London Calling
I returned to London for a nine-day stay in May. I had last been there 15 years ago. When I sorted my photographs upon returning, I realize the fallacy when people say, “I need a vacation. I just have to get away from things.” All the things that interest me and occupy my time in the United States hold the same fascination when I travel. Different art museums, but I still find myself in museums. The buildings may be different, but I continue to be fascinated by architectural details and geometrics, as well as shadow and light patterns produced by buildings. Different parks, streets and interior space, but the people who occupy those spaces are still intriguing subjects.
I attended three excellent plays (Shakespeare Twelfth Night, Nikolai Gogos’ The Government Inspector, and People, Places, and Things, which will eventually find its way to Broadway, probably winning lots of Tony Awards), ate Lebanese and Iranian food, and spent hours exploring London. Photographically, the trip was somewhat of a bust. With the exception of two days, the skies were largely flat grey, which means no shadows. I encountered only one street musician—an opera singer in the Tube. And there was only one demonstration—a very low-key pro-Palestinian demonstration attended by 75 people.
Nevertheless, I persevered. Here is what I captured.
The Journey From Heathrow. Before crossing the pond, I checked with my travel agent about the cost of a cab from Heathrow to central London. I use public transportation whenever possible, but I was curious. £300. Naturally, I opted for the subway. Tap-In; Tap-Out; arriving at the Green Park Tube Station, one block from my hotel, Flemings Mayfair. Easy Peasy.
Highgate Cemetery. The day after I arrived, I headed to Highgate Cemetery because cemeteries are always fascinating places, particularly when you see familiar people now “planted in the ground.” Fortunately, I had good light that day. What was particularly notable about Highgate was how the groundskeepers allowed the grass and foliage to run wild.
Notting Hill. I am sucker for the romance between William Thacker (Hugh Grant) and Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). It is my goto movie at Christmas time, even though it has nothing to do with the holidays. On this trip, I decided to pay the neighborhood a visit. Big disappointment. The main drag was filled with tourists (me included). The Portobello Road Market was a dump. Being there during just one season of the year was more than sufficient for me.
Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park. I had always wanted to check out Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park; the place reserved for free speech. I was hoping there would be a speech or debate concerning the Israeli-Hamas War. Unfortunately, some preacher type was lecturing on the merits of Christ. I must admit, he was very good, but I wanted something more political.
Regent’s Park. Chicago has plenty of parkland, but London’s system of parks far surpasses Chicago’s. I encountered a bunch of kids and their parents taking turns on a zipline in Regent’s Parks. It was Day 2, and later in the day, I would see William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in an outdoor performance . The actor who played Toby was astounding. He played the part in campy drag.
Before heading to the outdoor theater for dinner and the play, I stopped at the London Zoo. Unfortunately, the animals were either indoors, or sleeping. Nevertheless the Zoo is very impressive in terms of size, displays, animal categories, and activities. To some extent, I was not surprised. After all, as an empire, Britain, controlled many exotic lands. Apparently, people in London wanted to see the animals from those lands.
Central London. On my first trip to London 30 years ago, I saw the crown jewels, the Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and all the other stuff that first-timers hope to see. As far as I can recall, there were no admission lines, which is not the case anymore. The lines are long, so I have never returned to any of these sites, nor do I so desire. If I did want to return, I suspect there is a way to bypass the lines should I be willing to pony up a few extra Pounds. Good news: Don’t bring a lot of Pounds with you. London is much farther along than the United States when it comes cashless payment. In fact, I don’t recall many museums or shops that accepted cash.
I don’t find photographs of the iconic sites particularly interesting, but like everyone else, I still will photograph them when passing by.
Hyde Park. The day I walked through Hyde Park, the light was rapidly changing. The skies were mostly cloudy, with some fantastic, but short-lived sunspells. Before arriving at the Royal Albert Hall, I passed the Serpentine, which is a 40-acre recreational lake that includes a Lido—beach. For just a moment, the Royal Albert was spectacularly lit, with its red brick on fire. Then the sun disappeared behind a front of clouds, never returning that day.
I spent lots of time inside museums, including the Tate Britain (for a John Singer Sargent show), the Royal Academy ( with Frederick Leighton’s Flaming June on display), the Courtauld (for an exhibit of Frank Auerbach’s charcoals), the Victoria and Albert Museum ( for Fragile Beauty: Photographs from Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection), the Photographer’s Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery ( for an exhibit pairing the photographs of Francesca Woodman and Juliet Cameron titled Portraits to Dream In), the National Gallery, the Frederic Leighton House, and the Wallace Collection (Baroque ungapatchka).
Fifteen or so years ago I stopped to watch a busker in Covent Garden. Dr. Philistine is still doing his “Born On A Rope” Thing. He told me that he has been busking in the same spot for over 30 years.
On one cloudy afternoon, I spent my time in Marylebone and the surrounding area.
As I have noted, I spent many hours in museums.
On the last Saturday of the trip, I took the train out to Hampton Court, the home of King Henry VIII. I had talked about doing this on previous trips to London, but never visited the palace. Large palaces are generally not my thing, but it was supposed to be a sunny day. It wasn’t.
Here are some miscellaneous photographs from my walks around London.
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