Today we started with a trip to Buckingham Palace. It was an amazing building with some very nice adjacent parks.
My favorite thing about Buckingham Palace was actually the sculptures on the fountain out front which seemed to glorify the common man. The characters depicted were normal folk as evidenced by the tools they held but they were stoic, strong, and stood next to lions.
Next we walked along St. James Park to the National Gallery.
The National Gallery is separated into four sections: 1250-1500, 1500-1600, 1600-1700, and 1700-1900. In each room, we played the "if you could take any home with you which would it be?" game. We agreed maybe 25% of the time. I tend to prefer slightly simpler and darker works than Jenise. We meant to go in chronological order but we accidentally began with 1500-1600 where the stars were Da Vinci (hyperlinks go to our favorite paintings we saw), Raphael, and Michelangelo. I think I more than quadrupled my knowledge of the Bible here since nearly all of the paintings depicted scenes from it. Next was the 1250-1500 section which starred Bodicelli and a ton of frescoes. The works in this section were pretty disappointing compared to what we just saw so we went through pretty quickly. Next was the 1600-1700 section. Here, Rembrandt was the brightest star. We were getting pretty tired when we got to the 1700-1900 but that didn't last long because it was the best section of them all with Monet, Van Gogh, and Degas. I really didn't want to make a snobby statement like this but it's true. You have to see Monet and Van Gogh in person to fully appreciate them. I've always liked Van Gogh but never knew how thick he laid on the paint--the depth it created was stunning. And, to be honest, I never really liked Monet before--I think seeing them in their true scale made a big difference but the pictures online don't seem to get the colors right either, especially for this one which was my favorite.
We left the gallery on a mission to acquire Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. British editions! We got both an adult version and a kids version which don't differ in content.
Before returning to our hotel, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant. We had chicken tikka masala which has been voted England's favorite food. It was a curry dish that was a little sweet, a tiny bit tangy, with a bit of hotness. Yummy. The best meal since we got here.
That's all folks. Gotta get started on Harry Potter. Any comments having to do with Harry Potter are off limits on the blog. I also will not mention it again. For a good while anyways and if I do I'll give good warning.
My favorite thing about Buckingham Palace was actually the sculptures on the fountain out front which seemed to glorify the common man. The characters depicted were normal folk as evidenced by the tools they held but they were stoic, strong, and stood next to lions.
Next we walked along St. James Park to the National Gallery.
The National Gallery is separated into four sections: 1250-1500, 1500-1600, 1600-1700, and 1700-1900. In each room, we played the "if you could take any home with you which would it be?" game. We agreed maybe 25% of the time. I tend to prefer slightly simpler and darker works than Jenise. We meant to go in chronological order but we accidentally began with 1500-1600 where the stars were Da Vinci (hyperlinks go to our favorite paintings we saw), Raphael, and Michelangelo. I think I more than quadrupled my knowledge of the Bible here since nearly all of the paintings depicted scenes from it. Next was the 1250-1500 section which starred Bodicelli and a ton of frescoes. The works in this section were pretty disappointing compared to what we just saw so we went through pretty quickly. Next was the 1600-1700 section. Here, Rembrandt was the brightest star. We were getting pretty tired when we got to the 1700-1900 but that didn't last long because it was the best section of them all with Monet, Van Gogh, and Degas. I really didn't want to make a snobby statement like this but it's true. You have to see Monet and Van Gogh in person to fully appreciate them. I've always liked Van Gogh but never knew how thick he laid on the paint--the depth it created was stunning. And, to be honest, I never really liked Monet before--I think seeing them in their true scale made a big difference but the pictures online don't seem to get the colors right either, especially for this one which was my favorite.
We left the gallery on a mission to acquire Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. British editions! We got both an adult version and a kids version which don't differ in content.
Before returning to our hotel, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant. We had chicken tikka masala which has been voted England's favorite food. It was a curry dish that was a little sweet, a tiny bit tangy, with a bit of hotness. Yummy. The best meal since we got here.
That's all folks. Gotta get started on Harry Potter. Any comments having to do with Harry Potter are off limits on the blog. I also will not mention it again. For a good while anyways and if I do I'll give good warning.
7 comments:
Just wondering, do you have plans to go to the British Museum? It has about 90% of the world's Near-East artifacts. Hell, they even have the molding from the Parthenon.
Probably. The last major things on our list are the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Spitalfields market. It's probably next on the list followed by Tate Britain and Tate Modern.
Hey this is Mom-Mom---I am living your trip with the descriptions. I also have to agree with Jason, seeing Monet up close makes all the difference in the world. My favorites are Monet, Degas and the guy with no ear, (ha-ha). I am so thrilled you are all doing so much. Keep it up. Love ya both, Mom-Mom
Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Spitalfields market are my favorites. I could spend a day at each place. In fact, your Uncle Johnny asked if you were going to the market, we took him on a trip to London when he was about 13.
Mom-mom, so far our trip has been great! It has been really awesome experiencing all these different places I've heard so much about. They never seemed real before. Jason seems to think I am turing British. I can't help but pick up the accent seeing as how it surrounds us! Hope the puppies are behaving!
I'm jealous! I wish I was there right now except for the rain! Maybe your mom and I could go back there soon! Have a good time!
Rain hasn't been too bad, actually. It only rained hard one day, when we were in the Natural History Museum. It rained lightly today but it wasn't bad enough to make us uncomfortable or, more importantly, hold up the Underground.
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