ultra-cool museum for a few reasons: it’s (mostly) free, open seven days a week, has an amazing permanent collection including the likes of Miro, Picasso, Pollack and Monet, and well as fabulous contemporary pieces. My absolute favorite was the work of Robert Therrien- his giant size chairs and table took up a whole room, as he wanted people to remember (or resonate with) how it feels to be a tiny child…I just thought of Mao.
Therrien’s The Red Room was also amazing- a room where everything is just red- equally as impressive as David Lynch’s concept! Another exhibit I fell in love with was Cornelia Parker's 'Thirty Pieces of Silver'- a piece made of thirty circles of silverware that the artist had collected over many years, lay them out in her street, and had them stream rolled- amazing!

After walking through the Tate Modern, we stopped to have a vegetarian lunch on the grass at the front of the museum, which was swarming with families enjoying the sunshine. When we had finished, we continued walking along Queen's walk- where we came across Shakespeare's Globe theatre (or at least the remake) which, although we didn't go in, was great to see- past restaurants, bars and churches until the Tower Bridge came into view. My reaction to seeing it was much the same as when I stumbled upon Buckingham Palace. It's such a striking structure, but also one I've been familiar with since I was a child.

We walked until we reached the bridge, and crossed it, and the view from the bridge, and down the Thames and into the city was superb...But what we saw next, I found even more interesting (nerd-burger-in-extremis) !! Across from Tower Bridge is The Tower of London, and ancient structure-with towers and castles built in the 11th and 12th century, with drawbridges and moats and all- that was built at the time of the Crusades. Although we didn't go inside (but I will when I start earning some £££), we walked around the structure and saw the 'Beef eaters' and people dressed in costume having an archery contest.

By this time we had done heaps of walking, and decided to jump on a number 15 bus- the ancient-red-double-decker bus took us down to St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral- the fateful site where Charles and Diana's ill fated nuptials took place, amongst other things.

It is a breathtakingly beautiful structure, and we began by walking the perimeter, trying to cope with the sound of the bells ringing in our ears. Given that it was a Sunday, a scheduled day of worship, there was a service running and people in prayer, and so no sight seeing or tours were available. Still, it was lovely to walk through the Cathedral, and marvel at the ceilings and side-chapels.

From St. Pauls, we got back on the number 15 bus, and headed to Trafalgar Square, and visited The National Gallery. The building it's self is stunning, and it's contents, marvellous (I really sound like a touro)!

The gallery is home to the likes of (and all the real deal originals, mind you) Botticelli's 'Venus & Mars' , Michelangelo's 'The Entombment', Titian (Tiziano)'s 'Bacchus & Adriane', and (the one that made me loose my breath momentarily) Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'. It was somewhat surreal to be standing before these works, to say the least. As well as the works mentioned above, there was pieces by Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rembrandt & Monet...makes me realise that we're seriously starved in Oz.

By this stage, it was late in the day, and we rested out weary legs and strained brain capacity on the steps of Trafalgar Square, and agreed that it was time to go and answer the call of the Pear Cider once again.