Circuses and Squares

Cheerio from foggy Londontown!
So we got to London yesterday morning around 10 and we had a full day of sight seeing! We took a tour bus around the city which I usually frown upon but it really is a great way to save money on transportation to major sights, especially when dealing with the pound...so we rode the bus around for a while and got to hear great commentary from this cute old man named Phil- he was a great guide, very funny and smart. We went to Harrod's and to Hyde Park- I found the statue of Peter Pan that I wanted to see- learned about that from Winning London lol.
Our hotel is awesome by the way! It has so many complimentary services- laundry, free spring water and printing! Love it! And the location is great too, right across the street from St. Paul's Cathedral.
Last night we ate Indian food for dinner which is apparently the national dish of England, according to our cab driver. Apparently when India was a colony the British people liked the flavors of the food they made so they later adapted it to their tastes (probably meaning making it more mild). I thought it was great! It tasted light- it wasn't as filling as it is in the states, or perhaps it was because I hadn't eaten all day. To save money (and Cals of course!), I suggested to my mom that we eat one meal a day- so far so good! I pump myself up with Starbucks and I'm good to go! They are everywhere, within a 30 second walk from the hotel lol. It's like New York.
London is actually pretty similar to NYC...except it is much richer in terms of history and I find it to be cleaner and more esthetically pleasing. Not that I don't love New York, I do and I can't wait to go back! But, London is awesome and incredibly gorgeous.
So this morning I walked over the AWESOME Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern (without Mom because she hates modern art and would have said things along the lines of, "I can make that!" so, she skipped it and went to see the Queen's Gallery, which was apparently quite impressive).
The Tate Modern was UNREAL! I loved it so much that when I finished I asked about possibly interning there next summer- I want to be in there all the time! It was so cool. Apparently to intern there, you don't have to be studying Art or Art History, they choose people based on interest, which is good for me. While I was walking through the halls, a group of kids started walking around in the same pattern, they were doing a performance art routine. It was fun and unexpected.
In terms of quality of works and organization, I would say that Tate is my favorite museum. Alli and Scott- you're going to LOVE IT. Tons of stuff from Aruna's class and there are games and stuff- it's such a cool environment.
Scott, you know how you said that you don't like MoMA as much as you could because you think it feels a little bit cold- this museum is the opposite- it's inviting and great!
One thing that I found particularly cool was DuChamp's glass panels. We studied it in class but I thought it was so cool to see it in person. It looks completely different because you can actually see it as it was meant to be seen, transparently.
Something cute, there was a British woman in the museum with her 4-year -old daughter and she asked the little if she thought DuChamp's ready-made Bicycle Wheel was art and the little girl said, "No! It's a bicycle wheel!" Maybe you had to be there, her voice was cute...
There were a number of awesome installations and videos that were evocative.
Over all, awesome place- definitely up there with my favorite things here in London.
Then I tried to get into Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, but it was closed...Next I headed over to the National Gallery- also impressive, but I didn't spend long there- my mom adored it and she spent much more time. I think she's going to LOVE the Louvre, so I'm excited for her to see that.
Next I headed to Westminster Abbey, which was also closed, then to Parliament, yup, that was closed too- they are on holiday until June 2. Three things I wanted to see were closed today (Royal Court of Justice too). But I was so pleased with Tate that it was alright. I did stop at a cute antique market near Piccadilly Circus- called Piccadilly Market and I got Alli a little something and then just browsed a bit.
I spent most of the day wandering the city, I didn't have a map until I met up with my mom so I had no idea how much walking I had done- I walked all over the city today and it was great.
Tomorrow we are planning to see the Tower of London and then we'll spend the rest of the day relaxing and shopping on Oxford Street (Looks like a lot of fun- Top Shop, Urban, 2 H & M's etc etc!!)- We deserve a break because I think we each saw everything that was important to us.