A Saturday venture led Mike and I to amble along famed Portobello Road with its colorful building facades, antique shops and oodles of stalls brimming with every imaginable item. There were fabrics, ceramics, fruit and veg, sterling silver pieces, old-time cameras and books, dishes, records, sports equipment and more.
We also took a look-see at some of the areas shot in the film Notting Hill (with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant) as we strolled by -- the bookshop, the house door and the park. What a fun and colorful wander.
Impressions at the RA
"Painting the Modern Garden -- Monet to Matisse" at the Royal Academy of Arts Museum was such a treat! I LOVE impressionist art and this exhibit did not disappoint! It featured amazing works by Monet, Matisse, Bonnard, John Singer Sargent, Pissarro, and van Gogh, to name a few.
Evidently, gardening and horticulture became wildly popular during their lifetimes due to greater leisure time and more affluence which allowed people opportunities to garden for aesthetic pleasures, not only for food.
These artists found creative inspiration for their paintings in a garden's peace, vibrant colors, varied forms and light. Being among their paintings was like being surrounded by every flower, tree, pond, bridge, inviting space and time you can imagine.
One of the highlights was the spectacular 3-paneled piece of one of Monet's Water Lilly series. Each of the three enormous panels came from three different U.S. museums and were put back together for the first time in Europe since they left Monet's studio. The sheer size and beauty of them was tranquil and inspiring.
Here were some of my favorites that day . . .
A Day at Somerset House
Intrigued by a photo I saw of an ice skating rink in the courtyard of an enormous and grand-looking building, I thought I should check out Somerset House. It sits on a 6-acre plot of land right between the Strand and the Thames and features several wings (funny aside: the "New Wing" as it is called is 150 years old). The House is neo-classical in style, built in 1780, added to endlessly, and has quite a history.
Once used as a Royal Dower House (where a widowed queen or queen mother would live), a palatial home, a place for the British Navy offices, and various other government offices, among other things, it is now a major cultural center for the city.
The Courtauld Gallery also calls Somerset House home and features beautiful medieval art, impressionist and post-impressionist art. I especially enjoyed works by Renoir, Degas, and Cezanne there.
It's interesting to continue to build more of a mental map of where places are located in relation to other places in the city. Somerset House is just around the corner from West End and Leicester Square -- and only two buses from home!
Walkie Talkie Time
Yes, there is building in London that actually does look like a gigantic Walkie Talkie -- hence the nickname! It's actual name is 20 Fenchurch Street and it is 38 floors of offices with floorplates that get larger in size as the floors go up. Of course there is a viewing platform at the top with spectacular 360 degree panoramas of London. A lovely garden with trees & plants, a snack bar and separate restaurant complete the scene at the apex.
We've heard when the Talkie was first completed that sunlight off its angled windows were hyper-focusing the light on the cars below and actually melted some of them! A change in window coating seemed to fix that um, "snafu."
Not my personal favorite as far as architectural pieces in London go, but you can't argue with the scenic splendor! (And admission is free for a priceless view!)
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