dream outloud

London, October 29, 2009

Okay...here it goes...

Wednesday, Olgica and I had a lazy morning, and left the flat around 11 am. We wandered through Regent's Park, which is right by their flat, and very beautiful. I love the symmetry of English gardens, and their use of sculpture and fountains. They also use color amazingly well...purple gardens, yellow gardens, rose gardens...

From there, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. Olgica treated me to an ₤11 view, but we had to climb over 500 steps , and close to 100 meters to get to the top of the dome! The view was worth it - and the church itself is amazingly ornate. There are so many mosaics and murals, statues, and carvings - it's incredible. I saw the biggest candle sticks I've ever seen, for sure! They were 10 feet tall - and that was without the candle! It was very opulent...I'm still not sure what I think about such over-the-top churches... They're beautiful, yes. But, it just seems that all that cash could be spent better serving the church (people) than decorating a building. I certainly don't begrudge God for being due glory, and beauty - but I kinda think that Jesus would appreciate caring for his people more than a gold-leaf mosaic.

Anyways, we stopped for coffee at a stand outside the Tate Modern after crossing the bridge. Then...onto the Tate Modern. Honestly, I was disappointed...It had a lot of Picasso - which was great, but only one Kandinsky - who's one of my favorites. And a lot of the art I just didn't like - stuff on self mutilation, and death, and other equally nasty things that I'm not sure qualify as "art" in my book.

We left at closing, and took the Tube back to the flat, where Micha had made a great meal - some of the best chicken noodle soup I've ever had! Then, Nicholas, Olgica and I watched "500 Days of Summer". I really like it! {Note to self - buy soundtrack) And then went to bed.

Today we had another lazy morning before hopping the Tube to Green Park, where we walked through Hyde Park, and the Kensington Gardens; saw the Prince Albert Memorial, and took a bus to Holland Park, where we snagged a cup of coffee, and ate lunch in the Kyoto Garden. It's very busy, as all the students are on fall break. Now, Olgica's off to a work meeting, and I think I'm going to wander some - and maybe find a pub. :)

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Funny/Interesting Things About London:

*Lots of things are small: flats, people, refrigerators, coffees, etc.
*Lots of things are BIG: public buildings, public parks, etc.
*Londoners are extremely fond of reflective vests/clothing (for cycling and any
group of kids doing anything out of the ordinary).
*The Tube is HOT! No air!
*Christmas, apparently, begins in October. [granted, this is true in the States, but
it's crazy here!]
*Either Brits look older earlier, or a lot of older people have young kids.
*For being super health-conscious (overall), there's a whole lotta smokers here.
*No one walks in a straight line
*Brits drive on the wrong side of the road (obviously!).
*Most of the children I've encountered are unbelievably unruly...which is
unexpected.
*Most people I talk to are simultaneously protective and mocking of the Crown.
*Everyone is wearing Red Poppies! (Yes, it's because it's VET week, but they're
everywhere!)