Saturday, October 13, 2007


ANOTHER DAY IN LONDON

Three goals today, all achieved:

Tate Modern - everyone is talking about Columbian artist Doris Salcedo's "installation" in the turbine hall. And having now see it I can understand why. Bloody amazing, It is like there has been a major earthquake in that enormous hall and fissure has opened up the length of the room! I've added a pic athough it doesn't do the work justice.

Fortnum & Mason - the legendary food emporium on Picadilly. Goal - to buy the world's best, and most expensive, chocolate biscuits - the legenday Chocolate Olivers. Nine pounds a packet! Actually they come in a tin the size of a packet. Done.

Charing Cross Road Bookshops - there are a dozen or mosr bookshops cluetered about Charing Cross Road and as I was out of time I couldn't see them all so settled on the famous Foyles - the largest independent bookshop in London. Pleasantly chaotic, spread over 5 floors.An important player in the cultural life of this great city. Been than over 100 years, claims to have 7 miles of bookshelves, and I can believe it. Then quick visits to the Comic Showcase who hold a huge range of comics from both sides of the Atlantic and load of Manga titles;Blackwells at 100 Charing Cross Road, this is huge and is there London flagship store.
Footnote:
Simon has coverted me to buses! Much cheaper than the tube,you can use your Oyster card, more covenient stops, avoids being underground. So far I have used the number 38 several times, the 63 once, and the 19 once. Tomorrow when I go to visit Katy & Ben I'll be first on the 38, (stop right outside the flat), and then onto the number 22 which will drop me at the end of her road.
The courtesy of London drivers is something to behold, especially noticeable are the drivers of cabs, buses and vans. They never fail to allow other vehicles coming out of side streets or driveways to join the main traffic flow.

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