London Day

Good lord . . . I have started my own English tradition. Eat a lot, walk a lot more. Again my day in London meant walking MILES! I took the tube in and walked Hyde Park to spend the afternoon at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Beautiful day! I love Hyde Park - reminds me a bit of Central Park in NYC, with some differences. There was a walking path, a bike path, a rowing path (river), a horse path (very wide) and then cricket fields. There were kids learning to ride on English saddle that was fun to watch. I also ran into a bunch of guys trying to learn how to play "American Softball". It was kind of funny to watch since it wasn't second-nature to all of them. Here is just a couple shots (from one spot, looking left to right. Very clean and wide spaces):



The Museum was neat. I couldn't take pictures in most areas, so not much to show there. They had a special exhibit called, "China Now". It was about the graphic and art design in China in the last couple decades. I was stunned to realize that graphic design and expression is still so new. With the fall of communism, they have only been advertising as we know it since the 80s. Before that, there was no need to compete commercially as it was considered social to do so. Music, fashion, art, etc. was all underground. The explosion in self-expression in the last couple of decades was neat to see. One fashion designer stated that clothing used to be about function, and is now finally about form and style. It is still a new concept for them to have ties, things like pleats and ruffles because those potentially show the body shape, which was never allowed. Another stated that traditional Chinese looked alike, were educated to be alike and were expected to behave alike. Some are still struggling with how to be unique. Nice to peak into their culture finding their voices and expressing their individuality. Oh what we have taken for granted with our freedom. I have a whole new perspective . . .

Here are just a couple sculptures that struck me. They also had a huge section on performance art that Mandy would have loved. Costume design, set design vignettes, and concept designs for theatrical shows. Below is just one shot of the design concept shadow box for "Evita". Really neat displays:



Then I needed a break, so I went to a little English Pub for a Guinness and olives. SO good. I had missed that. :) After that I walked and shopped a bit more, looked at sites and remembered how much my feet could hurt. I love the fact that in the most unexpected places you can see art. I walked into one alcove, looked up at this old entryway and saw this - had to take a picture. Oh, and the other shot is just one I had to take for Mandy. It is still big in London . . .


After that, it was another stop at a pub for supper. (I love these pubs). I had a traditional steak & ale pie with mashers and a half-pint of cider. Good finish to the day. Walked back to the tube and off to the hotel for an early evening. Must rest because bummer, I have to work tomorrow. Great weekend though!

Cheers!