Day 49 London (Sunday 6 May)
Breakfast here is very similar to the Montana's, next door (whose wifi connection I am using, since I still have access, because the European's tends to flip off sometimes). The poached eggs are marginally better. The shower is way better, apart from being roomier.
I didn't set off until about 10:30, thinking that if I finished late enough at the V&A I could take a bus down Cromwell Rd and go to my favourite Indian restaurant for dinner. (Ha. As usual, not.) I arrived at the Piccadilly line platform at Kings Cross in good time to find a train disgorging all its passengers - some kind of trouble at the next station. Fortunately, Russell Square sorted out its problem very quickly, and the next train along took up, well, not a double load, but all it could handle. A kind young woman offered me a seat, which I took with thanks. (It's still strange knowing I look old as well as feeling it a lot of the time!)
At the V&A I wanted to see the big exhibition, British Design 1948 - 2012, plus some of the little exhibitions they always have. I asked for a 1 pm ticket, and went off to have morning tea/lunch (very good almond cake, so-so hot chocolate). Casually looked at my ticket and it's for 11:45. Panic stations. Hiked across the courtyard - and across the oval pool, emptied due to the drought - dropped most of my stuff in the cloakroom and set off. No problems getting in.
The theory is that it takes about an hour. I took over two hours, and not because of sitting down - there were few benches. There was a lot of fascinating stuff, right from the Festival of Britain and the "austerity" post-war London Olympic Games to current architecture, like the Gherkin. I didn't necessarily like all of it - I'm allergic to a lot of fifties design, and I couldn't give a rats about Concorde. There was an enormous range of stuff, from designer clothes for pop stars (Ziggy Stardust!) and work by people like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, to furniture, to a section on the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral (most of whose art I have always disliked heartily, alas) and another on the building of motorways (right down to the new typeface for signage - interesting). After that I really needed a seat.
I used that time to map out my route - all those miles of corridors and those very long staircases to consider! These rest of what I wanted was on floors 1, 3 and 6, and all accessible from the same lift (lift O: gives you an idea of the size of the place, that they have that many public lifts).
First stop, those Japanese Lolitas advertised by such a cute photo in the Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain article. I ran that exhibition to ground in a big room full of Japanese pottery, Samurai armour, enamels… a set of 6-8 cases each with a model dressed in clothing from specific manufacturers in specific styles, with copious notes (Sweet Lolita, Gothic Lolita etc). Japanese teen spending power must be incredible; each of those costumes must have represented one hell of a lot of money. Now I need to hunt up some photos online. (The bookshop had a couple of books of photographs, but my suitcase is allergic to books.) Took photos for me and for imkalena, who will probably get to see them sometime, but not today.
Then up to the Queensbury Hunt exhibition. They designed my brother's china set (Hornsea's Concept), to which I've contributed a few pieces, so I was interested in seeing more of their work. I managed to walk the wrong way in the Ceramic galleries (a tour for a whole 'nother day some year!), but found them at last: Queensberry Hunt: Ceramic Design. Satisfying. Took photos for my brother.
Down to the paintings etc area, and a small exhibition (two cases) on the work of a book cover designer (he did lots of other stuff as well), and the other biggish exhibition (two whole rooms!): Recording Britain: "in the early years of the Second World War when lives, landscapes and precious buildings were under threat, not only from bombs but also from the effects of 'progress' and development." Some watercolours/drawings were a bit special interest (as the labels pointed out, there was already lots of stuff available for stately homes), but most were of ordinary places, or places that must have seemed ordinary then, from farms due to go under a dam to specialist shops boarded up against bomb damage. There's a catalogue, but it's hardcover as well as large (my poor suitcase! and poor me). I'm still swithering about it, as this Bank Holiday weekend the V&A is doing 25% off books related to the major design exhibition. I only want three of them! Maybe I'll go back today. If I last out.
By that time it was nearly 5 pm, but I didn't think I could hack another 45 minutes gallery walking in order to go to dinner at Delhi Brasserie, so I pottered a bit in South Kensington then took the tube back to Kings Cross. I did pop into the Le Pain Quotidien in South Ken, but though I got a seat at the common table (not my favourite) it was so noisy I walked out again. The St Pancras branch was much quieter. I had mushroom and chickpea soup (which could have done with more flavour - pancetta or something; I naughtily added some salt, but it didn't make a lot of difference). The Chilean sauvignon blanc was fortunately much better than the French rubbish I'd had there last time. The bread, as ever, was excellent. (An Indian dinner would probably have been wasted on me, anyway; I don't seem to eat a lot just now: not interested.)
