I’ve been extremely delinquent in posting my adventures here, so these events actually happened nearly two weeks ago. But since a few people might find them interesting, I’ll share them here.
I got the chance to visit the Museum of London. They have exhibitions tracing London’s history from prehistory to the present, in addition to a few special exhibitions. As with most museums in the UK, entry is free except for these special exhibits. I intentionally delayed my visit so I could see the Sherlock Holmes exhibition that went on display in the middle of October.
There was a wide array of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia and items on display. They did an excellent job of tracing the development of the popular image of Holmes since Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the stories. There’s everything from the original illustrations from the books to costumes Benedict Cumberbatch wore on the TV series Sherlock. After almost two hours in that gallery, I started to explore the galleries tracing the history of London. I had to stop after Victorian London to attend an evening class, but I found the displays highly accessible and informative. They’ve also managed to slip a Monty Python reference into their display on Roman Londinium.
A few days later (Saturday), I decided to spend a day visiting art galleries. I walked to Tate Modern, which is housed in a former power station on the South Bank of the Thames. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not particularly inclined towards modern art, but there were several works that I really enjoyed viewing.
London has a riverboat service that connects Tate Modern with Tate Britain, which is upriver in Westminster. Though it’s more expensive and slightly slower than the Tube, I took it for the experience. Though it had been overcast all morning, the sun came out just as I was stepping aboard.
Here’s the Shard, with the Millennium Bridge in the foreground. It’s known as the “Wobbly Bridge” to Londoners because shortly after its construction, it would shake when packed with tourists. My daily runs frequently take me across it, dodging tourists all the way.
A view of the Houses of Parliament from the Thames.
And another view, this time a panorama (hence the distortion).
After walking through about half of Tate Britain (covering English Art from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th), I decided to head home. I will certainly go back to Tate Britain to see the remainder of the art. I walked through St. James’ Park in Westminster, which is filled with wonderful views.
Just before I boarded the Tube, I passed Trafalgar Square, which on this particular Saturday was overrun with Falcons fans in anticipation of the next day’s game at Wembley Stadium. Nelson would be proud, I’m sure.
More posts to follow about my trip to Oxford and further exploration of London.
