Around London - Part II - October Impressions
London. What to say? A list of words rushes to my mind: vast, quick, crowded, exciting and captivating...This metropolis is all of those, and more. No matter how many times you visit, even if walking along the same route every single time, it will be fascinating. It has a unique charm, as all major cities do, because the building with its people always make it vibrant.
In the summer, we started our walk from the Buckingham Palace. And so we did this time again. The tourists seem to swarm around its gates tirelessly, no matter what the season. The only difference to the summer visit was the Queen's Guard's clothing - they changed their bright red dresses to gray winter ones just the day before our visit.
We proceeded to St. James's Park, which is near the Palace. It was full of visitors, even more so than in the summertime, which was surprising. The autumn colours brought it to life; one would think that it is dull and gray at this time of the year. Well, take a look!
It was so lovely to sit down and watch the swans and ducks swimming in the lake. The squirrels were running around with excitement as many people gave them food that they took from their palms.
The dress I am wearing is one very dear to me. This exact one was the first vintage dress I ever saw, and it started me on my journey of a vintage lifestyle. It was worn by the first blogger I came accross, and eventually, with some luck, I got to purchase it. More on this amazing story in a next post though. Let's head back to the trip.
The swans were so friendly...You could freely approach them. They are used to the tourists. And the food, probably.
Can you spot the little squirrel in the background?
We headed towards the town centre afterwards to see the sights. Trees and shrubs in autumn colours were brightly glowing everywhere.
When in London, one can never miss to take a photo with the red phone booth
Walking further up, we went to see Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and Big Ben. It is always exciting to re-visit them in different seasons, light and colours. Above you can see the Sanctuary next to the Abbey. It is a gorgeous building; I much prefer it to the Abbey itself.
We went inside the Abbey that day and visited the graves of legends of the past: Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Browning, Chaucer, Edward the Confessor and numerous other monarchs, Darwin, the Poets' corner remembering Kipling, Tennyson and Dickens. And the list goes on...No photos were allowed. The tour was extraordinary. Near the exit, we saw the coronation chair used since 1300.
The London Eye
Big Ben, towering over the crowds still walking around this late into the evening
There are always numerous musicians and street performers around this part of the town. Little further up, we heard the sound of a second bagpipe followed by a drummer who played on various metal junk quite well, actually.
Our next and final destination was the renowned Courtauld Gallery. I love impressionism, and we were so lucky that beside the vast number of impressionist paintings there was a Rodin exhibition in the gallery that day. The visit instantly took me back to the time we visited the Louvre earlier this year (you can find a description of the amazing tour in the earlier posts). It would take a very long post to show you all the masterpieces we saw from Monet, Van Gogh, Modigliani or Picasso, but to give you a taste, I will share the ones that captured my eye the most. The photos are slightly dark because the lights are dimmed to preserve the aintings and sculputres.
Lucas Cranach the Elder: Adam and Eve
The details on the building itself were mesmerizing
Monet
The painter himself around 1900
Edgar Degas: Dancer Looking At the Sole of Her Right Foot
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: La Loge
Van Gogh's self-portrait after cutting off his own ear
A delicate, unfinished sketch of Édouard Manet found in his studio after his death. It was named Au Bal
At last, we arrived to the section where Rodin's works were exhibited. The lights in the rooms were even more dim; no photos were allowed. We saw numerous sketches in pencil and a few statues of dancers. He was fascinated by them towards the end of his life and made some daring pieces.
It was such a lovely journey. I have a feeling we will be up in London sometime soon again! There is so much to see. Stay tuned! xxx