I spent the evening trying to stay awake, with not a lot of success - just became dopier and dopier. Bed at midnight. I should have given up much earlier.
I didn't set off until about 10:30, thinking that if I finished late enough at the V&A I could take a bus down Cromwell Rd and go to my favourite Indian restaurant for dinner. (Ha. As usual, not.) I arrived at the Piccadilly line platform at Kings Cross in good time to find a train disgorging all its passengers - some kind of trouble at the next station. Fortunately, Russell Square sorted out its problem very quickly, and the next train along took up, well, not a double load, but all it could handle. A kind young woman offered me a seat, which I took with thanks. (It's still strange knowing I look old as well as feeling it a lot of the time!)
At the V&A I wanted to see the big exhibition, British Design 1948 - 2012, plus some of the little exhibitions they always have. I asked for a 1 pm ticket, and went off to have morning tea/lunch (very good almond cake, so-so hot chocolate). Casually looked at my ticket and it's for 11:45. Panic stations. Hiked across the courtyard - and across the oval pool, emptied due to the drought - dropped most of my stuff in the cloakroom and set off. No problems getting in.
The theory is that it takes about an hour. I took over two hours, and not because of sitting down - there were few benches. There was a lot of fascinating stuff, right from the Festival of Britain and the "austerity" post-war London Olympic Games to current architecture, like the Gherkin. I didn't necessarily like all of it - I'm allergic to a lot of fifties design, and I couldn't give a rats about Concorde. There was an enormous range of stuff, from designer clothes for pop stars (Ziggy Stardust!) and work by people like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, to furniture, to a section on the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral (most of whose art I have always disliked heartily, alas) and another on the building of motorways (right down to the new typeface for signage - interesting). After that I really needed a seat.
I used that time to map out my route - all those miles of corridors and those very long staircases to consider! These rest of what I wanted was on floors 1, 3 and 6, and all accessible from the same lift (lift O: gives you an idea of the size of the place, that they have that many public lifts).
First stop, those Japanese Lolitas advertised by such a cute photo in the Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita fashion and the influence of Britain article. I ran that exhibition to ground in a big room full of Japanese pottery, Samurai armour, enamels… a set of 6-8 cases each with a model dressed in clothing from specific manufacturers in specific styles, with copious notes (Sweet Lolita, Gothic Lolita etc). Japanese teen spending power must be incredible; each of those costumes must have represented one hell of a lot of money. Now I need to hunt up some photos online. (The bookshop had a couple of books of photographs, but my suitcase is allergic to books.) Took photos for me and for imkalena, who will probably get to see them sometime, but not today.
Then up to the Queensbury Hunt exhibition. They designed my brother's china set (Hornsea's Concept), to which I've contributed a few pieces, so I was interested in seeing more of their work. I managed to walk the wrong way in the Ceramic galleries (a tour for a whole 'nother day some year!), but found them at last: Queensberry Hunt: Ceramic Design. Satisfying. Took photos for my brother.
Down to the paintings etc area, and a small exhibition (two cases) on the work of a book cover designer (he did lots of other stuff as well), and the other biggish exhibition (two whole rooms!): Recording Britain: "in the early years of the Second World War when lives, landscapes and precious buildings were under threat, not only from bombs but also from the effects of 'progress' and development." Some watercolours/drawings were a bit special interest (as the labels pointed out, there was already lots of stuff available for stately homes), but most were of ordinary places, or places that must have seemed ordinary then, from farms due to go under a dam to specialist shops boarded up against bomb damage. There's a catalogue, but it's hardcover as well as large (my poor suitcase! and poor me). I'm still swithering about it, as this Bank Holiday weekend the V&A is doing 25% off books related to the major design exhibition. I only want three of them! Maybe I'll go back today. If I last out.
By that time it was nearly 5 pm, but I didn't think I could hack another 45 minutes gallery walking in order to go to dinner at Delhi Brasserie, so I pottered a bit in South Kensington then took the tube back to Kings Cross. I did pop into the Le Pain Quotidien in South Ken, but though I got a seat at the common table (not my favourite) it was so noisy I walked out again. The St Pancras branch was much quieter. I had mushroom and chickpea soup (which could have done with more flavour - pancetta or something; I naughtily added some salt, but it didn't make a lot of difference). The Chilean sauvignon blanc was fortunately much better than the French rubbish I'd had there last time. The bread, as ever, was excellent. (An Indian dinner would probably have been wasted on me, anyway; I don't seem to eat a lot just now: not interested.)
I spent the evening trying to stay awake, with not a lot of success - just became dopier and dopier. Bed at midnight. I should have given up much earlier.