I woke up, got ready for brunch, had a leisurely breakfast, and headed to the Strawberry Hill station to go into London. As I was arriving, the gates were going down, so I hurriedly ran to the ticket booth to try and buy my day pass. However, it was closed, so I hurriedly tried to figure out the automatic ticket machine, failed miserably, and ended up with a day pass and a round trip ticket to London. Waste of 2.45 pounds, and a waste of half an hour. Whoops. Won't be making that mistake again.
When I finally got into London, I decided to go check out the hotel that my mom & I had stayed at while we were here in 2002. I got off at the Sloane Square tube station, and almost instinctively knew where to turn and where to go. I walked down the beautiful orange-brick row of mansions (passing a guy urinating on a tree, awkward) right to the end, on the right, where The Willett was. I was expecting to go in, and maybe have a look around, but to my huge surprise, it was closed. The door and gate were padlocked, there were no window treatments in any of the windows, the brass sign on the front wasn't polished, and there weren't any lights on anywhere. It was a little depressing. I walked back up the street and around the square. Amazing how everything seemed so much bigger to me when I was 13. I also didn't realize how ritzy of an area we were staying in. There was a Tiffany's on one corner, and a Hugo Boss on another, as well as some swank cafes scattered about.
I got back on the Tube to go to the National Gallery. I'd forgotten how much I love the Tube. Something about traveling, especially traveling solo, is incredibly empowering to me. I'm not quire sure what it is. I arrived at the Charring Cross station, basically right across from Trafalgar Square, and walked up the magnificent steps to the Gallery. If one adjective could describe it, it would be 'massive.' I wasn't able to spend nearly enough time there, mostly just enough time to find my Top 10 paintings. I definitely need to come back. I could easily spend half a day to a full day there. I was definitely amazed by everything though. I don't think that this was something my mom & I did when we were here. I especially love the 1600-ish Italian art, for some reason. I actually wrote in my journal regarding my time spent at the National Gallery as a place with an incredible amount of "cultural wealth." It definitely had some kind of impression on me.
On my way out, there were some street performers, so I stopped on the balcony to watch them. Interesting, but you've seen one street performer, you've basically seen them all. On the way in, I was given a flyer for a candlelight Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik concert in the St Martin's In The Field chapel across the way. I decided to check it out, and ended up buying a ticket for that evening's performance.
i went back to school to have dinner with the girls, then got back on the train back into London, again marveling at how rude people can be on public transportation. I've only been here a little over a week, yet I feel as if I could write a pamphlet, or even a book, on public transportation etiquette.
I was paranoid that I was going to be late for the show, but I made it in time. I walked into a small, yet beautiful and ornate church. I was expecting more of an orchestra set-up, but the music stands indicated more of a chamber orchestra ensemble. The performing group is called London Musical Arts Orchestra, and from what I could determine, are relatively new. My seats weren't all too great, so right before the show started, all the other people in my situation and I moved inward to the better seats that hadn't sold. I ended up getting a pretty phenomenal seat for not so much money.
The acoustics were incredible. It almost brought tears to my eyes when the music began, and made me really miss my cello. It was incredible to sit there for almost two hours, and just enjoy being in the moment. Nothing to worry about, only beautiful music and beautiful surroundings to enjoy. Simple pleasures. During the intermission, the conductor did a little examination of the piece for the second half of the concert. He demonstrated "imitation," which was fun. This group has other performances that I definitely plan on attending.
After the show, I snapped some pictures of the church. I decided to walk to Leicester Square to see what that was like on a Saturday night, but somehow got turned around and ended up wandering for a little bit before I found Covent Garden and its Tube station. I decided to get off at the Twickenham station and ride a bus back to my house, which conveniently drops me off almost at my doorstep. When I got off in Twickenham though, a rugby game or some kind of sporting event was apparently just getting out, so I had to fight through masses of drunkards to make it through. Lots of drunk people out tonight. One of the most unsettling things however, was the number of homeless I encountered while wandering. Especially the homeless with animals. Very upsetting, and hard to not intervene. I might start carrying dog food with me when we go out in London now.
I came home, and my housemate, Karly, told me that they'd raised the security threat level to 'severe' in London, explaining the delays I'd encountered on the Tube on my journey home. Reassuring. Oxford tomorrow, however, so I'll be off the Tubes.
All in all, a phenomenal day, and hoping that tomorrow is even better.
And so ends Day 12.
No comments:
Post a Comment