Photo Pest: Tate Modern

A map of London at the Shard was detailed enough to identify the location of our Airbnb, at the end of Church Street closest to the Thames.

We began our leisurely stroll east on the Chelsea Embankment. Even London's park benches are done.

Grand homes line the embankment on the north side of the Thames. The south side is more industrial.

We passed the Tate Britain, where we'd seen Hew Locke's "Procession" Sunday afternoon

. . . the Victoria Tower of Parliament

. . . an entrance to the Palace of Westminster

. . . Big Ben

. . . Whitehall Gardens

. . . and the Eye.

I'd ridden the Eye with Tom and Audrey but when no tickets were available, I booked a lunch reservation at the Shard so Tom would get another aerial view of London.

We crossed the Thames on the Golden Jubilee Bridges.

Southwark has a grittier feel.

A 2:30 p.m. lunch reservation abbreviated our tour of the glorious Tate Modern, which I had visited in 2016. "If ever there was a temple of art, this is it," I told Thom.

After lunch, we wandered through nearby Borough Market.

Redevelopment and restoration seem to have taken Southwark by storm in equal measure. It was almost as touristed as central London, especially once we found Queen's Walk to Tower Bridge.

I can't decide if Tower Bridge or Big Ben is more iconic. We couldn't have crossed it at a better--or busier--time. It really felt as if the entire world had descended on London!

Can you spot me waving in the crowd?

The light and the angle completely changed the look of the bridge.

My parents took me to see the crown jewels in the Tower of London when I was a kid. I'm pretty certain it was a lot less crowded then.

We were too late to check out the interior of St. Paul's Cathedral. After already walking nearly 11 miles, we caught the first bus back to Chelsea.

More London:

East End
The Way of All Flesh
Crowds
Liberty
How Much Would You Pay for a Shoehorn?
Must-See Plunder
The Ladies Who Lunch (Oblix @ the Shard)
Slow Day
"Workers Of All Lands Unite"
Hampstead Heath
Green Card
The Ladies Who Lunch (The Wolseley)
Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear
All Is Vanity
Arrival in London

Saturday Crowds (2016)

Lazarus WTF? (2016)

The Glorious Tate Modern (2016)

A Bird's Eye View of London (2016)

Semi-Grand Tour (1975)

Travels With Charlie (1964)

Friday, November 11, 2016

The Glorious Tate Modern

The Tate Modern topped my list of things to see in London. The former power plant more than lived up to my expectations. So few things do.

The mammoth space near the entrance instantly imbues a sense of wonder.

The curators have organized the diverse collection by themes that don't require a lot of reading to absorb.

Artists who work on a grand scale, like Joseph Beuys, are shown to great advantage.

Some of the works I liked bests were by unfamiliar names.

Conceptual art doesn't usually do it for me but the color red unites these photos. Care to guess the nationality of the artist?

The Church of St. John the Divine exhibited Jane Alexander's mysterious critters several years ago. They looked slightly less malevolent at the Tate divorced from the religious context.

The permanent exhibitions are free, a policy that truly encourages art appreciation.

Remember this name: Ibrahim El-Salahi, a former politician! Too bad I didn't see the Tate's earlier retrospective of his work. African artists don't get enough exposure in America.

This gallery juxtaposed different styles of abstract painting.

Seeing Andy Warhol's electric chair silkscreens for the first time was treat. Natural light flooded the room like current.

The Tate Modern also gave me newfound appreciation for Louise Bourgeois. She lived to be nearly 100. Her reputation probably would be bigger if she were male.