HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM LONDON
We just returned from a quick trip to London. While there was no turkey on the plate for Thanksgiving (we ate Indian food instead) we enjoyed the weekend very much. We were unable to escape the cold weather.
As you can see from this picture of Buckingham Palace, it was definately time for gloves and scarves. But, for those who have been at this very spot, don't you love the lack of crowds?
We even had the chance to tour the Queen's private collection without a queue. The other times we've been there the lines were hours long. There was a very nice show of Canaletto's drawings and paintings of Venice. The Queen also owns a Rubens (more on him below), which was on display. (The picture of me here is in front of the Queen's newly expanded gift shop. I couldn't help getting a picture of a decorated Christmas tree--with crowns!)
Before we left we had decided to see a couple of shows. My choice was to see Mamma Mia at the newly restored Prince of Wales Theater in the west end. This late 19th century theater (that used to present burlesque shows) was just reopened (by the Prince himself) this past September.
Brent wanted me to keep this a secret (sorry Brent--I saw you tapping your toes as well). What a fun time. We also saw Les Miserables which is celebrating something like 20 years on stage and is already booking into 2007.
On our last evening we went to the Odeon in Leicester Square to see Harry Potter. This VERY large theater gives you the option to purchase your exact seat which is nice for arriving just in time for the show. They even let you know the exact time for the movie to start so you don't have to sit through the previews. I won't spoil anything for you Harry Potter fans, but let me say just one thing: VIKTOR KRUM is one awesome dude (Hermione thought so as well). In case you don't know (or don't remember), this character is part of the important tri-wizard tournament. Both the character and the actor who plays him (Viktor Stanislav) are from Bulgaria. So don't forget to check out all those Bulgarian flags and listen closely to the Bulgarian language. It was a little of "home" while we were away.
One of the really nice things about London is the Underground (or tube). You can get most places in central London in no time at all. And, the stations and lines have pretty fun names. For example, our hotel was across the street from the Marleybone Station on the Bakerloo line. I also like hearing the taped voices at some stops, such as Picadilly Circus: "mind the gap." One thing I learned is that flash photography is not allowed in any Underground station. I was chastised over the loud speaker for this photo (I believe he said, "if you want a picture, go to the train museum). Yikes--but it is a nice picture.
No trip to London would be complete without stops at the great museums. This trip we hit the British Museum and the British Gallery. In addition to the "standards" at the National Gallery there was a special exhibit of Rubens: A Master in the Making. This exhibit traced about 15 years of his career. While he was known for his very large paintings of epic battles and his study of nudes (especially men), my favorite was one of his last paintings of his daughter Clara. Lovely.
The British Museum has probably one of the best collections in the world (including the rosetta stone) and this fall there is a special exhibit called "Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia." The material exhibited came from the time of Cyrus the Great (550 BC) up through about 3300 BC. The land controlled at its height went from the Black Sea (and part of current day Bulgaria) to the Arabian Sea. The Empire came to an end as it was conquered by Alexander, the king of Macedonia (you might call him Alexander the Great, but when in Bulgaria it makes sense to know him as our neighbor).
In addition to museums, there are also the great churches. We hit both St. Pauls (climbing its 500 steps to get the panoramic view of London) and Westminster. While the buildings have not changed as much, the organization of our experience in them has. Both charge fees and now have audio tours in many languages. Instead of being asked to stop to have a moment of prayer and reflection once an hour, we were asked to press the pause button once an hour.
Lots of other fun stuff, but the work is piling up. We'll be back on next week with some highlights from Athens. Only three weeks left......what will we do? For now--cheers!
We just returned from a quick trip to London. While there was no turkey on the plate for Thanksgiving (we ate Indian food instead) we enjoyed the weekend very much. We were unable to escape the cold weather.
As you can see from this picture of Buckingham Palace, it was definately time for gloves and scarves. But, for those who have been at this very spot, don't you love the lack of crowds? We even had the chance to tour the Queen's private collection without a queue. The other times we've been there the lines were hours long. There was a very nice show of Canaletto's drawings and paintings of Venice. The Queen also owns a Rubens (more on him below), which was on display. (The picture of me here is in front of the Queen's newly expanded gift shop. I couldn't help getting a picture of a decorated Christmas tree--with crowns!)
Before we left we had decided to see a couple of shows. My choice was to see Mamma Mia at the newly restored Prince of Wales Theater in the west end. This late 19th century theater (that used to present burlesque shows) was just reopened (by the Prince himself) this past September.
Brent wanted me to keep this a secret (sorry Brent--I saw you tapping your toes as well). What a fun time. We also saw Les Miserables which is celebrating something like 20 years on stage and is already booking into 2007. On our last evening we went to the Odeon in Leicester Square to see Harry Potter. This VERY large theater gives you the option to purchase your exact seat which is nice for arriving just in time for the show. They even let you know the exact time for the movie to start so you don't have to sit through the previews. I won't spoil anything for you Harry Potter fans, but let me say just one thing: VIKTOR KRUM is one awesome dude (Hermione thought so as well). In case you don't know (or don't remember), this character is part of the important tri-wizard tournament. Both the character and the actor who plays him (Viktor Stanislav) are from Bulgaria. So don't forget to check out all those Bulgarian flags and listen closely to the Bulgarian language. It was a little of "home" while we were away.
One of the really nice things about London is the Underground (or tube). You can get most places in central London in no time at all. And, the stations and lines have pretty fun names. For example, our hotel was across the street from the Marleybone Station on the Bakerloo line. I also like hearing the taped voices at some stops, such as Picadilly Circus: "mind the gap." One thing I learned is that flash photography is not allowed in any Underground station. I was chastised over the loud speaker for this photo (I believe he said, "if you want a picture, go to the train museum). Yikes--but it is a nice picture.
No trip to London would be complete without stops at the great museums. This trip we hit the British Museum and the British Gallery. In addition to the "standards" at the National Gallery there was a special exhibit of Rubens: A Master in the Making. This exhibit traced about 15 years of his career. While he was known for his very large paintings of epic battles and his study of nudes (especially men), my favorite was one of his last paintings of his daughter Clara. Lovely.
The British Museum has probably one of the best collections in the world (including the rosetta stone) and this fall there is a special exhibit called "Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia." The material exhibited came from the time of Cyrus the Great (550 BC) up through about 3300 BC. The land controlled at its height went from the Black Sea (and part of current day Bulgaria) to the Arabian Sea. The Empire came to an end as it was conquered by Alexander, the king of Macedonia (you might call him Alexander the Great, but when in Bulgaria it makes sense to know him as our neighbor).
In addition to museums, there are also the great churches. We hit both St. Pauls (climbing its 500 steps to get the panoramic view of London) and Westminster. While the buildings have not changed as much, the organization of our experience in them has. Both charge fees and now have audio tours in many languages. Instead of being asked to stop to have a moment of prayer and reflection once an hour, we were asked to press the pause button once an hour.
Lots of other fun stuff, but the work is piling up. We'll be back on next week with some highlights from Athens. Only three weeks left......what will we do? For now--cheers!
posted by WarnerSteel at 5:15 AM
