Funfilled Days in London

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I was in London at the end of July and during my birthday week. As usual, I made sure my time there was funfilled. I saw and did quite a lot including the following:

The British Museum

I was at The British Museum a few months ago to attend a university seminar. See Being Enlightened and Romanticised! blog. I wanted to return to the museum and spend more time in The Enlightenment Gallery. I spent some time looking around the gallery. The gallery is housed in the Old King George's III library which was built in the early 19th Century. The exhibits covered a time period where people had the desire to learn more and their discoveries proved their quest for knowledge and reason. The period was known as The Enlightenment in the late 18th Century and this led to the formation of The British Museum. This era developed the understanding of the natural world, archaeology, art, civilisation, ancient history, trade and discovery. I noticed that regarding trade and discovering is no mention of the slave trade and slavery. It might suggest that the discoveries and artefacts, used for ethnographical purposes, were collected from a number of countries during those circumstances.

I also visited the European 1800-1900 Gallery. The exhbitions consolidated and enhanced my understanding from my Humanities studies. It was interesting to read and see exhibits relating to AWN Pugin who was known as a great architect of the Gothic Revival and he designed the Houses of Parliament (was known at the time as Palace of Westminster). I saw exhibits that were related to the Romantic era such as nature and its appreciation of The Sublime from a close study of the landscapes.

I enjoyed visiting The British Museum. There is so much to see there. I have been to the museum a number of times now but still have not seen everything!!! It is unlikely because there are some themes there that do not interest me but this could change especially through my studies at university or experiencing life changes.

Tate Britain

I spent one morning at Tate Britain. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the displays in the Historic British Art Section. I admired the works by JMW Turner, William Blake, John Constable and many others I studied in my last Humanities course. Turner knows how to portray emotions such as The Sublime in his landscape paintings. There is a room dedicated to The Sublime where I learnt through Edmund Birke, an artist, about how The Sublime is interpreted and how, from the 1800s, nature and human responded to art in general. The paintings in the room reflected this. I wanted to visit the Turner Galleries but I learnt whilst I was there that the exhibitions finished in mid July. There were models of planes, a temporary exhibition, in the Duveen galleries. The reflection from the models made it fun for photography (see the photos below).

I look forward to exploring the Tate Modern when I am next in London (This August Bank Holiday Weekend) and enjoy the works by Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and many others.

Westminster Abbey

I have passed Westminster Abbey so many times during my visits to London but never had the opportunity to visit it. After paying an extortionate fee and was advised that taking photos was forbidden, I spent 2.5 hours exploring the Abbey with its complimentary audio tour which was excellent. The place is so huge! It was built in 960 AD as a Benedictine Monastry and the Abbey has seen so many changes including The Reformation in the 16th Century. The Abbey hosts the State Coronations and most of England's Kings and Queens have been crowned and this is a burial and memorial place for famous figures who shaped and made British history. It is a fascinating place and the highlight was seeing Poet's corner where the likes of William Shakespeare, George Handel, William Blake, Jane Austen and others were either buried or remembered. On my tour, I noticed the memorials of William Wilberforce and Isaac Newton. I felt it was mean that we were not allowed to take photos but I can understand at the same time.

Harrods

One of my best friends gave me a gift card to use in Harrods. I usually would not make a special trip to Knightsbridge but this time I had a good reason! I visited The Food Halls and they were amazing especially the chocolate section! I bought some chocs to munch during my explorations. I have got some money left over on the card so I will probably return and get more chocs on my next visit in London. Thanks a lot, Ruth! The chocolates were delicious.

Other than sightseeing, I took in a disappointing afternoon tea at The Terrace on The Strand and I visted the West End where I saw two mucicals, The Phantom of the Opera and the new Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies. Amazing musicals! I look forward to seeing 'Love Never Dies' again at the end of August when I am in London.

I enjoyed being in London again although after a couple of days I was yearning for a change of scenery so off to Waterloo Station I go for my train to Salisbury.

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Photos

The British Museum
London, UK

A Quest for Knowledge
The Enlightenment Gallery, British Museum, London, UK

Piccadilly Circus
London, UK

Harrods Food Hall
Knightsbridge, London, UK

A Plane Model
Tate Britain, London, UK

Reflections at Tate Britain
London, UK

Reflections at Tate Britain
London, UK

Reflections at Tate Britain
London, UK

Reflections at Tate Britain
London, UK

Houses of Parliament
Westminster, London, UK

Westminster Abbey
London, UK

UK's Supreme Court
Westminster, London, UK

Westminster Abbey
London, UK

Westminster Abbey
London, UK

Westminster Abbey
The Cloisters, Westminster, London, UK

Trafalgar Square
London, UK

Trafalgar Square
London, UK

Tourists & The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, London, UK

High (or rather Low) Tea
Disappointed with her Afternoon Tea, Terrace on The Strand, London, UK

Love Never Dies!
Adelphi Theatre, London