We set out late in the morning for a shorter day, looking ahead to the theatre in the evening. (When in Rome, spell like a Roman.) The two goals were the British Museum and the National Portrait Galłery. The weather was again beautiful, so,after taking the Overground and tube to central London, we walked everywhere else until going home at night.
Along the way we saw the usual cheery pub signs: 
And next, 600 years later, we have a Viking comb and two cases. There are runes on the lower case that reportedly say "Thorfastr made a good comb." (I wish I were funny enough to make this stuff up.)
And a clear indication of James Smith & Sons' business:
We also saw a dramatic illustration of (presumably) conservation of historic façades. Here are two adjacent "buildings" with nothing but front:
And then to the British Museum, which as I noted last year is an inexhaustible source of wonder. You really have to choose a topic and go there; you are doomed if you try to "just walk through." Having been fascinated by the Early Britain exhibits before, we went back. My focus for you is amazing little things that demonstrate the incredible craftsmanship of people in France, England, and Scandinavia many hundreds of years ago. Zoom these photos to see the detail!
First, an adornment at the top of a flagon used at feasts in Celtic Lorraine:
And gold rings from England around 300AD:
Those who read last year's oohing and aahing about Sutton Hoo (burial site of an Anglo-Saxon king, early 600s AD) will not be surprised at these belt buckles, shoulder clasps, and purse cover:
After leaving the Museum, we made a short visit to the National Portrait Gallery, which is really interesting especially if you recently read Wolf Hall or know anything about English kings from any other source. (There are lots and lots of other portraits to see. Though I love "our dear Audrey" as Elizabeth Taylor called Ms. Hepburn, we skipped the exhibits on her and on Paul McCartney.) I didn't take any photos because those portraits are humungously huge and It seemed useless.
Then we happened on a nice surprise. We went into the church of St. Martin in the Fields for a look, and found a string quartet rehearsing for a concert later in the evening. The music and the setting were very pleasant!
After dinner at the aforepictured Porcupine, our last event was to see a play at the Gielgud Theatre:
This is the only time we've seen a Tony award-winning play within days of the announcement. OK, it won in New York, but it's the same play: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." (Negatives first: people are allowed to eat and drink in the theater, and late-comers are seated after the performance begins. We are totally spoiled by Ashland, where NOBODY EVER climbs over you when the house lights are down!) Huge positives: the set and staging were amazing, and the acting was great. Now I need to read the book to see more about how the geeky math fits in.
We walked down Regent Street after dark, passing a zillion high-end stores and fancy buildings. A subject for another day.
Great photos and tales. On our visit to the British Museum last summer, we were amazed to see the Rosetta Stone. After you return, perhaps we can trade slideshows: either your London for our London or your London for our Namibia (from which we just returned).
ReplyDeleteThe Curious Incident... was a really good read, written from the perspective of a boy with autism I think.
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