Yesterday was a long and full day.
I have always been told that London is expensive. Yes housing and transportation is relatively expensive, but I cannot say that I have really found that London is expensive. Especially when you consider that so many wonderful museums here are free.
Yesterday, we decided to visit the National Gallery (no photos allowed inside).
Once again we made our way to Trafalgar Square wher the National Gallery is located. There is no entrance fee, and it is a real treasure. Had I more time, I would revisit this gallery several times, as there is way too much to absorb in one visit. The Audioguide is well worth the small cost. We followed the recommended printed tour that took you around the gallery to see some of the highlights. But the audioguide will discuss any piece of art you see, just key in its number and listen, something we did do when particular paintings struck our fancy.
From Botticelli to Van Gogh, and everyone in between. With over 60 rooms filled with paintings, one could easily spend a day fully appreciating a handful of rooms at a time. And with free admission, if you had the time, you could in fact do this.
What I most liked of the National Gallery, was that it felt comfortable. It does not feel stuffy and high brow. It is airy and very friendly, bringing high art, down to earth for everyone to enjoy and appreciate.
After a bite to eat, we were off to the Cambridge Theatre to watch "Chicago."
We had seen the movie which is based on this musical. We had considered several other theatrical works playing in London, but decided on "Chicago." We were not disappointed. It was a fabulous performance.
We regularly attend theatre back home, and I cannot understand why people do not attend theatre more often. If I could have people watch the "movie" and then the "performance" of "Chicago," I am sure I could convert many to attend live theatre more often. The movie is excellent, but the live performance is exhillarating. One cannot emotionally connect to a movie as one can connect to a piece of live theatre.
Again, had we more time, we would love to attend even more performances.
We crossed the street and entered a pub as we talked about the great show we had just enjoyed. Late at night, we made our way home on bus 23 as it rained.
Today, we were off to St.Paul's Cathedral. (Again, no photos are allowed inside.)
St. Paul's is in many ways the heart of London. This is the fifth cathedral to be built on this site since 604. There was a Saxon Cathedredral, then a huge Norman Cathedral that was the largest in Europe. By 1666, this Norman cathedral was starting to fall in disrepair, and the King hired Sir Christopher Wren, who had never built a building in his life, to be in charge with its restoration. Soon thereafter, the great fire of London in 1666 not only burnt down the old Norman Cathedral, but most of London itself along with most of its churches. While not an architect, Sir Christopher Wren at 33 was already accomplished in a multitude of fields including astonomy, physics, math and medicine. And his ability to get along with others, and organize people, convinced King Charles II that Sir Christopher Wren was the right man for the job. And he did not disappoint.
St.Paul's Cathedral is his crowning achievement, building what is the fourth largest church in the world. Although it is huge, it also feels warm and intimate, which demonstrates the genius of Sir Christopher Wren. He did not want the average man to feel small in the house of God.
The iconic Dome of St.Paul's that is characteristic of London's skyline, is another example of how he wanted to create something grand, but still keep the people feel they are within reach. He created a dome within a dome. The inner dome feels grand and high, but it still feels within reach as one looks up. However, he realized that "big" was a matter of perspective, and for an onlooker from the outside, and taller dome was needed for it to feel big and grand. Thus the outer dome is for the benefit for someone looking at the church from the outside, and the inner dome is for the benefit for someone inside the church.
St. Paul's Cathedral is also iconic for London's more recent history. During WW II London suffered the German bombings, then the Blitz. Once again, the area here was more or less levelled, and while the Cathedral did get some direct hits, it stood tall amongst the rubble. Defiant against Hitler, St. Paul's kept standing bravely, like Londoners did, and the rest of England.
St. Paul's is also where Nelson's and Wellington's tombs are located. Blake's and Florence Nightingale's tombs are also located here.
We did spend more time here than we had expected, as has been true for most placed we have visited in London.
Taking a quick ride in the Underground, we got out in a shopping area that we passed daily on our bus route. Hera found a couple of outfits, and though we could have spent hours more if not days, it was time to go home.
Photographer's note: During these two days I carried only my new smart phone Samsung Galaxy SII. In other words, I was free of any other camera. All the photos you see in this Blog were shot with my smart phone, edited in smart phone. Amazing, isn't it? They were only re-sized for web and my signature was added in PhotoShop. I love few of the applications I had bought prior to this trip. One of them being HDR. HDR actually shoots minimum 2 shots, like a true HDT shot. You have to hold the smart phone without moving away from the composition. Then you have several other bottons to adjust the final touch.
The photo below is an HDR happy mistake. I moved the camera during its second layer. Voila. Amazing isn't it? It created a dimentional illusion. Yup, it is my feet on a patterned floor.
Cheers,
Hera & Anthony
