Woke up before my alarm as always and had a small breakfast from the hotel. They were so formal about it. Every continental breakfast is different. In Italy it was very small and quick and in America, you can grab what you want and take it back or eat it there. This place had me tell them I had one guest to my party and then I had to wait to be seated, like for five minutes. I just wanted to grab a yogurt and some fruit for the road but no. I had to sit down and then serve myself. It was just weird. I don't know. I slept okay. The bed looks and feels extremely comfortable while I watch Netflix and do my homework but when I woke up, it wasn't the same. I watched a little bit of a children's British cartoon. Quite funny. I asked receptionist how the Underground Tube works, as in to get and use the Oyster card. Successful. I also had to have someone there explain the prices and he walked me through it.
Walking in the rain to Tate Modern, I was early. Waiting for ten minutes for the gate to open while looking out by the Millenium Bridge. I think the two best parts coming out of the museum was the Picasso pieces and then scaring some stuck up British school kids on their field trip. First, my favourite was Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso. Second, I was coming out of a film room that was completely pitch black until you wait for your eyes to adjust, which takes a good ten minutes. Well, while I was walking out of the square room they were trying to find the courage to walk in, but they couldn't see anything. Then I walked out, appeared out of nowhere. Scared the poop out of them, I laughed at them. Anyway, I have a theory that Louise Bourgeois's art is following me. I saw her in South Hampton, Canterbury, and now here.
Walking out of Tate Modern, I started my trek over the Millenium Bridge and towards Courtlaud Gallery. Stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral to see if I can go in. Sadly, I couldn't, I think there was a service but people were not going in and the doors were closed. But I did hear it ring, loud and long. I have a video of it. Courtlaud Gallery was good, worth it. However, I did pay four pounds (student discount) for the Goya exhibit and I was actually disappointed. I saw a few of my favourites: Ophelia by John Everett Millais, Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent Van Gough, Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe by Édouard Manet, and A Bar at the Foiles-Bergére by Édouard Manet. After there, I headed to the Temple Underground Tube Station and got on the District, got off at South Kensington.
Victoria and Albert Museum. Huge. I was surprisingly mad about how huge it was. Just so much ground to cover when I have more museums to go to before day light is gone. I sadly rushed, I did take my time in the painting areas. My favourites was The Ardabil Carpet because I learned about it in my Art History I class. My professor was right, it is enormous. I also saw photographs of the theory how horses have all feet in the air when running, then the ostrich, and human one. Even though this was probably the largest out of the four museums I went to, it was probably my least favourite.
Now I had the most difficult time trying to find the Saatchi Gallery. See I circled it on my paper map (yeah I used a paper map instead of my phone today) and when I arrived to the Salone Square, I couldn't find it for the life of me. Then I sadly took out my phone and google mapped it. Well, it turns out, you cannot trust google maps with finding the Saatchi Gallery. I hit the destination, about five blocks from where I was, and it was hiding still. I asked a girl walking past me and she pointed me back to where I started. I went back and turns out, it was behind one of the blocks of the Salone Square. A trek that could have taken ten minutes was twenty. Saatchi is contemporary art and wow, it was very fun. I've never heard or seen any of the artists works before and it made me miss Artists Now lectures at UW-Milwaukee, hearing artists talk about their ideas on their art. I kept thinking, "we should have this person come to Milwaukee to talk". Anyway, my favourite room was a small one littered with cat sized ants crawling on the walls and ceilings. A little girl shrieked when walking in. I took a panorama, and it should be shown below.
Lastly, which was not on my original plan for the day, was the Tate Britain. I went to the Salone Underground Tube to go to Westminister, to admire Big Ben and walk down to the museum. Unfortunately, I went down and three minutes after waiting for my train to come, an announcement comes on and every one is filing out. Apparently when London rains, the tube loses signal and cannot operate. My feet were killing me and it would be a long walk and I would waste time so I try to figure the bus out. However, I couldn't figure it out, even when asking two people for help.. they just confused me even more. So I took out my phone and used the "Get Taxi" app for taxis. I used my last twelve pounds for a ride. Well worth it as well, I got to Ophelia by John Everett Millais! One of my favourites as well, it's the painting below with a woman laying in the river. This place was nice, the map plan was the easiest out of all of them. Probably because it was a one floor museum with three long rows of rooms, going in order too. Lots of Henri Moore and JMW Turner there. So if you're fans, go there.
Walked up the one road by the river, straight towards the Parliament. That was the time that Westminister decided to rain the hardest and have the strongest wind. Umbrellas breaking every where, including mine. I crossed the bridge and headed back to my hotel to get some more money. Only to go to the Tesco Express (grocery store) a block away. Grabbed a sandwich and fruit, bananas for the next two days and more water.
My only failures that I am not proud of is using my phone for Saatchi Gallery and calling a taxi for Tate Britain. I am okay with the broken umbrella and sore feet. I felt like the true study abroad student because I am seeing London by day and doing homework by night. Then, with a total of 14.9 miles walked, today is not the day that I planned on walking the most, that's tomorrow for St. Jame's Park and Oxford Street. Well, wish me luck, I'm off to the showers.
Above is the Tate Modern's film by Bill Viola, Tiny Deaths. The room that was extremely dark and I scared those kids from walking out. It was scary for me at first too. I was the only one there at the time, so I was standing in front of an open hall thats pitch black and making these sounds. Once my eyes adjusted a little, I walked in. I found out there are three screens surrounding me. You cannot tell in my video, but I was shaking and moving from screen to screen every second. Some of the scenes you can't see in my video either, like light shadows of a standing body.
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